Tourism in Africa, How Harmful Can It Be?
"We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do." (Ward). This quote by Barbra Ward exemplifies the blatant disregard that man has for the environment and it is beginning to take its toll. We kill creatures without mercy or purpose and we infiltrate and destroy their homes without any regard for the consequences. Now the results are becoming even more evident and I directly experienced this on my trip to Africa this past summer. I went to Tanzania where there exists a plethora of species that can not be found anywhere else on the planet. These fascinating creatures live in wildlife parks in which tourists can stay. What I noticed on my travels was that many of these animals were in short supply and that most of them were unafraid of human interaction. These aspects bothered me and through this paper one will note how unfortunate that these trends are for the survival of our environmental treasures.
All animals and their environments should be cherished and study by humans—not bothered or killed. This first image features one of the most dangerous animals of the African adventure—the rhinoceros. Rhinos are usually not aggressive, but if they feel threatened, they will attack an on-comer with unwavering force and mercy. With all of these points taken into consideration, it is ridiculous that I was able to stand next to and touch the animal without it attacking me. Rhinos are endangered so it is rare to see one, but seeing one this up close kind of takes away from that special feeling that one gets when they see a wild creature. As the creature stood there, I realized that this was a once in a life time opportunity, but i...
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...ions decline and the animals themselves become more domesticated. These third-world countries do not have the government funding to protect the disappearing species, and the corruption that exists, prevents any of the foreign aid from reaching its intended destination. The only way for true environmental protection to occur would be a worldwide cause to keep human interaction away from these life forms. Sanctuaries are aimed towards a good cause, but they only end up increasing the animal’s dependency on human care. It is amazing to see all of these animals, but the experience is becoming hindered because the animals’ mentalities are not as “wild” beasts, but as creatures that are used to human harassment.
Works Cited
Ward, Babra. "Environmental Quotes." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 11 Nov. 2006 .
the idea of the wild and its importance and necessity of human interaction with the wild.
The Animal Kingdom is a modern exhibit designed to follow the “natural pattern” of an African community. The most eye-popping attraction, the Kilamanjaro Safari, is an open-air, nearly barrier-free animal reserve at Florida’s Walt Disney World. It was a major shift from a cow playground to a zone of care for other wise caged animals. Here, African animals freely roam through acres of savanna, rivers, and rocky hills. The rider is advised to be aware, “You never know what could happen in the wilderness” (Tate 1).
The growing issue of the welfare of wild animals has called for immense concerns for multiple reasons. Even so, more now today with the recent animal related incidents that have taken place and are publicized in social media and broadcasted on the local news. Zoo officials feel the best place for wild animals is zoos. However, animal rights activist strongly believe wild animals belong in their natural habitat where they can be free and live the life that they 're entitled to. An ideal habitat for wild animals varies from marine life having billions of cubic km of ocean water to land animals having forests, evergreens, dry desert land, marshes, caves, mountains and open fields to roam.
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
.... Some animals face endangerment because of human’s hunting activities and because of the climate changes. Due to the endangered rare species, people solve this problem by bringing these animals back to their natural habitat.
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...
For hundreds of years, eager visitors have journeyed to see animals from various parts of the Earth. Zoological institutions have been provided a place where both wild animals and humans can convene in a controlled manor. A zoo’s purpose is to conserve wild animals’ lives, educate visitors, and provide a site where wild life research can readily take place (Demartoto). Many hold a positive view on zoos. Some believe that zoological institutions provide a safe environment for animals and provide the animals with the best care. However, many find zoos to be guilty of stealing animals’ freedom and dignity. Animal welfare has become a major issue within zoological institutions. The question of whether or not zoos are actually
The impact a wild animal has on a community is severe. In 2009, Sandra Herold, the owner of a 200 pound chimpanzee, called her friend for help. Sandra needed assistance from Charla Nash to get her money back into its cage. Unexpectedly, the chimpanzee mauled Charla. In a 911 call Sandra frantically told the dispatcher what was happening, “He ripped her apart. Shoot him, shoot him”(Copeland 1).
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.
"Do We Need Zoos?" : An All Creatures Animal Rights Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.
People wonder why they freak out and attack when they are meant to be in their habitat where they can run free and live their own life instead of being circus animals. Al-Khatib: Let’s not forget about circuses. Animals would never run away from the circus; in fact, they would most likely run away from the circus if they could. Unlike human performers who choose to be clowns or trapeze artists, elephants, bears, and tigers never volunteered to stand on balls or jump through burning hoops. Trainers routinely beat and whip animals in order to make them perform tricks over and over again that make no sense to them at all.
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Loss of biodiversity is an environmental issue that is causing a lot of global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth. There are measures that are being taken worldwide to prevent loss of biodiversity. Many wildlife sanctuaries have been built worldwide to preserve the lives of various endangered species. However, it is important to remember that every individual has a role in the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. Every human being should play his part of the role by following simple rules such as stopping others from the hunting of endangered species, preventing deforestation, encouraging reforestation and creating awareness among fellow human beings.
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 does not consider the beneficial public experience gained from being able to see animals that you would not be able to see in a specific geographical region. This article could be improved if it expanded on what zoos can do to improve and provided more examples on good zoo practices.
The dynamic natural environment and abundant wildlife are the most prominent features of the African continent. Due to its wide variety of biomes ranging from tropical forests to arid deserts, Africa consists of bountiful wildlife diversity. However, because of environmentally harmful human interactions, the variety of biomes is shrinking to all-time lows, which causes wildlife to die out. These detrimental human interactions, particularly livestock overgrazing and desertification, occur partly because the native people who depend on the land for daily life do not realize the potential benefits of wildlife and the unsustainability of their current ways. Poaching for horns and other valuable animal parts has also contributed to the decreasing amount of species present in the wild. However, the methods for conserving the wildlife environment differ in how they address the issue of the dwindling wildlife populations. The conventional method of conservation created in the mold of the Convention Relative to the Preservation of Fauna and Flora in their Natural State (also known as the London Convention) involves the complete centralization of wildlife resources to the government. The newer, more effective method called the Sustainable Use Approach makes drastic changes to the London Convention principles by decentralizing ownership of wildlife and allowing small communities and villages to manage it themselves.