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. Body One of the advantages of having zoos, is to provide protection to some animals that are endangered.
Animals are living creatures that have feelings just like a human being. Animals are not like us on the physical part, but that doesn’t mean that we have the right to kill, hurt or even experiment with them. If you ever had a pet or knew someone related to you who had a pet, they’d probably always be talking about how kind, sweet, beautiful, and lovely their animals are. Animal are even used to test products such as Shampoos,
Growing up I had my own idea of what a zoo was, a place like the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo full of beautiful animals and dedicated to education, research, and conservation. After persistent research I have come to find that not all zoos are the same. Zoos can range from nationally ranked research facilities to makeshift “monkey-shows” dedicated to profit. The debate of whether zoos are ethical can be easily split between animal rights activists and zoo advocates. Animal rights activists argue that it is inhumane to house animals in inadequate habitats and are upset that many species that aren’t considered endangered are being held in zoos around the world.
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.The amount of aquarium animals especially that have behavioral defects is very large and so are the consequences A study made by Captive Animals Protection Society proved that animals living in the water also suffer from this mental detrimention. This study also shows that 90% of the animals in the zoo have gotten this illness.
In the article Zoos The Historical Debate it states, “Red Pandas died after ingesting rat poison.I can 't imagine how they found the rat poison. Also it states, , “Azavark have limited diet that zoos have a hard time fulfilling.” If they don 't have the right food don 't bring in these animals. And if that was not enough, the article continues to say “Zebras At the National Zoo Washington DC.starved to death because of insufficient or incorrect food”. This means the zookeepers are not trained well that means animals don 't
Boxed and shipped far away from their natural environment, set in zoos that can never have the space, food or excitement that they used to have in the. Depriving animas their freedom by keeping them in zoos has to be stopped. First of all, the loss of freedom and the living conditions for animals in zoos can cause animals to lose their minds or die prematurely. Even the best artificial environments cannot come close to match the space, diversity and freedom that animals want and need. Elephants travel in big packs; they walk up to 50 kilometers a day in the wild.
For some, it can certainly be a struggle, especially if they were engaged in their previous habitat. Also, chimpanzees face the lack of their natural environment and animals to forage, which is contrary to the wild wherein foraging for food. Social interaction is extremely important, because it leads to the development of social skills. As a compromise, chimpanzees in captivity benefit from supplementary chances for manual activities, such as being occupied by rubber bands and cardboard. These stimulating activities are provided in hope to allow a similar environment like the chimpanzees in the wild.
If zoos ignore the standards and regulations that are given to them, they will be shut down (?List of Pros and Cons of Zoos?). Today I tried to persuade you to believe that zoos are beneficial to animals and people. Zoos are helpful to animals in many ways and are also a safe place for animals to live their lives. Now that you know how animals are benefitted in zoos, maybe you will begin to realize how fortunate animals really are to be in
Even the best zoos in the world cannot begin to even try replicating the natural habitat of one animal therefore; animals are often prevented from their natural behavior or doings such as running, roaming, flying, climbing, foraging, choosing a partner and being with their own kind. Zoos simply just cannot provide enough space. As saddening as it is to say this, zoos can in fact be miserable places for animals. A CAPS film called, “No Place Like Home,” shows us the conditions of animals being held captive in a zoo. The film took place at Tweedle Farm Zoo where sick animals were left untreated and the corpses of dead animals were left on the floor to rot.
Others stay nestled in the corner, fearful. Row after row of animals sit in cages. The line may seem endless. Why do so many animals end up in shelters, and how is it affecting the lives of these animals that prevents most of them from being adopted? Overcrowding remains the number one issue in animal shelters worldwide.