Reasons Why We Need Animals In Zoos And Circuses

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.

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.

“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

Think about how we will look back on our cruel forms of entertainment in the future. Will we be proud of the way we treated these great animals, with abuse as neglect? Today we turn our heads away from reality and what happens behind the scenes of animal entertainment. However, we can’t turn our heads forever. Around the world, there is so much more to animal entertainment than what meets the eye. These animals have been torn away from their beautiful, natural homes and brought to a prison of concrete. In these prisons, they are beaten, starved and tortured all for our money and entertainment. These animals lives should not be taken from them for us. Our money and happiness should not be worth these animal’s lives. Circus, theme park and zoo animals all suffer from aggression towards trainers, mental disabilities and physical injuries. These animals should not have to suffer any longer.

There are many types of animals used for entertainment such as circuses, dog fighting, zoos, and rodeos. All of these types of entertainment are not natural for these animals which is a form of abuse. Often times they are wild animals that don’t belong in cages and are not able to do things that are in their instinct to do. This is especially true about zoos and circuses. Animals are not able to roam free and instead kept in small cages. Even in optimal settings experts say that it is difficult to provide for the needs of wild animals.(Lemonick) Children should learn to respect animals and not see them as entertainment. People should only support animal free circuses and raise awareness how animals are abused for entertainment.

Why are people agianst zoos? Are they harming the animals? Are the zoos helping animals? Through the journey of humans advancing in technology and industry, they have destroyed or changed many species of animals habitats. Although older zoos don’t provide the best living conditions, some animals do belong in more modern zoos because it can help their species out of endangerment, it allows scientist to study them, and the life span is longer in zoos rather than in the wild.

“Many animal rights advocates and even some conservationists argue that what zoos teach is not a love of animals but rather the acceptance of human domination of nature” (Rudy 124). Keeping animals in zoos sends the message that animals are commodities and that humans are justified in locking them up. It is hard to perceive how providing entertainment could possibly justify keeping wild animals in captivity.

Whit Honea, cofounder of Dads4Change.com and a father of two boys, said they generally don’t attend circuses because of the “abusive treatment” of the animals” (Wallace, 2016) It’s like the old saying, “how would you like it if they did that to you?” If you were compelled to be seized from your family and raised only to be examined at and trained to do tricks in front of different simulated people every day for your entire life. The outside world, only to be an enigma forever. Evidently, the life of a zoo animal can be relatable to the state of being behind bars in a prison until your days come to an end. This being said, our impending generation’s perception is that wild animals rights and the freedoms they deserve is way more essential than the amusement people get when the witness exotic animals up close and personal in a limited facility which they lay in

will not realize how much of the zoos efforts they will not see. So much goes

Zoos have an enormous impact on animals. A few researchers say zoos are a safe haven for animals, a place where they can be rehabilitated safely and be released. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) says that in their 230 appointed zoos that there are almost 1,000 endangered animals that they are helping to raise and release. Pam Dennis, Assistant professor in the department of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State University, says ¨animal health underlies all aspects of zoo and aquarium life. When it comes to population sustainability, it’s not just about counting babies. It’s about continuing the reproduction for generations to come.” Reproducing endangered species and releasing them benefits the ecosystem that the animal lives in and the species itself. Zoos aren't just full of animals that are endangered, though they also have

Zoos, aquariums and hunting sports seem normal to us. It’s something that has been growing around for centuries. But what we don’t know is that these animals suffer mental stress, become unhealthy and all for the sake of our entertainment. Although it seems that zoos and aquariums have everything under control, and all the animals seem to be fine, they’re actually not, and the sad reality is, that it is still going on today. Animals don’t belong to us, they’re not ours to keep. We don’t own them and therefore we shouldn’t be paying to see them do tricks. We shouldn’t be playing hunting games with them either. So many animals die from hunting sports, and so, for the reasons stated above, animals shouldn’t be used for our entertainment purposes.

Ten iconic species worldwide were saved from extinction thanks to the help of zoos. Many zoos are built as last resort for animals near extinction or don’t have much numbers left in the wild to mate. The California Condor and Przewalski’s Horse were some animals who were on the verge of extinction, but was brought back thanks to zoo. Orange-Bellied Parrot, big wild cats, marine mammals, and even some amphibian are aided by zoos to help keep their numbers up since they are nearing the extinction statues. Everyday there is a mass extinction in the wild and many exotic animals are lost by the minutes. Zoos and Aquariums plays a very important role in the survival of many exotic animals because they educate people about these animals, provide breeding programs for endangered species, and is keeping its’ animals health while in captivity.

You look out into the crowd through the bars. Heaving, sniffing, and wondering why on earth you are in this mysterious place called a zoo. Animals around the country and around the world are trapped behind bars! How would you like every need being cared for by highly skilled professionals? Animals should be roughing it in the wild, where they belong. As a well-to-do topic of the hippies and high society, I who have been well informed by multiple experts around the world, will attempt to expose this ceaseless problem and propose a solution. Without a doubt, this self-centered world is full of “good samaritans” who in an attempt to manufacture splendid feelings , ignore all facts and statistics along the way. Of course, by these “good samaritans”, I mean the zookeepers and conversationalists who are trying to save these animals by keeping them

The current paper addresses the need for zoos to be altered in ways that will increase soo animals’ well-being. In this paper I will describe the ways in which zoos are considered an important education,