Persuasive Essay On Zoos

Some people enjoy visiting zoos because it allows them to get up close to animals large and small from far-away places that they may have only seen in magazines or on the television. Some animal rights activists don’t enjoy visiting zoos because it demonstrates the cruelty humans impose on other living beings. Personally, I believe the elimination of zoos is the best direction for animal rights because zoos cause animals to suffer from abnormal behavior, places animals in small cages with insufficient space, and don’t serve conservation or education movements. Whenever I visit the zoo, I struggle to stay for longer than an hour. I hate seeing the animals locked up in small cages, with pitiful eyes, staring at me through a glass window. Even

The use of zoos and captive breeding does nothing to address these serious problems. Instead, it puts more than 7,000 animal species in jeopardy of extinction. In fact, if the millions of dollars used on the redesigning of enclosures that do nothing to improve animal welfare, such as the building of amusement rides and statues or creation of concession stands and gift shops went towards habitat-preservation projects, there would be more animals to see in the

However, “Less than 1 percent of the species kept in zoos are actually part of serious conservation. Much more could be done by targeting specific species that really do need conservation” (Meinzer). Circuses and circus acts have been banned in several countries for similar reasons. People are outraged by the lack of fair treatment towards animals. Spectators dislike watching tigers leap through fiery hoops or elephants balance on small balls mainly due to the fact it is unnatural and cruel towards animals. However, I wonder how it is different for an animal to be sedated and locked in a cage for its entire life. Not only are the cages small, but they are also unnatural. Flamingos develop problems with their feet when they are in captivity, polar bears suffer in hot weather, and orcas become distressed in cramped pools (Estrada). However, when the wild animals act wild, such as recently when the gorilla attacked the child or when the orca killed the trainer, people become upset. Zoo animals are robbed of their life to coexist naturally. By being locked in a cage, the animals never learn basic survival needs such as hunting, grazing, roaming, or developing important social