Animals in captivity should be allowed because they can get healthy. The first reason they get healthy is there are rehabilitation programs. According to The Current, “Rehabilitation programs take ill or injured animals and nurse them to health so that they may be reintroduced back to the wild” ( Should Animals Be Kept In Captivity n. pag.). Rehabilitators learn to recognize and treat many kinds of medical and surgical problems (Duke et al. 97). Wildlife rehabilitation saves lives and returns many animals
Taking a family trip to the zoo with the kids generally entails a day of bright grins and exotic entertainment. Children feast their beady eyes on the foreign animals showcased, in awe at their fascinating performances. Despite the exhilaration generated at these locations, people fail to realize the gruesome reality that occurs behind the scenes of zoo. Although animal captivity provides amusement and is said to be educational, it remains to be a cruel practice that should require stricter regulation because of the inhumane circumstances that zoos subject the animals to.
As a child, many people would often go to the zoo or to the circus and see animals in real life. In circuses, animals would often perform tricks and stunts, dazzling the audience. In the zoo, people would often see animals in their native habitat, or what looks like it. Children were mainly amazed with the animals and were always exited to go see the animals. As the years go by, they start to realize that some of the animals are suffering and are being mistreated, especially in circuses. They see that the animals in zoos are depressed and lonely and the animals in the circuses are chained up. What is worse is that animals in laboratories are often treated very poorly; more poorly than what Americans treat prisoners and refugees. There have been many debates on whether animals should be held in captivity. Some groups believe that animals should not be held in captivity because they have the same capacities as humans. They believe that animals can feel emotion and have a sense of morality. Animals in captivity are deprived of their natural habitat and their instincts. Animals raised in captivity tend to rely more on humans compared to animals raised in the wild. They also believe zookeepers and trainers are putting themselves at risk when taking care of the animals. There have been many incidents including the death of trainers by animals, one highlighted by the movie “Blackfish” by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite. There are others who believe that putting animals in captivity is beneficial for not only the animal, but for humans as well. Humans get more jobs if more animals are put into captivity because there is an increase in the amount of people needed. Another benefit of keeping animals in captivity is that it could help save a species who is endangered and close to going extinct. Another benefit is that it helps increase the amount of food available because some animals are raised for food. Putting animals in captivity wrong unless they are being used for the animal’s benefits.
Wild animals are known as “wild” animals for a purpose. If wild animals were intended to be kept shut up in a jail, also known as a zoo, then what exactly is the point of contacting them wild animals anymore? Zoo authorities use many justifications to back up their place that having wild animals in captivity is necessary, but those justifications are neither moral nor necessary enough reasons to deny animals of their organic right to independence. Even under the best of conditions at the best of zoos, captivity cannot even begin to evaluate up to wild animals’ organic settings. At zoos, animals are often avoided from doing most of the things that are organic and essential to them. Zoos educate individuals that it is
Living in a world behind bars, having no sense of freedom, no thought of living in an environment where the boundaries are set by mountains, rivers, deserts and oceans. This is the life of an animal living in captivity. What gives us the right to take animals from their natural habitats and put them in an environment or home that doesn't even compare to what their home is. They don’t take us from our home and lock us up in cages in the jungle, so why should we do it to them. Imagine the problems that could come from taking these animals away from their natural habitat. Always having the thought in their head that they are never going back home. This would drive me insane and it probably drives them insane, too. Therefore, Animals should be set free in their natural habitats, because keeping them in zoos is causing their health to go decline.
“Before the early twentieth century, zoos would separate humans from the animals by using a series of moats. In the early 1900s, however, zoos “began displaying animals in realistic exhibits that mimicked actual habitats” (Gioielli, 2016, p. 1). Coupled with the more natural habitat is advancing care for the animals in captivity. More hospitals are being built for animals and better medicine is being created constantly. As a result of healthier and happier animals in increased popularity of animals in captivity. According to Carey (2016), “More than 10,000 zoos are now in operation worldwide . . . the central missions of zoos [are] not only to serve as attractions for recreation and amusement, but also to educate people and promote conservation . . .” (p. 2). Most people do not go to see animals in captivity for the sole purpose of entertainment, they also go to learn about the animals themselves. Both children and adults can learn about how to help protect endangered animals and their habitats. As a result, zoos and aquariums are continually gaining popularity. According to Gazert (2017), “Zoos and aquariums draw 181 million visitors per year in the United States--that’s over half the country’s population, and more visitors than the annual attendance of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games combined” (p. 2). Unfortunately, some zoos and aquariums have been known to abuse their animals. While this is not true of all zoos, but the reports of abuse have increased leading to more controversy. Because of this the idea of keeping animals in captive is harder to accept. Still, the sad truth is that animals may have to be in captivity in order to save their species. “A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund warned that without swift and substantial human intervention, over two-thirds of the world’s wildlife could be gone by the end of the decade” (Ganzert, 2017, p. 1). Predictions
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.
The mistreatment of animals is a serious problem within our society for a variety of reasons. While current laws and conditions are improving, there is still a
As the animal rights movement has developed and grown substantially in recent years, there has been an increased focused on the welfare of captive animals. A popular institution that has received much attention for keeping animals captive is the zoo. Because of this focus, zoos have responded by publicizing their positive benefits for existence in order to justify keeping these animals on display. Since the term “zoo” can have a wide variety of meaning and characteristics, it is important to define what constitutes a zoo in this essay. Zoos are defined as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and
The idea of animal rights has been around for centuries. Even decades ago, people were taking action for the welfare of animals. Marc Bekoff and Ned Hettinger share this idea all the way back in 1994 when they said that there is evidence that scientist are concerned with animal welfare by acknowledge that they use the guidelines in place to protect animals during research, in order to have their work published (Bekoff 219). Guidelines are the basis for the moral and ethical treatment of animals. Each person may have his or her own standard, but having a standard among the entire population ensures the welfare of the animals. Unfortunately, these standards are not at a level to where the animals are being protected. Many animals in captivity are treated in ways that would shock the average person. Orcas for example, are starved until they do the desired task (Cowperthwaite). This form of operant condition can lead to success, but often leads to resentment and hostility towards the trainers.
Every year almost 175 million people visit a zoo, yet the mistreatment of animals in zoos goes almost completely unnoticed. This mistreatment is constantly swept under the rug by issues that society deems more relevant or impact us more. For example, issues like climate change receive more attention. However, this mistreatment is relevant and is constantly impacting society. These animals that are left malnourished, fatigued, and constantly fighting bacterial infections, are important. Every time an animal is pulled from the wild and put into captivity it impacts the mental health of the animal and endangers everyone and everything around it. Zoos are to blame for this endangerment, yet so is the public for overlooking mistreatment such as enclosures that are too small, surplus animals, and mental illness in animals.
Animal captivity has been an ongoing debate for over 60 years. There should be no question about whether animal captivity is wrong. “Hundreds of thousands of wild animals across the world are snatched from natural habitats, forced into captivity and subjected to abuse, both mentally and physically, in the name of entertainment and profit.” (World Animal Protection 1) Places such as the circus use abusive training methods such as, hooks, chains, whips, electric rods, and blunt instruments. (Born Free USA 1) Animals deserve to live freely in the wild. Their freedom is taken away the moment they are put in a cage. When animals are brought into
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
Most people have come across animals used for entertainment purposes, whether it be in zoos or theme parks like Seaworld. Zoos and establishments like Seaworld attract millions of people year round, because what is more interesting than seeing an elephant, or an orca whale up close? In our society, is has become common for the public to travel to these types of places. They are seen as the perfect place to vacation for a day, or to just spend time with family. Children especially love to see exotic animals in person, rather than just reading about them, or watching shows about them. People do not often think that the animals they see in captivity are abused, or have low standards of living. However, the truth is that the lives animals have