Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Ethical considerations to zoos
Essays on elephants endangered
The morality of zoos
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Ethical considerations to zoos
What’s a Nice Elephant Like You Doing In a Place Like This?
How Zoos Are Killing Elephants
In the wild, African elephants (Loxodonta Africana and Loxodonta cyclotis) live for an average of 56 years. African elephants who live in captivity in zoos live an average of only 17 years. In the wild, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) live an average of 47 years. Asian elephants who live in captivity in zoos live an average of only 19 years. Why is there such a large discrepancy between the two? Can living in a zoo significantly shorten the life span of both African and Asian elephants? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. A life spent in a zoo is neither a good life nor a long life for an elephant.
Background
Traditionally zoos have provided the connection between people and wild animals. For most people, it is their only opportunity to observe how animals live and to be entertained by their behavior. Over the last decade, however, great debates have taken place concerning the ethics of keeping wild animals confined in a cage or enclosure for most of the animal’s life. These debates have led many zoos to evaluate how they confine their animals and to create new ways to care and keep the animals in mentally and physically healthy environments, similar to what they would experience in the wild. For an elephant, however, the challenge is far greater than just increasing the size of the enclosure and adding some plants. An elephant’s size, social life, intelligence, and preference for tropical climates make it very difficult for zoos to create a healthy environment in which the elephants should live. That said, elephants in zoos have access to three things animals in the wild do not: around-the-clock veterinary care, a saf...
... middle of paper ...
...of Detroit and San Francisco have already closed their elephant exhibits and have sent the elephants to a sanctuary, but some zoos have decided to wait until the elephants die before closing their exhibits.
The best possible solution is to follow the lead of India, who last year banned elephants in all of its zoos, citing lack of space, poor breeding, and the absence of any positive effect on elephant conservation. Elephants, like humans, value their lives, and we have a moral responsibility to allow them to roam, to socialize, and to play. Their lives matter to them, and they should matter to us. We are morally obligated to protect other moral beings, and we have the power to do so. We must not allow them to live their lives in captivity but in their natural habitats. What is right – to treat elephants humanely or to make them suffer for our amusement?
Animals life spans in Zoos are also drastically different from those in the wild. Studies have shown that animals kept in Zoos live only half of the lifespan animals do in the wild (Cokal 493). This goes to show that when animals are kept in Zoos they do not live statistically longer or healthier lives. They live shorter, problematic lives due to poor
The practice of keeping wild animals in a zoo or aquarium is looked at favorably in most aspects but what we fail to realize is that we have placed animals which at one point lived freely in wide open spaces into captivity. Society is assuming these animals are happy to be taken from their natural habitat and placed in pens and cages because they have every need handed to them. David Suzuki asked “What gives us the right to exploit other living organisms as we see fit?” (681). Through selfishness, people have justified zoos and aquariums to be an educational benefit to children, to help them learn about animals, their individuality and where they come from. Zoos and Aquariums are for society’s personal entertainment not for the good of the animals and should be closed down.
Thousands of zoos worldwide are visited by citizens yearly to admire and satisfy their curiosity of the beautiful wild animals that mother nature has to offer. Zoos have been around for hundreds of years and have become a known tradition for numerous school field trips and family outings. The ongoing debate between animal rights activists and zoo officials remains, should wild animals be taken from their natural habitats to live in city zoos for education and entertainment purposes?
Constant confinement causes unnatural behavior and death among animals. The confinement makes it easier for disease to spread among animals and humans such as tuberculosis. Temperature fluctuations are unnatural to animals’ natural environment. In 1997, an eight year old elephant died due to being caged in 120 degrees. Unnatural behavior such as swaying, rocking, head-bobbing, and other repetitive action are signs of psychological distress in elephants. Common behavior like banging h...
In conclusion, I hope one day all the zoos will be shut down, so that the animals can live their life in their natural habitat so suffering will go away and they will not be put into misery. So I think animals should not be put in
Animal cruelty is the abuse or failure to care for an animal. Before the past couple of years, people did not have to worry about how the animals in zoos were treated. For centuries, families have gone to zoos to be educated on the different species of animals. As years have gone by, zoos have become a trending topic of animal cruelty. While zoos do not physically abuse the animals, they have been known to not properly care for them. “According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), there are over 10,000 zoos worldwide” (Fravel 2). Of these 10,000 zoos, only some of them actually care about their animals. Caring for wild animals is extremely hard because zoos have to recreate the animals’ natural habitat. Zoos believe that they are protecting the animals’, yet; they tend to forget how it affects the animals. In reality, the animals are depressed and bored. These wild animals are being taken out of their natural habitats and are enclosed in small cages and habitats. Wild animals should live in their natural habitats, the wild, not in a zoo for the entertainment of zoo visitors. Therefore, banning zoos will end the horrible cycle of animal cruelty.
Since the recent event with a gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo, people have questioned ethics. The author wrote this argument to explain why the safety of animals, as well as their survival in the future, depends on these enclosures. Some readers would accept that zoos and aquariums conduct a lot of research, but for those who are skeptical, the argument discusses that the “Zoological Society of London, for instance, is developing innovative methods to assess the risks of animals contracting disease when they are reintroduced into the wild” (2016, p. 2, para. 7). The effective evidence Ganzert brings in shows readers the benefits of zoos and aquariums in order to appeal to the value of the animals being well contained and protected while they are in the enclosures. Another strong example of Ganzert’s appeal to an audience that wants the facts is “The Phoenix Zoo helped lead the ensuing breeding and reintroduction programs, which ultimately birthed more than 200 calves from just nine individuals. Now between Oman and Jordan, there are about 1,000 Arabian Oryx living in the wild” (2016, p. 2, para. 4). In result, the audience receives information about an existing program as well as what has happened due to the creation of this program at the Phoenix Zoo.
Cohn, Jeffrey P. "Do Elephants Belong In Zoos?" Bioscience 56.9 (2006): 714-717. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
The common name is the African Elephant, the scientific name is Loxodonta Africana, the phylum is Vertebrata, the class is Mammalia, the order is Proboscidea, and the family is Elephantidae. The Closest Relatives to the African Elephant are: the Asian Elephant, mammoths, primitive proboscidean (mastodons), sea cows, and hyraxes. Scientists believe that the African Elephant evolved from one of its closest relatives, the Sea Cow. The geographical location and range of the African elephant covers all of central and southern Africa. In Ethiopia there are isolated populations that exist around Lake Chad in Mali and Mauritania. Also in Kenya, Rhodesia, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Zaire, and in National parks located in South Africa, as well as several other countries. African Elephants, originally, were found in all of the Sub-Saharan African habitats except desert steppes. Elephants still occupy diverse habitats such as: temperate grassland, tropical savanna and grass lands, temperate forest and rainforest, tropical rainforest, tropical scrub forest, and tropical deciduous forest despite their drastic decline in numbers. However, their migratory patterns and habitat use have changed, due to the fact that they are restricted to protected areas. The elephant can exist in many types of environments but it prefers places that have many trees and bushes, which the elephant needs both for food and shade. They also like warm areas that have plenty of rainfall.
Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of animals – conservation. (Fravel). When you think of a zoo, you either think of a fun, entertaining place that provides close-up and exciting exhibits of wild animals that you would otherwise never get the chance to see, or a place where people keep suffering, unhappy animals captive just for entertainment and display. However, despite whichever view you hold, and despite the stereotypes, some zoos have evolved to serve alternative and helpful purposes. Although some zoos face controversy due to allegations such as lack of space and quality care, neglect, and cruelty, some zoos have programs specifically designed to help and protect animal species. For example, these zoos have programs that help such conservation efforts as breeding.
“It is estimated to be 50 times more expensive to keep an elephant in a zoo than to protect sufficient natural habitat to sustain that elephant and many other animals.” (CAPS, Sad Eyes & Empty Lives- The reality of zoos) Indeed, only if the billions of dollars that spent on building a zoo are optimized to preserve habitats and animal welfare, can our grandchildren still have a chance to see more rare animals by their own eyes.
The number of African and Asian elephants in North American zoos is declining as a result of many medical issues. A new disease has recently been discovered that is now hindering elephant’s ability to survive even further. This is a major problem because according to Science Magazine, as of 1997, there are only an estimated 291 Asian elephants and 193 African elephants left in North American zoos. Since this survey was conducted, this number has severely declined. It is now estimated that for every elephant that is born in a zoo another three die.
Measuring from the shoulder, African elephants are on average 10.8 feet (females 8.9 feet), and the average length of their trunk is approximately 7-8 feet. They have the same size eyes as humans, but have no functional tear glands so they have a third eyelid to provide moisture. Their ears are large and fan-shaped, and act as radiators that prevent overheating. They have the largest brains in the animal kingdom weighing approximately 10-11 pounds. Many people don’t know this but they are very easily able to adapt to their surroundings and they are able to remember what they learn. They live about as long as humans and their ...
This article reveals zoos deficient and pathetic contributions to “conservation”. It shows how zoos use the disguise of helping endangered species and providing public education programming to cover up the mere motive of financial profit. This source does not consider the beneficial public experience gained from being able to see animals that you would not be able to see in a specific geographical region. This article could be improved if it expanded on what zoos can do to improve and provided more examples on good zoo practices.
Unfortunately, we are possibly undergoing “the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history” (Ruggiero). Without the proper conservation of elephant survival, we will see a drastic shift in the environment. Due to lack of the lack of management and resources in the conservation programs has led to a further increase in poaching which has triggered to drastic decline in elephant populations. According to the Huffington Post, a reputable news source, it reports, “an estimated 22,000 elephants were illegally killed across Africa in 2012”. In February alone there were as many as “650 elephants killed in a matter of days”