Argumentative Essay About Zoos

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Recommended: Zoos are beneficial for animals

Maverick Perry
Tsugawa
English 100
31 October 2014
Do We Need Zoos? - Argumentative Essay - Second Draft Zoos, places where animals live in captivity and are put up for people to observe, have been a part of human history for thousands of years (“Zoo”). Many of us first discover zoos during childhood and become instantly fascinated by the animals of which they contain. This attraction to zoos stays with many people throughout adulthood as well, with zoos drawing in 134 million visitors every year; accumulating an audience greater than those produced by the National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball combined (“Collective Impact”). Many people believe zoos are an important asset of society, with an astounding 80 percent of Americans believing zoos are of such high importance to the extent that they should be supported through government funding (“Public Benefits”). Many supporters state that zoos are a great learning sources for people in general, and for school students alike (“Environmental Education”). There are also many who state that zoos provide research …show more content…

It has been discovered by Benjamin Beck, former associate director of biological programs at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., that in the past century, only 16 of 145 reintroduction programs worldwide have ever been able to successfully restore any animal population to the wild (Fravel). To further add to this shocking fact, the majority of those 16 successful reintroduction programs were executed by government agencies, not zoos (Fravel). In conjunction, David Hancocks, a renowned former zoo director with over 30 years of experience, has determined that under three percent of the budgets of the 212 AZA accredited zoos go toward conservation efforts (Fravel). Many of the other 2,188 non-AZA accredited zoos in the United States, expend no money toward wildlife conservation

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