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Zoos are beneficial for several
Are zoos harmful or helpful for animals
Are zoos helpful or harmful to animals
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Everyday, while people are living their comfortable lives, animals are getting closer and closer to being wiped out. Animals live in fear of poaching, habitat destruction, and many more dangers that people could help control. People may have the ability to stop these issues but few care, they would rather sit back and watch as millions of animals die each year. Zoos are taking the lead in conserving endangered animals by acting as sanctuaries and giving animals the protection they lack in the wild (“Zoo”). Without the help of zoos many more species will disappear never to be seen again. Zoos are not only important to the animals held captive but to future wildlife as well because they give animals a safe place to live and help prevent extinction.
Zoos provide protection and comfort animals need to thrive. For the animals comfort, zoos have started to build exhibits as similar as possible to the animals’ natural habitat (“Zoos”).These natural exhibits stimulate the animals, which allows for more natural behavior. The animals’ natural behaviors and comfortable exhibits allow the public to observe and learn from these interesting animals, while the animals live a life of luxury that would not be possible in the wild. Animals are fed, cleaned, and monitored by their keepers (“Zoo”). In the wild, animals struggle every day just to fill their empty stomachs. However, in captivity, animals do not have to worry about when they will get their next meal because zoo keepers are there providing them with everything they need to live long happy lives. Twins are common among pandas, but in the wild, the mother would not be capable of caring for both, so one would eventually die; however, in captivity, scientists can take care of one cub whil...
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...s are trying to conserve the world’s extraordinary animals so that people will never have to answer this unsettling question.
Works Cited
"Are Zoos Bad News?" SIRS Discoverer. ProQuest, 21 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
"Avian Reintroduction and Translocation : Home." Domain Default Page. Lincoln Park Zoo, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. .
Maynard, Thane. Saving Endangered Mammals. 1992. Print.
"Panda Mania." SIRS Discoverer. ProQuest, 12 Sept. 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
Weir, Kirsten. "Born to Be Wild." SIRS Discoverer. ProQuest, 7 Jan. 2005. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
"Zoo." Compton's by Britannica. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
"Zoos." KIDCYBER. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. .
"Zoos: Myth and Reality." Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale, July 2000. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
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.
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
While some people may think that they’re “protecting” the animals from extinction, that’s not something that they should be doing. That is a job for zoos and animal protection facilities. People should just visit the zoo if they want to see the animals that much
"How Zoos Are Saving Our Animals." – Features – ABC Environment (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.
The first zoo in the United States was established in 1874 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia zoo first only had 813 animals but has grown today to have 1,300 animals, still having the same forty-two acres as it did when it first opened. Today there are zoos in almost every major city across the country and even more around the world. But along with zoos, there are marine parks and aquariums. The most famous marine park is SeaWorld, which has three different locations in the nation: Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio. Zoos and aquariums were first brought about to learn about the species that we live with on this planet. To be educated about the wild creatures who are so different from ourselves. Zoos and the caging of wild animals have been around for centuries, there is evidence from Egypt of rulers having wild animals as pets, locking them in cages, just like how today people have hamsters but instead, you would have a wild animal. Today, zoos are used for education to teach people about wild animals so that we can learn ways to conserve the planet and the animals’ habitats, in order to prevent more animals from becomin...
Lemonick, Michael D. “Who Belongs in the Zoo?” Time. Time, 11 June 2006. Web. 12 Dec.
Rees, P. A., 2013. Dictionary of Zoo Biology and Animal Management. West Sussex: John Wiley and sons .
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.
They are the stars, they’re the attraction people travel hundreds of miles to see. The Denver Zoo is known for their community service work and how they save animals and bring them into their safe environment. Not only do they rescue animals in danger, they also play a huge role in the breeding and cultivation of endangered species such as the endangered Panamanian Golden Frog. They have research facilities in Botswana, Mongolia, the Rocky Mountains, the Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia, and Vietnam. From these facilities they conduct important and developmental research that is integral to the growing field of animal medicine and animal care. Toano the Bald Eagle is an example of the type of creatures they rescue and bring to their zoo. Toana was found by the Wildlife Game and Fish when he was found sick with the West Nile Virus. He was brought to the Denver Zoo after his recovery and rehabilitation back to good health. He has been with the Denver Zoo since 2000. Another story of not saving a specific animal, but of a successful breeding was the mating of two Amur tigers. Zaria from Denver Zoo and a male from Hogle Zoo were sent to Asia to perform their task, where they successfully mated and provided a strong genetic line. The procedure of mating is a very important process to the environment and is a priority for Denver
Some people may argue that zoos protect animals and species under this polluted world, however, do animals in zoos really need our “help”? Yes, but surely not that many. According to Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS), 79% of animals in United Kingdom zoos and over 70% of elephants in European zoos are wild-caught. It seems that zoos need them rather than they need zoos.
Zoos display fascinating animals from all over the world for human entertainment, research, conservation, and education. Many scientists conduct studies on animals in captivity that they may not have been able to in the wild. Zoos educate all the visitors that come; they let people know everything that they know about the animals on display. We do learn a lot from these animals, but not all of the animals in the zoo are behaving like they normally would in the wild. Larger animals, such as elephants and orcas (commonly known as killer whales), have trouble with being confined in such a small area. However, many smaller animals benefit from zoos because they provide protection from predators, natural disasters, and poachers. They also benefit from conservation efforts; the babies being born get all the care they could ever need. Some animal rights activists are concerned that the conservation efforts are limiting the gene pool of the species. They argue that the small number of animals able to breed in captivity limits biodiversity and leads to weaknesses in the species overall. Zoos are wonderful places to study and learn about animals, but we need to improve the living standards for animals that struggle with captivity.
Many locals and tourists will head to the Zoo in hopes of seeing animals one can only see in the wild. A trip to the zoo is supposed to be fun, entertaining, and what some say “a good learning experience. ”These exotic animals are not put in their natural environments. Pushed behind artificial enclosures, and often times lonely. Thousands of people worldwide will pass hundreds of animal exhibits and many of these people won’t stand at the animal’s exhibit long enough to notice that something is wrong with the animal's living conditions.
Supporters of zoos argue that they help to conserve endangered species, but in fact they are not very good at this. Even the world famous panda-breeding programme has been very costly and unsuccessful. Also, zoo life does not prepare animals for the challenges of life in the wild. For example, two rare lynxes released into the wild in Colorado died from starvation even though the area was full of hares, which are a lynx’s natural prey.
People all around the world love visiting the zoo - especially the kids! To be able to see their favorite animals playing around or just admiring the beauty of these creatures makes their eyes sparkle. Although seeing the animals is truly amazing, a question that is frequently asked is: “How do they manage in captivity? Are they happy living in here?” Merely looking at the animals may not reveal much about how they feel or manage in captivity, unless someone could speak to the animals but that’s not likely. Therefore, this topic requires some research. So let’s grab some thinking helmets. First, we will explore the history of zoological gardens or zoos in general.