Zoos forced to decide the fate of endangered species

You might want to stop reading if you hate feeling super-sad: Zoos in the U.S. are being forced to make tough choices on the futures of whole species because there aren't enough resources to rescue every animal from extinction. One critter that "American zoos are on the verge of giving up on trying to save" is the lion-tailed macaque, thought to number just 4,000 in the wild. Dr. Steven L. Monfort, director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, believes zoos should work to conserve endangered species instead of showcasing cute-but-thriving animals. "There needs to be an explicit role for zoos to champion species," he said.