Pros And Cons Of Zoo's Involvement In Wildlife Conservation

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.

There have been many discussions about the welfare of animals since the first zoos were created. Some people agree that animals should be kept in zoo’s, they argue that it benefits the animals because their every need is catered to. However, in some zoo’s they are treated the exact opposite of being catered to. Sometimes the animals are also deprived of a natural environment that the zoo’s fail to recreate. However, zoo’s can be helpful educationally to kids. It gives them a close up on the beauty of the animals, but it comes at the animals expense.

Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture. They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a means of entertainment. Yet, throughout the years the role of zoos have changed. Though once used for amusement, zoos are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species. One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them, have changed throughout history.

Moreover, zoos help to repopulate endangered animal species such as the California condor, a vulture. As it says in the article “Zoos: The Historical Debate” after ten years of working

“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

’’According to CNN, animal advocacy group Born Free reports that there have been 256 injuries in zoos due to animal attacks over the past 26 years, resulting in 33 deaths.’’ Every single year there are many animals killed or injured in zoo’s. There are numerous zoo’s placed all over the United States. The zoo’s keep the animals trapped in a fenced in enclosure with little to no water source or spacious area. Numerous people disagree with the fact various breeds are mixed in the same enclosure. People believe that animals should be allowed to enjoy their own natural habitat and live with their families, and not trapped within enclosures.

The topic of the treatment of captive animals in both zoos and aquariums is one of high controversy. It is argued that the capturing and breeding of wildlife, holding them in captivity may present them with unnecessary risks. This however is dependent on the species of animal.

Going to the zoo when you were a kid is one of your best memories, riding the Zoo Jeep through the safari, walking through the cave of bats, and seeing an elephant for the first time. In recent debate, zoos have become a controversial issue as Animal Rights Activists have started to strongly oppose zoos and the captivity of wild animals. One of main arguments from both sides is whether or not zoos purpose is to educate, research, conserve, and entertain. The article “Last Chance for Animals - Zoos”, argues against the ideas of zoos by rejecting the claims of conservation, education, and research. In the article “Zootopia - Animal Welfare, Species Preservation and the Ethics of Captivity”, the argument of zoos creating a positive atmosphere

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

Zoos sometimes even take endangered or hurt species and nurture them back to health, but the amount of human interaction animals get in the zoo environment can be extremely harmful in the long run. By becoming more comfortable with humans, animals a lot of the time become more vulnerable to poachers and predators (Cite). Also, students at Oxford University studied the effects of zoo captivity on species and found many animals suffer reproductive, health, and behavioral problems after being held in captivity (Evans). And on few occasions animals, such as snow leopards and ring-tailed lemurs, adjust well and can even thrive in captivity. However, a lot of the time the only reason we keep them in captivity is for the education of humans, maybe it’s time to educate another way, perhaps with some of the technology we are loaded with

Due to the massive amounts of interbreeding the zoos have in order to provide the customers with a “cute” and loveable attraction; the habitats in the zoos are becoming smaller. This calls for more habitat construction in the zoo, but with the amount of people wanting to see the new born attraction, instead of providing a habitat for these animals, a new parking lot to accommodate the customers are made. The animals that are viewed as expandable are sold to “circuses, canned hunting facilities, and even for slaughter.” (Doris 2) For those animals that are kept by the zoos their lives are cut in half. It is estimated that elephants in the wild live up to 56 years of age, compared to elephants in captivity that live estimated up to 17 years of age. This age difference is astronomical. Animal rights activists predict that this number is due to the stress, loneliness, and zoochosis that these animals go through.

Thesis: All zoos should be overhauled and replaced with free-range territories or back into the wild to help these animals avoid the detrimental effects that zoo’s cause on their health and to stop teaching people that is okay to imprison these animals.

Some people agree that animals should be kept in the zoo. They said it would be safer for the animals and they won’t be extinct. The amount of possibilities of them dying, shot by hunters or any other reason, still higher than the chances of their survival. Food and shelter are provided, medicine, and their breeding is being controlled. And many of the wild animals in zoos are ones that are on the endangered list as their amounts are rapidly diminishing. Letting them loose and returning them to the wild is not necessarily a safe option. (Mylot, 2007) In fact, zoo can be one of the educational studies for children and people who are interested with animals. Zoo is the only place that we can have an opportunity to see animal’s life really close and sometimes we can touch them. Zoos also provide lots of information about certain animals, children can have chance to get out of the classroom and learn so they can see natural beauty from different species of animals. Even children can see them from discovery channel but that’s really different if you see animal in real world, for an example, if you see crocodile, snake or shark in the movie, maybe you won’t afraid than you see the real one. According to Tudge, (1992, p.56) Zoos are the place where people can study animals and their habitat, even scientist don’t need to go

Have you ever been to a zoo? There are plenty to go to but there are a many reason for why we shouldn’t have zoos. Surplus animals are killed, they don’t have the same amount of running space as they would out in the wild. A zoo for a animal can be miserable for them, for either mistreatment or even worse sometimes for no reason. Now you are probably wondering, why should I care about some animals that live in a zoo. These animals don’t deserve the horrific treatment that they sometimes get from a person, nor should they be held in captivity.

Because of increasing environmental impacts from human activities, a growing number of captive breeding programs are being initiated to salvage endangered species and/or populations from extinction (IUCN 199; Seddon et al., 2007). Historically, many of these programs have been met with considerable difficulty (Philippart, 1995, Snyder et al., 1996; Frankham, 2008). There are some basic provisions that are common to all including aspects of animal such as animal accommodation and facilities; special needs of particular species, animal welfare and nutrition, veterinary attention and facilities, hygiene, emergency procedures, staff training and facilities (Macdonald and Charlton, 2000). But lives of animals in nowadays zoos are being endangered as these basic