The Negative Consequences of Keeping Animals in Captivity

The first zoo opened in 1765 and it was an enormous success which resulted in improved zoos and aquariums all over the world. Aquariums keep sea animals in captivity they are kept in average sized tanks depending on their size. These places have become animal exhibitions that allow people to view and learn about animals from a closer view. These animals live in a small area that looks just exactly like their natural habitats causing them to adapt to the weather and environment. Many people are excited to see them but also feel sorry for them because they believe they should be free. In the movie Madagascar, we see how the animals are happy being the spotlight for the people, but they are curious to explore the real world, so they escaped. After they left, they wanted to return to their “home” the Central Park Zoo, but they did not realize that they were already home. They later decided to stay in Africa and enjoy their natural habitats with their same breed. Yes, zoos are amazing but why should we keep these animals caged up. There is a controversy about whether zoos should be banned. Locked up animals increases the chance of the species dying due to them adapting to their new homes.

People believe that zoos show education and teach us about animals. They let the public know that they care for the animals and that they are safe. People are convinced that zoos are the best thing for these species because they will not lack food or be at risk of being killed by any predator or any other cause. According to the “Endangered Ecosystem,” about eighty percent of Madagascar's plants and animals were found nowhere else due to people destroying the forest and other habitats. Zoos educate the public by having some camps and programs for children and adults to do hands-on activities and learn about other animals they are not able to meet. Zoos also help endangered animals, in 1981 the species survival plan was introduced. It was a plan that allowed other zoos to take part in keeping the zoo animals healthy and self-sustain the population of these species. Another program that some zoos have is reintroduction programs. According to the article “Reasons to Rethink Zoos,” a reintroduction program helps animals rehabilitate from injuries or illness and even help them when they are lost. This program focusses on helping the animals that when they are fully recovered, they are realized back into the wild.

On the other hand, according to “What Zoos Really Teach Children,” captive animals do not have fundamental rights to freedom, live their own life, or have privacy. Therefore, we think that animals are harmless and adorable like our pets ignoring the fact that they can be violent. We do not really know what animals are like until we see them in their natural habitats. We fall in the story of zoos saving extinct animals that we forget that zoos are just a way of getting money from the people. Think about it this way, how much is a price for a ticket? About ten dollars. Then we see signs that say, “feed the animals,” and charge you for their food and yours. Zoos are just for attraction and not for the animals.

“Everything that lives has value simply because it’s a living thing,' said Schweitzer. Animals should have the same rights as humans, they feel and think, they are living creatures and just like us, animals have families. We break the bonds of these species when the people sell or trade these animals to zoos. Just like humans, they have rights, animals should be free, have privacy, and they should live with their same kind. For example, elephants are placed alone in their required area and most of them die before their average life span is completed. In the text about Happy the Elephant from Bronx zoo, he was a forty-seven-year-old elephant who lived by himself for more than a decade. Until the animal-advocacy, the Non-human Rights Project took the first legal action arguing that Happy was being held in captivity. In addition to animal abuse, in 2010 a tiger had access to human medications, was fed the wrong diet and did not receive appropriate care. The tiger later became infested with flees and her bones became brittle and had anemia.

Not only do zoos harm these animals by keeping them caged up but some animals have even been killed by human encountering. For example, in May of 2016, Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo, was killed because a young boy fell into the gorilla's enclosure. Many people think this is a reason these animals should not be in zoos in the first place. Some people believed that Harambe was just trying to protect the kid, but the zoologist saw it a different way and shot the gorilla. They did not use tranquilizer darts because they believed that it would have taken a long time for them to work. Another example of animals being killed, was the death of two lions at the Santiago Metropolitan zoo. This happened due to a man who was feeling suicidal, he had decided to enter the enclosure of the lions, but the zookeepers shot the lions before any harm occurred. This also happens when the zoologist is not careful and does not pay attention to their surroundings. In Tri-state Zoological park an inspector noticed that children were reaching into the cage of tigers trying to pet them while a guide stood nearby.

Zoos sometimes do not have a good and stable enclosure for these animals. In the article “Cruel and Unusual,” four big cats died of malnutrition after the USDA recommended to place his two cougars, four tigers, two adult lions, and a young lion in a roadside facility in Manson, Iowa. These poor animals had to deal with a cold temperature of thirty-five degrees, there was no food for the large cats and their water bowls where filled with either frozen or brackish water. The zoo failed to reach the minimal federal standards. In other facilities, some lions and pumas have escaped, while four giraffes were killed due to poor wiring. These exhibitions do not seem like a safe place for both humans and animals. According to Mimi Beckhechi, a director of the international programs at PETA, explains that the animals suffer both mentally and physically because of the small space that they are locked in. She says that a zoo is a prison for the animals. In addition, the lives of zoologists are not easy. Animals can sometimes feel threatened and can put the lives of the zoologist in danger. For example, when a zoologist tries to get near them, they may swing a stick or crouch making the animals feel scared and can cause them to attack the zoologist who has been trained for that profession. Also, zoologist can become ill due to some animals or plants. When they come in contact to blood or a poisonous object, they could get that on themselves and can lead to some harmful issues. Humans who work in zoos also deal with extreme temperatures, they can be at risk of dehydration or hypothermia, the condition of having the body temperature below normal. Both people and animals are in danger when it comes to zoos.

Some exhibitions have petting zoos, where adults and children can feed and touch the animal. “A visit to the petting zoo can result to a visit to the emergency room,” says Jennifer O'Conner. Plenty of children have been infected after visiting these displays, symptoms may include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and fever. In the article “Cruel and Unusual,” about fifty-one people, mostly children, have been diagnosed with fatal E. coli, an infection that destroys red blood cells, and can lead to kidney failure, or sometimes even result in death. A three-year-old nearly died after losing both her kidneys and her large intestine. She was not the only kid who has experienced this. In 2015, a toddler died after visiting a petting zoo, she became ill with hemolytic uremic syndrome, an infection of the digestive tract due to E. coli. In a petting zoo, you can touch any sort of animal that is available however some hand-washing facilities lacked soap and disposable towels that caused the children or adults to be irresponsible and not wash their hands.

Zoos are an amazing way to spend time with family, but they ruin the families of these creatures. Humans should not be holding animals' captive imagine being the one hold prisoner so they can be shown off to the public. Zoos should indeed be banned because these exhibitions put in danger humans and animals. Animals are abused, don't have enough space and suffer from stress and depression.