Inhumanity Of Zoos Essay

1334 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ecological benefits of zoos

Would you want to be taken from your home and be locked away for the amusement of others? No one does, but this happens to wild animals everywhere. They’re taken from their homes and placed into zoos to be studied and researched. Animals shouldn’t be studied in zoos, instead they should be studied in their natural habitats because it is where they belong and they shouldn’t have been taken. So, are zoos really saving endangered species? Or are the animals simply there for our amusement? In this essay, I altercate the inhumanity of zoos.
Zoos have existed since 1250 B.C., when ancient Egyptian writings described birds, lions, and giraffes inside of compound like structures (Fravel). Modern day zoos are mainly used to entertain, and there are species going extinct and habitats being destroyed because of the animals we take from the wild and put in zoos. There are over 10,000 zoos worldwide today, and around 2,500 in the United States alone. Zoos claim that they do good and are for research, but critics still question them. All of the 2,500 zoos in the US today only 212 are under the strict rules of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (Fravel). There are many zoos today. …show more content…

No, they don’t even live to their full age expectancy. They die prematurely. “African elephants in the wild live more than three times as long as those kept in zoos. Asian elephants working in timber camps live longer than those born in zoos. (Lin) 40% of lion cubs die before one month of age. In the wild, only 30% of cubs are thought to die before they are six months old and at least a third of those deaths are due to factors which are absent in zoos, like predation.”

Show More
Related

  • Stripes Will Survive Essay On Zoos

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Serving the Public and the Animals

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zoos are a popular place to bring students for a field trip. Besides the entertainment value, children can learn about the different animals of the world and see how ea...

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Animals In Zoos

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s always fun to go with your friends and family to see cute and exotic animals when you go to the zoo, right? You may think that they have the best life having people to give them things that want and to protect them, but some of them are actually suffering just for our amusement from being in that small enclosure all day and all night. Animals should not be put in zoos because they can develop many mental and physical health problems due to the absence of some natural necessities and they are not always treated as nice as you think.

    Read More

  • What Are Zoos?

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zoos have been very controversial lately with debate about animal cruelty and speculations shifting around the industry, so what is the truth about zoos? Zoos are known to be a safe area for animals and humans, entertain individuals and be a safe containment for endangered animals. Knowing this information it’s factual to say that this sounds like the perfect place for animals and humans, and they are.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Argument For Ethical Zoos

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some readers would accept that zoos and aquariums conduct a lot of research, but for those who are skeptical, the argument discusses that the “Zoological Society of London, for instance, is developing innovative methods to assess the risks of animals contracting disease when they are reintroduced into the wild” (2016, p. 2, para. 1). This is smart because most associate animals with their own pets living at home, as they feel more for animals that are in bad situations than if they were their own. In order to pull at the heartstrings, Ganzert mentions “the species was hunted to extinction in the wild nearly four decades ago, when the last wild Arabian Oryx was shot and killed in 1972” (2016, p. 2, para. 4.

    Read More

  • Are Zoos Good or Bad for Animals?

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zoos today say that one of their main goals is to conserve endangered species and eventually reintroduce them back into the wild. However, Benjamin Beck, former associate director of biological programs at the National Zoo in Washington, found that over the past century only 16 of 145 reintroduction programs worldwide ever actually restored any of the animals back to the wild (qtd. in Fravel). He also found that a majority was carried out by the government and not the actual programs themselves. Beck noted that the billions of dollars the zoos were receiving were going towards hi-tech exhibits and marketing strategies to get people to go to the zoos. So which zoos are actually attempting to save the lives they claim to be? According to David Hancocks, a former zoo director with 30 years’ experience, many zoos that are not affiliated with the AZA do not spend hardly any of their fu...

    Read More

  • Zoo's Efforts to Help Conservation

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of animals – conservation. (Fravel). When you think of a zoo, you either think of a fun, entertaining place that provides close-up and exciting exhibits of wild animals that you would otherwise never get the chance to see, or a place where people keep suffering, unhappy animals captive just for entertainment and display. However, despite whichever view you hold, and despite the stereotypes, some zoos have evolved to serve alternative and helpful purposes. Although some zoos face controversy due to allegations such as lack of space and quality care, neglect, and cruelty, some zoos have programs specifically designed to help and protect animal species. For example, these zoos have programs that help such conservation efforts as breeding.

    Read More

  • Zoos Should Not Exist!

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people may argue that zoos protect animals and species under this polluted world, however, do animals in zoos really need our “help”? Yes, but surely not that many. According to Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS), 79% of animals in United Kingdom zoos and over 70% of elephants in European zoos are wild-caught. It seems that zoos need them rather than they need zoos.

    Read More

  • A Case Against Zoos

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    The times did a first of its kind analysis of 390 elephant fatalities at accredited U.S. zoos for 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. Of the 321 elephant deaths for which The Times had complete records, half were by age 23, more than a quarter before their expected life spans of 50 to 60 years. For every elephant born in a zoo, on average another two die. At that rate, the 288 elephants inside the 78 U.S. zoos could be “demographically extinct” within the next 50 years because there’ll be too few fertile females left to breed, according to zoo industry research (Berens 4).

    Read More

  • Are Animals Worse Off In Zoos And Amusement Parks

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    One incident that happened at Copenhagen Zoo in early February of 2014 was with a giraffe they had on exhibit. The giraffe was put to sleep despite offers from many other zoos to take him. The giraffe, Marius, was put to sleep in front of the visitor at the zoo and then he was skinned and fed to the lions while baffled visitors watched in horror (Kantameninti). Another incident of animals being mistreated at zoos is occurring at The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. In 2013 the zoo decided to double their cheetah population without adding anymore space in the exhibit, which meant another half a dozen animals were brought into the zoo.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay Zoos

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children are taught that zoos are educational but nobody ever tells what happens behind the scenes. Zoos say that are helping the endangered species but looking closely at the documents,only a couple of the animals that are habited in the zoo are actually endangered. So why have zoos when they are not helping endangered animals and there is no educational purpose behind it. Zoos are considered animal abuse. Saying that zoos are educational is a lie and they are unnecessary.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of All Zoos Should Be Closed By Philip Hoare

    1912 Words  | 4 Pages

    For most people the answer is obviously, no, however, there are some people who can’t see the transparent unfairness in that statement. Author, Philip Hoare, Believes that all zoos should be closed, which he stated as his title and as he gave reasons throughout his article on why every zoo should be closed. While some of his statements hold true he seems to base most on the faults of a few specific zoos with major problems. His argument is basis and He refuses to look at the other side of zoos, The educational, beneficial gains, along with the different perspectives gained from a visit to the zoo. Hoare makes the argument that freedom for animals is better than there safety when in fact their safety with limited freedom is what keeps these animals alive and

    Read More

  • Animals in Entertainment

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    When bred in captivity, animals are oblivious to their natural habitats and how to socially interact with their species. The article “Animals Used as Entertainment” lists rodeos, circuses, bullfighting, horse racing, cockfighting, dog fighting, and zoos as examples of the many ways animals are used in entertainment. Circuses and zoos are the two most relevant forms of animal mistreatment. Both of these are sources of entertainment for children and adults. Zoos declare that they are used for mostly educational purposes and preserving various species, but the reality is that they fall short on both (“Animals Used”).

    Read More

  • Zoos Should be Banned

    344 Words  | 1 Pages

    Zoos are an unsuitable environment for wild animals and should, therefore, be abolished. Firstly, zoo animals are kept in a very confined area compared with their vast natural habitat. Secondly, breeding programmes are far less successful than zoos claim. Thirdly, zoo animals are exposed to many diseases and other dangers.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Animal Zoos

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tigers, lions, giraffes, and other exotic animals are rarely seen in the wild. However the public, without humans and/or animals being harmed at the same time, can see exotic animals when a zoo opens. Zoos for many are a wonderful experience, but to others they see the animals as being treated poorly and not able to roam free. These people do not consider the beneficial sides of zoos. Zoos around the world help species that have been endangered by protecting and caring for them. Otherwise they would have became extinct and killed for their valuable fur or feathers. Zoos were created for a purpose that needed to be filled. If there were no purpose for them they would have not been created. Zoos are needed and if there is a need in this world, the spot will most likely be filled without hesitation. Some zoos were not trained properly and do not treat their animals very well. Some bad zoos do not feed their animals enough and keep them in a confined cage. Although some zoos are harmful for both animals and people, many of them are good zoos and take care of their animals better than most people take care of them selves. It is amazing to be able to see such care and love are associated with zoos. Not only do zoos help the endangered animals they also help people learn to respect such amazing creatures. Zoos are a good attribute to society because they promote education, research, protect, conserve, and outlook.

    Read More

More about Inhumanity Of Zoos Essay

Open Document