Albert Einstein once said: “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” Ladies and gentlemen, Today, I stand before you to address the growing issue of animals being imprisoned. Put yourself in the shoes of the animal; can you imagine being locked up in a cage, eating, sleeping and excreting in the same place every day? Well, animals in zoos are forced to!
Can we really say that animals in zoos, enjoy being taken away from their parents and natural habitats? The answer to that question is ‘No!’. Did you know that tigers and lions have nearly eighteen thousand times less space in a zoo than they do in their natural habitat and polar bears
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Statistics from 2015 provide proof that tigers and lions, like to run many miles to catch their prey in the wild; but in these zoos they are unable to do so. This is mainly due to the lack of rightful space. Being held captive in the enclosure changes the characteristics of the wild animals in very negative ways. The animals lose their natural hunting instincts. In the wild, animals have to search and catch their prey, whereas in a zoo the food is fed to them by the zookeepers. By Being held captive in enclosures, the animals aren't able to do what is natural for them. This eventually leads to a condition which animals face where they act strangely and harm themselves. This is known as …show more content…
In zoos, animals have no possible ways to defend themselves or escape from dangerous situations. In many cases, animals in zoos have been poisoned, starved or even burned in fires! A recent example on May 28, 2016 was where an animal was killed in the Cincinnati zoo was the shooting of the gorilla ‘ Harambe’. In this incident, an irresponsible parent was not looking after her child and the child climbed into the enclosure. The gorilla was then shot in order to save the child. Another major incident dates back to the Hurricane Katrina. Here, the employees were forced to leave as the power failed which led to over 10,000 aquatic animals being killed.
Animals should be given the freedom they deserve. They should not be held captive in zoos and we can help stop this insanity. If people stop buying tickets to look at imprisoned animals, zoos will be forced to stop imprisoning and breeding wild animals. There are many better ways of studying an animal, such as looking up about it online, or even watching an animal documentary which shows the animal in its natural habitat, with its natural behavior. The animals need to be happy to live the life they were put on earth
Zoos are an enclosure that traps the animal. There are people out there who care about the animals in captivity. Craig Brokenshaw, an Australian surfer dedicated to saving the dolphins in captivity said, “I felt quite sad, quite disgusted. It looked like they weren’t happy at all. They just looked kind of lifeless and disinterested,” Zoos are businesses that surround breeding and buying wild animals. Around 10,000 zoos worldwide hold at least 3,000 animals each. All of these animals are in captivity when they should really be in their natural habitat, whether it’s the grasslands or the jungle. That means that millions of animals are locked in and suffering greatly. Zoos are an insalubrious
There are numerous different types of animals in the world. Coming from amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. All of these animals are born to run free and hunt without relying on a human. Sadly, things aren’t the way it’s supposed to be. There are other animals who are taken away from their home and are locked up in cramped spaces; in other words, the zoo. The zoo may seem like an enjoyable activity for children, but many do not know the half of what goes on behind the glass window. Animals wish they can be free and end the nightmare of being captive. Even though both animals that lie in the wild and animal captivity are one, in the group of animals, there are many differences between them.
Zoos across the world claim to be safe, suitable homes that replicate habitats of animals that are usually found in the wild. However, there is no possible way for wild habitats to be replicated well enough for animals in captivity to thrive, animals are often separated and withheld from living as they would in the wild. Despite their argument of being educational for visitors, the only thing they are teaching the public is that it is ok to take animals out of the wild and lock them up for their own enjoyment. Regardless of these claims, zoos are inhumane.
Zoos have become a very visited place over a person’s lifetime, whether it be for an educational school field trip or for a day of fun. It’s a wonderful experience to be able to see animals up close in a controlled environment, keeping visitors safe from these animals, however do visitors think of what the animals are going through? Zoos are not providing enough space for captivated animals to live causing numerous problems not only involving the animals, but some visitors as well. Zoos should not be allowed to hold animals in captivity unless they significantly increase the size of each cage (change cage into something else).
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.
“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
Zoos across the world claim to be safe, suitable homes that replicate habitats of animals that are usually found in the wild. However, there is no possible way for wild habitats to be replicated well enough for animals in captivity to thrive, animals are often separated and withheld from living as they would in the wild. Despite their argument of being educational for visitors, the only thing they are teaching the public is that it is ok to take animals out of the wild and lock them up for their own enjoyment. Regardless of these claims, zoos are inhumane.
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.
Zoos are many things. It can be a place for family fun and a good place to visit over the weekend, yet there are so many things going on inside zoos that the public fails to notice. For example, the article “10 Facts about Zoos” by CAPS discusses the lack of enclosure space and states, “Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Polar bears have one million times less space.” This reveals that animals in zoos are placed in enclosures that are way too small for them and not even remotely close to what they experience in the wild. “Elephants are used to roaming miles upon miles a day in large groups, yet in zoos they
Some people may argue that zoos are good for sick or injured animals; however, while they can help nurture babies and bring sick creatures back to health, they are not safe for healthy animals. Dr. Lesley Dickey estimates that every year about 3,000 to 5,000 animals are ‘management euthanized’ in European zoos (Barnes). This means that zoos put down animals if there is not enough space for them. This is called zoo culling. Some zoos even dissect animals in front of guests that they killed. Zoos are for caring for animals, there is no place for cruelty. Although most zoos don’t kill surplus animals, that doesn’t make them innocent. Some animals don’t live as long in zoos as they do in the wild. The median life span in European zoos for African
The practice of keeping wild animals in a zoo or aquarium is looked at favorably in most aspects but what we fail to realize is that we have placed animals which at one point lived freely in wide open spaces into captivity. Society is assuming these animals are happy to be taken from their natural habitat and placed in pens and cages because they have every need handed to them. David Suzuki asked “What gives us the right to exploit other living organisms as we see fit?” (681). Through selfishness, people have justified zoos and aquariums to be an educational benefit to children, to help them learn about animals, their individuality and where they come from. Zoos and Aquariums are for society’s personal entertainment not for the good of the
The zoo is packed with children, running everywhere. They laugh and smile as they watch the animals at the zoo sleep. What these children do not realize is that these animals are dying on the inside. Animals that live at the zoo are extremely depressed. These animals can suffer severe psychological disorders from being out of their natural environment. But others argue that keeping these animals in captivity will help keep endangered species alive. However, the disadvantages of keeping animals in captivity are becoming more and more serious, and more people are beginning to believe that animals should not be held captive. Animals should not be kept in captivity because of the negative impact it can have
An animals life in a zoo is dreadful.”A 40 year long study showed that polar bears - along with lions, tigers and cheetahs- exhibit great evidence of stress in captivity.” Zoos have replaced crowded cages and poor diets with spaced out cages and well-researched
Now there are modern zoos in almost every city in the world that boasts different arrays of animals. With all these different zoos around the world, we see different approaches on how these animals are treated and what they are subjected to.
Zoos have been proven to be essential towards the safety and recovery of many animals rescued from the wild. All around the world there are zoos that house these different species in safe and natural-like environments, they are considered to be safe havens. For example, by being housed in zoos, "animals do not suffer from the stress of threats or being potentially hunted by their common predators" (Agnew 1). The animals are able to live in their habitat at the zoo sometimes along with other animals of their species. Each animal has a safe enclosure that suits them and their lifestyle. The enclosures are not only safe