Time to stop using animals as entertainment

It's kind of a double-edged sword. A lot of these places (especially zoos) have in place breeding programs to try to help endangered wildlife populations. A number of endangered species' continued existence relies on such programs. Like Gem pointed out, there are also a lot of rescue and conservation efforts made by such places. A lot of the animals in these places will live longer and healthier lives (threats removed) than their wild counterparts... heck, they receive better medical care than most humans. In order to do many of the positive things that these places do, they need to make money... somehow.

How many children do you think these places have inspired to grow up to be veterinarians, biologists (marine and other), animals rescue workers, conservationists, and so on? A lot, probably. I know that after a visit to one of these places as a young child, I went on (later in life) to volunteer at a chimp sanctuary. I worked with chimps that were involved in HIV research. I later moved to a local cat shelter and again worked with cats who were involved in HIV research. This place was a huge sanctuary for cats infected with FIV. Most places immediately destroy cats infected with FIV because no one will adopt them. I even adopted a kitten who was born at the shelter... and yes, he was born with FIV. He's 3 now and doing amazing.

So, you see, there are a lot of good things that come out of places like these. Of course, there are places that don't treat the animals well... they neglect and/or abuse... these places should be shut down... I don't think anyone would argue with that. But there are good ones out there, a lot of them, that are filled with people who love animals and treat the animals very well.