Why the world needs zoos | Dr Dave Hone | The Guardian 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. Wildlife experts remind people that these animals do not know people's intentions, so they will try to protect themselves no matter what. Likewise, consuming sustainable seafood provides a valuable source of food for people and helps promote sustainable jobs. For some animals in zoos, the shock of their relocation alone can be fatal. 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. Chimps pull out their own hair. 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. 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. This is how animals get physical and psychological scars from abuse. 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. Zoos are held to their word of conserving animals and releasing them back into the wild when they are ready. Even though they might be getting enough food, if your animals are not okay mentally they might still not live to their full potential. Animals begin to display erratic behaviors, self-mutilation, and an inability to settle. The first modern one was opened in Paris, France in 1793. Some roadside zoos declaw tiger and lion cubs a serious surgical procedure in which a cats toes are amputated at the last joint. How Does Saving Water Help Climate Change? Severe arthritis and foot infections are common in captive elephants due to standing on hard, unnatural surfaces all day without room to roam. This isnt always guaranteed since the breeding practices could be insufficient or even produce animals that are not suitable for survival in the wild. In the case of America, our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths. Exotic animals have become very popular, but they are also dangerous in so many ways. Pros and cons of zoos: Should animals be kept in zoos? Weve discussed the reasons and can surely all now answer the question of why are zoos bad. Lack of learning valuable animal life skills such as hunting and social structures eventually leads to the alteration of the said animals behavior. Sadly, most of these associations end up protecting the interests of their members, and not the animals they should be protecting. The allure of baby animals and the crowds they pull can lead a zoological garden director to increase them to keep attracting customers. Elephants are particularly unhappy in zoos, given their great size, social nature and cognitive complexity. 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. Things like ensuring animals arent caged and treated less than they deserve. Watching these is a much healthier and more educational way to learn about wild animals than visiting a local zoo. These tours often pretend to talk about their animals natural habitat and inclinations. Animals Should Not Be Kept in Captivity Persuasive Essay Tell lawmakers you support animal-friendly legislation and local bans on using animals in entertainment. The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) operates an accreditation system for sanctuaries, rescue centres and rehabilitation centres. Should Animals Be Kept in Zoos? | The Minimalist Vegan The Arabian oryx, an antelope native to the Arabian Peninsula, went extinct in the wild in the 1970s and then was reintroduced into the wild from zoo populations. This was the first time that the ESA has successfully been used to protect captive wild animals. Some of these animals are surplus from roadside zoos. 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. Animals such as lions, elephants, and tigers dont get even close to one percent of the area they roam in the wild. ViewResources. Properly curated and interpreted, a well-run garden can be a site for a rewarding outing with friends or family, a source of education for the 27 percent of people who read signs and a point of civic pride. The incident in Miami Seaquarium is proof that animals do not belong in captivity. See Related: What Is The Hunters Role in Wildlife Conservation? (707) 795-2533 |info@aldf.org This support of the exotic pet trade also results in a lot of preventable animal deaths. Some, however, argue that children benefit from zoos. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. 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). Unfortunately, this is done under the guise of conservation and to protect endangered species. When it works out, breeding endangered animals has positive results that can be felt even in the human kingdom. Welfare of Wild Animals in Captivity | RSPCA An orangutan at the Omaha Zoo kept wire for lock-picking hidden in his mouth. For example, smaller and faster animals with a lot of predators in the wild tend to thrive in zoos. So when they. We have good models of captive wild animal protection laws outside of this country as well. WHY ANIMALS SHOULD NOT BE KEPT IN CAPTIVITY By "Phillip" Hungry, depressed, and unable to connect. Zoos and circuses are among those who fall under this act. Most zoos dont focus on the educational aspect of zoos; the animals are mainly kept for amusement. These associations ensure that members are treating their animals with a high standard of care and following any guidelines they provide. These laws help the animals and also people, since wild animals in captivity present a serious public safety risk. You can surely help these animals by refusing to visit zoos and instead supporting sanctuaries where animals live in natural habitats. 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. People dont go to zoos to learn about the biodiversity crisis or how they can help. Polar bears have one million times less space. On the other hand, the researchers reported, there were no significant differences in survey responses before entering an exhibit compared with those obtained as visitors were exiting., A 2008 study of 206 zoo visitors by some members of the same team showed that while 42 percent said that the main purpose of the zoo was to teach visitors about animals and conservation, 66 percent said that their primary reason for going was to have an outing with friends or family, and just 12 percent said their intention was to learn about animals., The researchers also spied on hundreds of visitors conversations at the Bronx Zoo, the Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Today's zoos are extremely important to saving wild animals and their habitats. Animals are removed from their natural habitats. Animals also lose their genetic diversity especially due to inbreeding. 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. The surpluses are then sold off to zoos, aquariums, or even circuses. 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. Jason Hribals 2010 book, Fear of the Animal Planet, chronicles dozens of attempts. Cons of zoos Animal cruelty in zoos continues to be extremely common. However, they are really just teaching children about caring for animals in captivity. Private individuals with the financial means use their money to procure rare or exotic animals from zoos to add to their own private collections. That doesnt mean there havent been criticisms. But that incident has triggered conversations on the negative impacts of marine parks and aquariums on wild animals. There are currently 421 zoological gardens and aquariums and a 2.9% business growth this year despite the pandemic. Many zoos will then resort to drugging animals in order to keep them docile and normal for the pleasure of the viewing public. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Are Zoos Ethical? Arguments for and Against Zoos - Treehugger The Humane Society of the United States believes that animals in bare tanks do not present a realistic image of natural behaviors or natural habitats. By playing dead, they would deceive predators into leaving them alone. What Mr. Ashe wants visitors to experience when they look at the animals is a sense of empathy for the individual animal, as well as the wild populations of that animal.. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A common criticism is that the inspectors are often inadequately trained to look for sign of problems such as abuse and neglect. Zoos are expensive to run, often have a very tight budget, and cannot afford to maintain and support animals that do not pull their weight in terms of attraction. This is only one of the Acts limitations. But whether recent events have triggered a profound shift in public consciousness is harder to . This alone increases the risk of disease, as animals are exposed to viruses they have never encountered before. There is no wild animal census in the United States, and many states have lax oversight, so any estimates about the population of wild animals in captivity is at best an educated guess. Required fields are marked *. Throughout history, men have accumulated large and fierce animals to advertise their might and prestige. Look out for the GFAS seal of approval. 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. The Animal Welfare Act: The Animal Welfare Act, or AWA, is the primary piece of federal legislation regulating captive wild animals. 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. Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Claws N Paws, Looking for case and legal resources? Check out more news and information on Wild Animalsin Science Times. I have written before about the importance of zoos and the role they have to play in the world for conservation . In states without tight enough regulation, local jurisdictions oftentimes adopt ordinances that ban or restrict the display of captive wild animals. There are dozens of other countries around the world with similar prohibitions, including Austria, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Peru and Singapore. Zoos also say that they save the endangered animals, but all they really care about is how much crowd the animal draws. Sanctuaries occupy a "gray area," says Tanya Espinosa, a . The bill helps end the rampant abuse of tigers and other big cats in captivity by banning private possession. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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". The Toledo Zoo has dosed zebras and wildebeest with the antipsychotic haloperidol to keep them calm and has put an orangutan on Prozac. Its zookeepers who arent fond of animals that go around hurting animals even when they havent been provoked. No, most likely not. Drugs given to animals include sedatives and antipsychotic drugs. The others ran, and she pursued them, ignoring all other humans in her path. All rights reserved. This goes to the detriment of the animals in zoos and puts them at risk of receiving inadequate care. Their death can be caused by either: lack of space, physical problems, diet, and PTSD. For them, the best option is to fight back. These are highly intelligent animals with complex social constructs that scientists have studied for . A largely unregulated trend is the hybrid breeding of wild cats with house cats, with predictably disastrous consequences. Bears, lions, and other animals languish in roadside zoos across the country. Zoos often have insufficient knowledge of animals. The forerunners of the modern zoo, open to the public and grounded in science, took shape in the 19th century. There is an undeniable thrill, seeing animals in zoos, circuses, movies, television shows, and amusement parks. Elephants bob their heads over and over. Lets get into the nitty-gritty details of why keeping animals in zoos is bad: Wild animals often suffer in captivity because they were meant to be free. In the past five years, the number of zoos has been gradually going up. (This law does not affect zoos or circuses.). 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. WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. This type of behaviour is almost unheard of in their wild counterparts. So when they face a threat, wild animals believe that they should survive by fleeing, fighting, flirting, or freezing. Instead, they will hire generalists with a degree of knowledge specificity and run with that. Are Wildlife Sanctuaries Good for Animals? Here they are relatively safe . Copyright 2015-2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. James Borrell: Eight reasons why zoos are good for conservation Animals are not able to bear living in small, unsuited environments. The California condor breeding program, which almost certainly saved the species from extinction, includes five zoos as active partners. 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. People are fascinated by animals. Some 5,800 species of animals are covered by the treaty (along with 30,000 species of plants). 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). And it is true that the territory size of an animal like a wolf depends greatly on the density of resources and other wolves. This is due to the fact that many zoos want to keep as many animals as . Once the ground has been left with no coverage, soil erosion will be the next step. 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. Once again, a change of this magnitude can cause captive animals to exhibit changing behaviors, which include self-destructive acts and unrelenting restlessness. Running a successful zoo is about drawing in visitors as much as it is caring for animals. This paper is going to discuss why animals should not be kept in captivity. 2021 ScienceTimes.com All rights reserved. An animal lover, Alexs family, have all been involved in various animal welfare charities. See Related: Endangered Species in California. 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. Even when properly fed and well housed, they can never be fully relaxed in confined spaces. I remember well the awe and joy on their faces, 15 years later. Private Possession: Many wild animals may be kept captive in private homes as pets. The same applies to elephants. When she caught up with the boys at the cafe, she mauled them before she was shot to death by the police. A.Z.A. When in their natural environments, wild animals are not used to being confronted by humans. There are a few exceptions. The sale of excess animals to traveling roadside zoos is another big problem. Elephants arent the only species that try to flee a zoo life. In addition, when animals are removed from their natural habitats, they are also removed from their family structure and social hierarchy. To many people, a trip to the zoo is a fun day out for the family. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is rated four-stars by Charity Navigator, is a Platinum Level GuideStar Exchange participant, a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity, and an Independent Charity Seal of Excellence awardee, ensuring that we meet the highest standards of accountability, efficiency, and impact. The process of training an animal is a long and brutal one. It is expensive and difficult to keep wild animals in captivity. He also found many examples of zoo elephants hurting or killing their keepers and evidence that zoos routinely downplayed or even lied about those incidents. CITES does not directly address living conditions for captive animals. Its protections are minimal as well. Animals in the wild are naturally shy to humans. The monotonous, confined life of animals in captivity is a mere shadow of what life was like for them in the wild. A Brief History of Zoos . 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. Reintroduced animals have a hard time coping with life in the wild after long periods away. They argue that no animal should be forced to spend their life in an unnatural environment and perform. Why Animals should not be Kept in Zoos? - StudyDriver.com For many wild animals, this is a vital part of their life, and they can struggle to redefine their footing. However, through education and informative motions for change, we can make change the way zoos are run. Due in part to unnatural enclosures, animals in zoos are under stress. The window to the world of. 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. Ive been to zoos and aquariums in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island, not to mention those in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Do not reproduce without permission. Another time, one of the orangutans, Kumang, learned how to use sticks to ground the current in the electrical wire around her enclosure. Life expectancy is controlled by both the mental and physical health of most animals. CreditPhotographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times. 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. William Randolph Hearst created his own private zoo with lions, tigers, leopards and more at Hearst Castle. However, looking back as an adult with a world-savvy eye, there is far more to animal captivity than meets the eye. Why Are Zoos Bad? Why Animals Should Not be Kept in Zoos Zoos - Pros & Cons - ProCon.org 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. YES. 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. 525 East Cotati Avenue,Cotati, CA 94931 Reasons Why Animals Should not Be Kept in Zoos - GradesFixer 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. See Related: War and the Effect on Wildlife. Emma Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.. Are Sliding Doors or French Doors More Energy Efficient? ALSO READ: Man in Uganda Beats Lion With Bare Hands In Bloody Battle Before Feasting on the Beast for Dinner. That's how animals living in captivity feel. Here are some of the major ways that these jurisdictions are protecting wild captive animals under the law: Restricting Private Parties From Keeping Wild Animals: Some states ban the keeping of wild and exotic animals. Should Animals Be Kept in Zoos? | KQED Education Why zoos are good | Zoology | The Guardian The truth is there is a vast difference between genuine conservation efforts and endangered species protection and running a zoo. Animals are forced to live in artificial habitats that arent anywhere close to their former homes (the wild). In his Animal Park, which opened in 1907 in Hamburg, he designed cages that didnt look like cages, using moats and artfully arranged rock walls to invisibly pen animals. Investigators found sticks and pine cones inside the exhibit, most likely thrown by the boys. All Rights are Resvered. With increased awareness about the cruelty involved with keeping wild animals in captivity, more and more jurisdictions are enacting legal protections. Lack of Sufficient Space No matter how dedicated a zoo is, it can't meet the space requirements for most of its animals. 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. Don't be suckered into supporting companies that offer experiences like hugging a tiger, swimming with dolphins, riding elephants, or kissing sharks.