Increasingly, animals were presented with the distasteful fact of their imprisonment visually elided. A gorilla named Togo at the Toledo Zoo used his incredible strength to bend the bars of his cage. For many wild animals, this is a vital part of their life, and they can struggle to redefine their footing. "We engage huge audiences with wildlife, inspiring the conservationists of tomorrow," argues zoological director of ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, Professor David Field. A 2019 report by World Animal Protection found that captive animals exhibitedabnormal levels of aggression, indicating that the attack in Miami Seaquarium was a direct result of captivity, despite claims that it is an isolated incident and is uncommon. Step away from the selfie stick. Many zoos use Prozac and other psychoactive drugs on at least some of their animals to deal with the mental effects of captivity. Zookeepers also often may neglect their healthcare needs. Today's zoos are extremely important to saving wild animals and their habitats. Investigators found sticks and pine cones inside the exhibit, most likely thrown by the boys. Theyre generally small menageries where wild and exotic animals like lions, tigers, monkeys, wolves, and others are kept in captivity, and often suffer badly. Animals in the wild are naturally shy to humans. Even if the animals are being fed well, the lack of freedom can cause them to be stressed. All of these animals are well studied and have a plethora of documentaries and video footage of them in the wild. Animals kept in an unsuitable environment or fed the wrong diet can suffer, and this can lead to illness or death. Pros and cons of zoos: Should animals be kept in zoos? For example, the typical enclosure designed for a polar bear is about a million times smaller than its natural roaming grounds. Your email address will not be published. There is considerable variation from state to state and among cities and counties, as to how much legal protection is offered to captive wild animals. In 2014, the director of the E.A.Z.A. The owners of such zoos are focused on maximizing profits even at the animals expense. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. Check out more news and information on Wild Animalsin Science Times. There have also been reported cases of zoos not properly disposing of dead bodies when animals die on their premises. I remember well the awe and joy on their faces, 15 years later. Breeders: How to Stop Puppy FarmsPermanently. See Related: War and the Effect on Wildlife. Animals are an important part of nature and should have the right to live in their natural environment. Kept in barren cages rarely larger than 20 by 20 feet, bears in roadside zoos spend their days pacing, sleeping abnormally long periods of time, and bobbing their head all indications of extreme psychological distress. Another problem of zoos is that animals often only have rather limited space to move. The Animal Welfare Act: The Animal Welfare Act, or AWA, is the primary piece of federal legislation regulating captive wild animals. worldanimalfoundation.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and Other Programs, an affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to the Partners. Keeping endangered animals in zoos infringes on those individuals' rights to freedom. When it rains, the topsoil gets washed away leaving the land more exposed. Giant Insect From Jurassic Era Found in Walmart Opens Deeper Ecological Questions, 3,500-Year-old Perfectly Preserved, Mummified Bear Might Lead to 'Breakthrough in Ancient Animal Study', Presumed Extinct Funji-eating Fairy Lantern Plant Found Emerging Again in Japan, How Did Missing Argentinian Man's Remains Get Into a Shark's Stomach? 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. With increased awareness about the cruelty involved with keeping wild animals in captivity, more and more jurisdictions are enacting legal protections. These refuge-zoos could become places where animals live. For example, smaller and faster animals with a lot of predators in the wild tend to thrive in zoos. 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. They often display neurotic behaviour, like repetitive pacing, swaying, and bar biting. Here are my eight reasons why zoos are critical to conservation: 1. They are used to collect exotic pets from owners who are looking to get rid of them. 2021 ScienceTimes.com All rights reserved. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Its zookeepers who arent fond of animals that go around hurting animals even when they havent been provoked. 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. What began as a way to pass time soon became a compulsion. See Related: Best Books on Endangered Species. It is expensive and difficult to keep wild animals in captivity. For intellectual property information and terms of use, visit our Intellectual Property Terms of Usepage. In many modern zoos, animals are well cared for, healthy and probably, for many species, content. Animal Legal Defense Fund,National Headquarters They are just some of the millions of wild animals living in captivity across the United States. Theres also the Zoological Association of America that operates in the United States. A Brief History of Zoos . That's how animals living in captivity feel. WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. 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. In 2020, facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums contributed more than $230 million to conservation efforts. Another similar behavior of flirting is freezing, in which an animal does not move when there is no way of escape, like being caught in a trap or net even though they are terrified. Zoos often have insufficient knowledge of animals. Non-native animals are held in conditions that vary greatly from what they are used to living in. Some animals are quite intelligent so keeping them in captivity should never be an option. In 2014, the Animal Legal Defense Fund successfully brought a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act against a roadside zoo called the Cricket Hollow Animal Park, that was mistreating protected animals. This is seen as a cheaper option as opposed to moving them back into the wild. Deforestation will be the next problem when animals such as moose, elks, and deer start eating everything even young trees. But then theres the pacing, the rocking. There are a few exceptions. Ive heard and read some of their stories. Animals are forced to sleep, eat, and defecate in the same small area. Many zoos claim to be helping preserve dwindling populations. Protect animals by boycotting roadside zoos. See Related: Endangered Species in California. Some are in aquariums, circuses, theme parks and zoos, others live caged at private homes. 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. 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. 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. Some surplus animals or injured animals are even fed to predators as a means of life-cycle maintenance. Animals are often bored and, as a result, some become aggressive and can lash out at other animals or zookeepers. One way that is rarely documented is the sale of other animals into the exotic pet trade. Well, scat reveals all sorts of things about individual animals; information the keepers share with the scientific community. Animals in zoos are easier to get various kinds of diseases because there are thousands of people around the animal every day. 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. 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. In the age of social media, high profile culls have sparked heated debates. Even without a consciousness (that we know of) animals are alive and should be treated as such. Zoos also say that they save the endangered animals, but all they really care about is how much crowd the animal draws. 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. Private Possession: Many wild animals may be kept captive in private homes as pets. Animals in zoos can sense this, and over time their confinement can lead to worrying behavioral changes. Copyright OurEndangedWorld | All Rights Reserved, Environmental Organizations in The Philippines, Environmental Organizations in North America, Environmental Organizations in South America, Best Energy-Efficient Electric Fireplaces. 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 . This alteration of the animals behavior will eventually do more harm than good. Fighting is a sign that they are threatened, especially when an animal has no way of getting away quickly. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Animals are forced to live in artificial habitats that arent anywhere close to their former homes (the wild). Sadly, most of these associations end up protecting the interests of their members, and not the animals they should be protecting. Read on to find out why animals should not be kept in zoos. See Related: Are Humans Animals? CITES does not directly address living conditions for captive animals. Lack of Sufficient Space No matter how dedicated a zoo is, it can't meet the space requirements for most of its animals. And this is not a definite number of victims; there is probably a good number that hasnt been documented. Some of these animals are surplus from roadside zoos. Lawsuit to Force USDA to Recognize Its Authority to Take Possession of Animals Upon License Revocation, Demanding USDA Strengthen and Enforce AWA Licensees Recordkeeping Requirement for All Animal Deaths, Demanding USDA Revoke Animal Welfare Act License from Pennsylvania Roadside Zoo Claws N Paws, Big Cat Public Safety Act Passes the U.S. Senate in Victory for Animals, USDA to Strengthen Tracking of Animal Deaths at Licensed Facilities Following Legal Petition, Lawsuit Seeks to Force USDA to Recognize Its Authority to Take Possession of Animals When Agency Revokes Licenses. There are a number of reasons why animals should not be kept in captivity. If an untrained zookeeper comes across a stubborn animal, they might hurt it if they are impatient. The statistics on the number of big cats alone that have died in captivity between 1990 and 2021 is 126. Animals begin to display erratic behaviors, self-mutilation, and an inability to settle. These laws help the animals and also people, since wild animals in captivity present a serious public safety risk. After being captives of the pandemic for more than a year, we have begun experiencing the pleasures of simple outings: dining al fresco, shopping with a friend, taking a stroll through the zoo. All rights reserved. Should zoos be banned? | National Geographic 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. All Rights Reserved. Terrifying, Pre-Historic-Looking Fish Captured in the Ocean's Twilight Zone; What Is It? 525 East Cotati Avenue,Cotati, CA 94931 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. An orangutan at the Omaha Zoo kept wire for lock-picking hidden in his mouth. Profits are also gained through the selling of animals to other zoos or circuses. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. In the case of America, our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths. So when they face a threat, wild animals believe that they should survive by fleeing, fighting, flirting, or freezing. Ms. Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.. Older menageries existed as far back as 2500 BCE, in Mesopotamia. Animals are removed from their natural habitats. While zoos can definitely be exciting places for families to visit, the fact remains that they are bad for animals. Animals have been going extinct for as long as there has been life on earthany weakling or disadvantageous animals get wiped out. ", PETA's Bekhechi adds, the aim of breeding programmes is just "to produce baby animals to attract visitors.". Wildlife experts remind people that these animals do not know people's intentions, so they will try to protect themselves no matter what. Zoos have been around for thousands of yearsas far back as 3500 BC in Egypt. There were five such states until 2017, when South Carolina passed a law banning wild and exotic animals to be kept as pets. Its protections are minimal as well. 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". Life expectancy is controlled by both the mental and physical health of most animals. The common negative effects of zoos on animals are listed below. A day may come, he said, when we need to breed elephants or tigers or polar bears in captivity to save them from extinction. Cons of zoos Animal cruelty in zoos continues to be extremely common. Tell lawmakers you support animal-friendly legislation and local bans on using animals in entertainment. Zoos provide opportunities for nice family trips. Boycott businesses that profit from cruelty to animals. Why Animals Should Not be Kept in Zoos These animals oftentimes live in inhumane conditions, and pose a serious threat to public safety. Learn More. Groundhog More than Just a Weather Prognosticator! Read more: Should I worry about chemtrails? Meanwhile, small changes at the officemight be one good way to cut significant emissions, writes Carlos Gamarra. However, that does not stop the silent damage that captivity delivers to such roaming animal species. The A.Z.A. Many zoos give children the wrong lessons about wild animals and how to protect animals. The ongoing extinction crises shows that zoos are needed - even for common species. 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. Animals such as lions, elephants, and tigers dont get even close to one percent of the area they roam in the wild. 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 For privacy policy and ad & cookie policy information, visit our Privacy Policy pages. Animal rights activists argue that hunting, capturing, and putting animals on display is unethical. The truth is there is a vast difference between genuine conservation efforts and endangered species protection and running a zoo. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/opinion/zoos-animal-cruelty.html, Photographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times. This is due to the fact that many zoos want to keep as many animals as . Should zoos exist essay: Should Zoos Still Exist or Not? The Arguments For the unlucky ones that end up in the circuses, they are always in for a wide awakening. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. The first efforts to keep wild and exotic animals for non-utilitarian uses began about 2500 BCE, when rulers in . Keep on reading. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. At least 20 zoos in the United States have already ended their elephant exhibits in part because of ethical concerns about keeping the species captive. See Related: Most Comfortable Animals in The World. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. In fact, while animals will have almost unlimited space in the wild, they are often caged in rather confined areas in zoos. Do not reproduce without permission. In addition, a costlier but more educational option is to make arrangements to view animals in the wild. When it comes to lethal force and animal welfare, at least, public opinion swiftly sides against zoos. But few federal laws protect these animals, who may be forced to perform or kept confined in small cages with little to keep their minds occupied and bodies well. 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. Though the idea of breeding endangered animals to help increase their numbers back in the wild is great, there are problems that come with it. Drugs given to animals include sedatives and antipsychotic drugs. Young chimpanzees on movie sets are trained through regular beatings and then discarded around age 8 when they become too large to control. However, few people stop and actively consider why zoos are bad. Animals Should Not Be Kept in Captivity Persuasive Essay Zoos can be productive when it comes to reviving an animal species on the brink of extinction. This alone increases the risk of disease, as animals are exposed to viruses they have never encountered before. The California condor shows what zoos can accomplish. In this way, they could lead the predator away from their nest. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Zoos cannot begin to provide the amount of space animals have in the wild. Thats true, he said. We have good models of captive wild animal protection laws outside of this country as well. Existing refuges often do allow visitors, but their facilities are really arranged for the animals, not for the people. The Endangered Species Act: The Endangered Species Act, the ESA, is a federal law that protects fish, mammals, birds and plants listed as threatened or endangered in the U.S. and beyond. Fewer and fewer states are allowing residents to keep captive wild animals without a permit. 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. Mr. Hagenbecks model was widely influential. The truth is that zoos are a prison for animals. In 1982, only 22 condors existed in the wild. Copyrights 2023. As a result, many animals at zoos may die prematurely from stress or illness. Elephants, lions, tigers, rhinos, and such. Eventually, the only animals on display would be a few ancient holdovers from the old menageries, animals in active conservation breeding programs and perhaps a few rescues. 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. In states without tight enough regulation, local jurisdictions oftentimes adopt ordinances that ban or restrict the display of captive wild animals. 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. Zoos also have the power to euthanize their animals when they themselves deem it permissible. Many visitors will disturb and disrespect the animals in a zoo simply because they feel as though they are owed a performance of some sort. The other argument zoos commonly make is that they educate the public about animals and develop in people a conservation ethic. Will we ever see all zoos closed down? 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. What if they sent all the animals that need really large areas or lots of freedom and socialization to refuges? 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. There are currently 421 zoological gardens and aquariums and a 2.9% business growth this year despite the pandemic. Many zoos create attractive enclosures to attract visitors. The practice of killing surplus animals is kept quiet by zoos, but it happens, especially in Europe. 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. See Related: Different Animals That Cant Jump. Most people arent always comfortable seeing animals that are kept in zoos. But theres no unambiguous evidence that zoos are making visitors care more about conservation or take any action to support it. When she caught up with the boys at the cafe, she mauled them before she was shot to death by the police. Is Keeping Wild Animals In Zoos Unethical?: Arguments For - WorldAtlas How Does Saving Water Help Climate Change? NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Captures Dramatic Hour-by-Hour Changes of Dart Mission Slamming on an Asteroid, Can Humanity Deflect Potentially Hazardous Asteroids? 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 also lose their genetic diversity especially due to inbreeding. Giraffes endlessly flick their tongues. 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. Most states have no laws governing captive wild animals. Can captive animals ever truly return to the wild? | BBC Earth Emma Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World..