If I want to enact political and social change should I run for office, or purchase all the zoos, train the animals, and create an animal army?

[Desserter4]

Release them against my enemies, seize power with my animal army and become world dictator.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I think both options are equally inefficient for your goal, that is, if you want this political and social change to do any good. Otherwise both options look reasonably unreasonable.

[Desserter4]

How would my plan fail?

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Because running for office will have you managing so many compromises, plots and audience to please, between voters, lobbies and your own party, that you will not change anything you want once you reach the top of the ladder. You will change only whatever things all these people backing you up agree with.

Because an army of zoo recruited animals, well, that plan fails at the first step, you're not going to convince heads of zoos to sell animals, they don't want legal troubles and they will think you're mad anyway.