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Recommended: Importance of zoos
Zoos are defined as an establishment where people can go to view a wide variety of animals. Many people enjoy spending the day observing the animals in a replica of their natural habitat. While others do not condone the idea of animals being removed from their natural habitat and being kept in “cages.” Animal Rights activist, Tom Regan, insists that zoos are immoral. The Agnostic holds the opposite views and believes that zoos are not only moral, but beneficial for humans as well as animals.
Regan: Before I address the question regarding the morality of zoos; I want to begin by expressing my overall belief on animal rights. I believe all animals have rights; just as us humans do (Regan par. 15). Animals should have the same inherent value as
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There needs to be some gray area in between that can accommodate the interests of every party involved. Animals in the zoos are not merely creatures in cages and placed there purely for entertainment purposes. Zoos are virtuous because they do practice compassion and kindness. They are a sanctuary for injured or endangered animals who would otherwise have little chance of being able to survive in the wild. Zoos can be a safe place for animals to thrive as a species, and thanks to some intervention will not meet the fate of total extinction. While giving the animals a safe place to live, and the capability to thrive as a species; people are given the chance to observe the animals. Education is a vital component as to why zoos exist today. Kids as well as adults can learn about animal behavior, diet and native habitats. It is true that zoos put animals on exhibit and collect money from visitors who wish to see them, but the money collected serves a greater purpose. That purpose is to maintain all the needs that the animals in the zoo have, as well as enhance their way of life as best as possible. Money brought in by patrons at the zoos also provide the zoo with better devices to further educate people as they visit and view the
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
Zoos have been with us throughout our history, and can provide a good barometer of public beliefs and values at any given time. Therefore it seems necessary to explore whether in today’s society contemporary zoos are a means of educating and conserving or still seek to control and exhibit animal others for human benefit. In order to make this assessment there are a number of contributing factors. Firstly it is important to establish context by considering the history of zoos and looking at the changes from the early menageries to contemporary zoos who strive to be institutions of refuge for animals facing twenty-first century global challenges. This links into how the physical space of zoos has changed over time and whether these advancements have made any crucial difference to the welfare of animals. Following this conservation, education and scientific research will be explored in detail in order to assess whether they provide good enough motives for keeping animals in captivity. I will seek to argue that although attempts have been made to point zoos in the direction of conservation and education, in my opinion the concepts of dominance and human superiority are still at the core of modern zoos.
Zoos decide who an animal has to breed with depending on if it will ensure that the zoos receive a desirable profit. Animals should not be forced to be breed with other animals that is is unjust and unfair because the zoo is taking away their right to decide their own future and what they want to do. Animals are traded with other facilities giving no regard to the separation between their families and friends. The animals freedom is being taken away when they are trapped behind bars to entertain others. Many think that zoos primary goal is beneficial to the animals but the truth is that they are more
Even though zoos try to imitate the natural habitat of each animal, the area for the zoo might not be able to support the animals needed environment. When visiting a zoo many people fail to notice that the animals have living areas measuring an acre or smaller. “Their enclosures are often small, barren, and without shade or privacy” (Laws). “Animals also need to endure dirty living conditions, stagnant water, and hard floors to sleep on at night” (Laws). It’s obvious that in the wild any animal has almost unlimited space to live in. They catch and forage for food naturally and mate naturally.
The difference between right and wrong is not always perfectly clear. A long-standing part of cultures across the world, zoological and animal parks have been around for hundreds of years. While in the past concerns and issues regarding the ethical problems zoos seem to impose were less prominent, in recent times the rise of animal rights activist groups and new generational values have influenced the way people view these parks. Critics believe that zoos are an unnatural habitat for animals and force them to live in captivity, having a negative impact on their health. Yet, there are still many remaining who fully support zoos, citing business and educational reasons. Some supporters even acknowledge the ethical problems zoos face, but choose
There are different animals at a zoo like, giraffes, zebras, gorillas, crocodiles, birds, etc… The popularity of zoos are very high because so many people visit zoos everyday. Also certain seasons you can feed some of the different animals, like a giraffe.
Also note the proportion of Exhibition costs and facility operations expenditures as a proportion of the entire annual revenue. Cope, Doris L. Week 2 Environmental Ethics Essays 2 Given the four primary reasons cited for the existence of zoos and the industry’s response to challenges to those reasons compels one to think zoos are not moral.
There are many places where people can go to see live animals such as aquariums, zoos, and safari parks. A pleasant way to define a Zoo is to call it “an establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals”. (Google def) Another way to say that is a facility in which animals are “enclosed in cages for public exhibition”. I believe zoos are ethical; however, changes need to be made to eliminate problems I have discovered. In this argumentative essay, I will be arguing the ethics of zoos and certain problems that need to be addressed that people are not aware of. Zoos are great places to take the family out for the day to have entertainment; however, problems such as captive breeding, length of life, and animal stress need to improve.
"Do We Need Zoos?" : An All Creatures Animal Rights Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.
On the self-awareness questionnaire, I scored a total of 14. With that being said, I have a lot of great skills with my self-awareness. I am able to know when I am about to become angry and upset. I always tell myself when I feel that I’m in a good or bad mood, and I know what causes my emotions to change. There is need for improvement in this area because I’m unsure if I pay a lot of attention to how I feel. However, I do know when I start to become a little defensive.
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.
Morals, “the distinction between right and wrong”, are what make a person’s decisions ethical or not (“morals”). For decades zoos have been one of America’s most common pastimes, but it has also been questioned whether they should exist. Zoos are meant for recreation and education, but the question is whether or not it is beneficial to its’ inhabitants. The treatment of animals in any zoo has been a controversial argument over what is correct, if the animal’s welfare is in the best interest of the animal or the zoo’s profit, and if captivity is beneficial to the animals, not just the public. (Captivity in certain cases can be beneficial to animals, but also can be detrimental to their well being.)
Over the years, the role of the zoo has changed dramatically, starting thousands of years ago as a display of wealth and power, morphing into places for entertainment, then education, and now incorporating aspects of conservation as well (“History”). What their priorities should be is something that is up for debate however. Do the animals take precedence over the visitors? Should the main objective of the zoo be to entertain and educate the public, or support and fund as many conservation projects as possible? Much has been written on the subject, and depending on who is asked, the answer may be very different.