Zoos are fascinating places. They facilitate conservation, education, entertainment, and more. But zoos are broken. The modern zoo model, specifically in the United States, is simply not working anymore. Attendance is dropping, funding is decreasing, education is becoming nearly nonexistent, and animals and visitors are not being treated nearly as well as they should be. Why is this? What is it about zoos that just isn’t working anymore, and what can be done to fix it? These questions are incredibly complex, and implementing changes takes vast amounts of both cash and time. Anthropology can be used to make this transition as smooth and efficient as possible, applying both physical, cultural, and corporate anthropology to work at these facilities …show more content…
Zoos and their contributions to society and the environment are a necessity, but how they function now is not, and anthropology can fix that.
Over 700 million people throughout the world go to zoos every year, but why? There are many reasons, but the most common of them all is simply for entertainment. To people of the public, adults and children alike, animals are cute, crazy, scary, fascinating creatures that we want to see in action. Along with this, comes curiosity. People don’t just want to see these animals, they want to figure out what they do. In most cases, this involves unintentional learning, such as finding out what an animal eats, or when they sleep, or even how they play together. People are often interested in the unknown, trying to find out exactly what makes them different from you and me. Sometimes, however, people come to the zoo to intentionally learn. School field trips are one of the most common examples of this, where students come to be educated
…show more content…
Depending on where the funding is coming from, different biases are created in order to gain more funding this way, or to better spend the money they are already receiving. At most zoos, over half of the funding is gained solely from gate admissions, membership fees, and internal sales such as concessions and souvenirs. This causes zoos to focus their spending more towards the entertainment value of their establishment, rather than any conservation efforts. In the United States, government funding accounts for approximately 47% of all zoo funding. These government-funded budgets are often non-negotiable and fairly conservative, forcing zoos to raise admission costs and downsize exhibits, sometimes completely removing them. This funding is intended to go towards conservation efforts, but causes less of the zoos own funding to be spent on conservation and more on entertainment, leading to an overall decrease in conservation efforts. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is the biggest non-government organization to fund conservation efforts in the world. In 2016, the AZA
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.
Zoos have been with us throughout our history, and can provide a good barometer of public beliefs and values at any given time. Therefore it seems necessary to explore whether in today’s society contemporary zoos are a means of educating and conserving or still seek to control and exhibit animal others for human benefit. In order to make this assessment there are a number of contributing factors. Firstly it is important to establish context by considering the history of zoos and looking at the changes from the early menageries to contemporary zoos who strive to be institutions of refuge for animals facing twenty-first century global challenges. This links into how the physical space of zoos has changed over time and whether these advancements have made any crucial difference to the welfare of animals. Following this conservation, education and scientific research will be explored in detail in order to assess whether they provide good enough motives for keeping animals in captivity. I will seek to argue that although attempts have been made to point zoos in the direction of conservation and education, in my opinion the concepts of dominance and human superiority are still at the core of modern zoos.
Even though zoos try to imitate the natural habitat of each animal, the area for the zoo might not be able to support the animals needed environment. When visiting a zoo many people fail to notice that the animals have living areas measuring an acre or smaller. “Their enclosures are often small, barren, and without shade or privacy” (Laws). “Animals also need to endure dirty living conditions, stagnant water, and hard floors to sleep on at night” (Laws). It’s obvious that in the wild any animal has almost unlimited space to live in. They catch and forage for food naturally and mate naturally.
When it comes to visiting zoos or any wildlife institution, one should consider going to an AZA accredited zoo, one which exists for the benefits of wildlife. Not only does it support a zoo that is helpful rather than cruel, it also guarantees a better quality guest experience for all patrons. The animals are well taken care of and happy, meaning the guest is more likely to be happy, too. In addition, there’s even the possibility of learning something new while visiting the zoo, sparking an interest in a child that could last a lifetime. Choosing an accredited zoo prevents animals from being treated cruelly by withdrawing support from roadside zoos, and helps the wildlife population to grow and flourish.
We shouldn’t get rid of zoos because they educate the public, animals are safe there, and animals don’t have to struggle with getting food there. Not only should be keep zoos because of that but also because It helps with the environment, you may be wondering how, but it is one of the few things that teach kids anything. Now aren’t you surprised about all of the good ways zoos help people, So the next time you go to a zoo think about those happy animals that would probably be dead if they were still in the wild. Think about debating against PETA and how you are saving an animals life by the
Zoos are perhaps one of the most popular forms of museum on the planet. Some of these vast, sprawling landscapes are filled with species from every continent on the planet, representing a vast portion of life found on the earth. A child from Iowa can get the opportunity to see a polar bear, a zebra, and rare species of birds, insects, and countless other animals all in the course of a day. Zoos truly provide a unique and profound experience for those with an open and curious mind. But, the nature of a zoo is not purely entertainment. These collections of creatures big and small also serve the purpose of education, conservation, and research. These reasons are enumerated well in the mission statement of the St. Louis Zoo as “To conserve animals
Zoo’s enclosures and parks have been around for quite a while now, and it is the duty of the public to go to these parks to explore a new world and experience the “true” animals. People are attracted to new experiences and to learn about exotic animals and see them in their “natural” habitat, or so owners try to present zoos to the public in that way. The seller ideas to get the public to continue to go to the zoos is gaining new exotic animals that you wouldn’t normally see around your house or near civilization. As stated by DeLuca and Slawter-Volkening, zoos are used to “bringing a taste of wilderness” to its public (3), trying to give a false reality of the wilderness. Later in the same article, they stated that “fundamentally zoos exist to amuse people…..animals are reduced to actors in the play/world created by humans for humans” (DeLuca and Slawter-Volkening 4). This statement shows that humans do in fact enjoy the “fake” over the real, and that animals are only objects or toys used to amuse the people.
Everybody’s been to the zoo; they’ve either enjoyed a dolphin show, or fed the penguins. Zoos have been a part of American culture for centuries. At first, a zoo could be seen as nothing more than a jail cell for animals, but today, zoos are being completely transformed. What used to be confined cages are now being revolutionized into acres of land for different species to reside in. The opponents of zoos feel that they are inhumane and harmful to animals. However, zoos are beneficial for several different reasons, including, animal conservation and captive breeding, scientific studies, healthcare, and education.
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...
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.
What do you think about zoos? Children standing in front of big cages, feel excited to see those lovely animals and share the joy with their parents. Parents will then read aloud the information on the signs to educate the children. At lunch hour, animals in bonds wait for delicious dishes provided by zoo keepers and live happily ever after. It seems that zoos are really a heaven to us and animals. It gives us a place to keep close to nature, saving those little pitiful things in wild. Unluckily, that is not the truth we wished. Indeed, zoos magnify their contribution to educational circle, exaggerating the importance of role play in conservation work, in order to cover those disgraceful secrets behind.
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 ...
Zoos do not protect the dignity of the animals under their care. The species spend their lives trapped behind glass walls and cages. People who argue that cages make animals “better off” send a message similar to “‘who needs the wild when we have zoos?’” (Munro). Although these zoo habitats appear similar to the species’ natural environments, zoos cannot possibly provide the numerous challenges that the animals would encounter in the wild—challenges that wild animals intuitively know how to overcome.
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.
Some zoos, on the other hand, manipulate the animals to acquire as much revenue as possible rather than being concerned with the welfare of each animal. In “The White Heron” the heron was protected from the hunter by a girl. The girl could represent a zoo, while the young hunter could represent people who exploit animals for personal reasons, such as money. Zoos promote the awareness of animals that are going extinct. This would allow people to help fund the repopulation of those animals.