The Pros And Cons Of Animals In Zoos

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).

As claimed in the LCA article, ”Animals in zoos are forced to live in artificial, stressful, and downright boring conditions”(User, Super). Evidence shows time to time that animals are being affected by zoos. There are many things hidden behind the facilities, that many people do not know about. The animals are being held in conditions that no animal should ever live in. Even though some zoos do focus on helping the animals, they are not as beneficial to the animal because they are not provided with the proper care and attention they need and zoos do not try to fix their problems.

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.

In the past, there have been many reports of zoo accidents, to be specific; over 200 zoo accidents in the last 26 years have occurred. From my perspective zoos should be prohibited, taking innocent animals from the wild and holding them captive for display at zoos is cruel. There has been a bulk amount of controversy over the topic of zoo mishaps and whose fault is to blame for the occurrence. In all fairness, nobody should be blamed, but there should be a change or new regulations to guide zoos in a more prominent direction. Because in the end, if there is no difference in the zoo, then tragic events like this will continue to happen. There are various amounts of precautions that can be taken by zoo corporations to prevent zoo accidents;

“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 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

When people think of a zoo what pops into their minds? They probably imagine a fun, educational place where kids can learn about happy little animals from watching them in enclosures. What comes to mind when I think of a zoo, however, is the opposite. I picture severely depressed and overly stressed animals trapped in cages too small to mimic their natural environment. The effects of housing animals in zoos can be detrimental to the animal’s health, increasing the probability of stress-induced diseases and stereotypic behavior, especially in Asian and Africans elephants.

To begin, zoos often make animals lose skills that they would otherwise have in the wild making them trapped in the zoo. According to the article, Why zoos are bad for animals, “With no natural predators or food sources to hunt, many animals will lose their natural instincts, which are necessary for survival. This prevents reintegration into the animal kingdom and leaves them sentenced for life in a zoo.” Certainly, animals are made to be in the wild, and when they are trapped in zoos, they lose too many skills to ever go back into the wild. They lose abilities such as being able to hunt and survive in their normal habitat, so zoos can never let them go back where they belong. Another example is from an article called, are zoos good or bad. “Animals like zebras, giraffes and gazelles were designed to run across miles of open terrain, not live out their lives in captivity.” Clearly, this quote shows how animals living

Zoos are the underrated American pastime. They’re not attended as much as baseball or football games yet almost everyone has been to one within their lifetimes, whether it be through a class trip or a family get together, zoos have always been there for our entertainment and learning needs. They’ve become major centers of learning and conservation and the zoos we have today transform the minds of the young children that attend as well as aid in the preservation of as many possible species that they can. Yet, zoos have not always been this way. Up until the 1930’s, zoos have been fairly cruel, inhumane places that have focused solely on profit rather than the wellbeing of the animals they house making many zoos places that animals go to die

Captivity often makes wild animals go crazy. Because living without these important things often will cause zoochosis a condition in which animals act strangely and even hurt themselves out of boredom. Animals in zoos are kept in cramped with virtually no privacy and have very few opportunities to exercise or keep their minds active. These animals are imprisoned in cages or small enclosures at zoos so they don’t get to do the things that are natural

Almost every person has visited a zoo during their lifetime. We have been fed lies about zoos breeding programs, conservation of endangered animals, and the environmental conditions the animals are living in. The true purpose of zoos is money shrouded by the thought of educational purposes. The owners have no remorse or pity for the animals they have stolen and the baby animals they’ve bred in captivity. Although zoos promote that animals will live longer in captivity, it’s the value of their life, not the quantity that matters.

Not only do zoos cause physical damage to animals, but also, they cause mental and emotional issues in wild animals. After all animals do display signs of consciousness, so they do have feelings about being locked up in displays and cages around the clock. Recently, a group of animal researchers signed a declaration proclaiming that animals are self-aware. Alex Halberstadt’s article called “Zoo Animals and Their Discontent” stated, “The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness in Human and Nonhuman Animals --- was signed by a group of leading animal researchers in the presences of Stephen Hawking. It asserted that mammals, birds, and other creatures like octopuses possess consciousness, and in all likelihood, emotions and self-awareness.” Several animals remember and feel emotion, so leaving them in a box all day seems slightly torturous. Humans should have empathy for the contained animals. “It turns out common shore crabs feel and remember pain, zebra flinches experience REM sleep, fruit-fly brothers cooperate, dolphins and elephants recognize themselves in mirrors, chimpanzees assist one another without expecting favors in return, and dogs really do feel elation in their owner’s presence” (Halberstadt). These feelings sometimes have some dangerous effects, as animals can and do act out against their aggressors.

A widely-believed argument is that zoos forced animals to live in an unnatural environment, making them stressed and sick. Many zoo animals live in a different environment than the one they lived in before. Animals will feel discomfort or stress, ‘...the animal will not be at peace.’(Martel, p50). Most

Zoos dedicate their existence to the animals that occupy the confines of the property. More and more zoos are getting the face lift they deserve to provide a safe, healthy, and happy place for their residents. Gone are the previously used “cell blocks” to house the animals. In its place instead are giant habitats used to simulate the animals natural environments and better educate its visitors. Zoos have, perhaps, progressed and improved the most in the last 20 years than it’s predecessors. With rapid technology improving, there’s no wonder that zoos are being improved too. However, local zoos that do not have the time, space, or money to house such wildlife are causing more harm then good.