Should Zoos be Made Illegal?
Zoos have been around for hundreds of years, in fact they can be dated back all the way to 1250 BC, when ancient Egyptian records described birds, lions, and giraffes in captivity. Today there are over 10,000 zoos worldwide, entertaining millions with exotic animals behind bars. With species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, due to poaching and destruction caused by man, zoos are playing a new role in conservation. But are they really achieving what they claim? A growing number of critics argue no.
Imagine a world where you have no control over anything that happens to you, when you sleep, when and what you eat, where you can go, or who you start a family with. That is the reality right now for
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In 2012 a tiger escaped his enclosure in the Cologne zoo and killed a zookeeper before being shot dead, while another tiger in the Czech Republic escaped and mauled three zookeepers. Bulls, limas, peacocks, gorillas, chimpanzees and in one case two tigers are just some of the animals that have recently made their attempt for freedom by trying to escape.
One of the main arguments for the existence of zoos is that they help to protect endangered species. But this is not true. In fact, most animals in zoos aren’t endangered, this is because zoos are almost always attracted to the more “popular” animals meanwhile, they are ignoring smaller animals who actually need protection. The animals in zoos are all most never released back into their natural habitats, and in rare cases when they are, they have no sense of reality because the zoo has taken care of their every basic need, animals do not survive for long by themselves after being released, they are unfit to cope with life in the wild. If zoos really wanted to save animals from extinction, they would be helping protect animals natural habitats, not keeping them in
For example, they capture animals in the wild so that they can be put in there own zoos. in 2006, a zoo imported 33 monkeys who had been illegally trafficked by poachers in Africa (Smith). This means that animals Are being taken away from there natural habitat just so they can be put in zoos. Additionally, animals are not usually released back into the wild. Animals in zoos are released back into the wild only 26% of the time (Lin).
One example is that some animals can get a disease called zoochosis and it is shocking what zoos will do when trying to hide it. For instance, “As Dr Keith Lindsay, a biologist with more than 30 years of experience in elephant research and conservation, has said, these are symptoms of “pathological, stereotypical behaviour that is common with disturbed animals in captivity, but which is never seen in the wild”. There are also cases of animals being given antidepressants to hide their unhappiness from visitors. In 2015 Auckland Zoo euthanised a gibbon, Iwani, because he was “severely depressed” and the zoo admitted they could not meet his welfare needs. ”(An unnatural environment)This is significant because it shows that when zoos commit wrongs and take problems into their own hands it most often ends up worse.
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. Many people argue that zoos and aquariums are beneficial because they contribute a great amount of income to the economy. According to the “Zoo and Aquarium Statistics” by aza.org, the statistics state, “Accredited zoos and aquarium contributed more than $22.5 billion to U.S. economy in 2016”
This exposure and education motivate people to protect the animals and provide entertainment. Zoos save endangered species by bringing them into a safe environment, where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, starvation, and predators. “The Arabian Oryx was hunted to extinction in the wild. However, from just a handful of animals in captivity the species was brought back from the brink thanks the conservation efforts of Phoenix Zoo and others.
This argument is split into three main viewpoints, the opinion that zoos harm animals, the opinion that zoos save endangered species, and a mix between the two. Viewpoint number three is more of a critique how zoos are good places where bad things happen and should be reformed. Each option has its own individual pros and cons but a reform of zoos and their standards would be the most economical for zoos and aquariums and this method would also be the least harmful and less stressful for the animals involved. The care and wellbeing of the animals involved should be the number one priority of all groups and by cutting back on over breeding, the phasing out of lager animals that naturally roam large distances, and creating environments that’s sole purpose is to educate people, zoos can become a better place for people and animals
In fact, “most of the members found in zoos are not endangered or threatened species, only 18% actually are” (Zoos Hurt Conservation). In fact, many of the animals being bred are babies because that is what brings visitors. Another clear reason that such parks are for profit. The few that do face extinction, including elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers, and chimpanzees will never be released into the wild to strengthen diminishing populations (An Idea). Parks claim that conservation is the main reason they are open, but nearly half of all organizations spend 1% of their revenues in conservation (Zoos Hurt Conservation).
Captivity is the condition of being imprisoned or confined. Is captivity good or is it bad? If humans were put into cages and given only enough food to keep them alive we would call it inhumane. What is the difference from doing the same with animals? The topic concerning captivity has been controversial for years.
Zoos are bad for humans, most people do not believe it but zoos are not educating us, they are hurting us. Evidence for zoos are bad for humans is, in 2013, a zookeeper in Missouri was killed when he was knocked to the ground by an elephant, he died instantly.(Estrada). This reason this matters is because zoo animals are killing people, and that would not happen as often if they were left in the wild. Animals in films are not as nice as they are on camera. For example, the orca featured in the film “Blackfish,” is responsible for three human deaths.
Oh no you have just been shot by a tranquilizer dart and you 're put in a truck and you never see your friends and family ever again. Well that 's what happens when animals go to zoos. Zoos are harmful to animals. To begin with, Animals aren 't getting the right diet when they live in zoos. Also, animals are not getting the right amount of space.
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 may be very necessary for endangered species. But, there are different ways how to save and continue endangered species, and every zoo have had choice how they do it. Some zoos are breeding endangered species trying to continue the species, but that is not right, because it leads to very complicated health issues. For example white tiger who are very rare animal, breeding requirements are that all white tigers parents must be white tigers too, to get only white tiger, and so are zoos breeding white tigers fathers with their daughters and mothers with their sons. But some zoos again are preserving and studying endangered species in captivity to save endangered species in the wild.
If zoos were really concerned, they would try to conserve animals in their natural habitat, “the only way to realistically stop extinction is to preserve the world’s habitat and ecosystems,” (Zoos n.p). While zoos may help a bit, there are better ways to help and learn from
Imagine you are taken from your home, mother, and environment to a small cage where everybody is looking at you, taking pictures, and having fun. Your owners sell you to a bad zoo where all animals only get food sometimes and the bare cages are cold because you’re getting too expensive to feed and even take care of. This is why I take the position that zoos should be banned because they can cause Animal cruelty, Too expensive, and finding new homes. Say no to zoos!
Animals such as the Tiger, Pandas and African Chimpanzees are kept inside zoos in order to preserve their species and prevent them from going extinct. They are well protected from their predators which allows them to breed and, hopefully, repopulate their species in order to keep their species alive. One of the examples is that zoos implemented International Breeding Programs in order to help these endangered species breed. As the numbers of that
A lot of people think that zoos are good because they help repopulate, but no one thought that the only reason why we need to repopulate some species, was because of poaching and hunting. If people never had poaching and hunting, most animals are capable out there in the wild. On the other hand, Zoos have research programs that help expand our knowledge about animals, especially the endangered species. The information gained by these programs can help protect and treat the species in the wild, as well as determine what effects if any climate change may have on the regions needed for the species to flourish. Many zoos also have breeding programs for all kinds of species, endangered or not, and learn even more about the species during the breeding, and rearing process.