There are hundreds of zoos and animal-oriented theme parks around the world, and more than a few of these places have decided to up their revenue by offering the option to meet these animals in person.
Plenty of places offer services like swimming with dolphins, scuba diving with manta rays, feeding and interacting with wild birds and reptiles of all shapes and sizes, and for the really bold, even getting into a cage and being inches away from giant sharks! Interacting with these creatures can genuinely be a life-changing experience, and tons of people decide to take the plunge every year.
Of course, dealing with wild animals is always VERY unpredictable, and a large amount of legal paperwork has to be done before most places are allowed to let grown, consenting adults near some of these potentially dangerous creatures, let alone kids. So, a court recently ruled that the Crocodile Zoo in Germany can no longer let kids swim with their titular reptiles...
According to Newsweek, the zoo, located in Friedberg, Hesse, had previously allowed kids of all ages interact with the crocodiles by feeding them and swimming in the same waters, albeit with a guide from the zoo present to make sure they stayed safe. In fact, they even offered a "Jungle" birthday package that featured photos with the crocs for all kids in attendance.
However, a recent court ruling by the Darmstadt regional council has stated that not only do adults need to be separated from wild animals by a barrier at all times in order to interact with them, but now kids are expressly forbidden from doing it at all. While the zoo has never had a reported incident of a child being hurt by one of their crocodiles, the decision has been made out of fear for the welfare both of the animals, and of the children.
The ruling came about on August 25th, with the zoo submitting an appeal almost immediately. However, as of November 2nd, the appeal was rejected, and the decision stands.
What do you think? Should kids be allowed to swim with crocodiles while supervised?