why animals should not be kept in zoos articles

Mr. Hribal documented many stories of elephants making a run for it in one case repairing to a nearby woods with a pond for a mud bath. The better alternatives to zoos are the options that dont result in animals being held in conditions that are unsuitable and forced to live in natural environments. Another problem of zoos is that animals often only have rather limited space to move. A day may come, he said, when we need to breed elephants or tigers or polar bears in captivity to save them from extinction. Visitors will hammer on the glass or clamor around an animal enclosure, calling and shouting for the creature to perform for their pleasure. They are kind people, bonded to their charges and immersed in the culture of the zoo, in which they are the good guys. Existing animal protection laws do not actually consider the true ramifications of captivity. Wrong! Animals are stressed when they get separated from their packs or herds, especially when they end up as the only one of their kind in their new homes. But relatively early in their evolution, a German exotic animal importer named Carl Hagenbeck changed the way wild animals were exhibited. There are dozens of other countries around the world with similar prohibitions, including Austria, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Peru and Singapore. "We engage huge audiences with wildlife, inspiring the conservationists of tomorrow," argues zoological director of ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, Professor David Field. Groundhog More than Just a Weather Prognosticator! The worst climate risks, mapped: In this feature, select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. In several cases, animals held in poor conditions at roadside zoos have been transferred to sanctuaries, after the Animal Legal Defense Fund brought lawsuits under the Endangered Species Act. Zoos are built as a source of income for some. The Enigmatic Wombats: Surprising Facts and Myths Debunked. Infringing the rights of individuals because it benefits the species is wrong because a species is not an. See Related: How Similar is Human DNA to Other Animals. Anyone can read what you share. Some studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of zoo carnivores, 64 percent of zoo chimps and 85 percent of zoo elephants have displayed compulsive behaviors or stereotypies. Little Joe, a gorilla, escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston twice in 2003. The worst ones are the malicious keepers who enjoy hurting animals in captivity. 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. This alone increases the risk of disease, as animals are exposed to viruses they have never encountered before. In the past five years, the number of zoos has been gradually going up. In this article, we will take a look at why zoos teach children the wrong lesson about captive animals. Today's zoos are extremely important to saving wild animals and their habitats. For example, smaller and faster animals with a lot of predators in the wild tend to thrive in zoos. Most animals are taught to perform tricks and go against the grain of nature purely for human entertainment. Not investing enough when designing a habitat for your animals to save money. Slow animals with minimal to zero predators such as elephants have brief life spans in captivity. We do know that common animals kept as pets include lions, tigers, cougars, ocelots, servals, wolves, bears, alligators, snakes and nonhuman primates like chimpanzees. The lack of enough vegetation will then lead to global warming due to less carbon in the atmosphere. Breeders: How to Stop Puppy FarmsPermanently. When the caretakers are not well informed about the animals they are to be taking care of, it can be problematic. I have written before about the importance of zoos and the role they have to play in the world for conservation . Animal Legal Defense Fund,National Headquarters Animals also lose their genetic diversity especially due to inbreeding. Wildlife experts said that the incident was just another proof that wild animals should not be kept captive because it would not happen had the dolphin was only in the wild. This paper is going to discuss why animals should not be kept in captivity. This is due to the inhumane conditions that these animals are forced to endure. Read more: Should I worry about chemtrails? They normally find themselves locked in cages, and only released into an artificial habitat when there are visitors at the zoo. Captive tigers pace back and forth, and in a 2014 study, researchers found that the time devoted to pacing by a species in captivity is best predicted by the daily distances traveled in nature by the wild specimens. It is almost as if they feel driven to patrol their territory, to hunt, to move, to walk a certain number of steps, as if they have a Fitbit in their brains. Elephants arent the only species that try to flee a zoo life. A zoological park is defined as an establishment designed for conservation, study, and public display. Animals in the wild are naturally shy to humans. The United Kingdom, for example, has announced a plan to phase out all circuses featuring wild animal performances by 2020. Photographs by Peter Fisher. By designing these enclosures so that many animals could be seen at once, without any bars or walls in the visitors lines of sight, he created an immersive panorama, in which the fact of captivity was supplanted by the illusion of being in nature. That's how animals living in captivity feel. Here are my eight reasons why zoos are critical to conservation: 1. Lack of learning valuable animal life skills such as hunting and social structures eventually leads to the alteration of the said animals behavior. Eventually, the only animals on display would be a few ancient holdovers from the old menageries, animals in active conservation breeding programs and perhaps a few rescues. Kept in barren cages rarely larger than 20 by 20 feet, bears in roadside zoos spend their days pacing, sleeping abnormally long periods of time, and bobbing their head all indications of extreme psychological distress. However, not all of them are suitable for captivity and are better left alone in the wild. Required fields are marked *. Alex shares his life with his wife (to-be), children and stepchildren, a herd of guinea pigs, and numerous tropical fish, frogs and snails. The surpluses are then sold off to zoos, aquariums, or even circuses. zoos is usually not more than 200 animals per year, the organization said.) Their death can be caused by either: lack of space, physical problems, diet, and PTSD. For example, the law does not restrict the display or private ownership of captive wild animals or prohibit the use of controversial bullhooks, whips, electrical shock or other devices commonly used in circuses. Taking an animal say a big cat, into an enclosed habitat when she cant hunt for herself can be detrimental to her life skills. But the law excludes protection for birds, rats and mice, farmed animals and cold-blooded animals such as reptiles, amphibians and fish. They found that only 27 percent of people bothered to read the signs at exhibits. This gives the poor pets a home and creates a revenue stream for the zoos. Their sleeping quarters can get overcrowded and this can lead to the animals harming each other. For example, a lion might have a hard time adjusting to hunting for its meals when it has spent years being fed and lazing around. However, in a zoo, the boundaries between the wild and captivity are rearranged. In the 1980s, a group of orangutans escaped several times at the San Diego Zoo. It is not possible to have zookeepers versed in a detailed understanding of every single species. According to an article inPlant Based News, marine parks and aquariums are a billion-dollar industry that exists to entertain the public by catching fish and sea mammals from the wild and using them as live exhibits. We say zoos are bad because animals are forced to live in unnatural, stressful, boring environments, leading to a lack of mental and physical stimulation. For example, Charles Harvey and Kurt House argue that subsidies for climate capture technologywill ultimately be a waste. Private Possession: Many wild animals may be kept captive in private homes as pets. The allure of baby animals and the crowds they pull can lead a zoological garden director to increase them to keep attracting customers. The idea of conserving animals that are at risk of going extinct is a great one; the problem is that not most zoos live up to it. Since most countries dont have any regulations on how to handle animals in zoos, these business people can do whatever it takes to make the most profits possible. This is how animals get physical and psychological scars from abuse. These standards set a low bar and are widely considered to be sub-par in protecting animals. For intellectual property information and terms of use, visit our Intellectual Property Terms of Usepage. These animals oftentimes live in inhumane conditions, and pose a serious threat to public safety. Many zoos create attractive enclosures to attract visitors. They often display neurotic behaviour, like repetitive pacing, swaying, and bar biting. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Captures Dramatic Hour-by-Hour Changes of Dart Mission Slamming on an Asteroid, Can Humanity Deflect Potentially Hazardous Asteroids? [WATCH], Armored Dinosaur Magnificently Preserved After Face, Skin, Spikes Survived Fossilization. Forests Under Threat: A Comprehensive Look at the Latest Deforestation Statistics, Puppy Mills vs. The researchers divided the odd behaviors of captive animals into two categories: impulsive/compulsive behaviors, including coprophagy (eating feces), regurgitation, self-biting and mutilation, exaggerated aggressiveness and infanticide, and stereotypies, which are endlessly repeated movements. But that incident has triggered conversations on the negative impacts of marine parks and aquariums on wild animals. See Related: Are Humans Animals? Below are a dozen reasons why zoos can be bad for animals: 1. Ive heard and read some of their stories. The Brutal Truth About Seal Clubbing: Because Everyone Needs Dead Seal Pups (Not)! This treaty is credited with helping foster international cooperation to protect some endangered and vulnerable species. However, it does not change the fundamental fact that as the world changes, we must also become more aware of the darker side of such animal sanctuaries. A Brief History of Zoos . With their apes, elephants, big cats, and other large and smart species gone, they could expand enclosures for the rest of the animals, concentrating on keeping them lavishly happy until their natural deaths. I once overheard two schoolchildren at the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington confess to each other that they had assumed that elephants were mythical animals like unicorns before seeing them in the flesh. In 1898, the reason was cited by the New York Zoological Society when it resolved to inform the public of the continued decline in animal populations, to stimulate sentiment in favor of animal protection, and to cooperate with scientific organizations to ensure the preservation of species. First and foremost, captivity can be extremely detrimental to an animal's physical and mental well-being. Profits are also gained through the selling of animals to other zoos or circuses. However, this is often not much more than an illusion for the customer. Trading in Wild Animals: Every year, thousands of animals enter the captive wild animal trade. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. [WATCH]. Zoos protect against a species going extinct. Tigers, lions, elephants, bears and nonhuman primates are all included in this law. See Related: Most Comfortable Animals in The World. 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. These laws help the animals and also people, since wild animals in captivity present a serious public safety risk. This was the first time that the ESA has successfully been used to protect captive wild animals. Students and the general public get a chance to learn about different species of animals. As a late Gen-Xer-cum-early-Millenial, my childhood was rich with trips to visit zoos. But theres no unambiguous evidence that zoos are making visitors care more about conservation or take any action to support it. Zoos also say that they save the endangered animals, but all they really care about is how much crowd the animal draws. I find one statistic particularly telling about their priorities: A 2018 analysis of the scientific papers produced by association members between 1993 and 2013 showed that just about 7 percent of them annually were classified as being about biodiversity conservation.. 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. Increasingly, animals were presented with the distasteful fact of their imprisonment visually elided. 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. A peer-reviewed 2017 study in the . Animals in the wild are naturally shy to humans. For example, the typical enclosure designed for a polar bear is about a million times smaller than its natural roaming grounds. Their droppings look like little glitterballs. Animals in zoos can sense this, and over time their confinement can lead to worrying behavioral changes. The Link Between Fasting And Mental Health: Can It Improve Mood And Cognition? In addition, when animals are removed from their natural habitats, they are also removed from their family structure and social hierarchy. There are zoological park associations that were formed to keep zoo owners on their toes. Many zoos and aquariums offer behind-the-scenes tours and informative talks on animal welfare. When big predators are brought up on dead meat and never have to hunt for themselves, mingle with the prey they cant hunt, and entertain humans with tricks, they get further from their natural behaviors. 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. Here are some tips. Animals kept in an unsuitable environment or fed the wrong diet can suffer, and this can lead to illness or death. Another similar behavior of flirting is freezing, in which an animal does not move when there is no way of escape, like being caught in a trap or net even though they are terrified. In 2014, the Animal Legal Defense Fund successfully brought a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act against a roadside zoo called the Cricket Hollow Animal Park, that was mistreating protected animals. The others ran, and she pursued them, ignoring all other humans in her path. There are 39 animal species currently listed by the IUCN as Extinct in the Wild. In many modern zoos, animals are well cared for, healthy and probably, for many species, content. For comparison, in 2018, they spent $4.9 billion on operations and construction. State laws vary considerably, with some states banning the ownership of wild and exotic animals while others have virtually no regulation whatsoever. Terrifying, Pre-Historic-Looking Fish Captured in the Ocean's Twilight Zone; What Is It? For some animals in zoos, the shock of their relocation alone can be fatal. Why? It is expensive and difficult to keep wild animals in captivity. Animals need physical stimulation and a level of interaction with nature that we, as humans, cannot understand, let alone interpret and recreate. Watching these is a much healthier and more educational way to learn about wild animals than visiting a local zoo. To many people, a trip to the zoo is a fun day out for the family. 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. Its protections are minimal as well. Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Claws N Paws, Looking for case and legal resources? The animals too have rights and they shouldnt be subjected to half the things they undergo. Sadly, once the small animals outgrow their cute phase, the zoo has to get rid of them since feeding and housing them all can get expensive. It took several decades before Alex was able to leave the corporate world behind and embark on a real writing journey. Mr. Hagenbecks model was widely influential. All of these animals are well studied and have a plethora of documentaries and video footage of them in the wild. Likewise, consuming sustainable seafood provides a valuable source of food for people and helps promote sustainable jobs. These wild animals are sold at auctions, pet stores or over the internet. On top of that, the animals dont have much freedom even in these tiny spaces that they are forced to live in. The daily stress and lack of stimulation often leads to abnormal and self-destructive behaviour - for example, pacing, walking in tight circles, rocking, swaying, or self-mutilation - a condition known as "zoochosis". Even if the animals are being fed well, the lack of freedom can cause them to be stressed. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. However, only a certain number of each species are really needed, and so should breeding result in a sharp increase, these numbers are reduced via various methods. Instead, they will hire generalists with a degree of knowledge specificity and run with that. Sanctuaries promise to take in and care for any animals that have been abused, neglected, or abandoned and to keep them for life. 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). So when they. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species. Zoos often do more harm than good, creating unnatural environments that look realistic enough to make any potential return to the wild all but impossible. Most people visit the zoo to see the big draw animals. In addition, a costlier but more educational option is to make arrangements to view animals in the wild. Before anyone starts sprinkling the stuff on their cornflakes, this isn't the hottest new beauty trend nor is it a natural phenomenon: Assiniboine Park Zoo's keepers use coloured glitter in the bears' feed to identify their droppings. But that day of release never quite seems to come. Lack of Sufficient Space No matter how dedicated a zoo is, it can't meet the space requirements for most of its animals. However, critics say this doesn't justify their existence. A species protected in captivity provides a reservoir population against a population crash or extinction in the wild. We have good models of captive wild animal protection laws outside of this country as well. The first efforts to keep wild and exotic animals for non-utilitarian uses began about 2500 BCE, when rulers in . Elephants are particularly unhappy in zoos, given their great size, social nature and cognitive complexity. These refuge-zoos could become places where animals live. Some populations in the wild are weakened by endogamy too. For privacy policy and ad & cookie policy information, visit our Privacy Policy pages. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Tell lawmakers you support animal-friendly legislation and local bans on using animals in entertainment. It's the first travel company to publicly make such a move. Many animals in zoos are not used to confinement. Tatiana the tiger, kept in the San Francisco Zoo, snapped one day in 2007 after three teenage boys had been taunting her. Things like ensuring animals arent caged and treated less than they deserve. Once again, a change of this magnitude can cause captive animals to exhibit changing behaviors, which include self-destructive acts and unrelenting restlessness. In normalizing captivity zoos, and teaching animals to perform tricks for human entertainment, zoos and animal sanctuaries are spreading the message that animal captivity to normal, healthy, and fully acceptable. Giraffes endlessly flick their tongues. When confined they rock, pull their hair and engage in other tics. With increased awareness about the cruelty involved with keeping wild animals in captivity, more and more jurisdictions are enacting legal protections. The bill helps end the rampant abuse of tigers and other big cats in captivity by banning private possession. Wildlife experts remind people that these animals do not know people's intentions, so they will try to protect themselves no matter what. These tours often pretend to talk about their animals natural habitat and inclinations. Some of these animals are surplus from roadside zoos. Zoos accredited by the A.Z.A. The first zoos housed animals behind metal bars in spartan cages. The most recent addition to the family, Willow, a cockapoo puppy, has settled straight into family life and now controls who sits where on the sofa. Polar bears have one million times less space. The truth is there is a vast difference between genuine conservation efforts and endangered species protection and running a zoo. However, I feel there are certain species that should never be held in captivity unless they are candidates for breeding programs or rehabilitation. Zookeepers also often may neglect their healthcare needs. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. When theres a surplus, you can just have a plant sale. Animals are often bored and, as a result, some become aggressive and can lash out at other animals or zookeepers. All things considered, animals should not be kept in zoos or aquariums. See Related: Endangered Species in Oklahoma. Caring for animals on a full-time basis requires someone who is both informed and cares about them.

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