Argumentative Essay On Zoos

Of the 2,323 zoos in the U.S, only 135 are accredited, a non-required status given to zoos by the AZA, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The accreditation states the zoo in question professionally cares for wildlife and is primarily focused on preserving the wildlife in an educational and scientific way(AZA). Moveover, the rest of the 2,188 U.S. zoos have to meet the Animal Welfare Act, an act from 1966 that requires only the minimal care and treatment for specific animals, to be in operation. These specific animals mentioned under the Animals Welfare Act are dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, nonhuman primates, and marine mammals-including polar bears. This leaves no less than 5,000 mammal species unprotected(AZA). For example,

Elephants, bears, and sheep all can remember locations, voices, and faces for long periods of time. Still, some mammals go even farther in their human-like similarities. Notably, chimpanzees have been observed in the wild using tools. For example, a chimp was found in Senegal using a sharpened stick to find where its prey was hiding and then jabbed the prey with the stick to kill it for food - an act that is extremely similar to human behavior(Bearzi and Stanford). Other mammals that demonstrate their intelligence are gorillas, who have been taught and can converse in sign language with a dense vocabulary. Such is the case of Michael, a male gorilla born in Africa. Michael was orphaned and transferred from his zoo to the Gorilla Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on the preservation and protection of gorillas and other great apes. While there, Michael was able to learn over 500 different signs, and with them was able to communicate the story of his mother’s poaching in Africa(The Gorilla Foundation). Not only have mammals been able to communicate loss, they have also been able to demonstrate decit. This concept of animal deception was described by Stan Kuczaj, a researcher from the University of Southern Mississippi, who observed one of the dolphins in her care deceive the others and her trainers. Stan had observed a female dolphin named Kelly stash objects

However, humans are not alone in this socializing attribute. Mammals have also been shown to demonstrate hierarchy and bonding behaviors(Young). Female elephants have been observed teaching their offspring how to use certain florua to prevent sunburn and ward off insects. They also have been observed mourning dead elephants in their familiar units(Eberstadt et al.) Dolphins in the wild consider hunting a social event, such as killer whales of Patagonia who have demonstrated the killing of a seal as a momentous occasion of learning for calves(Bearzi and Stanford). Additionally, female Japanese macaques have exhibited extreme intimacy during mating season, such as staring into their partners eyes-a practice usually only done while mating. While not mating, the females keep close and protect each other from possible mating rivals(Hogenboom). Given these points, it makes sense that mammals can be, if not are, on equal footing with humans in their social needs. Therefore, if humans need ample social interaction, then mammals would need as much interaction with fellow mammals as well. However, the average size of a pod of dolphins is 1,000 and it is estimated 3,000 dolphins are held in captivity worldwide(“Bottlenose”, WDC). With this in mind, the numbers indicate an insufficient number of dolphin groups for normal interaction, which could have