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The animals too have rights and they shouldnt be subjected to half the things they undergo. Zoo keepers are often trained and specialize in a particular breed or species. Zoos are built as a source of income for some. The problem is that these large predators control the population of herbivorous animals in their domain. Below are a dozen reasons why zoos can be bad for animals: No matter how dedicated a zoo is, it cant meet the space requirements for most of its animals. To many people, a trip to the zoo is a fun day out for the family. Important to protect endangered species from extinction. Kings would keep hippos, baboons and large cats. Fighting is a sign that they are threatened, especially when an animal has no way of getting away quickly. The statistics on the number of big cats alone that have died in captivity between 1990 and 2021 is 126. In one escape, they worked together: One held a mop handle steady while her sister climbed it to freedom. 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. Severe arthritis and foot infections are common in captive elephants due to standing on hard, unnatural surfaces all day without room to roam. Local laws are often most effective in governing the private possession of exotic animals. Going to the zoo is sort of a short vacation for many people. A.Z.A. Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage! Animals in captivity can struggle to adapt to their new environment. Visitors will hammer on the glass or clamor around an animal enclosure, calling and shouting for the creature to perform for their pleasure. See Related: Endangered Species in California. 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. Animals are often bored and, as a result, some become aggressive and can lash out at other animals or zookeepers. PETA isn't alone. Copyrights 2023. Elephants, lions, tigers, rhinos, and such. 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. Older menageries existed as far back as 2500 BCE, in Mesopotamia. 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. That's not a record that justifies tens of millions of wild animals kept in zoos. They found that only 27 percent of people bothered to read the signs at exhibits. Jason Hribals 2010 book, Fear of the Animal Planet, chronicles dozens of attempts. That's how animals living in captivity feel. And Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo has an on-site Wildlife Hospital to save sick and injured native species. says that its members host more than 50 reintroduction programs for species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Nevertheless, a vast majority of zoo animals (there are 800,000 animals of 6,000 species in the A.Z.A.s zoos alone) will spend their whole lives in captivity, either dying of old age after a lifetime of display or by being culled as surplus.. This paper is going to discuss why animals should not be kept in captivity. She somehow got over the 12-foot wall surrounding her 1,000-square-foot enclosure and attacked one of the teenagers, killing him. Big cats, such as lions and tigers, used in circuses are forced to live in tiny cages that are transported across the country. The Dark Truth behind Bear Bile Uses: Hidden Costs of Traditional Medicine, The Untold Story of Factory-farmed Cows the Consequences for Animal and Human Health, Are Giraffes Endangered? With increased awareness about the cruelty involved with keeping wild animals in captivity, more and more jurisdictions are enacting legal protections. (The culling of mammals specifically in E.A.Z.A. Apes are known for picking locks and keeping a beady eye on their captors, waiting for the day someone forgets to lock the door. Grizzly Bear vs Black Bear: Whats the Difference. Chimps pull out their own hair. One way that is rarely documented is the sale of other animals into the exotic pet trade. 2. Zoo animals sustain both physical and psychological scars from harsh zookeepers. Wrong! 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. When the zoo replaced the bars with thick glass, he started methodically removing the putty holding it in. We say zoos are bad because animals are forced to live in unnatural, stressful, boring environments, leading to a lack of mental and physical stimulation. Zoos accredited by the A.Z.A. The sale of excess animals to traveling roadside zoos is another big problem. The same applies to elephants. Photographs by Peter Fisher. For many wild animals, this is a vital part of their life, and they can struggle to redefine their footing. Even though they might be getting enough food, if your animals are not okay mentally they might still not live to their full potential. More than 6,000 comments made by the visitors were recorded, nearly half of which were purely descriptive statements that asserted a fact about the exhibit or the animal. The researchers wrote, In all the statements collected, no one volunteered information that would lead us to believe that they had an intention to advocate for protection of the animal or an intention to change their own behavior.. "Only 15% of the thousands of species held in zoos are considered 'threatened'," says Will Travers OBE, president of Born Free. Animal Legal Defense Fund,National Headquarters The Link Between Fasting And Mental Health: Can It Improve Mood And Cognition? Private individuals with the financial means use their money to procure rare or exotic animals from zoos to add to their own private collections. A peer-reviewed 2017 study in the . Zoo elephants tend to die young. Your email address will not be published. Sadly, most of these associations end up protecting the interests of their members, and not the animals they should be protecting. T he video above shows the tragic reality of how animals in captivity are mistreated and never get to experience freedom, or live how they were . Top 50 Most Good-looking Nationalities: AI Shows Beautiful People From Different Countries; How Does Science Measure Beauty, Attractiveness? Zookeepers also often may neglect their healthcare needs. Caring for the said animals, away from their predator will give their species a chance of repopulating. Profits are also gained through the selling of animals to other zoos or circuses. The trade in wild animals involves tremendous suffering at every stage of the process. The owners of such zoos are focused on maximizing profits even at the animals expense. The fewer than two dozen non-participants include North Korea, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Turkmenistan. Well, scat reveals all sorts of things about individual animals; information the keepers share with the scientific community. That claim is up for debate. YES. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. Artificial environments. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species. Life expectancy for animals in captivity depends on a couple of things, such as their way of life, among other factors. For intellectual property information and terms of use, visit our Intellectual Property Terms of Usepage. However, critics say this doesn't justify their existence. Declawing is extremely painful and causes permanent disability. 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. Also, removing a certain species from the ecosystem can destroy the whole ecosystem. Animals are an important part of nature and should have the right to live in their natural environment. 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. And it is true that the territory size of an animal like a wolf depends greatly on the density of resources and other wolves. A Brief History of Zoos . Drugs given to animals include sedatives and antipsychotic drugs. It gets even worse for the animal if the trainer is impatient, the poor beast will have to endure beatings over commands they dont understand. The educational day out model of zoos endured until the late 20th century, when zoos began actively rebranding themselves as serious contributors to conservation. An animal lover, Alexs family, have all been involved in various animal welfare charities. We use cookies to help ensure the best experience on our website. However, in a zoo, the boundaries between the wild and captivity are rearranged. Elephants figure prominently in his book, in part because they are so big that when they escape it generally makes the news. 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. In addition, a costlier but more educational option is to make arrangements to view animals in the wild. They go for the same reason people went to zoos in the 19th century: to be entertained. ", Published in the June 2017 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK), What to do in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, How to plan and book an Indian rail odyssey, Four of the best luxury sleeper trains in India, How Miami is re-embracing its modernist architecture, Where to eat in Clitheroe, the Ribble Valley's culinary hotspot, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society. Elephants arent the only species that try to flee a zoo life. Animals are removed from their natural habitats. However, that does not stop the silent damage that captivity delivers to such roaming animal species. Visit animal sanctuaries instead of zoos, marine parks or circuses. In April, ethical tour operator Responsible Travel after consultation with wildlife charity Born Free Foundation axed trips that include zoo visits. Polar bears have one million times less space. Some zoo animals try to escape. The AWA establishes only baseline standards of care for licensing exhibitors. That change prompted the shift in zoo narrative from entertainment to the protection of animals. Your email address will not be published. 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. Zoos often have insufficient knowledge of animals. When theres a surplus, you can just have a plant sale. ViewResources. Even when properly fed and well housed, they can never be fully relaxed in confined spaces. They learned from their parents to be mistrustful because they have no way of knowing whether people could be good or do them harm. The Brutal Truth About Seal Clubbing: Because Everyone Needs Dead Seal Pups (Not)! Black-footed ferrets and red wolves in the United States and golden lion tamarins in Brazil all endangered, as well have been bred at zoos for reintroduction into the wild. Animals are stressed when they get separated from their packs or herds, especially when they end up as the only one of their kind in their new homes. Apes are excellent at escaping. Unlike in the wild where these endangered species have to worry about staying safe, in these breeding programs they get taken care of. This is due to the inhumane conditions that these animals are forced to endure. The environment that these animals are kept in isnt natural to them more so the animals that are taken from the wilderness and kept in zoos. Groundhog More than Just a Weather Prognosticator! Their droppings look like little glitterballs. See Related: Importance of Wildlife Conservation. Bears and cats pace. 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. What if they sent all the animals that need really large areas or lots of freedom and socialization to refuges? We have good models of captive wild animal protection laws outside of this country as well. There have also been reported cases of zoos not properly disposing of dead bodies when animals die on their premises. People are always attracted to exotic animals such as grizzlies, lions, wolves, tigers, and alligators among others. All Rights are Resvered. However, the truth is that no enclosure can come close to matching the vastness of an animals natural environment. 7 reasons why animals in captivity deserve freedom. Check out more news and information on Wild Animalsin Science Times. No, most likely not. Exotic animals have become very popular, but they are also dangerous in so many ways. Animals also lose their genetic diversity especially due to inbreeding. Depressed monkey Nature reserves, bird watching, going on a safari. Zoos have been around for thousands of yearsas far back as 3500 BC in Egypt. Anyone can read what you share. Persuasive Speech: Why Animals Should Not be kept in Zoos. Regardless of the merits or ethics of zoos, one thing's for certain: they're going to be around for some years yet. Mr. Hagenbecks model was widely influential. There are a great many negative effects of zoos on animals.When we visit zoos, we can see they often go to great lengths in order to recreate the animals natural habitats. Animal Legal Defense Fund petition for rulemaking spurs reporting improvements: Forms will be revised to ensure AWA licensees maintain complete records of all animal deaths. "An even smaller proportion are part of captive breeding programmes and, of those, a tiny fraction have been released back into the wild. This isnt always guaranteed since the breeding practices could be insufficient or even produce animals that are not suitable for survival in the wild. Captive animals are forced to spend their lives swimming endlessly and aimlessly instead of traveling up to 100 miles a day at fast speeds in the wild. The window to the world of. You can see exotic animals without the need for traveling. The process of training an animal is a long and brutal one. This goes to the detriment of the animals in zoos and puts them at risk of receiving inadequate care. Wildlife experts remind people that these animals do not know people's intentions, so they will try to protect themselves no matter what. A largely unregulated trend is the hybrid breeding of wild cats with house cats, with predictably disastrous consequences. See Related: Animals With the Best Sense of Smell. But the law excludes protection for birds, rats and mice, farmed animals and "cold-blooded" animals such as reptiles, amphibians and fish. The first zoos housed animals behind metal bars in spartan cages. Don't be suckered into supporting companies that offer experiences like hugging a tiger, swimming with dolphins, riding elephants, or kissing sharks. There are currently 421 zoological gardens and aquariums and a 2.9% business growth this year despite the pandemic. Here's What Experts Think. 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. 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. People are fascinated by animals. This is only one of the Act's limitations. Zookeepers are not mustache-twirling villains. 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. facilities report spending approximately $231 million annually on conservation projects. This alone increases the risk of disease, as animals are exposed to viruses they have never encountered before. They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. An example of these associations is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) which represents over 240 businesses across the globe. The real question is, how can we change things? Many zoos create attractive enclosures to attract visitors. Slow animals with minimal to zero predators such as elephants have brief life spans in captivity. In 1898, the reason was cited by the New York Zoological Society when it resolved to inform the public of the continued decline in animal populations, to stimulate sentiment in favor of animal protection, and to cooperate with scientific organizations to ensure the preservation of species. Its zookeepers who arent fond of animals that go around hurting animals even when they havent been provoked. There is always that element of choice that gets removed from them in a captive environment. Investigators found sticks and pine cones inside the exhibit, most likely thrown by the boys. Why Are Puppy Mills Bad: The Numerous Reasons Why They Must Be Stopped And How You, yes you, Can Help! Here they are relatively safe . See Related: Different Animals That Cant Jump. 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. RELATED ARTICLE: Dolphin Attacks Trainer in Front of Horrified Families in Miami Seaquarium: How Often Do These Sea Creatures Attack Humans? This support of the exotic pet trade also results in a lot of preventable animal deaths. Due to the low density of the population of some animals in their natural ecosystems they struggle to find partners. They learned from their parents to be mistrustful because they have no way of knowing whether people could be good or do them harm. 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? Here are my eight reasons why zoos are critical to conservation: 1. You can surely help these animals by refusing to visit zoos and instead supporting sanctuaries where animals live in natural habitats. This becomes a major blow to the biodiversity of the affected region. Animals need physical stimulation and a level of interaction with nature that we, as humans, cannot understand, let alone interpret and recreate. What people can do: Justin Gillis and Hal Harvey describe the types of local activismthat might be needed, while Saul Griffith points to how Australia shows the way on rooftop solar. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. In 2014, the director of the E.A.Z.A. 1. Not surprising, perhaps, considering the typical polar bear enclosure is one million times smaller than the area they would naturally roam.". The Toledo Zoo has dosed zebras and wildebeest with the antipsychotic haloperidol to keep them calm and has put an orangutan on Prozac. These wild animals are sold at auctions, pet stores or over the internet. Ms. Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.. Another time, one of the orangutans, Kumang, learned how to use sticks to ground the current in the electrical wire around her enclosure.