Animal Captivity Research Paper

Inside the world of zoos what you see is not always the truth. Behind the cages and gates, wild animals suffer from harsh treatments from staff members and even madness from living in small, enclosed prison-like cages. At the Scarborough Sea Life Centre located in Scarborough, England, the Humboldt penguins are given antidepressants because they are not “adapted to the rainy British climate, which is drastically different from their natural environment on the coast of South America.” (PETA UK). While zoos are a great place to learn about wildlife, the best place to learn about wildlife is in the wild and in their natural habitats not behind confined cages. Laws should be passed to ban zoos from operating because they drive animals into insanity

On July 20th, 1874, the first zoo in the united states was opened in Philadelphia. When opened it featured animals in cages with steel bars and cement flooring. Now one-hundred and forty-three years later it’s a sprawling zoo that focuses on educating its attendees and providing amazing enclosures for the animals. The Philadelphia zoo now features a meerkat maze which gives the meerkats a large funnel system to run around simulating their natural habitat; it also features the Big Cat Crossing which allows animals such as the tigers, lions, pumas, and jaguars to travel across walkways providing much needed free space to prowl (About). Zoos are much needed education centers and research locations to study animals and how to better their lives in and outside captivity. Animals should be held in captivity such as natural reservations, zoos, and wildlife parks.

A zoo is collection of living animals usually for public display, in which, sometimes, employees don’t take care of the animals the way they should. Animals kept there are often sad and depressed, either because the area they are given is too limited for the space that animal needs, or because they were kidnapped from their natural habitats and family only to be inprisioned for the rest of their lives. Sometimes, those animals develop Zoochosis, an abnormal animal behavior caused by time in captivity, which most of the times turns out to be fatal. Zoochosis occurs as a result of boredom, depression, frustration, a lack of mental and physical enrichment, and removal from their natural habitat and social structures. Signs of zoochosis include:

Project, Muse. The Global Guide To Animal Protection. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2013. eBook

Zoos have always been something that families love and kids look forward to going to. Kids learn about the animals and the habitats and enjoy the entertainment. It is a great experience for people, but not for the animals. Zoos are downright cruel to Animals. Animals our forced to live in an unreal stressful, and boring conditions.

So let’s say that you were an orca or a dolphin and you were held in captivity against your will by another human being. How would you feel about this situation? Well, in the case of many unfortunate aquatic mammals in marine parks and zoos around the world, most of these magnificent animals are held captive in tanks with no room to roam around, or have to deal with being alone, which can trigger stress and aggression. Over the years since the Nineteen sixties, the first marine mammals were put into display for entertainment shows in Marine Parks like Seaworld or any other marine parks that was on the globe; around the world, people wondered if captivity was a good or bad idea. By the time the seventies came and movies like “Free Willy” and “Blackfish” being released plus referencing or

Animal cruelty is becoming an issue that is too big to ignore. It can be defined as neglect or the infliction of pain or suffering towards animals. One might notice that this is an issue that is becoming more common in zoos and aquariums. These places can be wonderful for the animals, but can also portray an awful life for the captive animals. No animal should have to go through the pain and stress that many are suffering through. For the rest of the places, animals need to be returned to or left in their natural habitats.

Are zoos good or bad? Most people think that they are good… but they just do not know about the other side of zoos. Female african elephants live 17 years in zoos but when they are in the wild they live 56 years. Zoos are unethical and should let all there animals out because they are bad for humans, hurt and separate animals, and Unhealthy for animals.

An issue that has been hotly debated since the brink of zoos has been whether they are ethical or not. Although some believe that zoos can be beneficial to animals, thousands of research has shown this not to be true. The main reasons zoos are devious is because, there artificial environments are harmful, the animals are more prone to diseases, and it can damage children's views on society.

Imagine living in the perfect home, the place you’ve always lived with friends, family and thousands of miles to roam around and explore. Only to wake up in a cage with the eyes of humans glaring and the flash of cameras reflecting off the glass wall. It looks like home, but the grass is fake, family and friends are gone, food only comes at certain times and the only roaming there is to do remains in the area of the closure. This is the life of an animal that goes from being wild and free to captive in zoos and aquariums. Zoos and aquariums are institutions that capture live animals and keep them in cages or large enclosures for public exhibition. To this day, zoos and aquariums are not banned, but that has not stopped people from fighting for the freedom and rights of animals. The debate between whether zoos and aquariums should banned or not has become an ongoing issue and still is today. Although zoos and aquariums do contribute to the economy, they should be banned because animals in captivity suffer from starvation and health issues, often die prematurely, and can easily cause harm to people due to be kept in confined areas.

Zoos and can be places where the imagination and creativity of people, especially children, can come alive and inspire them to tread avenues that they never expected they would take. In the early years of my childhood, I spent many hours observing and studying wild animal exhibits in zoos in Seattle Washington. I would imagine myself in my dream world as zoo keeper or a veterinarian helping animals and knowing them each by name. As I studied and let my imagination run free; I knew that someday, somehow, I would be involved in the care of animals. Without the establishment of zoos and, I would have never realized my dreams and perused a career in biology and animal care. Animals exhibits are places of wonder and study for scientists and everyday people, without them, most people would never have to opportunity to see even a quarter of the life that populates their globe.

Imagine you are five years old, someone breaks into your home, kills your aunt and possibly your older brother in the process of kidnapping you. You are separated from your loved ones, leaving your mother in severe pain and grief. You are taken somewhere unknown, imprisoned in a cell where people come watch you for their own entertainment. This is exactly how animals held captive in zoos and sea-parks feel. Zoos generally hold a variety of animals for public display, also known as “zoological parks.” On the other hand, sea-parks, hold fish and amphibians. These parks that exhibit animals are inhumane and barbaric. Vulnerable creatures are being abused daily and few seem to care about this issue. Zoos and sea-parks should be banned and

As stated in “Do elephants belong in zoos?”, zoos not only fund research on wild animals but also contribute to reducing the conflicts between them and people, for example, by planting crops that frighten elephants away and exploring the cases of poaching that could affect their mortality (Cohn 717). Moreover, most of the scientific matter on elephants such as facts about their communications, reproductive physiology and behavior were originally gathered on the ground of captive animals (Cohn 717). In his article, Borrell expresses the same opinion. He states that zoos serve as “a living museum” that help scientists to find necessary information on species for the research, and these facts can be used to prevent the extinction of the animals living in the wild (Borrell 9). Besides, zoos are crucial for raising money for conservation programs by giving people firsthand wildlife experience that increases interest in wild animals (Borrell 9). Moreover, zoos always respond to emergencies, such as deadly threats to one or another species, by providing specialists and establishing breeding and treatment programs (Borrell 9). Thereby, both articles express the opinion that zoos are important for conservation purposes as they provide a wide range of specialists and research data. More significantly, they react on emergencies and do their best to protect endangered

Zoos have been around since the eighteenth century. A zoo is defined as a compound where wild animals are kept for viewing and studying. The purpose of a zoo is mainly for education and protection, preserving animal species that are either at a risk of becoming extinct or for increased collection size (Jamieson). Animals from around the world have been enclosed in an area where we can admire and study these fine creatures. However, many modern zoos around the world have introduced animal shows, petting and feeding sessions to attract more visitors in order to earn more money. This leads to many concerns from the public on the physical and mental impacts of captivity on the wild animals. This essay examines the advantages and disadvantages of zoos to lead us to a possible conclusion whether it is ethical to place animals in captivity. We will also examine if zoos have the best possible facilities to keep animals in captivity.

In 1874, the first zoo opened; however, since then there has been a lot of controversy around zoos. With over 10,000 zoos worldwide, the biggest issue people are seeing is that zoos are capturing innocent animals and putting them in small areas. In reverse, others believe that zoos are great for educational purposes. Zoos are extremely miserable for animals and they should be banned.