Zoos Controversy

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen thought. That’s the problem.” - A.A. Milne. I feel that this means some people command the animals to work, while not understanding what the animal also wants or needs. In the debate, “Are Zoos Bad News?”, written anonymously, the author reports the ethical and unethical reasoning between zoos. This came after the attack on three victims. In my opinion, the existence of zoos should endure seeing that it educates people, zoos can alter the behaviour of people to animals and zoos promote wildlife conservation.

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

Zoos have been around for 4,000 years, for many years people have gone to zoos to see wild animals up close. What people do not know is animals don't have the best interest in being in a zoo. The article, "Zoos: The Historical Debate" from Globalanimal.org discusses some pros (positive sides) and cons (negative sides) of zoos. As well as how millions of people visit zoos around the world and how some argue that zoos are either places of education and conversation or unnecessary prisons. After reading the article a logical conclusion is zoos are detrimental to animals.

Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture. They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a means of entertainment. Yet, throughout the years the role of zoos have changed. Though once used for amusement, zoos are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species. One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them, have changed throughout history.

Some people go to zoos to see the wild animals, but that’s not all that they are for. People in groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) may think that zoos cannot provide the needs to wild animals as the wild can. Zoos help animals. They have improved, helping to repopulate species and save animals in the wild.

What was at one time used to show off wealth and power is now seen as a symbol of sadness and disgust, despite the many minds it blesses with wonder (Adwait- Kulkarni). Today there are huge controversies over Zoos and whether they are inhumane or not. There are also controversies about the United States of America and other countries. Many comparisons can be drawn between a Zoo and American culture. We go out to look at animals that are trapped in a place they have no control of, but could we really be looking at ourselves?

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.

Also, most zoos are very unethical so they should no longer exist. When police had shot animals after they had escaped a zoo, instead of capturing the animals, According to Vice.com, “They were also seen by zoo staff taking selfies beside lions, tigers, and other large animals they had shot. ‘I couldn't believe what I was seeing,’ one worker said. ‘It was like a trophy for them’” (Nolan para. 2). Police are supposed to care for their city, including the animals. The fact that they were killing and using the animals as trophies really calls into question if the police are really here to protect the inhabitants of their city or town, and if zoos really do help the continuation of endangered species. Also, the Gulf Breeze Zoo was charged with

The experience is fun and fulfilling, but at the same time dangerous over the years there have been countless encounters of an adult or child being harmed by an animal being kept at the Zoo. Most of the times its due to neglect of a child’s surroundings or even keeping an eye on them. For adults it’s the lack of comprehension and

Zoos provide protection for animals. Some hunters may kill animals in the wild for their skin so they can sell it. In a zoo, this can never occur. Another reason that zoos should not be banned is that animals are really looked after in the zoo. If an animal got sick in the wild nature there is no one to treat it and most probably the animal will suffer from pain and may even die. However, if the same case was in a zoo, highly qualified vets will be available to deal with this situation appropriately and these vets will provide medicine to the sick or injured

Imagine paying to take your child to a zoo with human exhibits. These humans are living in cages and are on display for the pleasure of the general public’s amusement. It is hard to believe that such a horrible place once existed. This horrific image was an actual reality in the 1800 century. (Soven, 1976) Throughout time, people have discovered that keeping humans cage up in a zoo is immoral and have since banned these types of places. “As a so-called human-zoo policy, cultural autonomy has been criticized as “sheer cruelty” because it would “deny them the chance to progress” and has been labeled “inhuman and inefficient” and “morally wrong” because it would perpetuate famine, disease, and ignorance”. (Soven, 1976) Many people could argue that modern day zoos containing animals are just as immoral as those forbidden human zoos. Zoos have proven to be immoral through their history of their existence. Zoos have demonstrated having negative effects on the animals the live in them. Evidence of this is captured over time from many different philosophers. These philosophers have proven that zoos are immoral through recording their arguments in essays and books.

Virginia Mckenna, a British stage and screen actress, author, and wildlife campaigner, once said “We would consider it cruel to confine a dog permanently in a kennel. Yet we visit zoos where hundreds of wild animals are kept permanently in the equivalent of a kennel.” On average, 6,126 animals are kept in enclosures (Statistic Brain). Of those 6,126 animals, only 1,041 are endangered. The 5,085 are kept in tight, confined areas for “educational purposes.” Zoos date back to as far as 2500 BCE with evidence that rulers and people of higher class used exotic animals as a way of showing the ruler's power and wealth. In later years, the idea of containing animals in a confined area was adapted by scientists and taken into effect to help guide research during the Enlightenment Era. Zoos may be viewed as educational establishments, but the negative realities overpower the positive.

Imagine walking through the zoo as a child, thinking how awesome it is to see all of those big interesting animals you would never get to encounter in the wild. Now think of walking through the zoo when you are older seeing these same animals in a very different light. Instead of seeing animals happily living their lives you see animals wandering aimlessly around their small enclosures looking bored to tears and depressed. Is it fair that we keep these animals cooped up specifically for our own entertainment? What right do we have to capture, contain, and breed these precious animals as we please? Why should we get to control their lives when they could obviously be living a better life elsewhere? Often these questions are meet with responses of conservation and education, but in reality those defenses have little backing. No animal should be forced to live in captivity for its whole life, which is why zoos should be banned since they are truly unjust to the animals living in them.

The main aim of zoos is to protect and conserve global biodiversity and wildlife. To do this they have four roles to play which are; research, conservation, education and welfare.