why animals should not be kept in zoos articles
Many zoos fail to provide the required minimum standard of care, Zoos dont replicate animals natural habitats, Zoos teach people that animal captivity is acceptable, Animal protection laws are not strong enough, Many visitors disturb and disrespect the animals, Zoo animals are often drugged to be kept calm. They are kind people, bonded to their charges and immersed in the culture of the zoo, in which they are the good guys. And this is not a definite number of victims; there is probably a good number that hasnt been documented. Zoos have been around for thousands of yearsas far back as 3500 BC in Egypt. Another time, one of the orangutans, Kumang, learned how to use sticks to ground the current in the electrical wire around her enclosure. See Related: War and the Effect on Wildlife. It is not possible to have zookeepers versed in a detailed understanding of every single species. This can make the animals neurotic, causing them to start biting bars, pacing repetitively, and swaying. In states without tight enough regulation, local jurisdictions oftentimes adopt ordinances that ban or restrict the display of captive wild animals. The daily stress and lack of stimulation often leads to abnormal and self-destructive behaviour - for example, pacing, walking in tight circles, rocking, swaying, or self-mutilation - a condition known as "zoochosis". When theres a surplus, you can just have a plant sale. There are zoological park associations that were formed to keep zoo owners on their toes. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Read more: Should I worry about chemtrails? For privacy policy and ad & cookie policy information, visit our Privacy Policy pages. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Most zoos dont focus on the educational aspect of zoos; the animals are mainly kept for amusement. The incident in Miami Seaquarium is proof that animals do not belong in captivity. Zoos, aquariums, water parks, and other facilities can help to maintain the viability of endangered species when humanity does not do a good enough job of protecting the animals in the wild. worldanimalfoundation.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and Other Programs, an affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to the Partners. Why? An example of this is a snake that will bite whatever is threatening them since they are not as good at running away as other animals. She somehow got over the 12-foot wall surrounding her 1,000-square-foot enclosure and attacked one of the teenagers, killing him. Especially not for the broad spectrum of species they have in their park. A zoological park is defined as an establishment designed for conservation, study, and public display. Ive been to zoos and aquariums in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island, not to mention those in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The Los Angeles Zoo has used Celexa, an antidepressant, to control aggression in one of its chimps. WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. Some, however, argue that children benefit from zoos. What if they sent all the animals that need really large areas or lots of freedom and socialization to refuges? I pointed out that we cant ask animals whether they are happy with their enclosure size. Its said that Texas has the worlds second-largest tiger population, due to private citizens propensity for keeping these big cats as pets. A common criticism is that the inspectors are often inadequately trained to look for sign of problems such as abuse and neglect. When an animal is not on the endangered list, capturing it doesnt serve any purpose to the animal. Can captive animals ever truly return to the wild? | BBC Earth Their droppings look like little glitterballs. When confined they rock, pull their hair and engage in other tics. Captive animals need better laws, and better enforcement of those laws. In a 2011 study, researchers quizzed visitors at the Cleveland, Bronx, Prospect Park and Central Park zoos about their level of environmental concern and what they thought about the animals. Being placed into a small tank, away from their family units, might not break existing animal protection laws. Well, scat reveals all sorts of things about individual animals; information the keepers share with the scientific community. Here they are relatively safe . Today's zoos are extremely important to saving wild animals and their habitats. So when they. I dont see any problem with holding animals for display, Mr. Ashe told me. Depressed monkey Public zoos sprang up across Europe, many modeled on the London Zoo in Regents Park. When in their natural environments, wild animals are not used to being confronted by humans. Privacy Policy. They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors. Regardless of the merits or ethics of zoos, one thing's for certain: they're going to be around for some years yet. 2. The lack of enough vegetation will then lead to global warming due to less carbon in the atmosphere. Outside of providing sufficient space to allow natural behaviors to develop, issues such as climate, diet, and the formation of a social hierarchy where appropriate make running a zoo a difficult task. Zoos also have the power to euthanize their animals when they themselves deem it permissible. In the end, he said, we live with our own constraints. He added, We are all captive in some regards to social and ethical and religious and other constraints on our life and our activities.. The problem is that these large predators control the population of herbivorous animals in their domain. It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs. At the Los Angeles Zoo, a gorilla named Evelyn escaped seven times in 20 years. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. Zoos accredited by the A.Z.A. Some of these animals are surplus from roadside zoos. The ongoing extinction crises shows that zoos are needed - even for common species. Captive Animals - Animal Legal Defense Fund Zoos are home to many animals. But whether recent events have triggered a profound shift in public consciousness is harder to quantify. Wild dolphins swim up to 40 miles day with the other members of their pod, while captive dolphins are forced to swim in tiny pools with unfamiliar dolphins day after day. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. At least 20 zoos in the United States have already ended their elephant exhibits in part because of ethical concerns about keeping the species captive. Terrifying, Pre-Historic-Looking Fish Captured in the Ocean's Twilight Zone; What Is It? Forests Under Threat: A Comprehensive Look at the Latest Deforestation Statistics, Puppy Mills vs. And Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo has an on-site Wildlife Hospital to save sick and injured native species. [WATCH], Armored Dinosaur Magnificently Preserved After Face, Skin, Spikes Survived Fossilization. But that incident has triggered conversations on the negative impacts of marine parks and aquariums on wild animals. Animals are stressed when they get separated from their packs or herds, especially when they end up as the only one of their kind in their new homes. Most animals are taught to perform tricks and go against the grain of nature purely for human entertainment. Polar bears have one million times less space. Why Animals should not be Kept in Zoos? - StudyDriver.com The lawsuit asserts the agency must be able to remove animals if the USDA has deemed the facility unable to provide minimum standards of care set out by the Animal Welfare Act. A 2000 survey of U.S. and Canadian zoos found that nearly half of respondents were giving their gorillas Haldol, Valium or another psychopharmaceutical drug. These refuge-zoos could become places where animals live. The Endangered Species Act: The Endangered Species Act, the ESA, is a federal law that protects fish, mammals, birds and plants listed as threatened or endangered in the U.S. and beyond. They could either bite, peck, scratch, kick, or flap their wings. There were five such states until 2017, when South Carolina passed a law banning wild and exotic animals to be kept as pets. Another similar behavior of flirting is freezing, in which an animal does not move when there is no way of escape, like being caught in a trap or net even though they are terrified. Writing at the end of 2020, Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States. In the 1980s, a group of orangutans escaped several times at the San Diego Zoo. The sale of excess animals to traveling roadside zoos is another big problem. Elephants arent the only species that try to flee a zoo life. But this is not the norm. Throughout history, men have accumulated large and fierce animals to advertise their might and prestige. at the time estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 animals are euthanized in European zoos each year. That doesnt mean there havent been criticisms. Should zoos exist essay: Should Zoos Still Exist or Not? The Arguments WHY ANIMALS SHOULD NOT BE KEPT IN CAPTIVITY - Adobe Slate In zoos vets and biologist help to prevent inbreeding. This may be true to some extent; however, many zoos are running breeding programs for their own benefit and have no interest in releasing their animals back into the wild. Because so many diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans, such as Ebola, Hantavirus, and the bird flu, zoos frequently conduct disease surveillance research in wildlife populations and their own captive populations that can lead to a direct impact on human health. Few federal laws protect the millions of wild animals who live in captivity in aquariums, circuses, theme parks and zoos in the U.S. Kept in barren cages rarely larger than 20 by 20 feet, bears in roadside zoos spend their days pacing, sleeping abnormally long periods of time, and bobbing their head all indications of extreme psychological distress. Many animals in zoos are not used to confinement. Here's What Experts Think. CITES does not directly address living conditions for captive animals. This is only one of the Acts limitations. Some surplus animals or injured animals are even fed to predators as a means of life-cycle maintenance. A few zoos are famous for their conservation work. On the other hand, some animals try to flirt their way to protect their nest. Their death can be caused by either: lack of space, physical problems, diet, and PTSD. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species. Gus, a polar bear at the Central Park Zoo, was given Prozac as part of an attempt to stop him from swimming endless figure-eight laps in his tiny pool. Running a successful zoo is about drawing in visitors as much as it is caring for animals. Big cats, such as lions and tigers, used in circuses are forced to live in tiny cages that are transported across the country. Today, nearly every country in the world is a member of CITES. How Similar is Human DNA to Other Animals, Animals That Have Become Extinct in the Last 100 Years, 9 Best Solar-Powered Computers to Buy Today, 10 Impactful Ways to Conserve Coral Reefs. Animals such as lions, elephants, and tigers don't get even close to one percent of the area they roam in the wild. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. The better alternatives to zoos are the options that dont result in animals being held in conditions that are unsuitable and forced to live in natural environments. Those who reported a sense of connection to the animals at the zoo also correlated positively with general environmental concern. Most people arent always comfortable seeing animals that are kept in zoos. Copyright 2023 The Science Times. India bans the keeping of elephants in circuses and zoos. Sadly, most of these associations end up protecting the interests of their members, and not the animals they should be protecting. The law, adopted by Congress in 1966, protects so-called warm-blooded animals who are bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially or publicly exhibited, like in a zoo or circus. Copyrights 2023. That claim is up for debate. What Mr. Ashe wants visitors to experience when they look at the animals is a sense of empathy for the individual animal, as well as the wild populations of that animal.. However, I feel there are certain species that should never be held in captivity unless they are candidates for breeding programs or rehabilitation. 9 Reasons Not to Visit Zoos - PETA UK Life expectancy for animals in captivity depends on a couple of things, such as their way of life, among other factors. The forerunners of the modern zoo, open to the public and grounded in science, took shape in the 19th century. Animals kept in an unsuitable environment or fed the wrong diet can suffer, and this can lead to illness or death. Why Animals Should Not Be Kept in Captivity: The Problem With Wildlife The AWA establishes only baseline standards of care for licensing exhibitors. All of these options afford you a close view of nature exactly as it was intended. (The culling of mammals specifically in E.A.Z.A. This is due to the fact that many zoos want to keep as many animals as . They argue that no animal should be forced to spend their life in an unnatural environment and perform. Carl Hegenbeck, a German exotic animal importer, introduced the modern model of more natural habitats for animals instead of obvious cages at his Animal Park in Hamburg in 1907. Roadside zoos dot the American landscape. Many visitors will disturb and disrespect the animals in a zoo simply because they feel as though they are owed a performance of some sort. Animals held captive in zoos are in very small environments such as cages, and they have no freedom. As long as there is demand should zoos exist essay them, zoos will continue to exist. Some of the captive-born animals are not capable of sustaining themselves in the wild and they could pass on these genes dooming the whole species in that region. Thousands of animals are captured and put in zoos and aquariums for tourist attractions every year. What Cause Extinction What Can We Do To Stop It? But theres no unambiguous evidence that zoos are making visitors care more about conservation or take any action to support it. The other argument zoos commonly make is that they educate the public about animals and develop in people a conservation ethic. This becomes a major blow to the biodiversity of the affected region. But many animals clearly show us that they do not enjoy captivity. Going to the zoo is sort of a short vacation for many people. However, the truth is that no enclosure can come close to matching the vastness of an animals natural environment. Such a transformation might free up some space. They are used to collect exotic pets from owners who are looking to get rid of them. But is there a reason why animals should not be kept in zoos? Severe arthritis and foot infections are common in captive elephants due to standing on hard, unnatural surfaces all day without room to roam. Zoos | Freedom for Animals Fighting is a sign that they are threatened, especially when an animal has no way of getting away quickly. For comparison, in 2018, they spent $4.9 billion on operations and construction. These animals oftentimes live in inhumane conditions, and pose a serious threat to public safety. facilities report spending approximately $231 million annually on conservation projects. Most people visit the zoo to see the big draw animals. Persuasive Speech: Why Animals Should Not be kept in Zoos. However, suffering doesnt have to be physical; boredom, confinement, and stress can cause an animal a lot of suffering. The Humane Society of the United States believes that animals in bare tanks do not present a realistic image of natural behaviors or natural habitats. Zoo keepers are often trained and specialize in a particular breed or species. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Not investing enough when designing a habitat for your animals to save money. Nature reserves, bird watching, going on a safari. Lack of Sufficient Space No matter how dedicated a zoo is, it can't meet the space requirements for most of its animals. A species protected in captivity provides a reservoir population against a population crash or extinction in the wild. An increase in the populations of herbivorous animals such as deer and buffalos isnt a good thing, especially not for the vegetation and ground cover. Animal rights activists argue that hunting, capturing, and putting animals on display is unethical. Tigers, lions, elephants, bears and nonhuman primates are all included in this law. These are species that would have vanished totally were it not for captive populations around the world, many of which reside in zoos (or, for plants, botanic gardens).
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why animals should not be kept in zoos articles