A TRIP to the zoo may sound like a fun day out for children, but it is certainly not the best way to educate youngsters about protecting the world’s wildlife.

Animals in zoos, and even in safari parks, are kept in enclosures on average 100 times smaller than their minimum home range in the wild and such establishments exist primarily for profit rather than conservation.

Habitat destruction is the biggest threat to wild animals and protection of their natural habitat is the most important way of saving them.

Instead of members of the public paying to gawp at animals in captivity, their money would be of much greater benefit to wildlife if donated to organisations like Care for the Wild and the Born Free Foundation, which work to protect animals and their habitats in the wild.

Denise Garside Stoke Road Bromsgrove