The Zoo and Its Benefits
Zoos bring human kind closer to wild life. Though, sometimes that means taking the animal out of its natural habitat. Some animals have lost most of their habitat and are on the verge of extinction. In this way, the zoo helps the animals rather than using them as a form of human entertainment. Zoos also allow humans to study different kinds of animals more closely. 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 for people to help fund the repopulation of those animals. If more people are aware of new animals on the endangered species list, there is more of a chance that researchers will get more funds. Zoos also make habitats for animals on the verge of extinction where otherwise there would be none. There is some controversy between zoos and endangered species. Because of the limited gene pool of a species, the variation is limited greatly. This will –as an end result- lead to inbreeding which will create mutations and defects in the offspring.
Having animals available in zoos, researchers have easier acces...
Peoples Trust has provided me with an extreme amount of information on why zoos are beneficial through their “Zoos & Conservation article.” Peoples Trust has pointed out that not every zoo mistreats their animals, but never took into consideration how the animals themselves may undergo, and what is being taken away from them.
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.
Analysis of Argument for Ethical Zoos and How They Benefit Animals Due to the recent events in the Cincinnati Zoo, arguments have been sparked about the ethics of zoos. Most articles try to argue against zoos and closed environments, but there are those that still support zoos and the programs that they provide for endangered species. The argument “Zoos Are Not Prisons”? They Improve the Lives of Animals” focuses on the positives of animal enclosures and fights for support to keep zoos in business. The author, Dr. Robin Ganzert, ties examples of programs that zoos help create and what type of research is conducted in the zoos, to support his claims.
Zoos all over the world are keeping animals in environments that mimic their natural habitat. In the article “Should we have zoos?” by Shayna Orens, Zoos around the world are to help adults, animals, and kids. Zoos not only keep animals, but they also rescue animals.This means zoos are beneficial because Zoos take care and rescue animals for educational purposes Zoos also have many different programs like education for kids.
Captive breeding programs are what make zoos ethical, but several problems need to be confronted. Zoos operate captive breeding programs in which they take animals from the wildlife and breed then in a scientifically controlled environment. They have saved several species from extinction such as the Red Wolf and the Przewalski Horse, and are aiding many others such as the blue-crowned laughing thrush. Before the breeding program saved the Red Wolves from extinction, there were only 14 pure breed Red Wolves remaining. When a species gets endangered it goes on the Species Survival Plan program. There are two issues that I came across during my research. Firstly, some zoos are taking advantage of several species to generate revenue. Cohn said that “to get more white tigers, zoo managers in India and the United States in the 1950s mated fathers with daughters, granddaughters, and even, on occasion, great granddaughters. (Cohn 654)” The question is whether this is ethical? After reading this I felt...
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...
No matter what the argument, wild animals are not meant to be kept in a small artificially stimulated environment all their life. The argument of zoos saving animals from extinction will put forward the reasoning on why a stimulated environment and zoos in general are not beneficial to these creatures. While Zoos are a popular source of entrainment today often people forget that our entertainment is at the expense of some beautiful creatures, who are not enjoying the Zoo experience as much as the
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.
... Without these zoos, many animals such as the tortoises, American alligator, and the bald eagle would no longer exist. These zoos provide food, shelter, and the opportunity to recreate their species once more. Without zoos, many of these animals would have become extinct and many endangered animals argue that zoos are the perfect place to start a new life. With animal rights activists, scientists, parents, and animals being on different sides of the argument, this debate will continue.
The first reason why zoos are good for animals is because they save them from circumstances they would have died from. Veterinarians focus on preventive and curative medicine, form safeguards against
The animals in zoos provide a lot of research for the zoologist working there, and also provide education for the
There have been arguments on whether there should be zoo or not. I think that we should have zoos because it’s educational for all ages, also people can see all the different types of animals up close in person that they might not get to ever see in real life. Zoos are even helpful for some of the animals. The endangered animals like the golden frog is endangered in 2007 there was an fungal outbreak that spreaded throughout their habitat which made them extinct in the wild. But, the Zoos in the United States have been breeding them for years hoping that by maintaining genetic diversity in the species, they might eventually be able to reintroduce golden frogs to their native cloud forests in western Panama.
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.
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.