In the article “Zoos Are Cruel and Unnecessary,” Earth Times posed a question, “With the internet, as well as DVDs, 3D TV, etc., are zoos really necessary to teach people about animals in the 21st century?” In the response given by Liz Tyson, director of the Captive Animals’ Protection Society, she argues an animal and its environment in a zoo is “out of context” and there is no substitution for an animal’s natural habitat. Therefore, viewing animals in such environments distorts the message that a zoo’s primary purpose is to conserve these habitats in the wild. By focusing solely on the artificial habitats, Tyson fails to mention the educational opportunities that zoos and zoological parks can provide, such as interactive visitor programs, breeding and rehabilitation programs, and up-close animal encounters.
Tyson’s idea that the purpose of an animal exhibit is to serve as a substitute rather than a representation of their natural ecosystem reveals she has not considered the complexity of a zoo’s influence. She implies that when an animal lives in captivity, their enclosure does not convey the sense of urgency needed in the conservation of the species
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She claims that while zoos are not necessary for education, the “educative message delivered by zoos is, at best, distorted and, at worst, damaging to the cause that the zoos purport to champion—that is; the conservation of species.” Because she does not consider the educational opportunities and programs that zoos and zoological parks can offer, so her opinion on these establishments is unfavorable. However, by offering a wide variety of programs and opportunities, zoos create a unique experience for their visitors. If the animals are under proper care, there is no reason for society to believe that zoos are “cruel and
As is written in the article, “He says zoos play a major role in educating people about animals and promoting wildlife conservation.” Ultimately, what the person is trying to clarify is how zoos play a vital role in our associations to conserve flora and fauna. Conjointly, without zoos, people will waste the wildlife and continue to pollute the earth. Without zoos, animal life would cease to exist. You may go against the grain and consider that zoos must be banned for the fact that they are very deadly to the environment. Nevertheless, I still hold my conviction that zoos are a must. At length, zoos persuade the public to conserve the
As the animal rights movement has developed and grown substantially in recent years, there has been an increased focused on the welfare of captive animals. A popular institution that has received much attention for keeping animals captive is the zoo. Because of this focus, zoos have responded by publicizing their positive benefits for existence in order to justify keeping these animals on display. Since the term “zoo” can have a wide variety of meaning and characteristics, it is important to define what constitutes a zoo in this essay. Zoos are defined as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and
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.
Although there are many good reasons why animals shouldn’t be in zoos, t still teaches people from all over the world about them. The AZA reports that there are approximately 2,800 animal exhibitors in the U.S. Less than 10% of them meet standards (Issitt, 3). Now when the exhibitors that don’t meet standards crumble like a cookie, then all of those animals will go to zoos, therefore giving them a better life. It is time to realize that animals are saved every day by zoos and circuses even though many think that is cruelty. How is that cruelty? This apparent problem needs to be solved by just letting the animals that need help into, zoos this can give them a better
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.
People think that animals want to be in zoos, but they really do not. In some zoos the owners or zookeepers see how the environment is making the animals feel bad or good and they try to change it by giving the animals a similar habitat to where they came from. All three stories “The Stripes Will Survive”, “The Zoos Go Wild”, and “Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment” deal with protecting animals but they all do so in different ways.
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.
The topic of zoos and whether or not they’re humane have quickly become one of the biggest controversial topics in the past twenty years. There is not much of a ‘middle’ perspective in this debate, rather people tend to lie on two completely opposite ends of the spectrum when displaying their beliefs pertaining to the zoo debate. I chose to research this topic because though I have strong beliefs, I think that, on this matter specifically, people often jump to a certain side without any prior research or actual education on the subject. I think that it’s important to understand both sides of the argument of zoos before sustaining a side. Another reason why I chose this topic was to moreso educate myself and to make sure that the knowledge I
Zoos are a dynamic educational source that enhances our community. Zoos raise awareness about jeopardized species and the significance of preservation. Zoos may help us to comprehend animals. They offer a good tool for our societies by lodging and dealing with creatures that may have been in peril at one point in their life. “100,000 kids come to London Zoo every year to learn about creatures.”[3] Usually when people come to zoos and they are taught about the conservation of some of the endangered species, a lot of these people get motivated and inspired to do something about it either by donating money or volunteering to help and so on.
A study was published in Conservation Biology, an academic journal, where “researchers interviewed over 2,800 children after they had visited the London Zoo, and 62 percent of them showed no indication of having learned new information about animal or environmental conservation” (Cronin). The London Zoo has claimed to have a strong education program but clearly they do not because children are leaving their zoo with no new knowledge about animals or how to conserve them. If many zoos’ purposes are to educate children about conservation and animals but they are showing no signs of doing so, these zoos are providing no benefit for anyone, especially the
Some people agree that animals should be kept in the zoo. They said it would be safer for the animals and they won’t be extinct. The amount of possibilities of them dying, shot by hunters or any other reason, still higher than the chances of their survival. Food and shelter are provided, medicine, and their breeding is being controlled. And many of the wild animals in zoos are ones that are on the endangered list as their amounts are rapidly diminishing. Letting them loose and returning them to the wild is not necessarily a safe option. (Mylot, 2007) In fact, zoo can be one of the educational studies for children and people who are interested with animals. Zoo is the only place that we can have an opportunity to see animal’s life really close and sometimes we can touch them. Zoos also provide lots of information about certain animals, children can have chance to get out of the classroom and learn so they can see natural beauty from different species of animals. Even children can see them from discovery channel but that’s really different if you see animal in real world, for an example, if you see crocodile, snake or shark in the movie, maybe you won’t afraid than you see the real one. According to Tudge, (1992, p.56) Zoos are the place where people can study animals and their habitat, even scientist don’t need to go
The tiger, standing not more than three feet from me, caught my gaze. It looked at me for only a few seconds before turning away. Of course, since I was in a zoo, there was a sturdy glass shield separating us, but I could not help being thrilled by the experience of locking eyes with a tiger. After all, engaging tourists is what the Virginia Zoological Park is here to do. On the other hand, conservation, the mission of caring for animals, takes most of the zoo's efforts. Tasks like giving the animals medical care, feeding them, designing habits for them, and working to con-serve their species consume the zoo workers’ after closing hours. That's why the zoo declares its motto, "education – recreation – conservation.”
On average around 175 million people visit a zoo per year. However, the majority of these people fail to notice a relative issue that is lying in front of their faces. That these animals within these zoos are suffering every day from mistreatment and abuse. Most of the society ignores the many factors that have been revealed to them every time they enter a zoo. Instead, they focus on issues that are happening now, issues that draw out the media and are on the cover of every newspaper. However, these animals facing this mistreatment are relevant and do impact society. Every time an animal is taken from the wild and placed in the captivity of a zoo 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 an early death in animals, mental illness, and being imported illegally from the wild.
As a child, it was always an unforgettable moment anytime the family visited the zoo. My elderly brother, who was very shy and quiet, became social because the animals in the zoo were friendly to him. My father would always assign us homework titled: My Experience at the Zoo. This became a routine practice which contributed hugely to our academic performances. Zoo proponents believe that they provide education and entertainment to the public and they also protect the animals. Zoo opponents, on the other hand, believe that zoos harm animals. The care, love, and protection that zoos need to properly provide to these animals does not exist. For these reasons, zoos need to be shut down.
Whether it was long ago in the glorious days of childhood or if it was a recent trip, the majority of us have gone to a zoo at least once. As a child, no one seems to challenge the ethical dilemmas zoos put forth, but as one matures they may start to call into question the ethics of zoos. Do zoos treat animals humanely? Some questions one should think about are the zoo’s breeding and conservation strategies that go on and the exhibits. Do they support the necessities that animals require?