preview

The Negative Effects Of Animals In Zoos

Decent Essays

“In the wild, elephants walk up to 30 miles each day, bears are active for up to 18 hours a day exploring their home ranges for up to hundreds of miles, and tigers and lions love running and climbing and will roam many miles to hunt.” But not in zoos. When locked behind bars, animals live cramped, lonely lives. All the natural and important things animals do in the wild vanish. Birds lose the privilege of flying. Lions, usually living among large herds, are kept alone. Zoos have negative effects on animals and lead to suffering all over the world. Animals do not belong in zoos. While observing animals through glass, unnatural behavior is easy to spot. Bar biting, neck twisting, swaying, circling, and self mutilation are all forms “zoochosis,” the mental suffering of animals caused by captivity and unfamiliar environments. This abnormal behavior is shown in a high percentage of animals in zoos. “In a 2001 study of 257 captive Giraffe and Okapi in 49 US institutions, it was found that 80% exhibited some form of stereotypical behavior.” Furthermore, it is impossible for animals to thrive in a zoo. Compared to the amount of space animals have in the wild, zoos provide only a tiny fraction. According to CAPS (Captive Animals’ Protection Society), tigers and lions have 18,000 times less space in zoos than in the wild, while polar bears have one million times less space. These cramped and lonely conditions lead to a long life of suffering. To add on, zoos are

Get Access