Zoos In The Zoo

Many people today believe that zoos and aquariums are a bad thing and should be shut down. In reality zoos and aquariums serve a great purpose to wildlife conservation. Both zoos and aquariums are ambassadors for hundreds of wildlife species that most people would have never known about if it had not been for visiting a zoo or an aquarium at some point in their life. They also rescue and house those animals that can no longer survive on their own in the wild. If there were no more zoos and aquariums then wildlife would suffer greatly from it.

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.

Zoos take giant roles to protect animals. In the magazines I read, "The Stripes Will Survive", and "The Zoos Go Wild," and the video that I watched called "Behind the Scenes with the National Zoo's Lion Cubs.", there are ways that they help the 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.

Some people go to zoos to see the wild animals, but that’s not all that they are for. People in groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) may think that zoos cannot provide the needs to wild animals as the wild can. Zoos help animals. They have improved, helping to repopulate species and save animals in the wild.

“Before the early twentieth century, zoos would separate humans from the animals by using a series of moats. In the early 1900s, however, zoos “began displaying animals in realistic exhibits that mimicked actual habitats” (Gioielli, 2016, p. 1). Coupled with the more natural habitat is advancing care for the animals in captivity. More hospitals are being built for animals and better medicine is being created constantly. As a result of healthier and happier animals in increased popularity of animals in captivity. According to Carey (2016), “More than 10,000 zoos are now in operation worldwide . . . the central missions of zoos [are] not only to serve as attractions for recreation and amusement, but also to educate people and promote conservation . . .” (p. 2). Most people do not go to see animals in captivity for the sole purpose of entertainment, they also go to learn about the animals themselves. Both children and adults can learn about how to help protect endangered animals and their habitats. As a result, zoos and aquariums are continually gaining popularity. According to Gazert (2017), “Zoos and aquariums draw 181 million visitors per year in the United States--that’s over half the country’s population, and more visitors than the annual attendance of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games combined” (p. 2). Unfortunately, some zoos and aquariums have been known to abuse their animals. While this is not true of all zoos, but the reports of abuse have increased leading to more controversy. Because of this the idea of keeping animals in captive is harder to accept. Still, the sad truth is that animals may have to be in captivity in order to save their species. “A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund warned that without swift and substantial human intervention, over two-thirds of the world’s wildlife could be gone by the end of the decade” (Ganzert, 2017, p. 1). Predictions

Zoos across the world claim to be safe, suitable homes that replicate habitats of animals that are usually found in the wild. However, there is no possible way for wild habitats to be replicated well enough for animals in captivity to thrive, animals are often separated and withheld from living as they would in the wild. Despite their argument of being educational for visitors, the only thing they are teaching the public is that it is ok to take animals out of the wild and lock them up for their own enjoyment. Regardless of these claims, zoos are inhumane.

Zoos are many things. It can be a place for family fun and a good place to visit over the weekend, yet there are so many things going on inside zoos that the public fails to notice. For example, the article “10 Facts about Zoos” by CAPS discusses the lack of enclosure space and states, “Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Polar bears have one million times less space.” This reveals that animals in zoos are placed in enclosures that are way too small for them and not even remotely close to what they experience in the wild. “Elephants are used to roaming miles upon miles a day in large groups, yet in zoos they

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, “Should we have zoos?” by Shayna Orens, it talks about the arguments between keeping or getting rid of zoos. Zoos can seem like a fun place to go learn about species you have never seen before but it seems to be very inhumane for the animals. It almost violates the basic way of living for the animals and takes away their natural habitat. It's a waste of money building these enclosures when it is still not going to be exactly what animals are looking for to live the way they are supposed to be living. The article gives plenty of evidence to help support why zoos should not be a thing.

One major benefit that zoos provide to wildlife is their endangered species programs. These programs offer a fighting chance for endangered species. With this program several individuals of an endangered species are brought into captivity and bred and the offspring, once healthy enough, are released back into the wild. These programs have the potential to reintroduce an endangered species in areas where they have been pushed out of as well as strengthen their current population. Some zoo not only protect endangered species but they also bring in and protect exotic animal pets such as, large snakes, alligators, and other animals that are not usually looked at as house hold pets. Once exotic pets reach large sizes some owners might not feel comfortable handling the animal. Often times these animals are being held illegally and are released into the wild. Once released they can become envasive and cause havoc on the ecosystem they are released into. Some zoos will take these animals in rather

But a study performed by the University of Arizona, found that 86 percent of the visitors went to the zoo for “social or recreational purposes,” and only six percent went to a zoo in order to learn more about animals. One can learn much better about a bear’s life through a documentary than having that same bear in a concrete prison. Many people liken zoos to a paradise for animals - a blissful place where animals are not compelled to struggle for food or run away from predators. If that were the case, given the chance, animals wouldn’t have escaped from their captivity in numerous instances. Every aspect of their lives is manipulated and controlled, from what they can eat, to when they can sleep. The convention of equating zoos with theme parks has maintained the status quo of these cruel

Some animal containment facilities are solely designed to rehabilitate injured animals and prepare them to be released back into the wild. Zoos on the other hand are only meant for people's entertainment. The animals in zoos are not being prepared to be sent back into the wild. Zoos are filled with animals which are not often seen by the population surrounding the zoo. Rather than keep endangered species in the zoos more widely covered animals are placed in zoos to draw crowds. “Zoos find themselves in a bind. In order to maintain this popularity—and income—they have to cram in as many charismatic, big-draw species as possible into a limited space. This commercial need can clash with the desire to recreate natural environments and can even, as studies have shown, diminish the actual proportion of endangered species under their care.” (Sanctuaries or Showbiz: What's the Future of Zoos?). Zoos need to focus on rehabilitation and protecting endangered wildlife. Instead of just being a major tourist trap zoos should focus on saving endangered animals. “"If you wanted to design a zoo for conservation, that would be very different from an entertainment zoo," said Ben Minteer, an ethicist at Arizona State University. "A lot of zoos are making a hard pivot to conservation but there's a tension there.” (Sanctuaries or Showbiz: What's the Future of Zoos?). The current idea of zoos needs to be

Some animal species in the world are endangered, such as the California condor. Endangerment means the amount of living organisms of this species is far below average and are in the threat of extinction. Extinction means that the whole species has died out. Statistics show that 21% of earth's mammal species are endangered and that 33% of all amphibian species are endangered. When it comes to this topic, zoos are major positives. Zoos will take in an animal, help it reproduce and survive, then release it back into the wild. This allows for less animals to become extinct. Humans have already caused most of their habitat loss and deaths; therefore, the zoos are there to provide them a way to rebuild and restart. To wrap this up, zoos provide a large sum of support to animals that are going extinct and will certainly

“Zoos try to make the animal’s enclosure as interesting as possible. One way of doing this is through ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT. Enrichment is the use of novel objects or ideas to increase the natural behaviour of the animals. Different objects and methods are used for different animals.” (1)