Animal Captivity Essay

The issue on whether or not to keep animals in captivity has been debated heavily for a long time. With species such as the panda on the verge of extinction to mistreatment of marine mammals in theme parks such as Sea World, keeping wild animals under the care of humans has been a struggle and a highly controversial topic. Even though many people believe that animals should not be kept in captivity because humans are incapable of fully understanding and providing specific needs for wild animals, certain animals can be kept happy and healthy in captivity, and these animals are an important educational tool for teaching people of all ages about biology, biodiversity, and the ecosystems of the world.

Should animals in Captivity be allowed? Animals in Captivity should be allowed because they get the medicine they need, animals can live longer, and the animals can get smarter. The first reason animals in captivity should be allowed is that animals can get healthy. There are rehabilitation programs that nurse animals back to health.Veterinarians can prevent and control a disease. Second, animals can live longer in captivity. In the article, by Hannah J. O’regan and Andrew C. Kitchener states, “Gorillas live for more than 50 years in captivity compared to 35 years in the wild” (223). The animals diets also help them live longer. Lastly animals can get smarter. Animals in captivity do more activities making them smarter. For example, “Rats raised in enriched environments had larger brains”(O’regan and Kitchener 224). Animals in captivity should be allowed because they are able to get healthier, their lifespan increases, and they get more intelligent.

Although keeping animals in captivity is bad because they don't get to be themselves they should keep animals in zoos or captivity because it helps the species not go extinct, it brings happiness to families that go to the zoo, and zoos bring in enough money to build better exhibits. Even though zoos still have negative impacts on animals lives they should still keep animals in

Many people are attracted to keeping wild animals as pets. They believe the wild animals to be interesting and exciting. At a young age, the animals may seem easier to tame, but the older these animals get, the more aggressive they tend to become. Many problems can develop from keeping a wild animal as a pet. Wild animals have specific needs that have to be met, in order for them to prosper. “Only the most exceptional zoos and wildlife centers provide a living area that somewhat resembles the natural habitat of these animals, but it is virtually impossible to provide sufficient space for larger species”(CFHS). In captivity animals do not lose their wild instincts. They can be extremely unpredictable, and if provoked they can cause severe harm to people. Some wild animals, such as reptiles and hedgehogs can actually carry bacteria called salmonella, which is very easily transmitted to humans. Exotic animals can be very social, and need to have a companion of the same species living with them. If the animal is kept isolated from its kind, then it can suffer psychologically (CFHS). Many wild animals that are kept as pets often get abandoned because the owner was not able to meet of its needs. Others try to

For one to completely understand animal cruelty one must know how animal cruelty is categorized. Animal cruelty was first categorized as a symptom of conduct disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 (McPhedran; 2008). Conduct disorder is defined as “a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others are major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated” (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). To be diagnosed with conduct disorder, a person must have at least 3 of the 15 symptoms of the disorder presented. Other symptoms of conduct disorder include persistent patterns of aggression towards humans, lying and deception, theft and/or robbery, and

“If I had my way, there wouldn’t be a single lion or tiger in captivity anywhere in the world. They never take to it. They’re never happy. They never settle down…You can see it in their eyes.” There are over 10,000 zoos and aquariums worldwide; just imagine how many animals that will add up to. Not just wild animals like tigers, lions, wolves and elephants but sea life such as dolphins, sharks, orcas and penguins included; are they really happy being behind bars? All wild animals on the land or in the sea should not be kept in captivity.

The animal’s safety can be at risk when they do not get the freedom they deserve. They need to have the freedom, the ability to run, like we do. Most captive animals are kept in cages for most of their life. Animals in facilities become unhealthy from the lack of socialization The animals themselves get harmed, or even killed. One example in Wild Animals Aren’t Pets states,”They shot all but a handful of the animals as the nation watched,

Our friend Joel from the op-ed tried to deflect the problems with captivity by including info like 6th mass extinction and other environmental problems. Yes, there are bigger problems in the world, but that doesn't mean that the issues of wild animals in captivity should be swept under the rug. Here are a few basic reasons why I don't support zoos/aquariums anymore (wish I could go more into each point but I can't write on essay in IG -- unless I was being paid ):

Positive elements of animal captivity After looking at the philosophical theories supporting the use of animal captivity, I researched the positive elements to make sense of these views and to see why zoos, wildlife parks and circuses are still popular today despite the horrible stories emerging from such places. One of the most significant aspects of modern zoos is their attempt at saving endangered species, which is extremely important in today’s society due to climate change. Zoos and wildlife parks are able bring the animals into a safe environment where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, starvation and predators, as there is more of a chance of them becoming extinct being left in the wild than in the safety of a zoo. This view is argued by Warwick Frost in his book ‘Zoos and Tourism’, where he states, ‘zoos have a role in conserving and scientifically studying endangered species and this scientific interest often extends to seeing zoos as vehicles for acclimatising and introducing ‘useful’ exotic species.’ (Frost, 2011, p.1)

Despite the positive areas that may benefit from the elimination of captivity, others hold a strong opinion that by keeping the animals in captivity- this allows proper, and closer research to be performed on the mammals. Some research that’s done is providing children with learning information they

Why is it that we as a society condemn the actions of a man against a man but very rarely a man against an animal? I think this question must be understood if we are ever to change the rights animals have. As of yet I don't believe animals have any actual rights. Rather humans have rights that involve animals. If we are to truly allow animals to have rights the same or similar to humans then we must first define what it is that makes us feel as if they are entitled to rights.

For many years animals have been unwillingly held in captivity. Although it might be for there best interest. Some can not survive the wild because of illness that is so far on that they can not live without human help. Or they have lost their parents before they could teach them what they need to know about the wild. A few are taken from the wild and put in captivity. Animals in captivity do see many changes though. Animals tend to see mental changes, become needy for human help, and after being in captivity they can not be put back in the wild.

Animal captivity has been viewed as a form of animal cruelty for decades now. The subject of animal cruelty has become a hot topic that has snowballed over the years. It becomes a serious matter to the public and their respected judgement towards associations such as any public zoo for example, or the franchise Seaworld. Seaworld is notoriously known for captivating orcas, as well as them directly being harmed by these confined living conditions. Businesses that affiliate themselves with any form of imprisonment should be exterminated from their business field. Confinement is a form of animal abuse. There are a multitude of reasons behind the fact that captivity negatively impacts a plethora of animals across the nation. Along with the multitude of reasons why it is an unfortunate thing to keep the animals incarcerated, there are an abundance of proposed solutions to the concerning issue as well.

Animal cruelty is something that many people believe is wrong and agree that the laws should be much stricter and enforced to protect every animal. They are many cases where they are not much justice for animals. Every state has different laws some are stricter than others, but most states do not make animal cruelty a big deal. They are different types of animal cruelty they are neglect, acts of abuse, animal fighting, abandonment, and bestiality (Jones).

In the Steps to Writing Well textbook by Jean Wyrick, there has an article that supports people who adopt wild animals and the name is Zuana Kukol’s Opposing View: Let People Own Exotic Animals. Based on that, the author gives a message that people should be allowed to adopt any animals because it helps animals stay away from extinction, everybody should have freedom to pick any species of wild, and exotic animals have low numbers of harmful per year. This is also a way to eliminate extinction because exotic animals are captive animals, so they will be backup when animals go extinct. Moreover, the article shows the record of fatalities per year by captive animals only around four people per year. Meanwhile, traffic accidents are around one hundred per day. The writer also supports with emphasis sentences at the end on why people have the freedom to pick their favorite car but not animals. To sum up, the author writes this article because of supporting people who want to own exotic animals as pets.