Animal Captivity Research Paper

Animals Should be Kept in Captivity

Though it is clear that there are many negative effects of keeping animals in captivity, there are those who argue that it can be beneficial for the animal and for society. Zoos can protect animals from the dangers found in the wild, such as habitat loss, poaching, climate change, and disease (Kelly, 2016). Some animals have also proven to live longer in captivity than they would in the wild, such as ring-tailed leopards and lemurs (Evans, 2010). Being cared for by humans, therefore has an overall positive effect on such animals by allowing them to live longer lives. Zoos also focus on the conservation of animal species. Some species might completely die out if people did not interfere and try to preserve

The best zoos are shifting their focus to the animals’ emotional and psychological needs by providing mental challenges and stimuli to enrich the animals’ daily lives (Wilkens, 2016). This can therefore prevent the psychological issues that were present in many other animals in the past. Zookeepers are also putting in more effort into making animal enclosures as similar to their natural habitats as possible (Wilkens, 2016). Zoos aim to allow animals to have more room and have more control over their daily lives, which in turn can improve the health of the animal. Keeping animals in close proximity also allows scientists to study them better, and therefore enables them to make even further improvements, especially on the health and physical care of the animals (Kelly, 2016). With these improvements to the way animals are kept in captivity, zoos attempt to give animals the chance to

Despite this claim, many people report that they have not learned anything after a visit to the zoo because they only spend a short time at each display (Holmberg, 2016). This is understandable, considering the fact that it is difficult to learn about animals in the wild when they are living in such unnatural habitats. In addition, although zoos may teach its visitors about conservation efforts, few people actually take action for animals once they leave the zoo (Wilkens, 2016). In spite of the efforts of many zoos, most people still do not go to zoos to learn or join conservation efforts. For many, zoos are not much more than a place of entertainment, where they can be amused for a couple hours. The main purpose of zoos still is and always will be to do just that: to entertain the public, and exploit animals in the