Animals in Captivity Seeing tigers jump over each other, elephants balance on a wooden ball, or orcas waving their tails; it can be easy to forget what they are going through. Some think Zoos, Aquariums, Circuses and other places that collects wild animals are like homes. I disagree, I think zoos are more like prisons. According to dictionary.com a prison is: any place of confinement or involuntary restraint. A home or in this case a habitat again as dictionary.com describes it is: the natural environment of an organism; place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism. Which one sounds more like a zoo now?
Today, I would like to persuade each of you to help solve the issue of locking animals up. Let’s begin by addressing the problems that can occur when animals are fed up of being trapped in small dirty cages or tanks where they are bored and cramped all day.
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One is violent animal attacks which isn't surprising because wild animals are natural born killers. Especially if animals are kept in captivity for long periods of time they will become aggressive and will do anything to get out. In “Incidents Involving Animals In captivity” the Associated Press publicized that on “ Dec. 25, 2007 A Siberian tiger named Tatiana escapes from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo, kills one man and mauls two others before being shot dead.” This is horrible because animals and people can be killed and the people who were badly hurt may have also been traumatized from this experience. However, not only humans are left traumatized. When an animal is captured from its home they are panicked and stressed, which can cause health issues and lead to sooner death. For instance, a Vervet monkey: lives only 11-13 years in captivity but 15-20 years in the wild. Thats a seven year difference. As you can see, and hopefully understand, the transition from home to being jailed is not an easy
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.
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
The fact that humans do it and get away with it is sickening. There are laws that protect the animals, but people, especially hunters, find ways around them. These animals should be living in an environment where they can feel safe. However, they live in the complete opposite environment. Humans are at the top of the food chain, this makes them superior and able to make smart decisions.
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).
Your parents have probably told you from a young age that if you don’t want to do something, then doesn’t do it. How would you feel if someone was coming at you with chains and whips forcing you to perform in front of an audience, after you made it clear that you didn’t want to perform? This is exactly what animals across have to endure on a daily schedule. The first zoo in the US opened on July 1st, 1875 in Philadelphia, 140 years later the treatment in animals in zoos has not changed dramatically.
The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Winders, Delcianna. Zoos: Misery Behind Bars. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 26 Aug. 2013 n.p.
For example, the sport fox-hunting is very popular; families often train the younger generation in the proper technique of fox-hunting so that the tradition may live on (Nurse, 2013). Although it is an important tradition to some, the torture and death of an animal is nothing to be commended or celebrated. In Margit Livingston’s article "Desecrating the Ark: Animal Abuse and The Law’s Role in Prevention" she goes on to point out how animal abuse is often viewed as an owner’s right to exercise dominion or even entertainment. Furthermore, she states that, “today, only a scant majority of state jurisdictions provide for felony-level penalties for intentional animal abuse.” Because animal abuse has been viewed so lowly throughout history, there are no proper laws in place to prevent such atrocities from occurring.
Animals in captivity tend to develop zoochosis. Zoochosis is an obsessive, repetitive behaviour, and described zoo animals behaving abnormally. Animals that are kept in captivity develop zoochosis because they don't have any companion , and they can't do the things they would out in their natural habitat. Also animals develop zoochosis because they get stressed of being in such small cages and that they are removed from being in large groups of animals and their families. “ The disruption of family or pack units for the sake of breeding is another stressor in zoos, especially in species that form close-knit groups, such as gorillas and elephants.”
Being in captivity means that animals do not have the same environment as free animals. Also according to Jane Goodall elephants need more room to roam. In the article ( Pro or Con ) animales stress out when in small places. According to the video, “ Born wild” animals can be kept in a cage without a companion for a
When talking about zoos some people think that they are terrific for the animals while others think they’re harmful to the animals. I think that zoos are terrible because the animals are trapped and zoos even cause some animals to have a mental illness. The first reason I think that the animals are trapped is because they are in small cages and habitats, and are forced to socialize with other animals of their kind. In the text it says some animals “who are accustomed to swimming up to 100 miles in one day and diving hundreds of feet, are forced to live in confined spaces” (“Zoochosis”).
If someone were to come and relocate an entire town from the safety of their homes to an unfamiliar place away from everything they have grown to know for years, would it be right, or would it be considered a violation of one’s rights? Every year, this happens to thousands of wild animals from around the world for the sole purpose of personal entertainment we call zoos. Though they are educational and provide for an entertaining, fun experience, zoos should be abolished because the animals are not treated with as much care as they deserve and zoos cause behavioral behavioral and health problems. Zoo enthusiasts would say that zoos are educational. The Saint Louis Zoo professionals claim, “People learn at zoos.
Keeping animals in captivity is wrong. People fail to realize that these animals, such as Orcas, are losing their natural instincts by being placed in a small enclosed cage or pool. The life spans of these Orcas drop tremendously once placed into a stressful environment, such as a zoo. According to Richard J. Harrison, in his book Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, he stated that the “unawareness of the social organization that exist in the wild, dolphins and orcas that attempt to join pods of animals of a different species are often attacked. In fact, the mortality rate of the released captive animals is 15 percent”. Many of these animals develop physiological distress from not having the appropriate nutrition and adequate facilities which then makes it dangerous for the staff as well as the visitors to be around them. Understanding the definition of “wild” should give a clear picture of why keeping a caged “wild” animal is not only inhuman, but morally wrong.
(Jones). Zoos and aquariums really do help more than people think, like Carr stated, “It is a triple win.”. “Without the zoo and its exhibition would we understand the issues facing wildlife? Would we create the infrastructure to save endangered species both here and in their native habitats? The architecture takes its pro-zoo stand.
“While conceding that zoos have become more proactive and benevolent in their efforts, critics still feel that “good zoos” are in the minority” (Fravel, 2003). The concern of pseudo-sanctuaries incites an urge to inquire into the issue and seek for solutions to remedy the issue. In Denmark, aside from the Copenhagen zoo mentioned previously, a certain conservation organization will experience fresh changes, in which humans will be enclosed, rather than the animals.