why animals should not be kept in zoos articles

Deforestation will be the next problem when animals such as moose, elks, and deer start eating everything even young trees. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Some are in aquariums, circuses, theme parks and zoos, others live caged at private homes. The monotonous, confined life of animals in captivity is a mere shadow of what life was like for them in the wild. Alex started writing from the moment he could hold a pen. The environment that these animals are kept in isnt natural to them more so the animals that are taken from the wilderness and kept in zoos. Copyright 2023 The Science Times. It is expensive and difficult to keep wild animals in captivity. The same applies to elephants. Zoos are held to their word of conserving animals and releasing them back into the wild when they are ready. Read more: Should I worry about chemtrails? 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. Step away from the selfie stick. In this article, we will take a look at why zoos teach children the wrong lesson about captive animals. Zoos and circuses are among those who fall under this act. The first modern one was opened in Paris, France in 1793. This is seen as a cheaper option as opposed to moving them back into the wild. Some roadside zoos declaw tiger and lion cubs a serious surgical procedure in which a cats toes are amputated at the last joint. This relocation alone can come as a large shock and wreak havoc on the animals mental health. The AWA establishes only baseline standards of care for licensing exhibitors. Zoo animals, this new narrative went, function as backup populations for wild animals under threat, as well as ambassadors for their species, teaching humans and motivating them to care about wildlife. A few zoos are famous for their conservation work. And it is true that the territory size of an animal like a wolf depends greatly on the density of resources and other wolves. 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. This was the first time that the ESA has successfully been used to protect captive wild animals. For some animals in zoos, the shock of their relocation alone can be fatal. However, that does not stop the silent damage that captivity delivers to such roaming animal species. Another time, one of the orangutans, Kumang, learned how to use sticks to ground the current in the electrical wire around her enclosure. Top 50 Most Good-looking Nationalities: AI Shows Beautiful People From Different Countries; How Does Science Measure Beauty, Attractiveness? They go for the same reason people went to zoos in the 19th century: to be entertained. For example, Orcas are migratory animals with a vast range. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. This is the image of the zoo I grew up with: the unambiguously good civic institution that lovingly cared for animals both on its grounds and, somehow, vaguely, in their wild habitats. Visiting a zoo is a chance for many people to see exotic animals they would otherwise be unable to see. The real question is, how can we change things? Zoos accredited by the A.Z.A. On the other hand, some animals try to flirt their way to protect their nest. It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs. Many zoos will then resort to drugging animals in order to keep them docile and normal for the pleasure of the viewing public. Wild animals have certain behaviors that are uniquely influenced by their environments. CITES does not directly address living conditions for captive animals. Especially not for the broad spectrum of species they have in their park. We use cookies to help ensure the best experience on our website. Zoos across the US can take credit for reviving the wild Arabian oryx, golden lion tamarin and Californian condor populations, among many others. Groundhog More than Just a Weather Prognosticator! But that day of release never quite seems to come. However, there are some disadvantages of zoos to the environment ranging from overpopulation of a species to global warming. [WATCH], Armored Dinosaur Magnificently Preserved After Face, Skin, Spikes Survived Fossilization. Some of the captive-born animals are not capable of sustaining themselves in the wild and they could pass on these genes dooming the whole species in that region. When theres a surplus, you can just have a plant sale. Terrifying, Pre-Historic-Looking Fish Captured in the Ocean's Twilight Zone; What Is It? The Enigmatic Wombats: Surprising Facts and Myths Debunked. If an animal cannot be given sufficient space or is suffering from stress and not behaving as expected, the zoo is within its right to kill the animal s. Artificial environments. Tigers, lions, elephants, bears and nonhuman primates are all included in this law. Whats Causing Their Decline? 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 tiny yards while their free-ranging cousins walk up to 50 miles a day. Also, removing a certain species from the ecosystem can destroy the whole ecosystem. Taking an animal say a big cat, into an enclosed habitat when she cant hunt for herself can be detrimental to her life skills. His father works for a large national Cat charity in the UK, and Alex has regularly taken part in fundraising events for them through the years. A largely unregulated trend is the hybrid breeding of wild cats with house cats, with predictably disastrous consequences. The statistics on the number of big cats alone that have died in captivity between 1990 and 2021 is 126. Zookeepers also often may neglect their healthcare needs. The lawsuit asserts the agency must be able to remove animals if the USDA has deemed the facility unable to provide minimum standards of care set out by the Animal Welfare Act. An orangutan at the Omaha Zoo kept wire for lock-picking hidden in his mouth. However, few people stop and actively consider why zoos are bad. This type of behaviour is almost unheard of in their wild counterparts. Many zoos use Prozac and other psychoactive drugs on at least some of their animals to deal with the mental effects of captivity. Elephants bob their heads over and over. This support of the exotic pet trade also results in a lot of preventable animal deaths. A fine day out with the family might itself be justification enough for the existence of zoos if the zoo animals are all happy to be there. This may be true to some extent; however, many zoos are running breeding programs for their own benefit and have no interest in releasing their animals back into the wild. (707) 795-2533 |info@aldf.org They are contained in small spaces, often made docile through drugs and other medications, and slowly strip away all autonomy and freedom from all animals. What began as a way to pass time soon became a compulsion. Climate change has become a very real threat for the next and even current generations. ", Published in the June 2017 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK), What to do in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, How to plan and book an Indian rail odyssey, Four of the best luxury sleeper trains in India, How Miami is re-embracing its modernist architecture, Where to eat in Clitheroe, the Ribble Valley's culinary hotspot, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society. Many animals in zoos are not used to confinement. Most people visit the zoo to see the big draw animals. 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. Animals are not able to bear living in small, unsuited environments. Caring for animals on a full-time basis requires someone who is both informed and cares about them. If you dont have people that know how to care for them, know how to breed them successfully, know how to keep them in environments where their social and psychological needs can be met, then you wont be able to do that, he said. All Rights are Resvered. Now, Alex writes full-time, and when hes not working on an article, hes knee-deep in writing fiction. They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors. But this is not the norm. As an avid fan of botanical gardens, I humbly suggest that as the captive animals retire and die off without being replaced, these biodiversity-worshiping institutions devote more and more space to the wonderful world of plants. As we snap a selfie by the sea lions for the first time in so long, it seems worth asking, after our collective ordeal, whether our pleasure in seeing wild animals up close is worth the price of their 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 ongoing extinction crises shows that zoos are needed - even for common species. If an untrained zookeeper comes across a stubborn animal, they might hurt it if they are impatient. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. By playing dead, they would deceive predators into leaving them alone. [WATCH]. 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. That's how animals living in captivity feel. Required fields are marked *. CreditPhotographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times. 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. A common criticism is that the inspectors are often inadequately trained to look for sign of problems such as abuse and neglect. WHY ANIMALS SHOULD NOT BE KEPT IN CAPTIVITY By "Phillip" Hungry, depressed, and unable to connect. It is not humane to keep large mammals like orcas, dolphins or elephants in zoos or theme parks. However, they are really just teaching children about caring for animals in captivity. Most states have no laws governing captive wild animals. Capturing animals even smart ones like apes, for amusement shouldnt be going on anywhere. This can have huge negative effects on the environment in many adverse ways. Early in the pandemic, the Neumunster Zoo in northern Germany coolly announced an emergency plan to cope with lost revenue by feeding some animals to other animals, compressing the food chain at the zoo like an accordion, until in the worst-case scenario, only Vitus, a polar bear, would be left standing. Today, nearly every country in the world is a member of CITES. Living collections were often presented in taxonomic order, with various species of the same family grouped together, for comparative study. Instead, they will hire generalists with a degree of knowledge specificity and run with that. 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. What could these zoos do with it, besides enlarging enclosures? A study by Bristol University found that many British zoos fail to provide animals with the required minimum standard of care. When confined they rock, pull their hair and engage in other tics. The allure of baby animals and the crowds they pull can lead a zoological garden director to increase them to keep attracting customers. Depressed monkey Taking your family for a day out at the zoo has been a sort of tradition for a very long time and given recent statics the number of visitors is growing. 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. (The culling of mammals specifically in E.A.Z.A. As humans, we have no right to hunt and lock up animals for our enjoyment. Animals in the wild are naturally shy to humans. 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. Life expectancy for animals in captivity depends on a couple of things, such as their way of life, among other factors. However, this is often not much more than an illusion for the customer. Here is an example of just how harsh it can get when an animal is being trained to perform tricks. ViewResources. Tigers, lions, elephants, bears and nonhuman primates are all included in this law. Fish and Wildlife Service, suggested that learning how to breed animals contributes to conservation in the long term, even if very few animals are being released now. Theres also the Zoological Association of America that operates in the United States. 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. Even if the animals are being fed well, the lack of freedom can cause them to be stressed. People assume that because an animal can move great distances that they would choose to do that. If they have everything they need nearby, he argued, they would be happy with smaller territories. People are always attracted to exotic animals such as grizzlies, lions, wolves, tigers, and alligators among others. 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. However, in a zoo, the boundaries between the wild and captivity are rearranged. Mr. Ashe, a former director of the U.S. Regardless of the merits or ethics of zoos, one thing's for certain: they're going to be around for some years yet. Outside of providing sufficient space to allow natural behaviors to develop, issues such as climate, diet, and the formation of a social hierarchy where appropriate make running a zoo a difficult task. I do not doubt that some people had their passion for a particular species, or wildlife in general, sparked by zoo experiences. While zoos can definitely be exciting places for families to visit, the fact remains that they are bad for animals. See Related: Are Humans Animals? Reasons why people think keeping animals in zoos is bad for their welfare: the animal is deprived of its natural habitat; the animal may not have enough room; the animal is deprived of its natural . To many people, a trip to the zoo is a fun day out for the family. There have also been reported cases of zoos not properly disposing of dead bodies when animals die on their premises. In contrast, those nesting animals or cornered ones will try to defend themselves if being approached to protect their young. The other argument zoos commonly make is that they educate the public about animals and develop in people a conservation ethic. WorldAnimalFoundation.org, Today's Deal: $300 Discount on Halo 2+ GPS Dog Collar. Animal Behavior: Resources for Applied Ethology, Man in Uganda Beats Lion With Bare Hands In Bloody Battle Before Feasting on the Beast for Dinner, Dolphin Attacks Trainer in Front of Horrified Families in Miami Seaquarium: How Often Do These Sea Creatures Attack Humans? Animals in zoos can sense this, and over time their confinement can lead to worrying behavioral changes. Fewer and fewer states are allowing residents to keep captive wild animals without a permit. Chimps pull out their own hair. First and foremost, captivity can be extremely detrimental to an animal's physical and mental well-being. This is only one of the Acts limitations. Due to the low density of the population of some animals in their natural ecosystems they struggle to find partners. That change prompted the shift in zoo narrative from entertainment to the protection of animals. In the age of social media, high profile culls have sparked heated debates. More than 6,000 comments made by the visitors were recorded, nearly half of which were purely descriptive statements that asserted a fact about the exhibit or the animal. The researchers wrote, In all the statements collected, no one volunteered information that would lead us to believe that they had an intention to advocate for protection of the animal or an intention to change their own behavior.. But it's clear, say welfare specialists, that captivity can compromise orcas' health. PETA says: "People who care about protecting endangered species should donate to organisations that safeguard them in their natural habitats if a species' native environment has been destroyed, there's nowhere left for the animals to go. In a 2011 study, researchers quizzed visitors at the Cleveland, Bronx, Prospect Park and Central Park zoos about their level of environmental concern and what they thought about the animals. The process of training an animal is a long and brutal one. There are currently 421 zoological gardens and aquariums and a 2.9% business growth this year despite the pandemic. Once the ground has been left with no coverage, soil erosion will be the next step. Healthy animals in zoos are killed because they are not needed. This is only one of the Act's limitations. They are just some of the millions of wild animals living in captivity across the United States. Cons of zoos Animal cruelty in zoos continues to be extremely common. A quick google search reveals that a zoo is an establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals, typically in a park or gardens, for study, conservation, or display to the public. 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. How Does Saving Water Help Climate Change? The common negative effects of zoos on animals are listed below. In addition, a costlier but more educational option is to make arrangements to view animals in the wild. No, most likely not. or the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria have studbooks and genetic pedigrees and carefully breed their animals as if they might be called upon at any moment to release them, like Noah throwing open the doors to the ark, into a waiting wild habitat. These animals oftentimes live in inhumane conditions, and pose a serious threat to public safety.

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