No More Zoos
by Allison Lemley
Animals Should Not be Kept in Zoos
Imagine yourself trapped behind bars and people coming up to see you for their own amusement, and entertainment. You are not in your original habitat, and you lack the support of your family and friends, also the food you eat is a type of food you don't normally eat. If you don't like it, you will still have to eat it or you will die of hunger. So, this might be how animals feel living in zoos and we need to be understanding, and considerate of their circumstances. Animals are born wild, they should live and die wild. It is also wrong because the animals don't get to behave naturally, like hunting their prey, breeding, and social activities such as packs and prides. All of these things would help them adjust to the captivity in a more healthy manner.
Animals Know When They Arn't Being Treated as Well as They Used To.
- http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsinentertainment/a/Arguments-For-And-Against-Zoos.htm
- Animals in captivity suffer from stress, boredom and confinement. Intergenerational bonds are broken when individuals get sold or traded to other zoos, and no pen or even drive-through safari can compare to the freedom of the wild.
- Baby animals bring in visitors and money, but this incentive to breed new baby animals leads to overpopulation.
- The vast majority of captive breeding programs do not release animals back into the wild. The offspring are forever part of the chain of zoos, circuses, petting zoos, and exotic pet trade that buy, sell and barter animals among themselves and exploit animals.
- If people want to see wild animals in real life, they can observe wildlife in the wild or visit a sanctuary. A true sanctuary does not buy, sell, or breed animals, but takes in unwanted exotic pets, surplus animals from zoos or injured wildlife that can no longer survive in the wild.
- If zoos are teaching children anything, it's that imprisoning animals for our own entertainment is acceptable.
- At least one study has shown that elephants kept in zoos do not live as long as elephants in the wild.
- Animals sometimes escape their enclosures, endangering themselves as well as people. There have even been incidents of zoo animals eating other zoo animals.
reasons why zoos should be banned
The first reason zoos should be banned is because of the fact that malnutrition, mistreatment, and murder (the three m's) is becoming more and more popular in zoos worldwide. From China to Detroit, animals are not being treated the way animals should be treated. In fact, some animals are not even getting a chance at life. In 2007, the IDA (In Defense of Animals) came out with a top ten list of the worst places for an elephant to go. All ten of the American zoos have had elephants die prematurely there. This is because of mistreatment of animals (improper diet, lack of exercise, unsuitable living conditions, etc.).
Another example of mistreatment in zoos is illegal substances being made from animals. A tiger bone wine, banned in 1993, has been sold on the Chinese black market for several years now. Illegal transactions like this are very easy because of vets at the zoos.
The third reason zoos should be illegal is because they can give visitors the wrong idea about animals. Animals will behave differently in the wild then they will in a closed area. For example, animals in the wild are not given food through a slot in the door. Also, animals in captivity are tamer than animals in the wild, so if someone came across an animal in the wild, they may think it is safe to approach the animal when it is not. People could easily get hurt.
The final reason zoos should be banned is that it is just not morally correct. Humans are animals too. What if animals got smart and decided to capture humans and put them in zoos? Humans, if given the option, would probably choose to be free rather than be gawked at all day.
So in order to keep the circle of life and continue to have animals be a part of the world, humans must take basic steps to maintain the delicate balance between man and beast.