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The purpose of zoos
Advantages of keeping animals in zoos
Negative effects of zoos
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Recommended: The purpose of zoos
Are Zoos Helping or Hurting?
Animals play an important role of human life, without them life would be different. Animals in captivity have allowed human beings to study animals and learn more about animals. Numerous opponents against zoos believe that they do not help educate visitors or help animals in any way. Breeding programs at zoos have helped multiple endangered species such as golden lion tamarins, cheetahs and tapirs (Keilin). Zoos have always been helping animals and our society, and they have been doing this by providing education to youth, science research, homes for endangered species, and a link to nature.
One of the several ways, and probably most effective ways to prove that zoos are helping our society is that they teach children about animals. Opponents against zoos, state, “There is no compelling evidence that zoos…promote attitude changes, education, or interest in conservation in their visitors.” (Do zoos and aquariums really educate public?). Most zoos require zookeepers to have a bachelor’s degree in biology, zoology or animal science, which is how zookeepers...
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.
From childhood, most of us have fond memories of going to the zoo. We were entertained by the variety of animals that we were not able to see on a regular basis. Visitors of a zoo get to see exotic, and local animals of that area. Going to a zoo gives children and adults a chance to learn about different animals. Certain zoos also promote the conservation of endangered species. To people of all ages, zoos are just plain fun. This essay will support the operation of zoos based on their entertainment and educational value, and their ability to save some species from extinction.
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.
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
Humane Society of America quotes “[Zoos] provide benefits for animals, such as financially supporting conservation programs and the preservation and restoration of threatened and endangered species, as well as promoting the education of people to the needs of wild animals and their role in ecosystems.”
Zoos all over the world are keeping animals in environments that mimic their natural habitat. In the article “Should we have zoos?” by Shayna Orens, Zoos around the world are to help adults, animals, and kids. Zoos not only keep animals, but they also rescue animals.This means zoos are beneficial because Zoos take care and rescue animals for educational purposes Zoos also have many different programs like education for kids.
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...
Dr. Dave Hone (2014) proudly honors the title of being in the pro-zoo camp. Hone was a volunteer for a number of years at two different zoos and is able to identify zoos as being more than just a collection of animals (Hone, 2014, para. 2) He firsthand witnessed the importance of how conservation assists with preventing species from going extinct, the role education plays to inform many children and adults along with the guidance research shares to help better understand wildlife (Hone, 2014). In order to ensure that wild animals receive maximum care it is crucial to gain beneficial knowledge from research. In addition to understanding animal breeding through research, zoo officials are able to learn how to prevent and cure a variety of animal diseases. Education is another positive resource that zoos have to offer. There is always the option to learn about wild animals through animal documentaries, however many people enjoy a prominent up-close personal
Every year, the zoo offers a number of classes to volunteers and students that are based solely on the handling of their animals, how people can help in the world, and can put people face-to-face with the animals to form a bond. The zoo has 126 animals that are used to aide in educational demonstrations, and this is in addition to the animals they show in the exhibits. Annually the zoo educates approximately 215,000 people with nearly 80.5 thousand hours of volunteer service provided. Their education system is important to the health of all their animals because it displays the time and effort dedicated to the care of the animals they have there. They also conduct daily exercises and training with the animals to make sure they are receiving enough exercise. A large chunk of all funding that the zoo receives go directly to the buying of food for the animals. They all eat different types of food sources to maintain healthy diets that relate to what they would consume in their original habitat. The zoo pushes the community, and it’s researchers/vets/trainers to all become invested and well-educated in the study of animal
Some supporters even acknowledge the ethical problems zoos face, but choose to ignore them for what they believe is the overall positive impact on society. In “Why zoos are good” Dr. Dave Hone highlights education as one of the main reasons he supports zoos, mentioning how many people who live in cities may never get to experience wild animals if it weren’t for zoos. Hone states educational videos and documentaries are an option, but they “pale next to seeing a living creature in the flesh, hearing it, smelling it, watching what it does and having the time to absorb details” (Hone). Not only do zoos provide interactive learning opportunities and a direct opportunity to experience how animals behave in the flesh, Hones notes zoos can be educational elsewhere, as a significant amount of work is being sent to conservatives to help educate others on how to improve conditions for the animals.
Zoos, there are more than 10,000 in the world and more than 700 million people visit them annually each year (AZA). Some people go for entertainment, some go for work, and some go for studies. These facilities are normally owned by government, cities, or privately owned. Zoos are able to exist because of taxpayers, grants, funds, and annual visitors that come to zoos. One question has been lingering around about zoos though do they really benefit animals or are they human entertainment? This report will examine the effects of zoos on animals, on employment, and on the economy.
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
What do you think about zoos? Children standing in front of big cages, feel excited to see those lovely animals and share the joy with their parents. Parents will then read aloud the information on the signs to educate the children. At lunch hour, animals in bonds wait for delicious dishes provided by zoo keepers and live happily ever after. It seems that zoos are really a heaven to us and animals. It gives us a place to keep close to nature, saving those little pitiful things in wild. Unluckily, that is not the truth we wished. Indeed, zoos magnify their contribution to educational circle, exaggerating the importance of role play in conservation work, in order to cover those disgraceful secrets behind.
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.
However, educational benefits zoos provide are minimal because animals are in their unnatural environment and behave differently. In his book Wild Animals in Captivity, Rob Laidlaw describes how animal behavior at zoos is completely different from behavior in natural environments. Small spaces and boredom leads to frustration and repetitive actions, such as a monkey rocking back and forth continuously. Laidlaw writes, “At many of the zoos I visit, I see animals doing things their species never do in the wild” (Laidlaw 9). Therefore, what an individual observes at the zoo is untrue to the animal’s natural behavior and the educational experience is false. Moreover, there would be more of an educational benefit from watching documentaries about animals in the wild or reading books on how certain species behave and interact. Even though zoos provide up close interaction with animals, they lack the ability to educate visitors on how animals truly behave. Additionally in a study that further undermines the educational value of zoos, Eric Jenson’s “Evaluating Children 's Conservation Biology Learning at the Zoo” examines the before and after effects surrounding children’s (ages 7-15) knowledge of animals and conservation. He found that the standard unguided zoo experience resulted in negative understanding of animals and their habitats. Only when children were lead by a guide where they more likely to