The crowd starts to swarm around the latest attraction, you can hear gasps of awe from the children and people saying “look at that!” among the crowd. The latest attraction happens to be a bear laying out in the hot sun. There are children standing on the ledge of the fence trying to catch a glimpse of the bear. There are phones out and ready to snap pictures of the bear. This is a common sight at zoos around the world.
The zoo is a popular place for families and people of all ages to visit, especially, in the Chicagoland area, where our two zoos: Brookfield and Lincoln Park, are a favorite for families to visit all year long. However, there is a controversy over zoos: whether they’re humane or not. For example, in 2016, Harambe, a gorilla, was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a three-year-old child climbed into the enclosure. Harambe sparked debate over whether animals should be held in captivity and the standard of care at zoos.
Personally, I’m on the fence about zoos. In some way I can see how they benefit the animals since endangered species are cared for in a facility with resources. However, I also see how animals are being taken away from their natural habitat and oftentimes living in unfit conditions. So, I decided to visit Lincoln Park Zoo and see if zoos are really that bad and by the end of my visit, I realized that zoos are not as amazing as people think they are.
It was a chilly, November day when I went to the zoo, most of the animals were nowhere to be
One of the most fun, visually amazing functions to visit are zoo's. Growing up as a kid going to the zoo was so much fun and basically guaranteed a great day out. People have been complaining and questioning the role of zoo's for a long time now. Some claim that it actually kills the animals off faster. Others claim that zoo's actually help protect and preserve the lives of these animals. Only one can make a reasonable argument by studying sources, and finding out statistics. Based off of the articles, "The Stripes Will Survive", "The Zoos Go Wild", and "Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment", we can truly get in-depth analysis about the role zoo's play.
Zoos have always been criticized because some claim that animals are being abused and mistreated due to the lack and care of certain zoos. However, zoos actually help many animals with research and are critically important for conservation purposes. People need to understand that zoos have programs that breed endangered animals as well as rescue programs for exotic animals that people are no longer able to support. Also, they have many hands on activities that allow people to get more connected to animals. In addition, zoos do not only focus on animals. They focus on environmental problems/concerns as well. Zoos help us stay educated about environmental impacts and animal care.
Zoos may seem fun to visit and exciting to see the animals; but what you don’t see is the suffering and depression that lies in these helpless creatures. There are many arguments whether or not zoos are good or bad, and if they should be removed or kept. Several think that zoos should be abolished or at least very much improved, due to animal cruelty. While, others want zoos to stay because it is beneficial for the animals and people. I strongly believe that zoos aren’t good for both the public and animals for numerous reasons.
There have been a lot of problems with animals in zoos. It has gotten to the point where zoos are hated and looked upon as a places of animal torture. Are zoos really that bad? Turns out, they are. They do not have enough space, they do not allow the animals to communicate with each other, and they sell the animals to cruel circuses.
The first modern zoo to be founded was in Vienna, Madrid and Paris in the eighteenth century and later on in London and Berlin in the nineteenth century. The first zoo to be established in America was in Philadelphia and Cincinnati in the 1870s. In today’s America there are thousands of zoos. Humans like to be entertained regardless of how they are being entertained, whether that is walking through the park, watching a show, listening to music or simply going to the zoo. There are truth behind zoos that many don’t see, for example, many zoos don’t show the death rates that many zoo animals have after being transported from their natural habitants or the experiences that the zoo keepers provide to the animals being kept in captivity. To what extent are we okay with animals being tortured or being aware that animals are being killed just so humans can be entertained? While there are benefits to keeping animals in captivity, scholars agree that there are more negative effects that are damaging to the animals. The purpose of zoos can be more than just keeping animals in captivity and creating significant health or mental problems, zoos also can have a positive outcome, zoos can help keep endangered animals safe from others who are trying to kill them for what they are worth. Jamieson explains and gives one example of when people started putting animals in captivity. The Romans is the example that Jamieson uses, the Romans “kept animals in order to have living fodder for games.” Jamieson continued to explain how over the years the use of animals historically grew in popularity and how the idea continued to “thrive until at least the eight century.” Jamieson also mentioned that keeping a large amount of animals showed who had power.
Society sees it as the zoos making money off people and it really is hurting the animals in the long run because there is not enough room that they have where the animals stay. There were also reports about there not being enough sun and the temperatures throws off the animals because they are already use to their habitat. The article talked about it being a benefit because they are able to save the near extinct because they can mate the animals. On this article they did a study on what people saw when they walked into the zoos and wildlife tours. Overall it was most of the people who had good things to say after their visit. It was solely based on what they saw. Zoos and wildlife sanctuaries bring in a lot of money each year and it will continue to be a hot topic because of the reports alone we have seen on these sanctuaries. It was a good article because they went into how the research was done and the outcomes. There was a lot of information there. I actually got to join access for free to this article I got off Brandman
The first modern zoo founded was in Vienna, Madrid and Paris in the eighteenth century and later in London and Berlin in the nineteenth century. The first zoo to be established in America was in Philadelphia and Cincinnati in the 1870s. In today’s America there are thousands of zoos. Humans like to be entertained regardless of how they are being entertained, whether that is walking through the park, watching a show, listening to music or simply going to the zoo. There is truth behind zoos that many don’t see, for example, many zoos don’t show the death rates that many zoo animals have after being transported from their natural habitants or the experiences that the zoo keepers provide to the animals being kept in captivity. To what extent are we okay with animals being tortured or being aware that animals are being killed just so humans can be entertained? While there are benefits to keeping animals in captivity, scholars agree that there are more negative effects that are damaging to the animals. The purpose of zoos can be more than just keeping animals in captivity and creating significant health or mental problems, zoos also can have a positive outcome, zoos can help keep endangered animals safe from others who are trying to kill them for what they are worth. Jamieson explains and gives one example of when people started putting animals in captivity. The Romans is the example that Jamieson uses, the Romans “kept animals in order to have living fodder for
Zoos are terrible places for animals that do not belong in cages. Zoos include roadside zoos, petting zoos, and smaller animal exhibits. The animals they have are meant to be out in the wild not locked up in cages. The areas are not big enough for them to be animals. They are held in captivity with nowhere to go because if they try to break out, they are going to get shot down. Animals are not meant for entertainment. If you want to see an animal there are many websites with live cameras in order to see it. Also, if you want to see animals the animals should have a free range area and the people ride around in cars to look. The people should take the chances of getting beaten, eaten, trampled, etc. Zoos make money off poor animals who have no choice
An example of why zoos are so
Unfortunately, it doesn’t hide the fact that visitors may unintentionally or intentionally lead to the death of an animal by feeding (despite warnings) or by introducing foreign bodies into the enclosure. There are many cases in where visitors intentionally mess with the animals to receive reactions, that is through throwing objects or calling to them. In 1874, when the Philadelphia Zoo opened, a sloth was poked to death by the walking sticks and umbrellas of visitors within a week (“From Zoo Cage”). Zoos need to start taking into consideration the intent of humans on seeing the animals and that the animals being so close to humans will negatively affect their health. Another cause for the physical health deterioration of animals in captivity
Background Info: Zoos in American have changed a lot over the years, but they have not made the full transition to where they should be yet.
Zoos are a dynamic educational source that enhances our community. Zoos raise awareness about jeopardized species and the significance of preservation. Zoos may help us to comprehend animals. They offer a good tool for our societies by lodging and dealing with creatures that may have been in peril at one point in their life. “100,000 kids come to London Zoo every year to learn about creatures.”[3] Usually when people come to zoos and they are taught about the conservation of some of the endangered species, a lot of these people get motivated and inspired to do something about it either by donating money or volunteering to help and so on.
All over the United States, millions of different types of animals are being held captive simply for entertainment. They are being stolen from their homes, brought into an unknown place, and are forced to adapt to different standards of living. Animals being confined in cages gradually become more and more unhappy and they suffer to give people a small moment of happiness. Over thousands of years since the format of zoos have been introduced, animals are constantly being stripped of their natural right as living beings for the sole purpose of public enjoyment. People camouflage the inhumanity of zoos, for various reasons and are revealed to the public that they are okay. Zoos should be outlawed due to the insufficient space that is being provided for the animals, the
The first exhibit I encountered was the black bears. Their thick, glistening fur was reflecting the light on and off as they paced the entire patch of land. Walking back and forth, the bears footprints could be seen in the dirt as they slowly wove a path into the land. One bear was just lying around in the blistering sun barely moving. No trees, no bushes, and no pools of water to allow the animals to cool down. The more I looked, the more I noticed how barren the display was. I couldn’t stop thinking how sad the entire place looked when I compared it to the bears’ natural habitat, how artificial the habitat probably seemed to the bears, and how in most cases this life was the only one the bears would ever know. There was just a round prison with limited space, in which three enormous bears lived. Most bears in the wild are solitary creatures who only come together for mating season, but here they were forced to spend all day with each other. Forcing myself to continue, I made my way to the the tigers.
The Lincoln Park Zoo should be banned in order to protect animals from unsuitable enclosures and inadequate living conditions. Many of us feel the obligation to give animals the same rights as ourselves, so the idea of closing this zoo will prevent the capturing of wildlife and help end the miseries of several animals. By shutting down the Lincoln Park Zoo, numerous controversial issues and struggles will brought to attention on how to care for captive wildlife, or where animals would go without a home. However, if public zoos planned to close within the next year, hundreds of animals that are currently residing in the exhibits will be transported to an animal care center and then released back into the wildlife. This would allow for animals to roam free without being enclosed within a limited space, and be able to enjoy their natural habitat. Getting rid of cages reinforces the idea of interacting with animals and biodiversity in parks and reserves in a natural way.