Is it time to shut down the zoos?

Cruel or kind? Education and conservation are cited as reasons for keeping wild animals in captivity, but many critics say zoos are outdated relics of a less enlightened era. We hear what both sides say

In a few days, a pair of two-year-old cheetahs, Saba and Nairo, will depart from the UK on a remarkable journey. The brothers will be taken from Howletts Wild Animal Park, in Kent, and flown to South Africa to begin a new life - in the wild.

It will be the first time that cheetahs born in captivity have left the UK for rewilding in Africa, says Damian Aspinall, who runs Howletts. "There are only about 7,000 cheetahs left on the planet and they are listed as vulnerable," he says. "This reintroduction - to a reserve in Mount Camdeboo, in south of the country - is important because it will help to support the small population of cheetahs we have left in the wild."