Argumentative Essay: Where Are Animals In Captivity?

Would you like to be locked up in a cage everyday, away from your friends and family with people watching you? Animals in captivity live like this on a daily basis. Some people argue that animals should be kept in captivity, because they believe animals are safe in zoos and wildlife parks. However I strongly believe animal captivity is wrong. Animals are not living in their natural environment, and do not have the freedom to live as nature intended.

I strongly believe animal captivity is wrong due to the fact that zoos cannot provide the right habitat and environment for the animals. The animals are housed in mini-habitats, but certain animals such as zebras and giraffes were born to run across miles of terrain which they are then unable to do while living in the conditions of captivity. Putting animals in

Although animals may be well fed in zoos it is common for them to suffer from stress, which affects their mental health and can result in death. Scientists have proven that animals have high stress levels after being transferred to different zoos and being separated for their mothers. In some situations animals may be drugged so that they behave in a certain manner, for example sleep. It has also been known that some zoos kill their excess animals outright. An example of an animal being killed happened in February 2014 at the Copenhagen zoo in Denmark. A healthy 2 year old giraffe was killed because he was considered to be unsuitable for future breeding. Their physical ability is also affected due to the fact that they don’t have their freedom to roam, run, climb, swim, fly, bred and hunt. As they don’t have their freedom it can affect their natural development. Many of the elephants deaths result in obesity, as they are well fed however living in small habitats means they don’t have the space to allow them to get the exercise the elephants