Ethical Dilemma #3 - Is it Time to Ban Zoos?
The debate on whether or not zoos should be allowed to exist have gone on for years. The history of zoos is a long one, ranging all the way back to 1500B.C in Egypt. In terms of modern zoos, the first zoo in North America was the Philadelphia Zoo, coming into business in 1874. Granted the rights of animal welfare have exponentially increased since these first zoos, there is quite a debate around the ethics of private ownership of exotic animals.
There is a clear difference in quality of caregiving when comparing a zoo such as the Greater Wynneword Exotic Animal Zoo (Joe Exotic's zoo down in Oklahoma) to an establishment such as the Toronto Zoo but, when it comes down the ethical debate, I ask you; should exotic animals be kept in captivity? Do we have the right to make a profit off of their captivity?
I am against the idea of zoos, however, not sanctuaries. The actions and methods applied from zoos for keeping or training the animals and how animals in zoos are experiencing psychological issues have been the main concerns for a while, as people believe zoos should not exist in modern times. The PETA publicly spoke on the reality of how zoos are hiding openly about oppressing the animals with cruelty, as they are often live without environmental enrichment, or forced into inappropriate groupings. Even though such zoos continue attempting to hide on behalf of their actions, the apparent outcome claims already, as often we can see animals with invariant and unusual behavior, commonly like self-mutilation, vomiting, or random biting, as told by the PETA are clear signs of zoochosis, which are very devastating to watch. Animals with zoochosis also suffer from psychological stress and depression.
ReplyDeleteI believe zoos are considerable for children, in terms of introducing these animals to them, which is an educational and overall excellent experience for them to be so close to the animals. However, I firmly believe that is the only benefit, considering all the other circumstances for the animals.
As mentioned, I think instead of visiting zoos, and also wish to have such experience with animals, we should visit sanctuaries alternatively, which are more reasonable and suitable for both visitors and animals, reflecting where animals in most sanctuaries are treated with more care, and obviously without the cruelty from zoos. The Animal Welfare Act also claims that such sanctuaries are yearly inspected too.
I agree that sanctuaries are a better place for animals for the fact that it is closer to their natural habitat, but wouldn’t all the problems with animal’s mental health be dealt with if people didn’t lock them up in the first place?
DeleteI agree animals are not meant to be put in cages and sanctuaries are a better place for animals but only when they need them
DeleteSanctuaries definitely are beneficial to endangered species, however I believe the public should not be allowed to view the animals because that can create stress. Children have other ways of learning about animals, like books and tv channels. I agree though that sanctuaries have positive effects on the populations of endangered species, and guidelines and inspections make sure that they are a safe place for animals.
DeleteWhere do you draw the line of animals to care for and animals to eat?
DeleteI agree with you. Sanctuaries actually try to help the animals that need it rather then leaving them in cages all the time. -maddy
DeleteYou are right, Maddy, as some people does not acknowledge that sanctuaries or wildlife preserves also help and protect some of the endangered animals or species from the outside, specifically further damage from humans, and being open to the public is mostly to get a source of capital in order for them to continue running.
DeleteI like the ideas of zoos, but we should not be selfish. There are both advantages and disadvantages, I love going to the zoo and just staring at the animals but if I think of myself as an animal and just living in the same small area for years, it wouldn't be fun. To start off with the pros, zoo can be an educational tool, but also learn a lot of valuable information too. Zoos often provide tours, information points and actively seek to educate and teach the next generation of children the importance and value of conservation and biodiversity. Also, it is an economic boost for the local community as well, zoo’s are local and sometimes national attractions. Another benefit is when animals are sick in the zoo, they often get medical and care facilities. This means that if they have any health concerns, they can be assisted by vets almost immediately. However, having medical and care facilities doesn't mean it is better, even though Zoos often try their best to mimic a specific species natural habitat sometimes it has little impact on their behavior and well being. An example for the internet is an Orca in the wild can survive as long as 100 years, but they typically don’t reach 30 years of age in captivity. Now to money, it’s become apparent that many popular zoos have been failing financially, which in turn has a knock on effect to the health and welfare of captive animals. And when the health and welfare are affected, many animals born and raised in captivity fail to successfully make the transition from captive to wild environment. To conclude, I think there are both good and bad about it, there has to be a conclusion of where the animals can have their environmental freedom and also let us humans watch and learn about them.
ReplyDeleteI agree you opinion about the harm and benefit of zoo.
DeleteWhat are your thoughts about the endangered pandas in China not in endangered anymore because of local zoos, sanctuaires and panda vets?
Deleteposted on behalf of Zoey
DeleteI fully agree with your response, we should not take animals for granted and not be selfish with them.
Zoos have existed for hundreds of years, dating back to 1874. They offer entertainment, displaying animals, with origins from all over the planet and attracting visitors on a daily basis. However are these global businesses really what they claim to be, or is there a more exploitative and abusive truth to these establishments?
ReplyDeleteWhile there are exceptions, most zoos profit off visitors that are attracted to visit these estiblements with false claims of animal protection, preservation and conservation, however that is far from the truth. Zoos are essentially prisons, but instead of a criminal being locked up for some horrific act he committed, they are filled with claustrophobic animals that were snatched from their natural habitat in order to be exhibited for hundreds of visitors to see. It has been scientifically proven that incarcerating animals has had and will have tremendous negative impacts on their physical and mental health. The small cages and enclosures that these animals have been relocated to are millions of times smaller than the space they had in their natural habitat. Zoo animals all over the world, such as tigers and lions have shown signs of frustration, depressions and stress as a result of their captivity. This disruption in behavioural patterns is commonly referred to as Zoochosis, which according to PETA can lead to the animal oversleeping, overeating and cause neurotic behaviour such as repetitive pacing, swaying, and bar biting. In some very extreme cases, animals have shown to even self-mutilate and act in a self-destructive way due to the stress that they are subjected to. Scientific analysis has also revealed that due to zoochosis, many captive animals such as the African elephants and dolphins live much shorter lives compared to their free counterparts. While some zoos legitimately work towards the safety and conservations of animals, there are a plethora of zoos that claim they care, only to exploit the rarity of the animals for monetary gain.
Personally I completely disagree with the idea of zoos, and sacrificing the freedom and health of an animal for profit. While the conservation of animal life is indeed a noble cause, zoos are not the best solution. I personally believe that wildlife preserves are the best and most logical solutions, as they don't tamper with the creature's natural habitat and health, yet still provide the safety from hunters and poachers. The public can still see them through safaris and expeditions, yet the animals still maintain their sense of freedom and most importantly, health.
I agree that zoos are harming animals.
DeleteI strongly agree with all of your points. Zoos have an extremely negative effect on the physical and mental health of animals. It is horrible to think that animals are hurting themselves because they are under so much stress. Interference-free conservation programs are definitely the way to go in order to protect animals. I also think that breeding programs for endangered species and rehabilitation programs for hurt animals are also acceptable, as long as the animals are released back to the wild where they belong.
DeleteI concur with your opinion, as I also believe wildlife preserves are the more reasonable solutions as they not only to fulfill the wish of public or visitors on what they expect from a zoo, and some also protect some of the endangered species.
DeleteI agree that by animals being in zoos it is harming them
DeleteI agree that zoos are like prisons for animals being held for crimes that they did not commit.
DeleteI think we should keep the zoo opened, the zoo is probably the most common place to go when we at childhood, I believe that we have lots of joyful memories when we go to the zoo. Zoo is the place that we can contact animals closely and safely, also zoo make lots of animals have a safe place to live and breed, almost 60% of wild animals died in 40 years and selling wild animals, with an annual turnover of 23 billion USD, and in the zoo, they have no natural enemies, and they pretty much have the best environment they can get, also I think that if someones that never went to the zoo that his childhood is not perfect. On the other hand in lots of Morden cities, people can not contact animals closely, and the zoo will become a good place for them. Now let’s talk about the problem about animals‘ freedom, in Shanghai, there is a place called Shanghai Safari Park, which is a place that creates for an animal living freely, in there not animals in the cage is the people, tourist stays in the bus to travel throw each animals‘ habitat. Base on the point above we can see that animals will have great benefits to live in the zoo.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, animals were not made to be a spectacle for humans and as a kid, I think there wasn’t something more depressing to see than a wild animal locked up in a 50ft by 50ft cage living in its own feces. Take a polar bear for example whose natural habitat is 1,000,000 times bigger than its cage in a zoo and polar bears in the wild have bright white coats whereas in a zoo we can see them pacing in their small cages with dirty yellow coats. Another good example is Orca whales at aquariums Orcas swim in circles everyday and that's not where they belong, they belong in the open ocean hunting and playing.
DeleteZoos are not a good environment for animals. Even some safari type operations where animals are free often impose on the animals' life with noise, pictures, and feeding. I think that zoos are also not an integral part of childhood. I don't have statistics here, only personal experience. As early as grade 1 I was opposed to zoos. Information on animal mistreatment is not very hard for a child to come across, and although I love animals this thought was always at the back of my mind whenever I would go to a zoo. I was appalled when I would hear about people visiting Seaworld, which has one of the worst histories for animal mistreatment, and wonder how people thought that was okay. Zoos are not a key part of our culture, and I think that most people would be happier if they were abolished.
DeleteI strongly disagree. Keeping animals in captivity for their entire lives so that us humans can visit them once a month or so isn't at all a good balance. Ok the economic benefits are good but nothing compared to other factors that contribute to a flourishing economy. Zoos, while appealing to small children, have very little to no effect on the childhood and future of little children. And despite safaris, being the step up from a regular zoo, the enclosures offered are still thousands of times smaller than what it normally is, which still has very negative impacts on the animals mental and physical health.
DeleteI do understand your perspective on behalf of the ideal purpose of zoos, and I do agree that it is quite educational in terms of for children, which also gives them a very good experience when you introduce such animals to a new human being. However, I believe that is the only benefit, when you look into the sacrifices that animals have to take from the zoos.
DeletePosted on behalf of Zoey:
Deletei agree with your response. The zoo was always a popular spot to go as a kid for me to, I liked how you put personal information in your argument.
The zoo is a place where many people built their initial love of nature and animals from the zoo. In the past half century, zoos have great changes. They are no longer just exhibition halls for animals. They are not places for people to see rare animals, but they have evolved into a natural education place. In order to meet this public demand, the zoo is also constantly rebuilding and restoring it to a place that mimics the native habitat of animals. More and more zoos are changing in a direction that is more conducive to animal habitation.
DeleteI am against the concept of a zoo because they provide a prison for animals that is very unnatural to their wild habitats. According to the Leviathan Project, “as a result of boredom and lack of stimulation or enrichment, animals in zoos oversleep, overeat, and show signs of severe frustration and mental instability.” No animal should be experiencing these behavior issues just so people can look at animals for an hour or two. “A study by Oxford University found that 40% of elephants in zoos display repetitive behaviors. Wild elephants can live well into their 50’s, while captive elephants rarely make it into their 20’s. Arthritis and foot infections from standing on hard surfaces all day are the most common reasons why elephants are euthanized in zoos.” states the Leviathan Project website. The fact that animals are having problems like arthritis and foot infections means that Zoos keepers and zoo owners are not taking care or putting the best interest into their animals. Another problem is what do zoos due with animals when they shut down? it is hard to release animals back into the wild after being in captivity for a long period of time because animals get so used to regular feeding times and not worrying about predators attacking. According to National Geographic believes that “MOST LARGE, CAPTIVE-BRED carnivores die if returned to their natural habitat, a new study has found. The odds of animals such as tigers and wolves surviving freedom are only 33 percent, according to a team of researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.” To conclude I think zoos are a bad idea for the animal’s sake and we should embrace the idea of sanctuaries where animals can be safe and free.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Zoos are like jails for animal.
DeleteI don't agree with your idea, thousands and thousands of elephants were dying from poachers, like you said if people do not feed these elephants, we can imagine that in the future, there will be no more elephants.
DeleteI found the point you made about animals living longer in the wild interesting, you would originally think that animals would die faster in the wild due to all of the dangers, but really being captive would bring more harm.
DeleteI fully agree with your point, that zookeepers and zoos owners, don't tend and look after their animals as carefully as they should. I also agree that if an animals that spent most of its life in captivity, with food and other needs just handed to it, it would simply not have the skills required to survive if it were let back into the wild.
DeleteSteven, if elephants go extinct today what will happen? Extinction has been going on for hundreds of millions of years, do you feel the same way about the woolly mammoth or dodo bird as you do elephants? Having elephants locked up is about the same as having a poacher kill one except when it's a poacher it's less torcher.
DeleteZoos have a long history, they give people entertainment and displaying animals from all over the world. Zoos also give valuable information of education. Animals get good care there, they don’t need to worry about foods or enemies. Zoos provide a good economic benefits too. But I don’t agree about the idea of zoo. If you were an animal that being kept in a zoo for your whole life, what would you think? Although you don’t need to worry about to survive, you lost your freedom,. You only have a small place like a jail to live in, you are watched by humans again and again, soon you will be sick., not physically, but mentally. So do animals in zoos. Animals are forced to entertain tourists, according to a result, 300 belugas in zoos in Shanghai kill themselves desperately every years. This is a horrible numbers. Wild animals have the rights to live on their own. But I totally embrace the idea of sanctuaries where animals can be safe and free. In conclude, sanctuaries is a right place for animals, not zoos.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about us watching animals in cages, and how they would eventually become mentally sick. Just imagine if we as humans were locked up in jail like cages with tigers and monkeys always looking at us. We would also eventually become mentally sick... just like zoo animals.
DeleteI agree there may be some positive parts but the idea of animals being locked in a cage for entertainment is not right.
DeleteI agree that the horrible experiences animals have to live through outweigh the economic benefits provided by zoos.
DeleteI like your points and that you put both sides and I really like that you mentioned that it's likely for the animals to get mentally sick. I've never thought about it this way and I do think it sad that this is what some animals go through every day.
DeleteI agree, sanctuaries would be a better place for the animals than zoos.
DeleteThere are both positive and negative parts about the zoo.
DeleteI agree that putting animals in zoos is taking away their freedom.
DeleteI think that zoos are very sad. What zoos are essentially doing is locking up animals, taking them away from their habitat, and using them to make a profit. In my opinion this is not okay. I have recently done a writing workshop and focused my writing on polar bears in captivity and how it harms them. They typically walk and swim around in stereotypical fashions according to Polar Bears International, and I am guessing that this also applies many most animals kept in zoos. I do believe that zoos come with benefits though, according to The Guardian, by keeping animals in zoos protects them from extinction. I do believe that this is true because keeping one or multiple of that species away from their predators and having food supplied by the zoo so animals will never starve. But, however, hunting for food is part of an animals nature. Without hunting, personally I think that animals will become weaker than they would be in the wild. With most topics I feel that I can argue on both sides but with this topic I find it hard to argue on the positive side of zoos because of the harm towards animals.
ReplyDeleteI do agree zoos are sad and we shouldn't take animals away and they shouldn't be showed off. There may be so pros but they are not big enough to get away from the fact that we are locking animals up.
DeleteI think that the positive side of zoos is insignificant, because most zoos do not take part in conservation programs or release animals from breeding programs to the wild. I agree that the cons of zoos extremely outweigh the pros. I also think that bringing awareness to the harm caused by zoos through your writing is a great thing to do!
DeleteZoos are both a historic and entreatment place. The first zoo was opened 1752 and it was first meant to help animals and then more zoos were opened. Zoos are now places the families, schools, day cares all age people go to look at the animals. Zoos are just putting wild animals in cages to us them as entertainment. In my opinion this would be like animals putting use in cages and watching us. So although zoos may be used to keep animals in cages they do have a few benefits. They are used to help endanger spices and animals that may be injured. So although they may be helpful they are doing more harm. We shouldn't have the right to capture animals and put them in cages. Zoos are offering jobs to so many people and they do help us learn about animals. I feel we need to stop zoos and we need to focus on how we can return the animals. I think zoos need to go and we need to take more care of our animals.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on your point on animals putting us in cages and watching us. It is terrible that we are using animals captive lives as entertainment.
DeleteI agree with you, so many people go to zoos but not everybody knows the effects that zoos have on animals. It's suppose to be entertainment but its so cruel.
Delete-maddy
completely agree that capturing and endangering animals for entertainment is wrong.
DeleteI agree that zoos need to go for all the reasons you mentioned.
DeleteI agree completely with the role reversal that you mentioned. I also agree that some zoos do actually try to benefit the animals, however there are many alternative solutions that they can look into to ensure the animals are at their best.
DeleteI completely agree with you. Wild animals have the rights to live on their own.
DeleteI am against the idea of zoos. They have negative impacts on both the mental and physical health of animals. Animals kept in captivity often display neurotic behavior like staring into space, biting bars, and pacing. (nat geo)They also don't have enough space to live happily, exercise, and perform their natural behaviors. For example, the average polar bear enclosure is only 1 millionth of the size of its natural habitat. (nat geo) Many zoos that make their animals perform shows for the public, for example Sea World, have horrible practices and an extremely high death rate. According to PETA and National Geographic over half of each whale's offspring just sink to the bottom of their cage and die within the first few years of life, females are bred at too early an age and too often, and nearly all the whales show signs of poor nutrition and overall health. A study conducted by World Animal Protection showed that 75% of zoos belonging to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums were breaking standard mistreatment guidelines. This statistic does not even account for unregistered and roadside tourist zoos.
ReplyDeleteAlthough some zoos claim to be conservation, breeding, and rehabilitation programs, only 15% of the species captive in zoos have a "threatened" status, and even fewer are ever released to the wild. (nat geo) I believe that zoos should continue to exist but only as breeding and rehabilitation programs for endangered or injured animals. They should have to meet strict guidelines, and release animals back to the wild after they are healthy or been bred, and the public should not be allowed to view animals. Conservation is positive and can help revive endangered species, but zoos are not conservation programs, they are harming and killing animals.
I agree with you that zoo's should only be for rehabilitation and to help the animals. You have found many interesting facts. The facts that polar bears are only getting 1 millionth of the size they need is just not ok.
DeleteSome reasons people are against zoos - animals can't be in their natural habitat therefore affecting them, such as not having enough space and some of them need big space to run, not used to people watching them, Zoo keepers being cruel to animals... On the other hand, zoos make a lot of profit off tourists, animals are being protected, they don't need to worry about food, shelter, their predator sneaking up on them, and is a great environment for observation and education, people love animals and often feel sympathy for them thus a a great entertainment to raise the public morale. So it boils down to - does the negative to the animals outweigh the positive to the animals and the people, if it does, what is there to be done.
ReplyDeleteHumans have been at the top of the food chain and always will be. People are worried about the health of the animals in the zoo, but what about the daily meat we consume. Is it not cruel that these animals are being slaughtered? Should all humans turn vegans? It depends on where we draw the line, what is food and what is not, if it is not considered food, what should be the right we have of it. Because of us being stronger and smarter, what rights do we have over the animals not considered food.
Most of the time animals have emotions, but only towards their pack, their offspring, or their owner. One of the animals that are not considered food are dogs and why do people draw the line there? They are cute looking, usually not aggressive and scary, fur to pet, loyal to owner(showing emotions). For these reasons, people don't kill or eat them. So what if someone thinks that snakes and spiders are cute(there are), should they be able to keep this pet while other countries kill them for medicine and experiments. While these snakes and spider don't' have feelings for the owner and because of their venomous features, they are likely attack and therefore kept in cages or containers at home. Isn't that kind of a zoo? The only difference here is that this guy is not earning anything from the snakes and spiders, but he loves them and will take care of them. So does this guy have the right to keep them in containers even if he likes the snakes and spiders but the snakes and spiders might not like him back. While, dogs and their owners develop emotions and usually the dog is willing to be apart of the household. So it is ok to keep rare animals unlike dogs and cats in the zoo for profit even if they don't like being there but people have a interest in them and they will be taken care of?
Btw I disagree with the idea of zoos.
DeleteYou have made some really interesting points and you put a point of view that I hadn't thought about before on it. You last sentence is a point I didn't think about and I think that because we have had dogs and cats as domestic creature for so long that it wouldn't be fair to them to be put in the wild because they won't know how to function. So we have already done the damage on them but with zoo animals we have domestitized most of them so they can still function in the wild.
DeleteI agree with Petra, this is a really interesting perspective you've brought here! I disagree with zoos (but not conservation with release), but you have made me think about what I am willing to call cruel. I think that the keeping of domestic animals like cats, dogs, horses, and hamsters is okay. I think it is also okay to farm pigs and cattle as long as you treat them very well and kill them humanely. But it is not okay to lock up and display an animal that has instincts and desire to be in the wild. For example (my personal experience), when you go to the pet store all the kittens are happy, and purring, and want human attention. But the poor little fish are bumping their heads against the glass over and over. Also, whether an animal is domestic or not, it is never okay to treat a living creature abusively, the way they are in many zoos.
DeleteThank you for providing these new and thoughtful ideas!
Zoo's have been around for too long. They have been around for over 140 years. There have been so many different ways that we have communicated and been around animals through out the years, but I think that zoo's aren't the way for us to do that. There have been over one hundred zoo's and aquariums that have abused the animals that they have held in captivity. We also demestix them so they can't function in the wild. These animals are put in to unnatural and dangerous environments. Sometimes we even take baby's away from their mother's so they grow up in zoo's. Why are we doing this? Is it just for entertainment that we are splitting up entire species. Isn't that what Netflix is for? How are we benefitting from this? Are we doing it for money? These are questions that people need to start asking. These animals need some basic rights. It took humans over till 1948 for all of us to have humans right and still there are so many problems. So why don't these animals have some basic rights? We are already taking so much from nature so why do we need to take wild life? We need to stop taking animals for granted and we need to start treating them with respect.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points and that there should be a connection between humans and animals and that zoos are not the way to do this. I also agree that animals deserve more respect than they are receiving.
DeleteI agree, zoos aren't at all the best and most beneficial way to view animals. I personally think that wildlife preserves are the best solution. Animals get to roam their natural habitat, humans can see them via safaris and the animals maintain protection from poachers and hunters.
DeleteI agree, there has to be another way where we can interact with animals while they are free too.
DeleteI agree that we need to stop taking animals for granted and start treating them better.
DeleteWe definitely need to start questioning the existence of zoos. It is horrible that such a large number of zoos and aquariums abuse their animals. I agree that zoos are inhumane and there are other ways to observe animals without upheaving their lives.
DeleteI strongly agree with you, A lot of animals are becoming instinct and putting them in zoos for entertainment for us is not helping that situation. Animals shouldn't be kept in cages or separated from each-other.
Delete-Maddy
I also believe that there are alternative ways for humans to interact with animals that is not as harmful to the animals.
DeletePersonally whenever I have gone to a zoo as a kid I never thought negatively about these animals being held in captivity or like the animals were being mistreated. Then again not all zoos are like the one I went to. I do not think that it is right for zoos to hold any animals in captivity for the owners own benefit, but should zoos be completely banned? For me it all depends on what the intention is for the animals. If the intention is just for profit so that the individual can gain and the well being of the animal, the education to the people, and the all around experience doesn't matter because it's all about the profit then yes, I would say ban all zoos. People shouldn't be aloud to move exotic animals from their natural habitats to an enclosed, caged aria. There are also many zoos where the keepers purposely starve the animals so that when there is an audience the animals are made to look a lot more ferocious and wild and vicious then they actually are. When there are zoos that do this to their animals it is not right. Then again there is always another side to the story. There are also many zoos that act more like animal sanctuaries and in this case I would say that zoos should not be banned if they help the animals. The good kind of zoos or sanctuaries are the ones that only take the exotic animals from their environments if they are injured or are an endangered species. If the animals are injured the zoos should be able to neurs the animals back to health so that they can return to the wild and they should constantly be taking care of these animals and not mistreating them. If they should be taking endangered species from their environment is a whole other debate that has good and bad opinions to it. When there are zoos that only make a profit that goes directly back to the animals this I find it also good. Something else that I think is really good about many zoos is when with each animal there is someone or something that helps any visitors understand each of the animals to raise awareness for the animals. An example of this is in Australia there are koala zoos and sanctuaries for the koalas that are orphaned, hurt, and effected by the fires. These animals would have no chance if there wasn't some kind of facility to bring them in, care for them and at the same time have the door open for visitors to come and learn about them. This kind of captivity of animals I find is good. In conclusion I do not think that exotic animals should be kept in captivity and we definitely should not be making a profit off of their unwilling captivity, but when there are zoos or sanctuaries that are there to help the animals and profit to care for the animals, that I can agree with.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting fact you stated about how zoos starve animals to make them more aggressive. It's unfortunate that it's not enough for some zoos to have animals in captivity, they have to make them suffer for a better "performance"
DeletePosted on behalf of Claire:
ReplyDeleteThe first zoo opened up in 1876 with the idea of offering entertainment to people by displaying exotic animals. This idea has expanded all over the world. Currently there are around two-hundred zoos in Canada and abot 10,000 across the globe! The only question now is are these global businesses actually doing what they claim or is there a whole other side to these zoos?
I believe that zoos are a great attraction for people, especially for families with children. The zoo allows people to view and approach exotic animals that they would probably never get a chance to see. Zoos profit off their visitors and are often viewed as a way to protect many animals that are endangered or close to extinction.
Although most people wouldn’t think to wonder how animals are treated at zoos, some estiblements use false claims of animal protection, preservation and conservation to attract more people to visit. Many groups view zoos negatively. For example, PETA ( people for the ethical treatment of animals ) recently spoke publicly on the real truth and reality of how zoos are hiding openly about oppressing the animals with cruelty. PETA groups often express concerns about animal abuse and captivity.
Personally, I completely disagree with the idea of zoos. I feel that zoos are essentially like prison cells, but instead of a criminal being locked up they are filled with exotic and endangered animal species that were removed from their natural habitat in order to be exhibited for hundreds of visitors. It has been scientifically proven that incarcerating animals or keeping them locked away has had and will have tremendous negative impacts on their physical and mental health. The small cages and enclosures that these animals have been relocated to are much smaller than their natural habitats, greatly impacting their natural behaviors. Exotic animals need to be protected and should be viewed in their natural environments, such as, on Safaris and expeditions.
The first zoo was made in 1874 and they have been very popular since then. Zoo’s have been a place for kids and adults to go and see exotic animals that they would normally not see on a daily basis. There are many different animal zoos that are free to visit and many others that you have to pay to go. On the website(animals australia.org) it states that “zoo’s exist primarily for profit.” With that being said, you may ask where our money goes when we have to pay to enter a zoo. You would think that most of it goes towards the animals health and wellbeing but they use most of it for marketing the zoo. They buy new baby animals because they are more popular with young children than the big scary animals and when they grow up they sell them off treating them as toys.It is proven that animals can get many of the symptoms humans can. Sad, depressed, lonely, disturbed and frustrated. We as humans know how it feels when in those situations so we should care for the animals but putting them in captivity in the zoo doesn't show that we know how to care for them properly. They thought it was a great idea back then to keep the kids entertained by zoos and as the years went on they added not just animals, but playgrounds and waterparks. Not all animals want to be seen, they all have different sleeping and feeding times so kids yelling and screaming all around the zoo can disturb them. I personally think zoos are very cruel to animals. They should be free in the wild rather than being kept in a cage for their whole life. maddy
ReplyDelete100% agree with Maddy. All the points she made are exactly what i was trying to say as well-animals deserve better than to be kept in cages their whole life.
DeleteI disagree with the mistreatment of animals in zoos. at age 3-7 i used to go to Sea world every year for my birthday with some friends, eventually i started realizing that the animals, mainly orcas and beluga whales, were kept in cages and forced to perform in a tiny tank. I stopped going to Sea World so as not to support it. However, many of the zoos i have visited before have made a conscious effort to rescue animals in need or in dangerous situations. I of course agree with animal sanctuaries and think that animals should always be released to their natural habitat if possible. to conclude, i dont agree with the natural mistreatment of animals in zoos. They are creatures who should live naturally in the wild. As humans, we already do too much to mistreat animals such as habitat destruction and greenhouse gas emissions, why further the destruction by keeping animals in cages?
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ReplyDeleteI believe that animals should not be in a zoo, they should be free. There are people who do not agree with having the animals locked up, there are also several animals that have died. There are also animals that people have mistreated. Other things that have happened is that they are fed in the zoo and then released, but because they have been fed in the zoo, they do not know how to maintain and they die. Wild animals should be kept in the wild and humans should respect that.
The first zoo opened up in 1876 with the idea of offering entertainment to people by displaying exotic animals. This idea has expanded all over the world. Currently there are around two-hundred zoos in Canada and abot 10,000 across the globe! The only question now is are these global businesses actually doing what they claim or is there a whole other side to these zoos?
ReplyDeleteI believe that zoos are a great attraction for people, especially for families with children. The zoo allows people to view and approach exotic animals that they would probably never get a chance to see. Zoos profit off their visitors and are often viewed as a way to protect many animals that are endangered or close to extinction.
Although most people wouldn’t think to wonder how animals are treated at zoos, some estiblements use false claims of animal protection, preservation and conservation to attract more people to visit. Many groups view zoos negatively. For example, PETA ( people for the ethical treatment of animals ) recently spoke publicly on the real truth and reality of how zoos are hiding openly about oppressing the animals with cruelty. PETA groups often express concerns about animal abuse and captivity.
Personally, I completely disagree with the idea of zoos. I feel that zoos are essentially like prison cells, but instead of a criminal being locked up they are filled with exotic and endangered animal species that were removed from their natural habitat in order to be exhibited for hundreds of visitors. It has been scientifically proven that incarcerating animals or keeping them locked away has had and will have tremendous negative impacts on their physical and mental health. The small cages and enclosures that these animals have been relocated to are much smaller than their natural habitats, greatly impacting their natural behaviors. Exotic animals need to be protected and should be viewed in their natural environments, such as, on Safaris and expeditions.
I agree with your comparison of zoos to prison. It's truly unfortunate that there are so many similarities between the two places.
DeletePersonally, I think that zoos are not the right thing for the animals. I do not think that exotic animals should be kept in a zoo such as the Toronto Zoo. I don't think they should be kept there because it is not their natural habitat and they are not getting treated as they should. if they were out in their natural habitat I feel like they would be a lot more comfortable. I don't think it's right for us to make a profit off of these animals by putting them in a zoo. By putting these animals in a zoo and making money off them they may not have as much room as they need or want. Animals are also taken away from its natural social structure. I personally don't think zoos are right.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about how animals are more comfortable in their natural habitat. They definitely are since that's where they are meant to be.
DeleteI agree with your point not only do animals not get the space they need but they also get mistreated in many zoo's due to the zoo's trying to make as much money as possible.
DeleteIt is time to ban zoos. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims", Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programs at PETA. Zoos are often seen as a beautiful place where people can go see animals, but we do not realize it is just a glamorous-looking jail. Animals are being held captive. No matter how much zoos try to make the cages look like the animals’ natural habitats, it is not the same. Wild animals are meant to live in the wilderness, not in captivity. "Animals in zoos suffer tremendously, both physically and mentally. They often display neurotic behaviour, like repetitive pacing, swaying, and bar biting. Not surprising, perhaps, considering the typical polar bear enclosure is one million times smaller than the area they would naturally roam." (National Geographic). Zoos are doing damage to animals. Often, we just think of the physical damage, but Mimi Bekhechi has talked about the animals’ mental health as well. Neurotic: of, relating to, or having neurosis (Collins English Dictionary). Neurosis is a mental condition. We should not be inflicting mental conditions on animals.
ReplyDeleteZoos have been around for a very long time, the first one dating back to 1752, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria (Oldest.org). Currently, there are more than 1500 accredited zoos in the world. (Infomory.com). While some zoos conduct scientific research, provide protection of endangered species, or offer specialized care, many zoos overlook the well-being of animals and care only about the profit that they make from the visitors. There are many cases of animal cruelty in zoos. An example is that of a lion named Cameroon and a tiger named Zabu that were rescued from a rundown roadside zoo in 2004 and transferred to a Florida Sanctuary. At their previous home, the two animals were kept captive by their owners, who tried to make them make produce liger cubs (worldatlas.com).
Keeping wild animals in zoos is unethical. Taking away their freedom is unnatural and has negative effects on their quality of life. We must treat animals humanely, and it starts by allowing them to live in their natural habitats. People can still enjoy seeing them and learning about them in their own environments. Wildlife web cameras offer access to wildlife in their natural habitats. For a closer look, visits to provincial and national parks are a great way of enjoying wildlife and learning about animals without the need of zoos.
I liked all your helpful examples. It's really unfortunate about Cameroon and Zabu. I've heard of ligers, and they are really unhealthy animals.
DeleteI disagree with the notion of zoos. Animals are meant to be in the wild, and they suffer thoroughly when aren’t. They can become violent, starved, and depressed. They not only suffer physically but also psychologically. And when the mental state of these animals becomes unstable, the zoos try to compensate for their struggle with drugs that are not meant to be consumed by animals. “In the last decade, zoos across the nation have turned to antidepressants, tranquilizers, and even antipsychotic drugs such as haloperidol, sold as Haldol, to ease behavioral problems in zoo denizens.” (The Toledo Blade). There is also evidence of animals dying prematurely in zoos. One study showed that 40% of lion cubs in zoos die before a month of life. Even animals that are released into the wild after captivity have their welfare threatened. Every being has an ecosystem where it’s meant to grow and live. Its natural habitat holds the basic needs of the beings. They have to adapt to their habitat in order to survive, and animals kept in captivity are deprived of that ability of adaptation. In my opinion, our entertainment is not worth the endangerment of these animals. I do agree with animal sanctuaries. It’s a wonderful exercise of kindness for people to help animals in need of aide.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with keeping healthy non-endangered animals in zoo's. I think that the zoo's should only be allowed to keep animals that are not healthy enough to go into the wild. I think the only exception to this is if the animals species is in endangered and the zoo is breeding this animal and putting the young back into the wild. I also think that zoo's should have more regulations and inspections to make sure the animals are living the best life they could have in captivity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement however some animals are kept in zoo's for protection because their species is being hunted by humans and I think that humans kill and wipe out so many animals that the least we could do is try and save some. So in this case survival of the fittest doesn't work because it doesn't matter how good the animals are at hiding or fighting with modern day technology animals don't stand a chance against humans. And the worst part is that most of the animals don't even die to provide families with food. Most of the animals are hunted and killed in their home so that humans can decorate their home.
ReplyDeletePosted on behalf of Zoey:
ReplyDeleteI believe that zoos have done harm but I’ve also done some good. There has been endangered species going to some zoos but that helped bring up the number and the animal species because they were safe from hunters in the wild. Zoos have helped animals that would go starving in the wild, found animals hurt in the wild and taken them in for treatment and make them better. Zoos have also Brought lots of happiness to people to see animals and that they usually wouldn’t see. All though zoos have done lots of good, There is still harm from the enclosure. Animals can go mental from being in tight areas and in closed areas and not being able to move anywhere. There are some animals that I think should be in the wild and definitely not in a zoo for example The lion. The lion is a huge creature and is used to defending themselves and catching their prey, but In A zoo they just hand them the food and keep them from predators. I’m not a huge fan of the idea of Zoos but it has done some good.