Should Animals Be Kept In Zoos?

Roland Taylor Jr
Mr.Spoth
Participation of Government
Animals being kept in zoos is an important topic that can go about in two ways.
Some people feel that animals should be let free in their natural habitat because its

better for the animals. But the people that feel animals should stay in zoos say that
animals should be in there for educational purposes. Zoos are visuals of learning
about animals. Animals being in zoos can be a positive and negative affect. Many
people that feel animals should be in zoos think that its better for them to live
healthier and longer lives. Researchers that say animals shouldnt be kept in zoos feel
that it is better for animals to live in their own habitat, and that would cause them to
have special abilities to survive in that environment. Being on the side that says that
animals shouldnt be kept in zoos because many people feel that animals shouldnt be
locked or held captive and should be in their own habitat. Much of the researchers
agree that animals shouldnt be kept in zoos because it isnt fair to the animals
because they have to be locked in cages and arent getting their freedom.
There has been much research from a lot of people and resources that was put
into this topic. Researchers from captiveanimals feel animals shouldnt be in zoos, the
captivity of an animal in a zoo it can make them act crazy because in zoos, the animals
arent given the space they need that theyre is given in the wild, and animals living like
this can cause zoochosis. This is a condition in which animals act strangely or
differently than other animals. Bears and big cats will pace back and forth and even
hurt themselves. Giraffes, and elephants would sway their heads side to side to cause
injury. Also that zoos breed animals so that they can sell them and get a lot of money
of the animals,researchers say so zoos often trade,loan, or sell adult animals that
arent making them as much money as they were as when they were younger this was
said from the reporters that is from secrets zoos dont want you to know. Zoos are
dangerous for animals because there are reporters from petakids.com said that

animals die in the zoos because they would eat the trash that was thrown into their
cages, and some animals were beaten and killed after some people have stolen them
out of their pens. Animals around the U.S. have been starved, poisoned, denied
veterinary care, and even burned in fires. Zoos also arent educational, because a
researcher stated that the only thing that zoos teach people is that its OK to keep
animals captivity-bored,cramped, lonely, and very far from home. Another fact is that
zoos dont tell us the zoos rarely help the animals most zoos claim that they exist to
continue to breed animals so that they can protect endangered species but people
say that is a lie because they say most animals in zoos arent endangered will most
likely never be released back into their habitat environment, zoos only favor the
popular animals instead of the ones who need protection. A researcher from
petakids.com out that In 2010, a CAPS undercover investigator filmed sick animals left
untreated and dead animals to rot on floors at Tweddle Farm Zoo. CAPS had to take
rabbits to a vet to have infections treated and after our expose local police
confiscated a monkey who had been kept alone and given cake and other junk food to
eat according to the reporters of captive animals. Also animals suffer in zoos
researchers found out that A government funded study of elephants in UK zoos found
that 54% of the elephants showed stereotypies (behavioral problems) during the
daytime. One elephant observed during the day and night stereotyped for 61% of a 24hour periodfrom a reporter from captiveanimals.com . Some years back it was said
that 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana killed Carlos Sousa, it wasn't the first time
that the animal had attacked someone. On Dec. 22, 2006, the animal attacked a
zookeeper, who survived reported from a reporter on abc news .

There many positives about zoos as well because there are reports of zoos
having positive intakes on them. People believe that animals are more protected from
extinction when they are put inside of zoos. Because the endangerment of the animals
can cause an increase in their extinction. Its better off for animals to be safe than to
be hunted by predators ,and to be put into danger. They also feel as though if animals
are outside of the zoos and free that they are going to attack people. When animals
feel that theyre uncomfortable their instincts would make it seem as if they were in
danger. More statements about how people say animals should stay in zoos because
they feel that zoos are educational and tell us more about animals as stated from
debates on the animals being in zoos. Its a smart way learn about animals and to get
a visual input of how they go about their everyday lives. Zoos only have bad reputation
because of the bad zoos but there are good zoos that take care. In society you barely
get to hear the positives of zoos thats why there is so much negativity about them. A
zoo can bring much joy and excitement to people for visual perception.
That animals not being in their natural habitat can cause them to not live long,
and doesnt give them the abilities they need to survive to protect themselves. Animals
being in zoos can make a animal feel that its under captivity ,because its limiting the
space and freedom an animal needs. There was proof that 70% of the elephants were
taken out of the wild and put into European zoos. Animals need the space because it
has a lot negative effects such as making them do outrageous behavior. There was a
statement that made sense when an unknown reporter from a debate about free
animals said that animals are being held captive, like how would you feel being locked
in a cage being isolated with no space. Animals being in zoos are supposed to be

educational as they say but in general its not because CAPS states that their study
of UKs aquariums found that 41% of the displays of animals has no signs of
identifying the species that were held such as stated here. Also as most animals
naturally live in herds or packs when they are in zoos they put in cages by themselves
this can also be found. A reporter found out that an giraffe was fed to the lions when
they found out that he had outlived his usefulness according to an article from petakids. Animals in captivity can suffer from stress,and boredom. The generation bonds
are broken when individual animals get sold or traded to other zoos.
People feel that animals should belong in zoos because many feel it is the
proper environment to survive. But people have reported that some animals have
been treated with cruel treatment while being in zoos and that the zoos have been
targeted for those reasons and actions, examples of these punishments are such as,
not being fed, getting beaten, and also harsh treatment such as not being taken care
of. Zoos are ways for people to learn about zoos without getting hurt or put in harms
way and having to travel around the world. Because people want to admire the
animals and them being in their natural habitats but not aware of the circumstances of
the caged animals . Another use of zoos for, breeding endangered animals so
therefore they wouldnt become extinct. A statement from Occupytheory stated that
when animals are breed in the wild they are breed differently. A reporter from animalrights stated that if these animals animals are in a safe environment or habitat they
wouldnt try to eat other animals. This makes surely that even though the animals are
looked at upon as being held captive putting them in zoos protects them from
extinction, and from being hunted down. Zoos are created because they show how

they care for animals such as if an animal is injured they would get nursed to take
action upon that situation. Zoos can bring people and animals together because it can
educate and it also shows the appreciation of the animals, and its to motivate people
to protect the animals. Zoos save endangered species by bringing them into a safe
environment, where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, starvation and
predators according to zoo reporters of animal-rights. Zoos are traditional and for the
family to go to and have fun and learn educational facts about animals that are
presented in the zoo. Animals are more fascinating in person than and also a
memorable experience. Zoos bring a rehabilitate wildlife and take care of pets that no
one could take care off, zoos feel as if keeping animals in zoos gives any educational or
entertainment purposes, we can do it. People also feel that leaving animals in the wild
would make it hard for animals to live on their own because of the predators that are
in the wild. They also say that if keeping animals in a zoo is bad then why do we us
people have fun in these zoos.
From my perspective animals should be free from zoos and into their natural
habitat because they would be able statistically live longer and they would be given
special traits that would help them survive. Animals being in zoos can make the animal
feel limited and not enough space to roam around such as when they are in the wild.
Animals being held captive causes the animals to go crazy. People feel that animals
being in zoos is best for us because its supposed protect us but I feel that thats
stripping animals of their freedom rights and they shouldnt be locked away kept
captive.We have animals in our daily wildlife like pet dogs,and cats that have wildlife
ancestors that have some of the same exact traits of a house pet. But their are some

people that have exotic animals for house pets such as big cats like tigers,lions, and
etc. Animals should be free because of their family tree has domestic animals. But I
feel that as if animals shouldnt be in zoos because of the stories about animals being
mistreated in zoos. Such as not being fed, not treated well, getting beaten, and garbage
being thrown into their cages or their space. Zoo supporters say that if animals were
free from zoos they would extinct faster but they used the same excuse for the blacks
during slavery days to keep their slaves. Animals are living beings as well they shouldnt
be mistreated and locked away in cages with limited space. People think that if animals
are out of zoos they would raid and attack us but if they are in their natural habitat they
wouldnt try to attack unless they feel as if youre a threat to them. I believe that zoos
only use the animals to get money off of them and I also believe that animals have
rights to, putting animals in zoos is like throwing someone in jail who hasnt committed a
crime. Instead of keeping them in zoos they can at least make an alternative so that
they wouldnt be limited into one area with cramped space. There can be positive and
negative thoughts of this idea but at least the animals get to have their freedoms and to
be free. But the thought about the animals are that they are just like us they are
protective over whats theirs so of course they are going to attack people because they
feel you invaded their space and didnt respect their territory. Zoos can provide
protection of the animals from predators but they are limited in a small area. Also all
living things should have their own rights of being protected and they shouldnt be held
captive and locked away in a cage. The idea of zoos was good at first because people
realized the negatives that were to come was how it was all brought upon and how it
was done. From personal experiences with the zoo made me realize that, something

was going wrong in the zoos and that animals not getting any freedom. Also that the
animals that were in the zoos were sad looking and wanted to be out of that
environment. In my head I thought why should animals be in zoos because they are
living beings as well as us.
All in all there are still positives and negatives of animals being in zoos ,and
animals being free. But animals also are living beings as well and if they arent
protected they will eventually become extinct.

Bibliography
http://www.peta.org/features/zoo-animals-abuse/
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-we-keep-animals-in-zoos
http://animal-facts.org/animals-kept-in-zoos/
http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsinentertainment/a/Arguments-ForAnd-Against-Zoos.htm
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-we-keep-animals-in-zoos
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4055821
https://www.makewav.es/story/113563/title/shouldanimalsbekeptinzoos
http://occupytheory.org/list-of-pros-and-cons-of-zoos/