Is Keeping Animals In Captivity Animal Cruelty

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Is keeping animals in captivity animal cruelty? Zoos are a great way for people to learn about animals without putting themselves in danger or traveling around the globe. Although, People enjoy admiring these animals, they are unaware of the circumstances in which those animals live. People should definitely be questioning how these animals live. Ordinarily, many people would think that these animals are happy in their environment due to the fact that they are fed on a regular basis, they are given all of the medical attention they need and they never have to worry about being hunted by another animal. Keeping the animals in these smaller environments is unhealthy and in most cases cruel to the animal. Animal cruelty is usually defined as …show more content…

Capturing the animals and taking them out of this environment is very cruel. Consequently, by doing this people are destroying an animal’s way of life. Once removed from the wild animals have a difficult time being placed back into the wild. There are many cases in which placing the animals being placed into the wild after being in captivity has been a leading cause of their death. “Keiko, a 26-year-old orca and the star of Free Willy, died just one year after being released from captivity. He had been in captivity since 1979 and was released into the wild five years after the filming of the last Free Willy movie. Even after being taught how to survive in the wild, Keiko still searched for human companionship in the wild because he did not know a life without it” (Animals Are Not Meant for Our Entertainment). Ordinarily, Animals who live in captivity lack the natural behaviors that are needed to survive in the wild. With a lack of hunting skills, the animal wouldn’t be able to capture their prey as they have been fed regularly without having to hunt for it. Also, these animals do not have a natural fear of humans. Captive animals have been cared for by humans, most, if not all, of their lives. This would cause the animals not to run from a human who is hunting for …show more content…

This question has been heavily debated for decades. The events that occurred at SeaWorld Orlando, most recently in 2010, and the subsequent release of the condemning documentary Blackfish in 2013 have brought to light the treatment of wild animals in captivity and whether or not it is an ethical practice” (“Should Animals Be Kept in Captivity?). In some cases, captivity is needed due to the quick extinction of a species. Instituting captive breeding programs could possibly be the only way to ensure the survival of the species. In these programs the animal is given the proper prenatal care to ensure the offspring are born healthy and could eventually be reintroduced to the wild. There are also many rehabilitation programs. These programs have the ability to take ill or injured animals

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