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Ecological benefits of zoos
Views on animal captivity
Ecological benefits of zoos
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It’s time for animals that are in captivity to end
What happens when animals are kept in captivity is it bad or not? A lot of animals are in captivity, also animals that are in captivity are taken care of but that doesn’t mean that they are all well taken care of, animals that are in captivity can be bad for them. Although animals in captivity are taken care of and kept from predators they should ban animals from being kept in captivity because the animals don’t have a big enough space to roam, small spaces cause not normal behavior, animals instincts can disappear.
The first reason why animals should not be kept in captivity is animals need room to roam. In zoos they don’t have a big enough area for the animals to roam in their enclosed habitats. Animals need room to climb, fly, swim, roam or run in zoos. If animals are out of captivity they have room to do all of these things unlike in zoos they don’t. According to the article Do Animals Lose in Zoos even with man made-made areas to fly, swim, climb, and explore, animals are still restricted to their behavior. Although animals look like they have room to roam they don’t because the habitats aren’t big enough.
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When animals are in small spaces they basically go crazy because they don’t really have anywhere to go while in the wild they have tons of space to. Animals love having space to walk around just like us humans do put us in there place for instance we would freak out to if we were in as small of a place as they are in captivity. Animals should have this space this is why they should be in the wild because then they won’t have bad behavior. According to the article Do Animals Lose in Zoos when animals are in small spaces it causes not normal behavior. Although animals seem normal when you go to see them at a zoo they are not they just aren’t showing
I will now provide arguments against the use of animal captivity. Firstly, I will use Peter Singer, who I believe delivers the strongest argument against animal captivity. Singer is a consequentialist who argues for animal rights and the position that animals should not be held captive. Singer reminds us that humans are animals but language makes us overlook this. As a utilitarian and hedonist, Singer looks towards the end result, where like human beings, other animals choose pleasure over suffering. Singer regards interests of consciousness rather than self-consciousness. Therefore since animals are conscious beings and animal captivity causes pain and suffering, it is wrong. Robert Garner
Keeping animals locked in cages, bored and cramped up in such a small space is an awful sight to show the children. It creates an image in the little minds of children that animals are to be treated like they don’t matter. They say Zoos are a place where children can learn about the wild, exotic animals, but in reality it doesn't teach them anything only that they are meant to be caged up, which is wrong. Also, it is really painful to see the animals bored and lonely, so why should people keep letting them do this to these beautiful creatures. Animal captivity for entertainment should end to let them go to their rightful home.
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,
On the other hand, animals kept in captivity not only have research done about them but it can also have a positive effect on their population. Being kept in captivity helps conserve the populations of endangered species. In a captive environment they are kept safe and away from harm. They can breed in captivity and keep the population growing. SeaWorld has bred many Orca Whales in captivity and hasn’t taken any out of the ocean in 35 years (Raja).
Animals, particularly the larger ones, are unable to live comfortably in small enclosures. Zoos tend to forget that larger animals have the hardest times getting used to the spaces that they are forced to live in. According to James Nolan’s article, “All the Reasons Why Zoos Should Be Banned”, “…the average lion or tiger has 18,000 times less [space] in captivity than it does in the wild; polar bears a million times less [space]” (7). Although zoos try to recreate their natural habitats, they cannot possibly succeed. The animals, if not born at the zoo, lived in large areas and had all of the freedom that they
Barbara J. King (2015) wrote, that it is estimated that between 3000 and 5000 healthy animals killed in captivity per year. These numbers are steadily rising by the day. This is absolutely unnecessary. The reasons these animals are dying are just idiotic. It is objectively wrong to kill healthy animals in captivity.
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.
The world around us is changing fast. People want to know and ready to learn more about different things, such as animals. Many of us have ever been in zoos and had different experience and emotions are associated with this visit. Some may say that keeping animals in captivity is a crime, others would totally disagree with this statement. People are different and their points of view are different.
Being in captivity means that animals do not have the same environment as free animals. Also according to Jane Goodall elephants need more room to roam. In the article ( Pro or Con ) animales stress out when in small places. According to the video, “ Born wild” animals can be kept in a cage without a companion for a
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 ...
Zoo´s just make the animal´s worse because they only make them get into a smaller environment, Also, The animals don't get enough energy to be as active as they were in the wild. Animals aren't in the wild witch make them live a lot shorter because their environment is very small compared to their much bigger environment in the
On a bright and beautiful day an animal was sent back into the wild with some humans surveilling it to see how it does. After one night the poor cougar was unable to hunt, unable to find a safe place to hunt, and unable to defend itself and eventually got eaten. If an animal that grew up in a zoo that learned barely any survival tactics were to try be sent out in the wild they would almost certainly die off and thus keeping animals in enclosures or zoos does not help them to keep the animals alive and in the
It is said that in order to protect the wildlife, we need to be educated about the wildlife that inhabits our planet. As humans, and the superior species on Earth, we put exotic animals, aquatic and terrestrial, in zoos or aquariums where people can go to see them to learn more about them in order to protect them. It just so happens that by putting these animals into captivity, we are causing more damage to them, just as damage is occurring in the wild and more species are becoming extinct. Animals should not be held in captivity; it does not save them from going extinct, but helps kill them off.
Zoo animals are usually kept in very cramped enclosures and do not behave like their wild counterparts. Polar bears, for example, are given about 10 metres of walking space whereas in their Arctic home they roam for many hundreds of kilometres. Similarly, primates, big cats and birds are often confined in cages where they lack exercise and stimulation. Many animals develop unnatural habits such as pacing back and forth or swaying from side to side.
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).