Giraffa camelopardalis. Better known as giraffes, these animals have been a great attraction to many zoos over the course of time. With their gentle ways and calm approach there is a reason why they are loved by many. When you look at captive giraffes there does not look like there are any physical problem with them. However, there are many that we do not see. In captivity they face issues that they have to deal with such as teeth, bones and how they sleep. They also deal with stress and anxiety in captivity. In the wild they face problems such as predators and parasites. According to The Animal Files giraffes tend to live longer in captivity thirty-two to forty years versus fifteen to twenty-five years in the wild. The question …show more content…
In the wild, they have wide open spaces to roam around. While in captivity, they are either outside, or in a small enclosure. They tend to be restricted to their movement which can cause high stress levels, anxiety, increased pacing or excessive inactivity, or boredom. In a recent article a giraffe at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines was put to sleep due to severe ligament and joint problems (USA Today 1). Lack of movement can cause muscle stiffness, bone problems and joint problems. Due to lack of space, giraffes also tend to sleep more often than they would in the wild. A giraffe takes several fifteen minute naps over a span of two hours a …show more content…
There are issues, however, that need need to be dealt with if they are going to continue to live in captivity. The issues that giraffes face in captivity can be mild to severe. There are both pros and cons to giraffes being in captivity over the wild. The issues that giraffes face in captivity consist of tooth care, stress, anxiety, muscle and ligament problems, and urolithiasis. For wild giraffes the issues are predators and parasites. The cons outweigh the pros of giraffes being in captivity any longer. Giraffes should be able to roam free and live a fulfilling life. Giraffes may live longer in captivity, but they are suffering. Would you rather live a fulfilling decent amount of years over a long suffering amount of years? You can be sure the giraffes would choose the fulfilling
Animals life spans in Zoos are also drastically different from those in the wild. Studies have shown that animals kept in Zoos live only half of the lifespan animals do in the wild (Cokal 493). This goes to show that when animals are kept in Zoos they do not live statistically longer or healthier lives. They live shorter, problematic lives due to poor
Short stories and fables give essential insight on life and convey a deeper understanding of the basic fundamental and intellectual lessons of life. Over the ages many stories and fables have been told from generation to generation to help people understand and grow intellectually/mentally to live a life which is one with yourself and everyone in relation to you. One such story which is deep in its morals is The Giraffe by Mauro Senesi. This story portrays a strong message, and when I read this book I was deeply affected emotionally as well as intellectually. This story helped me understand how accepting the most subtle change to the most significant change is important, it helped me understand
...ress it causes for the animal not only the captivity, but also in the capture process. There are many health risks for the animal and it rips them away from their family. These animals are so amazing, but as you can see, it is better for them to stay in their environment with family and not be put on display.
Throughout time, one theory has remained constant in terms of why giraffes developed longer necks. The idea, which was presented by Charles Darwin states quite simply that giraffes selected for longer necks in order to reach the food that was higher off the ground during the dry season. No one has ever challenged that idea until 1996. Initially, Gould argued that "the story-the giraffe evolved its long neck in competition to reach scare foliage-is supported by no evidence" (18). That's when two scientists, Robert Simmons and Lou Scheepers made the claim that necks evolved for a very different reason: sexual selection. Within this paper, information will be presented that argues both for and against the theories made by Darwin and Simmons and Scheepers.
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,
1. A giraffe’s habitat consists mainly of savanna and dry open woodland. They prefer to live in warm areas with tall grass to run wild and move freely. They are considered herbivores so they eat leaves off of trees, twigs, shrubs, and mimosa(Australian tree with flowers). A majority of giraffe’s easily adapt to environments that meet their needs. These animals don’t necessarily have predators because of their size. It’s very rare that a large lion pack takes one down. Studies show that they don’t have any animals as their prey.
If a giraffe makes an appearance in your dream, it is a sign that you should decide whether or not it is time for you to take some chances; in other words, should you “stick your neck out?” The dream giraffe is a reminder that you must make an effort and extend yourself beyond your comfort zone if you want to gain the greatest rewards. Seeing a giraffe in a dream may also indicate that you have to consider the “big picture” and take a broader look at what is going on in your life and where you are headed in the future. The giraffe is a symbol of the ability to see things differently than others in your life.
•Medlock, A. and Graham J. (2008). Giraffe Heroes Project [Online]. Retrieved April 20, 2008 www.giraffe.org
they can hurt themselves on. If animals get into fights and try to get away they tend to be more reckless and they scrape up against the wall and which leaves open wounds. It causes them to be uncomfortable because the size of there cage is small they have less room to go when they run away. They get in fights over space and they become lonely in captivity, They get stripped away from their family and are forced to make a new one, which most animals can’t adapt too. They are stripped of their freedom, they are placed with strangers.
Zoos introduces captive-bred projects to take care of some animals for years and reintroduce them back to the wild. However, captive animals usually lose their survival skills in wild after under an absolute protection for a long time, especially those who are used to learning from their parents. They no longer able to escape from predators or track preys. Reintroduction often needs to be abandoned permanently.
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 live longer in a zoo than they do in the wild. Animals live longer because they get fed better and are protected from other predators. The animals do not have to go days without eating and worrying about the other animals taking there food or killing them. Also zoos are spending millions of dollars on zoos so it is better for them to live in. Some people say that animals are better to live in the wild but that is not true because they are treated better in a zoo than they will ever be treated in the wild by humans. So if animals are kept in zoos they will live longer because they will get the nutrition that they need to survive and they are not getting that in the wild without risking their
We do see a prevalence of health issues in captivity with elephants that are not as common in the wild. Elephants in zoos face none of the threats that wild elephants do, such as poaching for their ivory and/or meat, malnutrition during times of drought, occasional natural disease outbreaks or predation. As well, according to the zoo industry, elephants receive superior housing, care and medical attention
The reasons that animals are held in captivity could favor some people and others not. Animals in captivity are usually held for entertainment, education, research, and conservation purposes. The other major reason they are held in captive is the process of rehabilitation. The article, Ethical Issues, defines rehabilitation as the treatment of wild animals found injured or ill, taken into captivity until restored to full health and then returned to the wild. Then when the animal is released they are then able to live freely in their own habitat. Although this may lead to suffering and stress or even death for the animal. The animal is so dependent on their caretaker that once they are put into the wild they do poorly (1).