Maybe your zoo does all these things. Zoos do have the potential to instigate environmental education programmes that motivate people to action. To answer this, we must consider the unique niche of zoo education. Large, generalist collections may offer visitors the opportunity to view the fauna of Amazonia, Africa and Antarctica in a single day. There are variations.
Zoos offer proximity and immediacy.
In the early 21st century, humanity will become a predominantly urban species. For urbanities and their rural counterparts, progressive zoos offer an Unparalleled opportunity to experience wildlife at close quarters. The elephants are enormous. There is no substitute for the real thing. Makers of those marvellous natural history TV documentaries know this only too well.