Zoochosis: The Role Of Animals In Captivity

Over the years, zoos attract millions of people with the wildlife kept in them. A number of unordinary animals live in zoos such as tigers, giraffes, bears, monkeys, and zebras. Some people feel that keeping animals locked up in cages out of their natural environment is cruel and vicious. However, animals in captivity go crazy from lack of space. Zoos also create a surplus of these animals from overbreeding. “Zoos cannot provide the amount of space animals have in the wild” (“10 Facts About Zoos”). Animals get enough exercise from roaming all day when they live in their natural environment. The animals’ health is at stake without the ability to roam in the wild. “When these animals are imprisoned in cages or small enclosures at zoos, they

This condition causes animals to act weird and even hurt themselves if they are bored or frustrated. “Signs of ‘zoochosis’ include: bar biting, coprophagia, self-mutilation, circling, rocking, swaying, pacing, rolling, twisting of the neck or the head, vomiting, frequent licking, and excessive grooming” (“Last Chance for Animals – Zoos”). Wild animals rarely show signs of zoochosis. More often than not, zoos don’t discuss normal animal behavior as a result of the animals not being allowed to really live as they would in the wild. To these animals, normal is living in small cages which also causes stress. “Stress behaviors can include repetitive movements, pacing back and forth, head bobbing, rocking, repeatedly retracing their steps, sitting motionless or biting the bars of their enclosure or themselves” (“Zoos”). It is unhealthy for the animals to be so stressed. Living in captivity will more than likely prevent animals from having a healthy life. People are unaware of how animals act in their natural environments due to only seeing their behavior when visiting zoos. To the uniformed this is

Very few people seem to read the long drawn out information on the displays. Without reading this information, people are clueless as to what environment is more beneficial to the animals. “Even if there was an abundance of signs, descriptions, and educational displays beside the animals’ cages, very little of this information, if any, will be remembered” (“Last Chance for Animals - Zoos”). The displays only provide basic information about the animals. This limited information on the displays do not give the people visiting accurate information about the animal’s situation. “While a number of zoos make an effort to provide some sort of education, they mostly teach people how animals react in captive situations” (“Last Chance for Animals – Zoos”). Animals in captive situations tend to act differently than they act in the wild. This information rarely makes its way to the zoos visitors. “If zoos are teaching children anything, it’s that imprisoning animals for our own entertainment is acceptable” (Lin). Children visiting the zoos can only pay attention to the animals behind the caged bars. If an animal’s exhibit loses popularity, the animal leaves the zoo to get