Stop Animal Captivity

As the animal rights movement has developed and grown substantially in recent years, there has been an increased focused on the welfare of captive animals. A popular institution that has received much attention for keeping animals captive is the zoo. Because of this focus, zoos have responded by publicizing their positive benefits for existence in order to justify keeping these animals on display. Since the term “zoo” can have a wide variety of meaning and characteristics, it is important to define what constitutes a zoo in this essay. Zoos are defined as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and

I . Animal captivity is common in many zoos and aquariums worldwide. It has been going on for more than 50 years and many people enjoy watching it but it needs to end right away. Animals captivity is when they take a healthy animal from the wild and put them in bad conditions that tend to make them die faster. There has been a lot of deaths of animals and people from animals in captivity because they got taken away from their homes, and they aren’t used to being touched or screamed at to do something which they don't do it the wild. Cruelty towards animals in captivity can be reduced if animals could no longer be in captivity.

In the article “Zoos Are Cruel and Unnecessary,” Earth Times posed a question, “With the internet, as well as DVDs, 3D TV, etc., are zoos really necessary to teach people about animals in the 21st century?” In the response given by Liz Tyson, director of the Captive Animals’ Protection Society, she argues an animal and its environment in a zoo is “out of context” and there is no substitution for an animal’s natural habitat. Therefore, viewing animals in such environments distorts the message that a zoo’s primary purpose is to conserve these habitats in the wild. By focusing solely on the artificial habitats, Tyson fails to mention the educational opportunities that zoos and zoological parks can provide, such as interactive visitor programs, breeding and rehabilitation programs, and up-close animal encounters.

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 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, SeaWorld, and circuses are places for families to enjoy entertainment. However, most people do not realize how the animals in each of these establishments are handled. Yes, they all bring in revenue and present the tricks these animals can do, yet these places preform detrimental acts to the animals. For example, the killer whales at SeaWorld are sometimes starved if they do not perform the way the trainer wants them to. In comparison, circuses torture lions and tigers until they are submissive to how the show-people want them to act. Zoos do not necessarily torture their animals, but it is proven the animals live much shorter lives in captivity. “Lives of animals in the wild versus captivity are literally worlds apart, and even the best captive facilities can’t recreate the conditions of the wild — not exactly. Most don’t even try, leaving animals in tiny enclosures with no socialization, enrichment or joy. Captivity is unnatural and unhealthy” (Sentenac). People are starting to recognize the danger of continuing these practices, but there’s a long way to go.Furthermore, animals in all of these places have suffered many traumatizing and even deadly events. There was a recent report that two circus lions, whom had severe head injuries, were killed by poachers who snuck into the sanctuary. “Last year poachers bypassed an advanced security system at a lodge near the town of Tzaneen in the Limpopo province, killing two lions by feeding them poisoned meat” (Graham).

People think that animals want to be in zoos, but they really do not. In some zoos the owners or zookeepers see how the environment is making the animals feel bad or good and they try to change it by giving the animals a similar habitat to where they came from. All three stories “The Stripes Will Survive”, “The Zoos Go Wild”, and “Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment” deal with protecting animals but they all do so in different ways.

“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

Some of the people in the world believe that the zoological gardens are sanctuaries for birds and animals. Though zoos offer relaxation, enjoyment and excitement for the visitors they become a prison for those wild animals and birds that are confined within the cages. Even though zoological gardens offer protection and safeguard for the wild animals they can be described as ‘collections’ of beautiful birds and animals than as harmonious abodes. Those confined animals are separated from their natural environment, and therefore they are deprived from doing most of the spontaneous

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

Many children experience a magical interaction with animals at the zoo or aquarium. Sheltered by parents and our society, most are unaware of the injustices against wild animals in these facilities. Just like infants, people today are oblivious to the fact that animals are restricted from their freedom. Humans should put an end to animal suffering and address the concerns of the restriction of space that rob animals of their ability to behave as

The topic of zoos and whether or not they’re humane have quickly become one of the biggest controversial topics in the past twenty years. There is not much of a ‘middle’ perspective in this debate, rather people tend to lie on two completely opposite ends of the spectrum when displaying their beliefs pertaining to the zoo debate. I chose to research this topic because though I have strong beliefs, I think that, on this matter specifically, people often jump to a certain side without any prior research or actual education on the subject. I think that it’s important to understand both sides of the argument of zoos before sustaining a side. Another reason why I chose this topic was to moreso educate myself and to make sure that the knowledge I

The first zoo’s that were established were a way for the wealthy and Royalty to display gifts of animals that were commonly given to confirm political transactions or to impress the royals, and demonstrate their power in the social hierarchy. Nowadays it’s illegal to gift someone a lion to confirm a business deal. Good afternoon fellow classmates today I will be shedding some light on a topic that has been kept in the dark. Though many have tried to make this problem a priority it has been continuously ignored. Even with several attempts at media exposure such as the ‘‘blackfish documentary" we have still failed to raise enough concern in the hearts of our nation to have a true impact. This is why it's my opinion that we should no longer support zoos for the following

While an argument can be made that certain zoos are not equipped to house specific animals and need to further their efforts in providing a proper substitute for their natural habitat. It can also be said that some causes of distress or even death cannot be controlled due to the region in which the zoo is located, and the species of animal they house. The efforts made by places like Amboseli Park and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Department are a glimpse of hope for conservation and the steps that are being made to spread and enlarge the efforts to conserve the planets wild life whether on the brink of extinction or otherwise. Throughout the studies that were researched a definitive answer still never came clear, zoos can seem like they are causing harm by confining these wild animals, and in some cases, that’s true, but they are also valuable tools in educating the public and breeding animals that may not have a fighting chance in the wild. The ethical grey area in this debate can only be further defined in more elaborate studies and in outweighing the damage caused to the aide given in wide varieties of zoos around the

The sun was shining, the sky was spotted with clouds, and the wind was whistling as it passed through the trees. Overall, it was the perfect day to visit the zoo. Smiling, happy children bounded beside me as I walked underneath the large, blue and yellow sign announcing “The Colorado Zoo.” As I walked onto the sidewalk, I looked out over the “habitats.” The big, colorful signs advertising the exotic animals “brought from all over the world!” Animals that were taken from their home, taken from their habitats, and taken to a world where they are put on display. Animals who are forced to live out their lives in zoos in unhealthy, degrading, and devastating ways.