Ever since I was a child I have had an uneasy relationship with zoos.

On the plus side I understand that some do a lot of good work in the areas of conservation, research and education, and it is possible that without them many more animals would now be extinct.

On the other side I have always found it distressing to see animals kept in cages and have walked out of more than one establishment (and I'm not ashamed to say, sometimes in tears) when I have seen the cramped and unnatural conditions that some animals and birds have been kept in.

Is this a case of oversensitivity, or do other people feel the same way about animals in captivity?

I feel the same way to a certain extent. I don't believe that birds especially should be kept in cages as I don't think any cage or enclosure is big enough to be close to a natural environment.

Plces such as longleat where the animals are looked after well and kept in large enclosures that are made specifically for them are better than regular zoos, but still not perfect.

I've always felt exactly the same way Timberwolf.
Although they do some good things such as preventing extinction I often find myself wondering whether I'd rather be extinct than trapped all my life.

It all depends how the animal is looked after and whether the long term goal is re-introduce the animal back into its natural environment (which is very difficult) or whether it is bred just to be kept in a zoo. I think the former is comendable, while the latter is cruel.

I would have to say that if the zoo was a place where the animals were kept in sizeable enclosures and taken care of proparly, fed, given water etc I would not think that it is cruel. But it is the animals that are kept in small cages in poor conditions that I would have a problem with.

It must also be said that I think zoos in the UK are generally pretty well regulated and while I think it is still cruel for them to be locked up, they are at least looked after properly. I am not sure the same can be said for zoos in different countries, although I have not visited any.

I have always found zoos very unsettling as well. It is great to give the everyday person a chance to see real animals at close proximity. However I still have disturbing memories of a trip I took to Regents Park. I have always had a draw to elephants for some reason and so making a beline to their enclosure, I was devasted to see how appalling the conditions were he was living in. He stood, day after day on a slab of concrete with a couple of logs laid around. People on the whole were sympathitic however others took it as a good chance to shout abuse and be generally bullish. My heart ached for its suffering and miserable life and it changed my perspective of zoo's.
Recently, whilst in Florida, I went to Gatorland which on the whole was well laid out and spacious. However there was a very small enclosure with a bear in it. It lay hour after hour unmoving and I couldnt believe the cruelty. Then I became aware of a sign and apparently this bear had been in captivity and they had rescued him. From a cub he had been kept in a shed and is totally unable to cope with big spaces. He can not be returned to the wild or given larger accommodation or companions as it will stress him too much. So I learnt a big lesson, as making swift judgements can be wrong and they do care.

That's terrible to hear what a life the bear has had, even though the zoo are doing the best thing for it, how can the person they rescued it from keep a bear in captivity like that?

I know, there are some very warped minds out there. Apparently the fact the the bear was laying calmly in his cage is a sign he wasn't stressed. It is when they pace around apparently is a bad sign.
There were also some snakes there in very small glass cages which I thought seemed rather cruel, but maybe there was a reason for that as well. Who knows?

There are zoos where animals are on public view, but I am sure there are many other caged animals such as rabbits, birds and guinea pigs in people homes which we would all consider cruel.
Then there are the animals raised for us to eat...

Very true, at least in zoos the animal will be looked after by people who (should) know what they are talking about and who you would hope have a passion for animals. There must be thousands of pets across the country that are looked after by people who have no idea what it takes to have an animal as a pet. Especially more exotic pets that are bought as trophies by people who don't have the first idea about them.