It seems that on Earthday 1996 there was a newspaper article in which Newt Gingrich was claiming he was in favor of the environment, after all he had helped raise funds for a zoo!
If the problem is perceived as endangered species then building zoos is an apparent quick fix because it will provide an environment which protects the endangered species. This solution is much more timely than the longer term solution of doing integrated resource management wherein the habitat of the species is protected, thus enabling the species to survive.
The side effect of this approach is that people will visit
the zoos, see the animals, and develop a perception
of nonendangerment, thus reducing the support for doing integrated
resource management.
Many thanks to Kathleen Truman,
Environmental Studies Program, University of Nevada Las Vegas,
for submitting this example.