The Purpose Of Zoos : The Benefits Of Zoos

One of the most fun, visually amazing functions to visit are zoo's. Growing up as a kid going to the zoo was so much fun and basically guaranteed a great day out. People have been complaining and questioning the role of zoo's for a long time now. Some claim that it actually kills the animals off faster. Others claim that zoo's actually help protect and preserve the lives of these animals. Only one can make a reasonable argument by studying sources, and finding out statistics. Based off of the articles, "The Stripes Will Survive", "The Zoos Go Wild", and "Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment", we can truly get in-depth analysis about the role zoo's play.

Many people claim that zoos aren’t any better in the last 4,000 years. I believe otherwise. Animals are no longer kept in cold cages with steel bars. Animals have mini-habitats that look like their natural environment. It’s a friendlier environment than the wild. Sure they have more space in the wild but as I stated before, they live in constant fear because of us! Zoos are able to educate about the needs of animals. That's good because zoos open our eyes and in the past, they didn't teach us anything. The only thing they did was entertain by forcing animals to do tricks. Zoos don't do that anymore because they changed for the better. These reasons oppose my opposer’s

Zoos have been around for 4,000 years, for many years people have gone to zoos to see wild animals up close. What people do not know is animals don't have the best interest in being in a zoo. The article, "Zoos: The Historical Debate" from Globalanimal.org discusses some pros (positive sides) and cons (negative sides) of zoos. As well as how millions of people visit zoos around the world and how some argue that zoos are either places of education and conversation or unnecessary prisons. After reading the article a logical conclusion is zoos are detrimental to animals.

Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture. They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a means of entertainment. Yet, throughout the years the role of zoos have changed. Though once used for amusement, zoos are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species. One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them, have changed throughout history.

Initially, zoos have improved a great deal over the last four thousand years. They do not have any more cages or steel bars. They have continuously tried to provide exceptional and friendlier environments for these wild animals.

There have been a lot of problems with animals in zoos. It has gotten to the point where zoos are hated and looked upon as a places of animal torture. Are zoos really that bad? Turns out, they are. They do not have enough space, they do not allow the animals to communicate with each other, and they sell the animals to cruel circuses.

Every year almost 175 million people visit a zoo, yet the mistreatment of animals in zoos goes almost completely unnoticed. This mistreatment is constantly swept under the rug by issues that society deems more relevant or impact us more. For example, issues like climate change receive more attention. However, this mistreatment is relevant and is constantly impacting society. These animals that are left malnourished, fatigued, and constantly fighting bacterial infections, are important. Every time an animal is pulled from the wild and put into captivity it impacts the mental health of the animal and endangers everyone and everything around it. Zoos are to blame for this endangerment, yet so is the public for overlooking mistreatment such as enclosures that are too small, surplus animals, and mental illness in animals.

’’According to CNN, animal advocacy group Born Free reports that there have been 256 injuries in zoos due to animal attacks over the past 26 years, resulting in 33 deaths.’’ Every single year there are many animals killed or injured in zoo’s. There are numerous zoo’s placed all over the United States. The zoo’s keep the animals trapped in a fenced in enclosure with little to no water source or spacious area. Numerous people disagree with the fact various breeds are mixed in the same enclosure. People believe that animals should be allowed to enjoy their own natural habitat and live with their families, and not trapped within enclosures.

Zoos have changed and found a balance between being an attraction and conservation park. Some people think zoos should protect animals to the best of their ability. For example, some zoos have upgraded animals’ living spaces so that they feel comfortable. Overall, the role of zoos is to protect animals by providing them with their basic needs, making sure they have a suitable place to live, and to save them from extinction!

In the article The Future of Zoos, Justin Worland discusses the future of zoos so animals will be more comfortable in their environment. The Zoo360 is trying to change animals captivity by adding walkways/bridges for tigers. Animals are smarter and fell more than we knew and may suffer and may suffer when removed from their habitat in the wild. Coe developed a strategy to give animals natural vegetation, room to walk/roam, and big amounts of light. Hancocks has improved zoos a lot so that the animals are more comfortable in their environment.

Zoos are terrible places for animals that do not belong in cages. Zoos include roadside zoos, petting zoos, and smaller animal exhibits. The animals they have are meant to be out in the wild not locked up in cages. The areas are not big enough for them to be animals. They are held in captivity with nowhere to go because if they try to break out, they are going to get shot down. Animals are not meant for entertainment. If you want to see an animal there are many websites with live cameras in order to see it. Also, if you want to see animals the animals should have a free range area and the people ride around in cars to look. The people should take the chances of getting beaten, eaten, trampled, etc. Zoos make money off poor animals who have no choice

What do you see when you think of a Zoo? Usually, people think of a place to hang out with family and friends and are educated on animals. Zoos give an opportunity for city kids or people to see wild animals. A zoo is a place where animals live in and are put on display for people to view. Zoos travel back to as early as 2500 B.C., when nobility started to collect exotic animals. In Europe, sixteenth century, when early explorers traveled to the New World, they brought home all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures like anteaters and sloths (Sunquist). The first modern zoo, opened in Vienna in 1765, but it was not until the mid-to-late 1800s that zoos started to become more common. The idea of displaying wild animals to the public in the park was instantly appealing to the rising middle class of the Victorian era (Sunquist). Though some may believe zoos are an unsafe environment for animals, most zoos have benefited animals by educating the public, contributing to the conservation of animals by developing breeding programs or other conservation-oriented programs, and also bringing them into a safe environment.

Displaying and caring for the zoo animals are one of the main parts in the zoo. These places have been around for a while helping our economy evolve and keeping animals safe.

In the past few years, a lot of controversy has been going on about whether zoos should be banned or not. Zoos should not be banned as they play a major role in preventing the extinction of some of the species help and in the protection of the animals. “In 1962 a campaign to catch three of the last living Arabic Oryx served to begin a breeding project at the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona.”[1]

The main aim of zoos is to protect and conserve global biodiversity and wildlife. To do this they have four roles to play which are; research, conservation, education and welfare.