Animals In Zoos: The Historical Debate

Zoos have been around for 4,000 years, for many years people have gone to zoos to see wild animals up close. What people do not know is animals don't have the best interest in being in a zoo. The article, "Zoos: The Historical Debate" from Globalanimal.org discusses some pros (positive sides) and cons (negative sides) of zoos. As well as how millions of people visit zoos around the world and how some argue that zoos are either places of education and conversation or unnecessary prisons. After reading the article a logical conclusion is zoos are detrimental to animals.

Animals kept in zoos has always been a controversial decision. Zoos have been around for 4,000 years. Many people argue about the impact a zoo has on an animal and the world. According to the article, ”Zoos: The Historical Debate”, “Some people argue that zoos play an important role in conservation of endangered animals, others say that zoos do more harm than good.” I believe that zoos play an important role in conservation. They also educate us about animals. Finally, zoos entertain us in many ways. In my opinion, zoos impact the world in a good way.

Most animals stuck in zoos live by themselves even if they are meant to live in herds. While in the wild, playful african elephants live peacefully and splash each other with their trunks. In zoos with cages there is not enough space to play and enjoy themselves. The average size of elephants is 7 feet, and they live in 12 foot enclosed cages, so that leaves them with only 5 feet to move around. Elephants can not move, nor use their trunks and this causes them to die

There are flaws in the measurement for animal welfare in zoos. According to Dita Wickins-Drazilová “the usual criteria for measuring for measuring animal welfare in zoos are physical health, long life, and reproduction” (Wickins-Drazilová). There are more factors of animal welfare than the usual criteria. Many zoos claim to have healthy animals that live long lives and reproduce, but that is not merely sufficient enough for proof of good care. A long life in suffering, for example, is not a great way to live, and it is possible for animals to live long

Most importantly, animals in zoos are being abused. For example, a lot of animals have died from eating trash thrown into their habitat. When the public litters at a zoo it’s not only hurting the environment, but it’s hurting the animals too. During natural disasters, the animals in zoos are often left with no help. It’s not only the public, abusing the animals, but the zookeepers too. When the animals at the Minnesota zoo lost their youthful appearance they sent the animals to livestock auctions. Therefore most zoos care more about money than the animals.

Zoos are home to many animals in captivity which they are different from their natural habitat. Many animals suffer when they are in captivity because the zoos are very different from their natural habitat for example some zoos do not have places for relaxation of animals or the foods are different also many animal live alone.

Firstly, animals in captivity show distraught behavior and don’t have the same abilities as those in the wild. For example, in the article The Loneliest Elephant written by Tracy Tullis, it states, “With limited space and and no infants to care for, captive elephants can become catatonically bored. A great majority of elephants in American zoos -- as much as 80 percent according to a 2013 study by the Honolulu Zoo -- develop disturbing neurotic behaviors, such as repetitive swaying and head bobbing.” Furthermore, it is clear that some animals in zoos behave differently, in a negative manner, in zoos than in their natural habitat (Tullis, 3). Also, a wildlife behavioral biologist Toni Frohof talks about Happy, an elephant kept in isolation at the Bronx Zoo. His words in The Loneliest Elephant was, “She exhibits self-awareness, yet one of the most important aspects of her psychological and physical life, the ability to be around other elephants, she’s been deprived of.” This shows, elephants who are caged in seclusion don’t feel the same as other elephants who get to be around each other 24/7; Happy is forced to be alone for the rest of her life (Tullis, 3). Concludingly, elephants and other animals can form mental and physical issues while caged or isolated.

The animal has to adjust to a very different lifestyle, there’s evidence that shows how captivity effects the animals, marine parks that have been involved in the effects and have shown that they only care about the income, and how even humans can completely ignore the animals feelings. One way people around the world can help stop animals from being put in captivity is simply try not to go to a zoo or Marine Park. The money spent on ticket purchases pays for animals to be imprisoned and traded, not rescued and rehabilitated. If any local zoo requests money from corporate donors and/or charitable organizations and foundations, write to the zoo’s sponsors and encourage them to put their money toward protecting animals in the wild instead, or even encourage any local zoo to stop breeding animals. Animals in captivity is a negative subject that most people need to realize what is actually going on, and start taking action before it is too

Captivity often makes wild animals go crazy. Because living without these important things often will cause zoochosis a condition in which animals act strangely and even hurt themselves out of boredom. Animals in zoos are kept in cramped with virtually no privacy and have very few opportunities to exercise or keep their minds active. These animals are imprisoned in cages or small enclosures at zoos so they don’t get to do the things that are natural

The animals are not accustomed to the closed off environment that they are put in and tend to lose their natural instincts. Despite all the planning that goes into these enclosures living in a zoo can never compare to being able to roam free. Wild animals are being held captive and being transported across the globe commonly ending up in an environment

When people think of a zoos they are to think about all the cool animals and their trainer doing tricks with them right? No, that is totally wrong. Most of the zoos don’t even care about the animals, all they care about is their paycheck and more money. Zoos usually want babies in the zoo because that is what people are attracted to more. When they grow up and aren’t as cute they are sold to other places for big money. The reason why they would have to sell them is because when they are smaller they attract more attention and make them more money. When they grow up they aren’t as playful and enjoying to watch so they sell them to get money to get other baby animals so they can make more money.

60% of animals in zoos have marks on their heads because of them constantly banging their heads against bars. Wild animals suffer everyday from being caged in zoos and other facilities. The conditions in which they are kept are horrific and cause immense suffering to the animals. (The facts about animals in zoos).These attractions create a false sense of security about the care and welfare of animals. These animals are stuck in an unfamiliar setting usually alone with hundreds of intense, loud people staring and surrounding them. (Zoos Pitiful Prisons)Oxford University observed animals in captivity and established that animals such as lions, cheetahs, polar bears and tigers endure the most documentation of psychological stress.

Animals are wild creatures and are meant to roam as they please, not be trapped in tiny cages and enclosures and gawked at every day, 12 hours a day. One big attraction at zoos is baby animas, everyone loves to see tiny, cute little animals with their mother. But little do most know is that once the animals grow up, their fate is grim. (Animal Rights Uncompromised: Zoos). The enclosures that they’re trapped in inhibit the animal’s natural behavior that they would normally be doing, such as, flying, hunting, climbing, digging, running and even finding a partner. Being held in captivity puts a lot of stress on the animals it leads to head-bobbing, bar-biting, self-mutilation and constant pacing back and forth. Zoos also seem great because they are “keeping species from going extinct”, but ironically enough, zoos and aquariums favor larger and more popular animals because they bring in larger crowds, however they ignore other species who need to be protected. As stated before, captive-bred animals are merely there for the fact that babies bring in more money, but by growing up in captivity those animals don't learn basic survival skills, they can transmit diseases to nearby animals and have no privacy or home because of being constantly watched by humans. Gus the polar bear is a great example of the psychological pain animals endure in zoos. In the 1990’s Gus from

The first zoo was started in Vienna, Austria is 1748 and is still running today. So zoos have been entertaining people for many many years, but is that all they are good for? Zoos are beneficial for animals and make their lives better. A lot of people think that keeping animals locked up in a small habitat is a terrible thing. However, many species are starting to go extinct. Which is not good at all. “About 41 percent of all amphibian species and 26 percent of all mammals are now threatened with extinction, and fully half of the world’s primates — our closest relatives — teeter on the edge of existence.” (stlzoo.org) Zoos care for more than the amusement and education of people. They also offer the best nutrition, enrichment and environment for the animals they have in their care.

Many people believe that the zoo is a positive experience, but they are not aware of what happens behind the scenes. Animals cannot physically live in zoos due to the unnatural habitats. These man-made habitats, often cause animals to suffer due to their physical and mental needs not being met (Zoos). Most animals are put into tight and filthy cages that often cause them to go insane. Some of these animals resort to destroying themselves by chewing on their body or by pulling out their hair (Zoos and Other…). “Lions in zoos spend 48% of their time pacing, a recognized sign of behavioral problems” (Ten Facts…). No animal should have to spend their life stressing about their wellbeing. They shouldn’t have to worry about their cage not being clean, or whether they’ll make it another day. No species on this planet should have to endure the physical and mental pain that animals, held captive in zoos, have to go