Living Space The Size Of Your Closet

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.

Animals are deprived of their natural habitat when transferred from the wild open space of the wild only to be fenced inside a limited habitat. Peta.org explains “Elephants typically walk up to 30 miles in just one day, but Lucy, the lone elephant at the Edmonton Zoo, is locked inside a barn… spends most of her time indoors…”. This doesn’t only apply to elephants, but to many other animals. Preventing them from thriving, because of the limited space provided per animal. Additionally, this leads to health problems because of the restricted amount of movement, health problems like arthritis. However zoos are not only causing physical harm, but mentally making animals sick causing many cases of depression. Trapping animals in cages stressed them out and can make them unhappy taking matters into their own hands trying to kill themselves according 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.

Think about having to live your whole life in a cage, where you are surrounded by people you are not familiar with. Would you like that? But this is how live is for animals in the zoos.

"Zoos have improved a lot in the last 4,000 years. These days, most zoos create friendlier environments for animals. ... Now, however, they get their animals through captive breeding programs and other zoos." This is an understandable concern, however, but this is not the case. Animals are not meant to be kept in captivity for human entertainment, animals are meant to be wild, the artificial surroundings in zoos an cause Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

As claimed in the LCA article, ”Animals in zoos are forced to live in artificial, stressful, and downright boring conditions”(User, Super). Evidence shows time to time that animals are being affected by zoos. There are many things hidden behind the facilities, that many people do not know about. The animals are being held in conditions that no animal should ever live in. Even though some zoos do focus on helping the animals, they are not as beneficial to the animal because they are not provided with the proper care and attention they need and zoos do not try to fix their problems.

Saving animals is one objective, but placing an animal in captivity is another. The animals are aware of their surroundings and probably remember where they came from. Just because animals cannot speak, it doesn’t mean that they don’t understand what is going on. So, when placing an animal in a thousand square foot cage, compared to their

In many of the zoos that i have witnessed have had small living quarters for the animals. In both articles “The Impact of Animal Protection” and “Do Animals Lose in Zoos” they both talk about having limited space at zoos and wildlife reserves. I have gone the Oklahoma City Zoo and seen some of the larger animals enclosures. Some of the larger cats in particularly seem small holding the seven or eight cats at a time. In the article, “ Do Animals Lose in Zoos?” it says, “Big cats have been seen endlessly pacing.” This is due to them being locked up and not able to run

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.

It isn't natural for animals to be kept in small cages they are meant to be free in their natural habitat. The animals won't live to their full lifespan they will suffer unlike in the

Imagine one minute running freely on the vast green terrain surrounding you, then the next locked up in a cold, hard, cage. It sounds horrible, right? Who would want to be locked up with minimal area to stretch your legs, and have people staring at you constantly? I for one, would hate that. I imagine that most animals locked up would share the same feelings. I personally, am against animals being caged. They do not deserve that kind of lifestyle and should not have to live with it just because humans pay money to see it. Animals are suffering greatly from being locked away. When an animal is bought, traded or given to a zoo, the animals rights are stripped away from them.

Now, a change in perspective, how would it feel to live like a panda in a zoo? We get fed everyday, and there’s no need to get food for ourselves. Quite an easy life. But how does feeling caged sound? Not able to roam in the forest, and not able to be completely free. Yet pandas live a fragile life, endangered from the wilderness. Mentally, we are more unstable when confined in a space and become vulnerable. Without freedom outside of constraint, it will be like covering yourself in a plastic bag unable to breathe.

Feeling trapped, in a cubicle with bars on all four sides, being taken away from your home, and not knowing where you are. That's what animals that are enclosed in the zoo feel when they are taken away from their natural habitat. Some animals start to act out and do what they do best, by being the exotic and wild animal they were born to be. That is until there is human interactions involved with the animal. Such as the gorilla Harambe, he was in his enclosure when a little boy fell into the pit. The gorilla then went to the child and was interacting with him in the way he knew how, which lead to him being shot.

If you were an animal would you like to be contained in a cage in a zoo, or instead would you want to roam around and be free in the wild? Personally, if I was an animal I would want to be free in the wild; people need to understand that if animals are contained in zoos, they would get lots of disadvantages. For instance, The animal won’t develop hunting or survival skills, or the animal might get zoochosis. Don’t forget zoos can’t provide sufficient space the animal needs.

Physical confinement is very harmful physiologically and psychologically. The Born Free Foundation conducted a study that found that 22% of the time confined elephant’s present abnormal action, like repeated head bobbing or swaying. Confined bears spend 30% of their time pacing.