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Arguments about animal captivity
Essays on animal captivity
Thesis animals in captivity
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Animals In Captivity Wild animals are known as “wild” animals for a purpose. If wild animals were intended to be kept shut up in a jail, also known as a zoo, then what exactly is the point of contacting them wild animals anymore? Zoo authorities use many justifications to back up their place that having wild animals in captivity is necessary, but those justifications are neither moral nor necessary enough reasons to deny animals of their organic right to independence. Even under the best of conditions at the best of zoos, captivity cannot even begin to evaluate up to wild animals’ organic settings. At zoos, animals are often avoided from doing most of the things that are organic and essential to them. Zoos educate individuals that it is appropriate to intervene with animals and keep them shut up in captivity, where they are tired, crowded, alone, restricted of all management over their lifestyles, and far from their organic houses. Wild animals were created to be 100 % free, and 100 % free is what they should be. One of the main justifications that zoos use for maintaining animals organised in captivity is the declare that zoos are required for academic reasons. Although this may seem like a genuine discussion, it is not an moral enough purpose to deny wild animals of their independence. “Besides, to obtain real and finish information of wild animals, one must notice them in their organic settings.” (Thoreau) “The conditions under which animals are kept in zoos generally change their actions considerably.” (Thoreau) Basically looking at an creature behind cup or behind cafes under the conditions in which they are in is not actually teaching. Those who go to zoos are not going for academic reasons anyway; they are going mainly for ... ... middle of paper ... ...a film of a change or a increase up a hill.” (Zoos: Miserable Prisons) “The idea of maintaining animals restricted behind crate cafes is outdated.” (Zoos: Miserable Prisons) Works Cited "Captive Wildlife Crisis | WildAnimalSanctuary.org : America's Premier Sanctuary For Large Carnivores." Captive Wildlife Crisis | WildAnimalSanctuary.org : America's Premier Sanctuary For Large Carnivores. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. "Should Animals Be Held in Captivity?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 28 Dec. 2007. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. "The Reality of Zoos." PETA The Reality of Zoos Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. "This House Believes Wild Animals Should Not Be Kept in Captivity." Idebate.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. Watts, Jenni. "Are Animals in Cages a Necessary Evil?" CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Have you ever seen an animal sitting in a cage all alone with nothing to do. Well, zoos are trying to change that fact. They will allow the animals to live in an environment that is like their home. Many people don't realize this, but zoo are keeping and breeding these animals because they would not survive in the wild alone. In the three passages, ¨The Stripes Will Survive,¨ ¨The Zood Go Wild from No More Dodos,¨ ¨Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment.¨ All of these articles present one claim, that is that the role of zoos is no longer to keep animal, but to protect them.
Animal rights have become a very serious issue here in the United States over the last few decades. One issue that has been discussed is whether or not zoos serve a good purpose or are they just a torture chamber for the animals. Locked up in small cages so people can yell at them and stare. Or are zoos the key to save our species in an ever growing human population. Rachel Lu, a philosophy teacher and senior columnist, writes the article, “Let’s Keep Zoos: Learning stewardship is a good thing.”, published April 18, 2014, argues that zoos are worth keeping. Rachel Lu uses her personal experiences to appeal to her audience that zoos are valuable to people especially young children because it gives them a perspective on nature.
Analysis of Argument for Ethical Zoos and How They Benefit Animals Due to the recent events in the Cincinnati Zoo, arguments have been sparked about the ethics of zoos. Most articles try to argue against zoos and closed environments, but there are those that still support zoos and the programs that they provide for endangered species. The argument “Zoos Are Not Prisons”? They Improve the Lives of Animals” focuses on the positives of animal enclosures and fights for support to keep zoos in business. The author, Dr. Robin Ganzert, ties examples of programs that zoos help create and what type of research is conducted in the zoos, to support his claims.
Considering the many challenges animals face in the wild, it is understandable that people may be eager to support zoos and may feel that they are protective facilities necessary for animal life. In the article “ Zoos Are Not Prisons. They Improve the Lives of Animals”, Author Robin Ganzert argues that Zoos are ethical institutions that enrich the lives of animals and ultimately protect them. Statistics have shown that animals held in captivity have limited utilitarian function resulting in cramped quarters, poor diets, depression, and early death for the animals thus, proving that Zoos are not ethical institutions that support and better the lives of animals as author Robin Ganzert stated (Cokal 491). Ganzert exposes the false premise in stating
It is a common notion that hunting isn’t fair to animals, that they have right to be free from human intervention. However, hunters lead conservation efforts in the United States. They do more to help preserve wildlife habitats, which is essential to wildlife welfare, than any other group. Indeed, habitat destruction poses a greater risk to wildlife today than hunting and conservation helps promote animal welfare. On the surface, these claims may seem counterintuitive. Hunters in the United States, however, fund wildlife conservation more than any other sources combined. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “Hunters contribute over $1.6 billion annually to conservation. Hunters are without peer when it comes to funding the perpetuation and conservation of wildlife natural habitats” (“Hunting” 6). Without these f...
Lets start with zoos, where animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public viewing. Millions of people visit zoos thinking the animals are happy, when in all reality they are miserable. You can try to replicate the animals enclosure to their natural habitat, but they can never replace their homes. An animals rights organization states, “Animals are often prevented from doing most of the things that are natural and important to them, like running, roaming, flying, climbing, foraging, choosing a partner, and being with others of their own kind,” (PETA). Although, zoos are said to ‘help’ these animals, they really are not, it is more a collection of different animals in order to show off to the audience and gain money off of them. People begin to believe it is okay to keep these wild animals captive and have their lives be controlled by someone else.
Keeping animals locked in cages, bored and cramped up in such a small space is an awful sight to show the children. It creates an image in the little minds of children that animals are to be treated like they don’t matter. They say Zoos are a place where children can learn about the wild, exotic animals, but in reality it doesn't teach them anything only that they are meant to be caged up, which is wrong. Also, it is really painful to see the animals bored and lonely, so why should people keep letting them do this to these beautiful creatures. Animal captivity for entertainment should end to let them go to their rightful home.
In “Why zoos are good” Dr. Dave Hone highlights education as one of the main reasons he supports zoos, mentioning how many people who live in cities may never get to experience wild animals if it weren’t for zoos. Hone states educational videos and documentaries are an option, but they “pale next to seeing a living creature in the flesh, hearing it, smelling it, watching what it does and having the time to absorb details” (Hone). Not only do zoos provide interactive learning opportunities and a direct opportunity to experience how animals behave in the flesh, Hones notes zoos can be educational else where, as a significant amount work to send workers abroad to conservatives to help educate others on how to improve conditions for the animals. However, there is another side to the educational perspective. A critic of zoos, Yourofsky argues against the positive education experience others believe zoos provide, supporting his opinion with how the animals are in their unnatural habitats. Yourofsky writes, “one cannot learn about animals who are in an UNNATURAL habitat displaying UNNATURAL behaviors from the stress of confinement and lethargy of captivity” (Yourofsky). Hence, from this logic the educational experience is minimized because the animals are in an inaccurate environment, impacting behavior and differentiating from how they would truly behave
Stroud, Peter. "Defining Issues of Space in Zoos." Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research 2.6 (2007): 219-22.
In the film, Madagascar, zoos are depicted as a sanctuary in which all the exotic animals are kept safe and are open for the public to view. But many would argue that zoos are inhumane, the caging of animals for our personal entertainment is unjustifiable. Those who believe that zoos are wrong and should be destroyed are animal rights activist; they believe that animals should be allowed to choose their own destiny. Those that believe that zoos are an important part of our lives are scientist and zoologist. This debate has gone on for generations and average folk are stuck in the middle, not knowing which side to stand on. The animals being kept in captivity could not be interviewed; their side of the story will be based on interpretation on their movement and interaction with animals in the zoo and in the wild. Are animals better suited to live in the harsh conditions of the wild or are they better suited to live their lives safely in captivity?
"Should Animals Be Held in Captivity?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 28 Dec. 2007. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
"The Worst Zoo in the World Keeps Going Downhill." DNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
middle of paper ... ... Freedom is precious and animals are constantly suffering mentally and physically from the lack of freedom that captivity brings to them. Although many zoos are visited by millions of people annually, they still operate at a loss and have to make budget cuts. Funds that should be used to provide humane conditions for animals are often wasted on cosmetic improvements such as landscaping, refreshment stands, and gift shops in order to draw visitors, leaving the animals behind steel bars and glass trapped in a concrete jungle for no reason without hope of ever being free.
The reasons that animals are held in captivity could favor some people and others not. Animals in captivity are usually held for entertainment, education, research, and conservation purposes. The other major reason they are held in captive is the process of rehabilitation. The article, Ethical Issues, defines rehabilitation as the treatment of wild animals found injured or ill, taken into captivity until restored to full health and then returned to the wild. Then when the animal is released they are then able to live freely in their own habitat. Although this may lead to suffering and stress or even death for the animal. The animal is so dependent on their caretaker that once they are put into the wild they do poorly (1).
Even though some zoos have an endangered species exhibit with the intention of protecting and rehabilitating animals, many do not do an adequate job of protecting the animals. Zoos have been harmful to the very animals they have sworn to protect. Animals in captivity often suffer from anxiety, boredom and other severe issue related to prolonged confinement. Most animals are unable to thrive in small enclosure with unnatural weather and climates. For example elephants are known to walk as far as 30 miles per day, but the association of Zoos and aquariums only require a space the measures $0 feet by 45 feet, which is about the size of a three car garage, to house these large animals. (peta.org) the drastic difference in the amount of space their allowed ...