The key difference between safari and zoo is that the safari allows you to observe animals in their natural habitat whereas the zoo only offers you a view of animals housed within enclosures.
A zoo is a park-like area where animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public display. In contrast, a safari is an expedition to wildness that allows you to observe wildlife. The animals you see on a safari are free to roam while animals in a zoo are typically in cages or cage-like enclosures.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Safari
3. What is a Zoo
4. Similarities Between Safari and Zoo
5. Side by Side Comparison – Safari vs Zoo in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is a Safari?
Safari is an expedition to observe animals in their natural habitat. The word ‘safari’ originates from the Swahili word for ‘journey’. In the colonial times, this was mainly associated with hunting, but today it has evolved to mean ‘environmentally responsible’ way of watching animals in their natural habitats. In today’s world, safaris allow people to admire wildlife and birds and get an authentic experience as well as to help conserve animals, instead of hunting them. Therefore, safaris are a big part of eco-tourism.
Figure 01: Safari
Most people naturally the word safari in Africa. Countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Rwanda. However, countries like China, India, Siberia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Nepal also offer some unique safari experiences.
What is a Zoo?
A zoo or a zoological garden is a place where many different species animals are housed so that humans can watch and observe them. You can observe a variety of animals such as birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and fish in a zoo. There are different types of zoos; aquaria, animal theme parks, petting zoos are some of these.
Figure 02: Zoo
A zoo can have many purposes such as entertainment, education and research. Some zoos also contribute to the conservation of rare animals by breeding them.
Animals in a zoo are housed within enclosures; they are not allowed to roam free. Moreover, the environment in the zoo is not the natural habitats of animals although it may be created to resemble a natural environment. The conditions in zoos and welfare of animals vary widely.
Some Famous Zoos Around the World
- London zoo, England
- Berlin zoo, German
- Bronx Zoo, New York, United States
- Beijing Zoo, China
- Melbourne Zoo, Australia
- Pretoria Zoo, South Africa
- Philadelphia Zoo, United States
What are the Similarities Between Safari and Zoo?
- Both allow you to observe animals.
- They help in educating people about animals and conserving animals.
What is the Difference Between Safari and Zoo?
A zoo is a park-like area where animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public display. In contrast, a safari is a trip to observe wild animals. The main difference between safari and zoo is that animals you see on a safari are free to roam while animals in a zoo are not. Moreover, you can find zoos all over the world whereas the concept of safari is mainly associated with Africa, especially East Africa.
In addition, in safaris, you can see animals in their natural habitats; however, the environment in zoos is artificially created. Also, on a safari, you can observe both flora and fauna, but in the zoo you can only observe wildlife.
Summary – Safari vs Zoo
Both safaris and zoos allow you to observe and enjoy wildlife. The key difference between safari and zoo is that the safari allows you to observe animals in their natural habitat whereas the zoo only offers you a view of animals housed within enclosures.
Image Courtesy:
1.”15411928177″ by Amila Tennakoon (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2.”Madrid Zoo”By Tiia Monto – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia