why animals should not be kept in zoos articles

When it comes to lethal force and animal welfare, at least, public opinion swiftly sides against zoos. Once the ground has been left with no coverage, soil erosion will be the next step. All of these animals are well studied and have a plethora of documentaries and video footage of them in the wild. This is the image of the zoo I grew up with: the unambiguously good civic institution that lovingly cared for animals both on its grounds and, somehow, vaguely, in their wild habitats. Read on to find out why animals should not be kept in zoos. Animals are stressed when they get separated from their packs or herds, especially when they end up as the only one of their kind in their new homes. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. Reintroduced animals have a hard time coping with life in the wild after long periods away. Zoos protect against a species going extinct. They are just some of the millions of wild animals living in captivity across the United States. They are contained in small spaces, often made docile through drugs and other medications, and slowly strip away all autonomy and freedom from all animals. T he video above shows the tragic reality of how animals in captivity are mistreated and never get to experience freedom, or live how they were . Elephants figure prominently in his book, in part because they are so big that when they escape it generally makes the news. In this article, we will take a look at why zoos teach children the wrong lesson about captive animals. As humans, we have no right to hunt and lock up animals for our enjoyment. In a 2011 study, researchers quizzed visitors at the Cleveland, Bronx, Prospect Park and Central Park zoos about their level of environmental concern and what they thought about the animals. Slow animals with minimal to zero predators such as elephants have brief life spans in captivity. Its protections are minimal as well. Its protections are minimal as well. In 2020, facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums contributed more than $230 million to conservation efforts. The idea of conserving animals that are at risk of going extinct is a great one; the problem is that not most zoos live up to it. The bill helps end the rampant abuse of tigers and other big cats in captivity by banning private possession. When it works out, breeding endangered animals has positive results that can be felt even in the human kingdom. Some are in aquariums, circuses, theme parks and zoos, others live caged at private homes. For example, Charles Harvey and Kurt House argue that subsidies for climate capture technologywill ultimately be a waste. Wrong! When in their natural environments, wild animals are not used to being confronted by humans. In states without tight enough regulation, local jurisdictions oftentimes adopt ordinances that ban or restrict the display of captive wild animals. As a result, many animals at zoos may die prematurely from stress or illness. When she caught up with the boys at the cafe, she mauled them before she was shot to death by the police. However, the truth remains that zoos often have insufficient knowledge of the animals they are housing. For animals in zoos, the AWA sets low requirements as to housing, food and sanitation, and, as is commonly noted, no requirements for mental stimulation of animals other than primates. The California condor shows what zoos can accomplish. Many people consider zoos amoral and cruel while others have the notion . The monotonous, confined life of animals in captivity is a mere shadow of what life was like for them in the wild. Investigators found sticks and pine cones inside the exhibit, most likely thrown by the boys. Even if the animals are being fed well, the lack of freedom can cause them to be stressed. A 2000 survey of U.S. and Canadian zoos found that nearly half of respondents were giving their gorillas Haldol, Valium or another psychopharmaceutical drug. Their natural habitat extends far beyond anything captivity zoos could provide. Visit animal sanctuaries instead of zoos, marine parks or circuses. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Climate change around the world: In Postcards From a World on Fire, 193 stories from individual countries show how climate change is reshaping reality everywhere, from dying coral reefs in Fiji to disappearing oases in Morocco and far, far beyond. Black-footed ferrets and red wolves in the United States and golden lion tamarins in Brazil all endangered, as well have been bred at zoos for reintroduction into the wild. Many zoo animals are forcefully removed from their natural habitat. Going to the zoo is sort of a short vacation for many people. Even without a consciousness (that we know of) animals are alive and should be treated as such. Writing at the end of 2020, Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States. When the caretakers are not well informed about the animals they are to be taking care of, it can be problematic. Zookeepers are not mustache-twirling villains. The ongoing extinction crises shows that zoos are needed - even for common species. The process of training an animal is a long and brutal one. Little Joe, a gorilla, escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston twice in 2003. Four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York City, for instance, are managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is involved in conservation efforts around the world. This alteration of the animals behavior will eventually do more harm than good. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. Some, however, argue that children benefit from zoos. There are currently 421 zoological gardens and aquariums and a 2.9% business growth this year despite the pandemic. At least 20 zoos in the United States have already ended their elephant exhibits in part because of ethical concerns about keeping the species captive. The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) operates an accreditation system for sanctuaries, rescue centres and rehabilitation centres. Lawsuit to Force USDA to Recognize Its Authority to Take Possession of Animals Upon License Revocation, Demanding USDA Strengthen and Enforce AWA Licensees Recordkeeping Requirement for All Animal Deaths, Demanding USDA Revoke Animal Welfare Act License from Pennsylvania Roadside Zoo Claws N Paws, Big Cat Public Safety Act Passes the U.S. Senate in Victory for Animals, USDA to Strengthen Tracking of Animal Deaths at Licensed Facilities Following Legal Petition, Lawsuit Seeks to Force USDA to Recognize Its Authority to Take Possession of Animals When Agency Revokes Licenses. The first efforts to keep wild and exotic animals for non-utilitarian uses began about 2500 BCE, when rulers in . Animals need physical stimulation and a level of interaction with nature that we, as humans, cannot understand, let alone interpret and recreate. However, looking back as an adult with a world-savvy eye, there is far more to animal captivity than meets the eye. Being placed into a small tank, away from their family units, might not break existing animal protection laws. In the age of social media, high profile culls have sparked heated debates. Many zoos create attractive enclosures to attract visitors. "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. See Related: Endangered Species in California. Many zoos fail to provide the required minimum standard of care, Zoos dont replicate animals natural habitats, Zoos teach people that animal captivity is acceptable, Animal protection laws are not strong enough, Many visitors disturb and disrespect the animals, Zoo animals are often drugged to be kept calm. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. These associations ensure that members are treating their animals with a high standard of care and following any guidelines they provide. When theres a surplus, you can just have a plant sale. This is only one of the Act's limitations. Animal rights activists argue that hunting, capturing, and putting animals on display is unethical. The shooting of Harambe the gorilla spawned the most-shared meme of 2016 and caused a hounded Cincinnati Zoo to suspend its social media accounts. Visiting a zoo is a chance for many people to see exotic animals they would otherwise be unable to see. These wild animals are sold at auctions, pet stores or over the internet. But that incident has triggered conversations on the negative impacts of marine parks and aquariums on wild animals. The law, adopted by Congress in 1966, protects so-called warm-blooded animals who are bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially or publicly exhibited, like in a zoo or circus. At the end of the day, Zoos are largely unethical places that are built under the pretense of habitat conservation but really are there to earn money and entertain people who want to be able to say they saw real-life wild animals. Here they are relatively safe . NASA's DART Mission Successfully Changed the Trajectory of Space Rock Dimorphos, Asteroid Ryugu Richly Harbors Building Blocks of Life, Scientists Reveal, SpaceXs Crew-6 Astronauts Aboard Dragon Capsule Endeavor Will Arrive at Space Station Early Friday [WATCH LIVE]. When confined they rock, pull their hair and engage in other tics. An example of this is a snake that will bite whatever is threatening them since they are not as good at running away as other animals. This conservation focus must be a key component for institutions that want to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a nonprofit organization that sets standards and policies for facilities in the United States and 12 other countries. However, through education and informative motions for change, we can make change the way zoos are run. Many visitors will disturb and disrespect the animals in a zoo simply because they feel as though they are owed a performance of some sort. Yes And Someone is Paying Attention, Swimming with The Seahorse: Discover Their Mystical Charisma. Display would be incidental. Today, nearly every country in the world is a member of CITES. A quick google search reveals that a zoo is an establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals, typically in a park or gardens, for study, conservation, or display to the public. Most states have no laws governing captive wild animals. Wild dolphins swim up to 40 miles day with the other members of their pod, while captive dolphins are forced to swim in tiny pools with unfamiliar dolphins day after day. Carl Hegenbeck, a German exotic animal importer, introduced the modern model of more natural habitats for animals instead of obvious cages at his Animal Park in Hamburg in 1907. But, for every story that casts zoos in a bad light from Vince the rhino's poaching at Paris' Thoiry Zoo in March; Cincinnati Zoo shooting endangered gorilla, Harambe, last year after a child fell into his enclosure; or Copenhagen Zoo killing and publicly dissecting Marius, a two-year-old giraffe in 2014 there are heart-warming tales too. Your email address will not be published. In 1982, only 22 condors existed in the wild. "Only 15% of the thousands of species held in zoos are considered 'threatened'," says Will Travers OBE, president of Born Free. This is due to the fact that many zoos want to keep as many animals as . These are highly intelligent animals with complex social constructs that scientists have studied for . Healthy animals in zoos are killed because they are not needed. All Rights Reserved. In contrast, those nesting animals or cornered ones will try to defend themselves if being approached to protect their young. Most people visit the zoo to see the big draw animals. The same applies to elephants. When a female gorilla named Johari kept fighting off the male she was placed with, the zoo dosed her with Prozac until she allowed him to mate with her. Animals begin to display erratic behaviors, self-mutilation, and an inability to settle. The real question is, how can we change things? Most people arent always comfortable seeing animals that are kept in zoos. Animals are forced to live in artificial habitats that arent anywhere close to their former homes (the wild). At the Los Angeles Zoo, a gorilla named Evelyn escaped seven times in 20 years. The A.Z.A. Private individuals with the financial means use their money to procure rare or exotic animals from zoos to add to their own private collections. Zoos also have the power to euthanize their animals when they themselves deem it permissible. Animals in the wild are naturally shy to humans. The animals too have rights and they shouldnt be subjected to half the things they undergo. Profits are also gained through the selling of animals to other zoos or circuses. However, the vast majority dont do enough to accurately replace an animals natural habitat. Eventually, the only animals on display would be a few ancient holdovers from the old menageries, animals in active conservation breeding programs and perhaps a few rescues. If you dont have people that know how to care for them, know how to breed them successfully, know how to keep them in environments where their social and psychological needs can be met, then you wont be able to do that, he said. The trade in wild animals involves tremendous suffering at every stage of the process. Copyrights 2023. First and foremost, captivity can be extremely detrimental to an animal's physical and mental well-being. Artificial environments. The other argument zoos commonly make is that they educate the public about animals and develop in people a conservation ethic. It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs. I once overheard two schoolchildren at the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington confess to each other that they had assumed that elephants were mythical animals like unicorns before seeing them in the flesh. They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors. The ESA outlines procedures for federal agencies to follow regarding listed species, as well as criminal and civil penalties for violations.

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