You are, of course 100% right Woma_Wild. But here's the challenge - and please no angry responses folks, I am NOT supporting poor husbandry - most animal parks scarcely break even financially. I can tell you, even some of the largest zoos in Australia make a loss each year and only survive through government subsidies, sponsorship or corporate events. And keepers are paid almost nothing by comparison to the main stream workers. Most work in the industry because they love what they do. And they do so with limited resources. And trust me, 99.9% of keepers you speak to (and I speak to a lot) will tell you they wish they had more resources to care for animals better.
Now, none of this is an excuse, but here's what happens. And yes, I've been associated with a major Australian zoo for over a decade, so I'm biased, but I also speak with some experience... People won't pay top dollar to go to a tourist attraction unless it ticks all the boxes. Money is tight for people. So to pay over $100 for a family to go into a place like a zoo or wildlife park, is a major hit on the weekly income. And sure, if that wildlife park has elephants and lions and seals and gorillas, then chances are you'll think it's good value for money. But even then, people want to experience the animals they've paid to see. The number of complaints these parks get each year about animals not being on display or hard to see is astonishing. Unfortunately, herps are bad like that. Many don't move much. They like being in hides. And if all your reptiles are in hides, people feel ripped off. And if they feel ripped off, they don't return. No return = no revenue for the parks. Now again, this is no excuse for poor husbandry. Dirty enclosures are a no-no - but hasn't every keeper had a dirty enclosure once or twice?
Some zoos and wildlife parks are working hard to compensate for this. Having keepers bring snakes out for people to touch, having animal "shows" or experiences, helps visitors feel they've got value for money. Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast does this very well. Other zoos are following suit.
But it's not always possible to get it perfectly right. I've been to great zoos, like Singapore Zoo, and seen a massive Reticulated Python in part-shed. Now Retics are native to Singapore, so if any wildlife park or zoo was going to get conditions right, it should be there. I asked a keeper about it and he told me they would intervene if they had to, but preferred to wait, as physically helping a big python to shed is stressful, both for the snake and the keepers!
My suggestion - and I've spoken to hundreds of keepers over the years - if you see something that bothers you, find a keeper and politely point out what you've seen. You might be surprised at how positive they view your interest and concerns.
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