Zoos And Aquariums Helping Or Hurting?

992 Words4 Pages
Animals in Zoos Are zoos and aquariums helping or hurting? Do hundreds of thousands of happy onlookers make zoos justifiable? Is it acceptable to keep animals confined for our entertainment? Animals that are confined to zoos or aquariums often exhibit abnormal behavior. This can manifest its self behaviorally or physically. This could be as displayed as begging, self-mutilation, autoerotic stimulation or general sterotypies. Sterotypies are “are repetitive, invariant, behavior with no obvious goal or function” (Mason 1015-1037). They are generally regarded as an attempt way to improve a sub-optimal environment by using the action or behavior as a coping method (Mason 1015-1037). Bears and elephants may swing or rock, while primates may self bite or display an act called “floating limb” where they might move a limb unusually, visually track it, then attack it (Mallapur and Choudhury 275-284). Essentially it is the same behavior that a dog displays when it chases its own tail. These behaviors are not always present, but can be more common in males and in animals that are taken from touring exhibitions rather than animals raised in recognized zoos (Mallapur and Choudhury 275-284). Stereotypies can be reduced with different enrichment methods, from adding natural elements like dirt or vegetation, concealing food, promoting natural territorial behavior or creating areas of privacy for animals to escape to (Swaisgood and Shepherdson 499-518). Unfortunately, Swaisgood and
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