The student learning outcome that I saw being practiced in this activity was Knowledge of

Conventions. This outcome is being practiced through the types of questions we ask for our
portfolios and also through the literature review. The literature review portrays this learning
outcome due to the fact that we will be integrating quotes and facts from our cited sources while
giving our thoughts on the books, articles, and journals that we found. In this module we, as
students, will be learning how properly write a literature review in a manner that shows that I
know how to cite a source and write a summary in a well-structured manner.

Lit review:
In recent years the zoo has received a lot of backlash from animal rights activist because
many claim that the concept of keeping animals captive is both wrong and unethical; however,
many zoos are beginning to shed their negative stereotypes and are attempting to make the
welfare of the animals better. The conflict of whether or not zoos should be abolished is a
controversial topic due to the fact that some believe that various animal species should be
conserved because of their diminishing numbers on the wild; while others feel it is wrong to keep
an animal captive against its will.
Zoos are a place that were established to house and conserve animals while educating the
public; however, examining the paradox of zoos that draw in visitors with the beauty and
wildness of animals we need to understand the wildness to make those animals accessible
(French,2010). There has been a fine line between protection and control of the animals within
zoos and the result is typically control. Consequently, the zoo keepers that take care of these
animals want to provide the best lives for them but often cant due to the human desire to
protect and control nature (Conan,2010). Animal caretakers are often caught between the
paradox of zoos (French, 2010) and the fundamental question of whether or not animals should
be conserved at the cost of their own captivity.
In the article Carnivores in Captivity(Milius,2003 ), Ros Clubb of the University of
Oxford in Engl, has conducted studies of captive animals which have shown that they tend to
display nervous tics such as pacing and have high infant mortality rates; these issues directly
correlate with the land that an animal will cover in the wild and their annual migration patterns.
In addition, these studies have also shown that certain species can adapt well to captivity, such as
smaller monkeys, who rarely migrate in the wild and can thrive in the zoo environment;
however, other larger animals that have large ranges, such as polar bears and lions, are more
likely to develop these tics. For instance, In the book Zoo Animal Welfare author Terry Maple
argues that most zoos have proved wrong many zoo stereotypes are attempting to make the lives
better for the animals by making wellness-oriented facilities where animals are activated and
stimulated by species-appropriate environmental and social conditions (Maple T.L,2013. Pg.
64).
In addition, to the argument on whether or not animals should be free, zoo supporters
claim that keeping them in captivity is prolonging their lives because they arent exposed to
predators like they are in the wild. Unlike abolitionist who claim that animals live unfulfilling

lives. Zoo supporters argue that animals lack the mental capacity to understand freedom and
therefore have no interest in pursuing it; however, even though animals cant understand the
concept of freedom it is our moral right to let them pursue a free life (Schmidt, 2015). For
instance, an animal, like a monkey, that is kept in captivity does not have to ability to understand
why they are there or what will happen to them thus the monkey is experiencing the raw terror
of not knowing (Linzey, 2009) while humans have the ability to reason animals do not.
Therefore, we, as humans, need to reconsider the concept of zoos due to the stress it invokes on
the captive animals.

Questions:
1. What types of behaviors do these animals have in the wild? For instance, their natural
habitat.
2. Have you observed about the longevity of the animals? Are they prolonged or shortened?
3. How many of the animals were bred in captivity? If not how did, they come to you?
4. Can you give specific examples where an animals condition has gotten either better or
worse during their time at the zoo?
5. What is your opinion on the zoo controversy?
6. Do you feel that you are bettering the lives of the animals you work with? Please give
reasons