Why Do Animals Live In Zoos

Just recently, eighteen Swaziland elephants were transported to their new homes in America. This included the Henry Doorly zoo in Nebraska, the Dallas Zoo, and the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. These elephants were destroying the habitats of other species, and this relocation was specifically made to preserve Swaziland’s endangered rhino population. In gratitude the zoos will “contribute $450,000 to a wildlife conservation trust for rhinos in Swaziland” (Hinckley, par. 2). The result of the transfer produced many opposing views among conservationists. This raised the question of whether or not the elephants (or any animal) should be kept in zoos. This is a widely popular, yet difficult debate of ethical and statistical views. For this case,

I believe that it is best to keep animals out of zoos.
All living beings should live in an environment that best suits their structure. Animals are not designed to live in captivity – they are meant to live in the wild. Living in captivity for an extended period of time can cause them to feel secluded and vulnerable. Species reintroduced into the wild will have a less likely chance of surviving because they were probably accustomed to the extensive human care provided in zoos. Conservationists “attempted 146 reintroductions with 126 species…and only 16 have succeeded” (Sunquist, par. 5). Another reason to the dwindling number of reintroductions is that captive zoo animals are not exposed to the dangers that are experienced in the wild. As a result, their natural survival instincts will eventually diminish. Zoos provide all the basic necessities an animal needs to maintain physically well. On the other hand, a zoo environment may not be enough to nurture their natural wild instincts. In other words, animals will not be able to act as naturally as they would in the wild.
It is impossible to “tame” the wild unless it is destroyed. Nowadays, humans are becoming more interactive with wildlife and its habitats. Man-made disasters may be the number one cause of why animals are kept in zoos. As the population of humans rises, land must be destroyed in order to support our needs (Praded, par. 39). It is true that mankind is the biggest threat to wild animals. It is natural to put our kind first before other kinds of species – it is just like putting family first before others. But humans must know that the earth is not made only just for them. We need to acknowledge that animals are just like humans and the , too, need a place to live as much as we do.
Living in captivity, to me, is like going to the same high school for four straight years. But instead of going home after school every day you (as a teacher or student) actually live there. This includes constantly sharing the same living space with the same eight hundred other people every single day. If someone were to be put in this situation, it would probably or definitely drive them insane. Living in the same enclosure can have a negative effect on the lifespan of the animal. Zoos span a large part of the U.S. They provide professional, extensive care, but there are still many cases of deaths caused by living in an enclosed area. Professor Bekoff from the University of Colorado reported that a “2012 Seattle Times Investigation, which found that 390 elephant fatalities… over the last 50 years… [were] linked to captivity” (Mendoza, par. 28). Animals have emotions, too. Zoos may never satisfy their psychological needs even with the latest technology.
Many may view zoos as neglective, but they provide support to help the conservation of certain habitats or species. They provide the public with knowledge and the revenues could be collected to support animal conservation projects (Wente, par. 9). The president the Kentucky Waterfront Development Corporation, David K. Karem, claimed that ‘”People who believe all zoos should be shut down forget that if it were not for zoos, some species would disappear off the face of the Earth”’ (Caleca, par. 17). It is true that zoos have a method to save some species. But the public does not need to physically see an animal to provide their support.
Many wild animals, like the Swaziland elephants mentioned before, were brought into zoos because of habitat loss which can then lead to the species in that area close to extinction.

The debate on storing animals in zoos became controversial, and I came to the final decision that animals do not deserve to live in zoos. Animals are meant to live in their natural habitat, just as humans thrive in their naturally industrialized environment. Living in captivity can also cause the animal’s lifespan to decrease, and it may be due to the failure to satisfy their emotional needs. Human interaction to wildlife and its animals is every expanding, and this probably makes manmade disasters the main cause of the transaction of wild animals from the wild to zoos. On the other hand, zoos have the potential to raise awareness and the support from public donations to fund animal conservation projects, but people do not need to physically see an animal provide their support. Since there are many solutions to this debate, there is no direct answer. From a wild animal’s point of view, humans may be seen as immoral beings with countless evil intentions. What they do not realize is that we have the potential to do good and make big, positive

changes.