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Bears, lions, and other animals languish in roadside zoos across the country. While researching my book on the ethics of human interactions with wild species, Wild Souls, I examined how, exactly, zoos contribute to the conservation of wild animals. Not surprising, perhaps, considering the typical polar bear enclosure is one million times smaller than the area they would naturally roam.". A common criticism is that the inspectors are often inadequately trained to look for sign of problems such as abuse and neglect. Zoos have been around for thousands of yearsas far back as 3500 BC in Egypt. The Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora (CITES): CITES is an international treaty that regulates the trade of wildlife for nations that are signatories to the treaty. Caring for the said animals, away from their predator will give their species a chance of repopulating. Fewer and fewer states are allowing residents to keep captive wild animals without a permit. Its protections are minimal as well. Mr. Fisher is a photographer based in New York. Many zoos will then resort to drugging animals in order to keep them docile and normal for the pleasure of the viewing public. Should Animals Be Kept in Zoos? | The Minimalist Vegan There is no wild animal census in the United States, and many states have lax oversight, so any estimates about the population of wild animals in captivity is at best an educated guess. Visitors will hammer on the glass or clamor around an animal enclosure, calling and shouting for the creature to perform for their pleasure. The law, adopted by Congress in 1966, protects so-called warm-blooded animals who are bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially or publicly exhibited, like in a zoo or circus. In April, ethical tour operator Responsible Travel after consultation with wildlife charity Born Free Foundation axed trips that include zoo visits. The polar bears in Winnipeg have disco poo. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. Most zoos dont focus on the educational aspect of zoos; the animals are mainly kept for amusement. For the unlucky ones that end up in the circuses, they are always in for a wide awakening. Another problem of zoos is that animals often only have rather limited space to move. Polar bears have one million times less space. Taking an animal say a big cat, into an enclosed habitat when she cant hunt for herself can be detrimental to her life skills. Many suffer from arthritis and other joint problems from standing on hard surfaces; elephants kept alone become desperately lonely; and all zoo elephants suffer mentally from being cooped up in. They are just some of the millions of wild animals living in captivity across the United States. Alex shares his life with his wife (to-be), children and stepchildren, a herd of guinea pigs, and numerous tropical fish, frogs and snails. Another serious problem is that the chronically-understaffed USDA conducts inspections infrequently. BBC - Ethics - Animal ethics: Animals for entertainment Pro and Con: Zoos | Britannica Even without a consciousness (that we know of) animals are alive and should be treated as such. 525 East Cotati Avenue,Cotati, CA 94931 Lack of Sufficient Space No matter how dedicated a zoo is, it can't meet the space requirements for most of its animals. This goes to the detriment of the animals in zoos and puts them at risk of receiving inadequate care. Properly curated and interpreted, a well-run garden can be a site for a rewarding outing with friends or family, a source of education for the 27 percent of people who read signs and a point of civic pride. Tigers, lions, elephants, bears and nonhuman primates are all included in this law. However, through education and informative motions for change, we can make change the way zoos are run. A 2000 survey of U.S. and Canadian zoos found that nearly half of respondents were giving their gorillas Haldol, Valium or another psychopharmaceutical drug. After all, more than 700 million people visit zoos and aquariums worldwide every year, and biodiversity is still in decline. In 2014, the director of the E.A.Z.A. Top 50 Most Good-looking Nationalities: AI Shows Beautiful People From Different Countries; How Does Science Measure Beauty, Attractiveness? They normally find themselves locked in cages, and only released into an artificial habitat when there are visitors at the zoo. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Display would be incidental. Our EIN number is 94-2681680. The window to the world of. Most animals are taught to perform tricks and go against the grain of nature purely for human entertainment. I do not doubt that some people had their passion for a particular species, or wildlife in general, sparked by zoo experiences. The ongoing extinction crises shows that zoos are needed - even for common species. Protect animals by boycotting roadside zoos. The monotonous, confined life of animals in captivity is a mere shadow of what life was like for them in the wild. Their death can be caused by either: lack of space, physical problems, diet, and PTSD. It took several decades before Alex was able to leave the corporate world behind and embark on a real writing journey. Exotic animals have become very popular, but they are also dangerous in so many ways. But it's clear, say welfare specialists, that captivity can compromise orcas' health. What if zoos stopped breeding all their animals, with the possible exception of any endangered species with a real chance of being released back into the wild? Read on to find out why animals should not be kept in zoos. Capturing animals even smart ones like apes, for amusement shouldnt be going on anywhere. Its zookeepers who arent fond of animals that go around hurting animals even when they havent been provoked. This alone increases the risk of disease, as animals are exposed to viruses they have never encountered before. There are a number of reasons why animals should not be kept in captivity. This is particularly true if the animal is there for entertainment. Having seen a majestic leopard in the zoo, the visitor becomes more willing to pay for its conservation or vote for policies that will preserve it in the wild. Should animals be kept in captivity? - The Current These are species that would have vanished totally were it not for captive populations around the world, many of which reside in zoos (or, for plants, botanic gardens). The practice of killing surplus animals is kept quiet by zoos, but it happens, especially in Europe. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. Such zoos might even be merged with sanctuaries, places that take wild animals that because of injury or a lifetime of captivity cannot live in the wild. The Humane Society of the United States believes that animals in bare tanks do not present a realistic image of natural behaviors or natural habitats. Here are my eight reasons why zoos are critical to conservation: 1. Id like to think these kids, now in their early 20s, are working for a conservation organization somewhere. This support of the exotic pet trade also results in a lot of preventable animal deaths. There are a great many negative effects of zoos on animals.When we visit zoos, we can see they often go to great lengths in order to recreate the animals natural habitats. There is an undeniable thrill, seeing animals in zoos, circuses, movies, television shows, and amusement parks. However, the vast majority dont do enough to accurately replace an animals natural habitat. This paper is going to discuss why animals should not be kept in captivity. Many zoos fail to provide the required minimum standard of care, Zoos dont replicate animals natural habitats, Zoos teach people that animal captivity is acceptable, Animal protection laws are not strong enough, Many visitors disturb and disrespect the animals, Zoo animals are often drugged to be kept calm. All things considered, animals should not be kept in zoos or aquariums. The trade in wild animals involves tremendous suffering at every stage of the process. In the case of America, our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths. Sadly, most of these associations end up protecting the interests of their members, and not the animals they should be protecting. Should zoos exist essay: Should Zoos Still Exist or Not? The Arguments Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. The worst ones are the malicious keepers who enjoy hurting animals in captivity. Understanding the optimal requirements for the reproduction of certain animals can be difficult. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species. Its said that Texas has the worlds second-largest tiger population, due to private citizens propensity for keeping these big cats as pets. Wrong! Non-native animals are held in conditions that vary greatly from what they are used to living in. In a study done on 40 chimpanzees in six different zoos, all of the chimps exhibited behavior their counterparts in nature did not. In 2018, the Eighth Circuit issued a unanimous decision in Cricket Hollows appeal of that case, that it can be a violation of the Endangered Species Act when captive animals arent given proper care. Power-mad men from Henry III to Saddam Husseins son Uday to the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar to Charlemagne all tried to underscore their strength by keeping terrifying beasts captive. The statistics on the number of big cats alone that have died in captivity between 1990 and 2021 is 126. Zoo animals sustain both physical and psychological scars from harsh zookeepers. [WATCH]. Animal Legal Defense Fund,National Headquarters That change prompted the shift in zoo narrative from entertainment to the protection of animals. Black-footed ferrets and red wolves in the United States and golden lion tamarins in Brazil all endangered, as well have been bred at zoos for reintroduction into the wild. Zookeepers are not mustache-twirling villains. As long as there is demand should zoos exist essay them, zoos will continue to exist. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. For animals in zoos, the AWA sets low requirements as to housing, food and sanitation, and, as is commonly noted, no requirements for mental stimulation of animals other than primates.