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Mariah Rose
Mrs. DuBock
English 4
17 February 2016
Essential Question: Why should the general public be more aware of the cruelty behind zoos and
circuses?
Working Thesis: Everyone who seeks entertainment by going to a zoo or watching a circus
should be informed on how the animals are taken care of and treated.
Refined Thesis: Everyone who seeks entertainment by going to a zoo or watching a circus
should be informed on the wellbeing of most animals in very popular zoos and other attractions,
employees and zoo keepers should not be allowed to blatantly lie about an animals condition
just for the sake of making money and keeping customers.
Annotated Bibliography
Laidlaw, Rob. "Zoo Animals Are Mistreated." The Rights of Animals. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
The article, Zoo Animals Are Mistreated, states that zoos self-fabricate their
containment of animals as an important contribution to conservation. Zoos have found a popular
way to trick the public into thinking theyre conservation institutions by participating in
endangered species captive propagation initiatives and public education programming. Only 16
species have been established as self-sustaining populations in the wild as a result of captive
breeding, and most of those programs were initiated by government wildlife agencies and not

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zoos. Many zoos are turning to education to justify themselves, when the primary way to learn
anything is to view animals in their cages which sends the wrong message to the public. Studies
have shown that animals can suffer physically, mentally and emotionally. Captive environments
should be somewhat close to their natural habitat so the animals can comfortably make natural
movement and show unaffected instinctive behavior patterns. Despite the research, many animals
in zoos around America remain captive in small enclosures. This article closely relates to my
choice of topic because the author explains how many zoos dont care about the condition of
their animals.
Perdew, Laura. "Current Campaigns." Animal Rights Movement. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 89-91. Print.
Laura Perdews book, Animal Rights Movement, highlights the fact that animals are misused
and abused on every corner of the earth. The book touches on specific subjects such as
boycotting zoos. Today, there is a zoo in almost every major city in the world. The original
purpose of zoos were for entertainment, not for conserving animals. In 1970, when people
became aware of the actual environments these animals needed, zoos attempted to fix their
habitats and tried justifying their existence and why they are important stating they provide
public education and save animals. Animal rights activist still work to abolish zoos, since they do
little to protect and conserve animals, they claim that zoo animals are in poor health and are
neurotic. The book also states the inhumane conditions of circus animals. Most circuses are
known as the greatest show on earth, but activists disagree. It is stated that many trainers break
their elephants spirits in order to make them more dependent on their trainers. The trainers
remove the baby elephants from their mothers, using restraints, and beating the baby elephants
with bull hooks. The chapter in the book I had chosen relates to my topic choice because it
focuses on the inhumane abuse animals undergo every day, for most, unfortunately till death.

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Robertson, Ross. "Animals Have Rich Emotional Lives and Consciousness." The Rights of
Animals. Ed.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
According to philosopher Rene Descartes, animals were just machines, while humans were
machines with minds. She was in fact setting human beings apart from the rest of the animal
kingdom, as we are more intelligent. Since it is impossible to talk to animals directly, this claim
cannot be easily tested. Instead, scientists search for evidence of animal deception. Scientist have
discovered that monkeys and baboons can and will distract others to steal their food, sneak
around rocks to do things behind each others backs and many other childish actions. Now that
most biologists have accepted that animals have richly varied emotional lives, they are now
researching beyond simple raw emotion. Primatologist Frans de Waal has claimed there is good
evidence that chimpanzees keep track of favors and repay them. Animals have since then been
proven to protect their owners, such as eleven-year-old Anthony Meltons pet pig, Priscilla, dove
into a lake to save his life. It has then been questioned, Do animals have souls? The question
honestly depends on a persons beliefs on what a soul is. The article plays an important role on
my research since it focuses on the fact that animals have feelings, thoughts and should be
respected, not abused.