Ethics of Zoos

868 Words2 Pages

There are many places where people can go to see live animals such as aquariums, zoos, and safari parks. A pleasant way to define a Zoo is to call it “an establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals”. (Google def) Another way to say that is a facility in which animals are “enclosed in cages for public exhibition”. I believe zoos are ethical; however, changes need to be made to eliminate problems I have discovered. In this argumentative essay, I will be arguing the ethics of zoos and certain problems that need to be addressed that people are not aware of. Zoos are great places to take the family out for the day to have entertainment; however, problems such as captive breeding, length of life, and animal stress need to improve. 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... ... middle of paper ... ...provide a habitat for animals that had there’s destroyed. Furthermore they need to improve their captive breeding programs and abandon the failed programs. Zoos need to address the concern that animals are not living up to there actual life span and either release them into there natural habitat or find an alternative. Animal stress is also of big concern because it is causing physiological harm. Work cited Cohn, Jeffrey P. "Do Elephants Belong In Zoos?" Bioscience 56.9 (2006): 714-717. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Clubb, Ros, et al. "Compromised Survivorship in Zoo Elephants." Science 322.5908 (2008): 1649 Stroud, Peter. "Defining Issues of Space in Zoos." Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research 2.6 (2007): 219-22. Singer, Peter ed. “In Defense of Animals”, New York: Basil Blackwell (1985): 13-26

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Zoos Are Not Prisons: They Improve The Lives Of Animals

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Author Robin Ganzert states that in today's society Zoos are using “robust and sophisticated breeding programs” to conserve animal life. While the programs may conserve some animal life, the author over exaggerates the quality of the breeding programs. Most facilities don’t have the resources or the space to support a larger breeding program. Captive breeding programs also have a high cost to support and properly care for each animal so they consist of few animals that cannot sustain a proper breeding population. These programs can often fail to imitate wildlife causing major changes in animal behavior such as: a decrease in foraging abilities, decrease in physical activity, and some problems in social behaviors.

    Read More

  • Stripes Will Survive Essay On Zoos

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Serving the Public and the Animals

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...d their viewers. There are so many benefits from having zoos. They give many gifts to the viewers and the captive animals. They aid in conservation, education, and entertainment. Without zoos, humans would not know enough about animals to treat their diseases, or to help wild animals with injuries. Many people would go without knowledge of the world’s different animal species. Several species would have seen extinction already. Zoos are a highly valuable commodity that should not be terminated.

    Read More

  • Zoos Essay

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zoos have been with us throughout our history, and can provide a good barometer of public beliefs and values at any given time. Therefore it seems necessary to explore whether in today’s society contemporary zoos are a means of educating and conserving or still seek to control and exhibit animal others for human benefit. In order to make this assessment there are a number of contributing factors. Firstly it is important to establish context by considering the history of zoos and looking at the changes from the early menageries to contemporary zoos who strive to be institutions of refuge for animals facing twenty-first century global challenges. This links into how the physical space of zoos has changed over time and whether these advancements have made any crucial difference to the welfare of animals. Following this conservation, education and scientific research will be explored in detail in order to assess whether they provide good enough motives for keeping animals in captivity. I will seek to argue that although attempts have been made to point zoos in the direction of conservation and education, in my opinion the concepts of dominance and human superiority are still at the core of modern zoos.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Zoos

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thousands of zoos worldwide are visited by citizens yearly to admire and satisfy their curiosity of the beautiful wild animals that mother nature has to offer. Zoos have been around for hundreds of years and have become a known tradition for numerous school field trips and family outings. The ongoing debate between animal rights activists and zoo officials remains, should wild animals be taken from their natural habitats to live in city zoos for education and entertainment purposes?

    Read More

  • Why Do Animals Live In Zoos

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    The debate on storing animals in zoos became controversial, and I came to the final decision that animals do not deserve to live in zoos. Animals are meant to live in their natural habitat, just as humans thrive in their naturally industrialized environment. Living in captivity can also cause the animal’s lifespan to decrease, and it may be due to the failure to satisfy their emotional needs. Human interaction to wildlife and its animals is every expanding, and this probably makes manmade disasters the main cause of the transaction of wild animals from the wild to zoos. On the other hand, zoos have the potential to raise awareness and the support from public donations to fund animal conservation projects, but people do not need to physically see an animal provide their support. Since there are many solutions to this debate, there is no direct answer. From a wild animal’s point of view, humans may be seen as immoral beings with countless evil intentions. What they do not realize is that we have the potential to do good and make big, positive

    Read More

  • Zoos and Exotic Pets: Humanity or an Abomination

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first point of view from this issue is the side that believes humans, zoos and other facilities should be allowed to keep animals. The places that captivate animals believe that they are doing a favor to the creatures. They believe that they are saving them from being killed by humans. They say that if they would not have taken in these animals they would have died in the wild. They say they’re giving them a fresh new start and a place to live without worry. For example, in this article they state that zoos try and h...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: Why Are Zoos Are Good?

    1454 Words  | 3 Pages

    The difference between right and wrong is not always perfectly clear. A long-standing part of cultures across the world, zoological and animal parks have been around for hundreds of years. While in the past concerns and issues regarding the ethical problems zoos seem to impose were less prominent, in recent times the rise of animal rights activist groups and new generational values have influenced the way people view these parks. Critics believe that zoos are an unnatural habitat for animals and force them to live in captivity, having a negative impact on their health. Yet, there are still many remaining who fully support zoos, citing business and educational reasons. Some supporters even acknowledge the ethical problems zoos face, but choose

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Zoos

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zoos have an enormous impact on animals. A few researchers say zoos are a safe haven for animals, a place where they can be rehabilitated safely and be released. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) says that in their 230 appointed zoos that there are almost 1,000 endangered animals that they are helping to raise and release. Pam Dennis, Assistant professor in the department of veterinary preventive medicine at

    Read More

  • Essay On Zoos

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    The park had animals such as deer, and grizzly bear and 120 other animals. Now, Henry Doorly Zoo is a home to over 17,000 animals, and different 962 species. However, with all of these different animals in the zoo, it upsets the animals’ native ecology. Even under the best circumstances at the best zoos, a zoo cannot start to replicate the wild animals’ habitat. Where a wild animal is free to roam and explore the world, one in a zoo is confined to a small area. Also, Zoos claim to want to protect species from extinction, but usually the zoos just want animals because they are exotic or popular. These exotic animals are put into an unnatural environment and upsets their native ecology. A zoo wants these exotic animals primarily for the purpose of promoting tourism and generating money. Zoos claim to want to protect species from extinction, which sounds good on the surface, but in reality only want to draw crowd and publicity. Also zoos claim that they are helping repopulate an endangered or exotic species, but the animals in the zoo are never going to return to the wild. Animals in the wild have to survive on a daily basis. They need to hunt, or gather food, and avoid predators. Animals in the zoos never experience any of this and would not survive in the

    Read More

  • Zoos Should Not Exist!

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people may argue that zoos protect animals and species under this polluted world, however, do animals in zoos really need our “help”? Yes, but surely not that many. According to Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS), 79% of animals in United Kingdom zoos and over 70% of elephants in European zoos are wild-caught. It seems that zoos need them rather than they need zoos.

    Read More

  • Are Zoos Inhumane?

    2040 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... 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.

    Read More

  • Zoos Should be Banned

    344 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Wild Animals

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    This article reveals zoos deficient and pathetic contributions to “conservation”. It shows how zoos use the disguise of helping endangered species and providing public education programming to cover up the mere motive of financial profit. This source fails to include a good example or alternative to animal experimentation, and only focuses on the harsh treatment. This source could be improved if it incorporated associations or actions that could be taken to help fight for animal rights.

    Read More

  • The Zoo and Its Benefits

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 people to help fund the repopulation of those animals.

    Read More

More about Ethics of Zoos

Open Document