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The importance of zoos
The importance of zoos
The importance of zoos
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Should animals be held captive?, some people say the unhealthy way animals behave in captivity is not because they are known to be mean animals but it is because they are being held captive and they are not able to do what they were born to do, and I agree. People fail to recognise that animals have their own needs to be met just like humans, for their own purposes. Animals trapped in zoos suffer physically and mentally “as their complex social and behavioural and physical needs can not be met” ( ). Zoos keepers should not be allowed to leave pack animals alone to feel lonely. I think animals should not be held captive because if animals keep getting captured by humans just to go in a zoo they might start to become extinct, especially if zookeepers keep shooting animals just for moving. Once an animal gets shot it …show more content…
Animals such as tigers and giraffes are getting taken away from their home and family. Most are dying because they are too young to live on their own and still need their mom or it is because they are unhealthy and zoos are doing nothing to help take care of these animal that they captured. Animals living in zoos show children that animals can be manipulated just so that we can fulfil our own curiosity about them. Zoos do not save animals from extinction. “Instead, they divert much need attention away from important conservation work in the wild.” On the other side of this topic some people are saying that it is good to keep wild animals in captivity. They say that keeping wild animals in captivity can help protect them. Other people think that zoos are a safe places so people can not get to wild animals horns and fur. Those people think that these animals are safer trapped in cages for there whole life rather than in the wild where they belong. Other people are saying if they have enough money to buy good food and big enough habitats the animals will be fine, they think it is
Have you ever seen an animal sitting in a cage all alone with nothing to do. Well, zoos are trying to change that fact. They will allow the animals to live in an environment that is like their home. Many people don't realize this, but zoo are keeping and breeding these animals because they would not survive in the wild alone. In the three passages, ¨The Stripes Will Survive,¨ ¨The Zood Go Wild from No More Dodos,¨ ¨Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment.¨ All of these articles present one claim, that is that the role of zoos is no longer to keep animal, but to protect them.
I will now move onto arguments supporting the use of animal captivity. I am starting with Kant, who provides a strong argument for animal captivity. Kantian Ethics holds the view that we do not have any direct ethical duties to non-human animals. We only owe ethical duties to rational beings, and non-human animals are not included in this group. The value humanity comes from our capacity to be governed by autonomous, rational choices. Since non-human cannot be part of this, Kant believes we can do as we please with them. This can be demonstrated in Kant’s ‘Political Writings’ when he argues,
First of all, zoos should keep animals in captivity, because if they are running wild around the animal park, they could cause all kinds of catastrophes, and they also could injure or possibly attack a visitor or park keeper. If the wild animals are running around on the loose, instead of being held in captivity, then they could possibly get injured, or in the worst case scenario, get lost. They could climb into the other animal cages, and possibly get into a fight with the other animals. If the animals are all in separate cages, then it decreases the risk of them getting in to a fight with the other animals. Also, zoos should keep wild animals in captivity, so that the children can be taught about the value of animals so that they understand the importance of them being looked after during their visit.
Is it okay for animals to be kept in captivity? How will they live their life again in the wild? Should zoos release animals into the wild? Animals everywhere are kept in zoos for their whole life and when they are released into the wild, they don’t know how to live their life out in the wild. Although zoos help animals feel better and heal, zoos should not keep animals, because when the animals are released into the wild again, they don't know how to live, eat, or sleep.
Animals should not be held captive in zoos because it is inhumane and unfair to the animals. There are so many records of terrible things that have happened to animals in zoos over the past few centuries, the go under the radar too often. Too few people even know about these animal care atrocities, and therefore the New York Times decided to bring light upon this situation. The Times did a first-of-its-kind analysis of 390 elephant fatalities at accredited U.S. zoos over the past 50 years (Berens 3). It found that most of the elephants died from injury or disease linked to conditions of their captivity, from chronic foot problems caused by standing on hard surfaces to musculoskeletal disorders from inactivity caused by being penned or chained for days and weeks at a time.
The animals being kept in captivity could not be interviewed; their side of the story will be based on interpretation of their movement and interaction with animals in the zoo and in the wild. Are animals better suited to live in the harsh conditions of the wild or are they better suited to live their lives safely in captivity? Many animal rights activists argue that animals should be allowed to live their lives in the wild instead of in captivity. That we as humans have no right to alter the fate of other species, nor use them for our personal benefit. PETA, who is well known for their animal rights views, argue that “Captive animals are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them and as a result, they become bored and lonely and many even suffer from a condition called zoochosis.”
Animals should not be kept in captivity for any reason unless they have been harmed and need to receive treatment, but they should be released as soon as they are healthy and capable of taking care of themselves again. The use of a captive animal for research, education, or entertainment is just wrong; no creature deserves to have their life taken away for our benefit. Would you want to be captured and put in a tiny box, or a fake little ecosystem, or abused and tortured because apparently that’s the only possible way to train an animal? How about just knowing that your real life is over and now all you get to do is put on a show for people? That is what we put these animals through for our entertainment, we tear children away from their parents.
Animals Should be Kept in Captivity Though it is clear that there are many negative effects of keeping animals in captivity, there are those who argue that it can be beneficial for the animal and for society. Zoos can protect animals from the dangers found in the wild, such as habitat loss, poaching, climate change, and disease (Kelly, 2016). Some animals have also proven to live longer in captivity than they would in the wild, such as ring-tailed leopards and lemurs (Evans, 2010). Being cared for by humans, therefore has an overall positive effect on such animals by allowing them to live longer lives.
Even though some zoos have an endangered species exhibit with the intention of protecting and rehabilitating animals, many do not do an adequate job of protecting the animals. Zoos have been harmful to the very animals they have sworn to protect. Animals in captivity often suffer from anxiety, boredom and other severe issue related to prolonged confinement. Most animals are unable to thrive in small enclosure with unnatural weather and climates. For example elephants are known to walk as far as 30 miles per day, but the association of Zoos and aquariums only require a space the measures $0 feet by 45 feet, which is about the size of a three car garage, to house these large animals. (peta.org) the drastic difference in the amount of space their allowed ...
A lot of people have been to the zoo, or to an aquarium at least once, sometimes for fun sometimes for school, but a lot of the time they don’t stop to think about the treatment of the animals. Sadly the U.S. government allows the capture of wild animals for public display and entertainment. The capture and captivity of animals for zoos and aquariums is cruel and unjust and should be prevented and banned. Animals in captivity suffer from stress and boredom in confinement. Family 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.
Do animals thrive in man made habitats? Does keeping them in captivity really help them Grow? Do animals need our help at all? Throughout history zoos have been disgusting arrays of animals in cages just recently have zoos started to actually care about the animals. Even though keeping animals in zoos may help them come back from the edge of extinction, we should not keep animals in controlled environments because, When in captivity animals lose their natural instincts, Also animals need lots of room to have a healthy life, Finally man made habitats only meet the basic needs of animals.
Zoos display fascinating animals from all over the world for human entertainment, research, conservation, and education. Many scientists conduct studies on animals in captivity that they may not have been able to in the wild. Zoos educate all the visitors that come; they let people know everything that they know about the animals on display. We do learn a lot from these animals, but not all of the animals in the zoo are behaving like they normally would in the wild. Larger animals, such as elephants and orcas (commonly known as killer whales), have trouble with being confined in such a small area. However, many smaller animals benefit from zoos because they provide protection from predators, natural disasters, and poachers. They also benefit from conservation efforts; the babies being born get all the care they could ever need. Some animal rights activists are concerned that the conservation efforts are limiting the gene pool of the species. They argue that the small number of animals able to breed in captivity limits biodiversity and leads to weaknesses in the species overall. Zoos are wonderful places to study and learn about animals, but we need to improve the living standards for animals that struggle with captivity.
Zoos are trying to save both locally and globally animals. Zoos are doing everything to fight extinction before its too late. Most importantly, zoos have breeding programs. Some animals are getting extinct such as ferrets, bald eagles, cheetahs, pandas, rhinos, even chimpanzees. In fact, about 1,200 rhinos have been killed in 2014.
Supporters of zoos argue that they help to conserve endangered species, but in fact they are not very good at this. Even the world famous panda-breeding programme has been very costly and unsuccessful. Also, zoo life does not prepare animals for the challenges of life in the wild. For example, two rare lynxes released into the wild in Colorado died from starvation even though the area was full of hares, which are a lynx’s natural prey.
There are billions of animals in captivity around the world. These animals are in zoos, breeding centers, and research laboratories. All those animals lead to out lash because of the stress of being in a small confinement habitat. Is it ethical to keep animals in captivity for research, breeding, or for our enjoyment? Over the years keeping animals in captive has not changed in safety and the well-being of the animal.