why animals should not be kept in zoos articles why animals should not be kept in zoos articles

The worst ones are the malicious keepers who enjoy hurting animals in captivity. Regardless of the merits or ethics of zoos, one thing's for certain: they're going to be around for some years yet. Another time, one of the orangutans, Kumang, learned how to use sticks to ground the current in the electrical wire around her enclosure. In addition, baby animals that are deemed excess to requirements find their way into black market sales. Elephants, lions, tigers, rhinos, and such. A small exhibit is never going to truly capture the vastness of the open world. Because so many diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans, such as Ebola, Hantavirus, and the bird flu, zoos frequently conduct disease surveillance research in wildlife populations and their own captive populations that can lead to a direct impact on human health. RELATED ARTICLE: Dolphin Attacks Trainer in Front of Horrified Families in Miami Seaquarium: How Often Do These Sea Creatures Attack Humans? This is particularly true if the animal is there for entertainment. ALSO READ: Man in Uganda Beats Lion With Bare Hands In Bloody Battle Before Feasting on the Beast for Dinner. According toAnimal Behavior: Resources for Applied Ethology, fleeing or running away is the most popular reaction of animals towards humans. However, the vast majority dont do enough to accurately replace an animals natural habitat. While researching my book on the ethics of human interactions with wild species, Wild Souls, I examined how, exactly, zoos contribute to the conservation of wild animals. Personally speaking, Ive been to zoos in Sydney, Australia, and all over the UK. Even though they might be getting enough food, if your animals are not okay mentally they might still not live to their full potential. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Nature reserves, bird watching, going on a safari. These associations ensure that members are treating their animals with a high standard of care and following any guidelines they provide. zoos is usually not more than 200 animals per year, the organization said.) NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Captures Dramatic Hour-by-Hour Changes of Dart Mission Slamming on an Asteroid, Can Humanity Deflect Potentially Hazardous Asteroids? In many cases, animals in captivity do not have the space or resources to roam and live as they would in their natural habitat. An animals worth is only equal to the attraction it offers to visitors. Sanctuaries occupy a "gray area," says Tanya Espinosa, a . The polar bears in Winnipeg have disco poo. Groundhog More than Just a Weather Prognosticator! Young chimpanzees on movie sets are trained through regular beatings and then discarded around age 8 when they become too large to control. WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. All rights reserved. Apes are known for picking locks and keeping a beady eye on their captors, waiting for the day someone forgets to lock the door. In some environments, we believe it's best not to keep certain wild animals at all, as their needs simply can't be met. Fish and Wildlife Service, suggested that learning how to breed animals contributes to conservation in the long term, even if very few animals are being released now. Local laws are often most effective in governing the private possession of exotic animals. The fewer than two dozen non-participants include North Korea, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Turkmenistan. The Los Angeles Zoo has used Celexa, an antidepressant, to control aggression in one of its chimps. By playing dead, they would deceive predators into leaving them alone. There are dozens of other countries around the world with similar prohibitions, including Austria, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Peru and Singapore. The sale of excess animals to traveling roadside zoos is another big problem. The real question is, how can we change things? 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. Copyright OurEndangedWorld | All Rights Reserved, Environmental Organizations in The Philippines, Environmental Organizations in North America, Environmental Organizations in South America, Best Energy-Efficient Electric Fireplaces. at the time estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 animals are euthanized in European zoos each year. Zoo elephants tend to die young. This isnt always guaranteed since the breeding practices could be insufficient or even produce animals that are not suitable for survival in the wild. Captive animals need better laws, and better enforcement of those laws. All things considered, animals should not be kept in zoos or aquariums. The required standard of care for wild animals, such as those held by zoos, is wide-ranging and nigh on impossible for zoos to provide. However, looking back as an adult with a world-savvy eye, there is far more to animal captivity than meets the eye. Trading in Wild Animals: Every year, thousands of animals enter the captive wild animal trade. Others allow private parties to keep animals like tigers or primates with a permit. Well, scat reveals all sorts of things about individual animals; information the keepers share with the scientific community. Zoo animals, this new narrative went, function as backup populations for wild animals under threat, as well as ambassadors for their species, teaching humans and motivating them to care about wildlife. Unfortunately using real animals for these purposes involves tremendous cruelty. Zoos and circuses are among those who fall under this act. Zoos can be productive when it comes to reviving an animal species on the brink of extinction. There is always that element of choice that gets removed from them in a captive environment. Some studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of zoo carnivores, 64 percent of zoo chimps and 85 percent of zoo elephants have displayed compulsive behaviors or stereotypies. It is not humane to keep large mammals like orcas, dolphins or elephants in zoos or theme parks. The United Kingdom, for example, has announced a plan to phase out all circuses featuring wild animal performances by 2020. Are Sliding Doors or French Doors More Energy Efficient? Zoos accredited by the A.Z.A. Will we ever see all zoos closed down? CreditPhotographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times. See Related: What Is The Hunters Role in Wildlife Conservation? They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors. In the past five years, the number of zoos has been gradually going up. There have also been reported cases of zoos not properly disposing of dead bodies when animals die on their premises. Theres also the Zoological Association of America that operates in the United States. The trainer was immediately sent to the hospital and has since recovered from physical injuries, and so does the dolphin. This is only one of the Acts limitations. 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]. But few federal laws protect these animals, who may be forced to perform or kept confined in small cages with little to keep their minds occupied and bodies well. "Only 15% of the thousands of species held in zoos are considered 'threatened'," says Will Travers OBE, president of Born Free. There are 39 animal species currently listed by the IUCN as Extinct in the Wild. The better alternatives to zoos are the options that dont result in animals being held in conditions that are unsuitable and forced to live in natural environments. In 1982, only 22 condors existed in the wild. There are a few exceptions. However, there are some disadvantages of zoos to the environment ranging from overpopulation of a species to global warming. Ive heard and read some of their stories. Copyrights 2023. But many animals clearly show us that they do not enjoy captivity. Visit animal sanctuaries instead of zoos, marine parks or circuses. However, in a zoo, the boundaries between the wild and captivity are rearranged. Life expectancy for animals in captivity depends on a couple of things, such as their way of life, among other factors. The truth is there is a vast difference between genuine conservation efforts and endangered species protection and running a zoo. They often display neurotic behaviour, like repetitive pacing, swaying, and bar biting. Not surprising, perhaps, considering the typical polar bear enclosure is one million times smaller than the area they would naturally roam.". There are a number of reasons why animals should not be kept in captivity. 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. Taking your family for a day out at the zoo has been a sort of tradition for a very long time and given recent statics the number of visitors is growing. Our EIN number is 94-2681680. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Instead, they will hire generalists with a degree of knowledge specificity and run with that. The ESA outlines procedures for federal agencies to follow regarding listed species, as well as criminal and civil penalties for violations. On the other hand, the researchers reported, there were no significant differences in survey responses before entering an exhibit compared with those obtained as visitors were exiting., A 2008 study of 206 zoo visitors by some members of the same team showed that while 42 percent said that the main purpose of the zoo was to teach visitors about animals and conservation, 66 percent said that their primary reason for going was to have an outing with friends or family, and just 12 percent said their intention was to learn about animals., The researchers also spied on hundreds of visitors conversations at the Bronx Zoo, the Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Many zoos create attractive enclosures to attract visitors. Likewise, consuming sustainable seafood provides a valuable source of food for people and helps promote sustainable jobs. When zoos find themselves with surplus animals, they need to find ways to reduce their numbers. Since most countries dont have any regulations on how to handle animals in zoos, these business people can do whatever it takes to make the most profits possible. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, not all of them are suitable for captivity and are better left alone in the wild. I remember well the awe and joy on their faces, 15 years later. 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. Some of these animals are surplus from roadside zoos. However, through education and informative motions for change, we can make change the way zoos are run. Once the ground has been left with no coverage, soil erosion will be the next step. PETA isn't alone. 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. In most cases, animals in zoos lead very unhappy lives. But that incident has triggered conversations on the negative impacts of marine parks and aquariums on wild animals. William Randolph Hearst created his own private zoo with lions, tigers, leopards and more at Hearst Castle. Here's What Experts Think. Captive tigers pace back and forth, and in a 2014 study, researchers found that the time devoted to pacing by a species in captivity is best predicted by the daily distances traveled in nature by the wild specimens. It is almost as if they feel driven to patrol their territory, to hunt, to move, to walk a certain number of steps, as if they have a Fitbit in their brains. The window to the world of. When the zoo replaced the bars with thick glass, he started methodically removing the putty holding it in. Zoos provide opportunities for nice family trips. They could either bite, peck, scratch, kick, or flap their wings. Especially animals like lions that are used to roaming vast distances in the wild in search of food. Your email address will not be published. They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors. People dont go to zoos to learn about the biodiversity crisis or how they can help. Breeders: How to Stop Puppy FarmsPermanently. Step away from the selfie stick. These are wild animals, who are dangerous by nature and cannot be domesticated. The daily stress and lack of stimulation often leads to abnormal and self-destructive behaviour - for example, pacing, walking in tight circles, rocking, swaying, or self-mutilation - a condition known as "zoochosis". [WATCH]. Here is an example of just how harsh it can get when an animal is being trained to perform tricks. Your voice is needed, so that captive wild animals in the United States, and elsewhere, are better protected. Most people arent always comfortable seeing animals that are kept in zoos. Investigators found sticks and pine cones inside the exhibit, most likely thrown by the boys. People are always attracted to exotic animals such as grizzlies, lions, wolves, tigers, and alligators among others. Even the best zoological park cannot fully capture the wild, and many smaller zoos fail to take effective measures to ensure the health and well-being of their animals. Another problem of zoos is that animals often only have rather limited space to move. A 2014 study by the Society for Conservation Biology found that of over 2,800 children surveyed following visits to London Zoo, 62% showed no positive learning outcomes. The A.Z.A.s policies allow for the euthanasia of animals, but the president of the association, Dan Ashe, told me, its very rarely employed by his member institutions. People are fascinated by animals. Some of the captive-born animals are not capable of sustaining themselves in the wild and they could pass on these genes dooming the whole species in that region. (707) 795-2533 |[email protected] Whats Causing Their Decline? It is not possible to have zookeepers versed in a detailed understanding of every single species. A.Z.A. He also found many examples of zoo elephants hurting or killing their keepers and evidence that zoos routinely downplayed or even lied about those incidents. What could these zoos do with it, besides enlarging enclosures? That doesnt mean there havent been criticisms. Check out more news and information on Wild Animalsin Science Times. Going to the zoo is sort of a short vacation for many people. Some roadside zoos declaw tiger and lion cubs a serious surgical procedure in which a cats toes are amputated at the last joint. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/opinion/zoos-animal-cruelty.html, Photographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times. 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. What people can do: Justin Gillis and Hal Harvey describe the types of local activismthat might be needed, while Saul Griffith points to how Australia shows the way on rooftop solar. If an animal cannot be given sufficient space or is suffering from stress and not behaving as expected, the zoo is within its right to kill the animal s. An animal lover, Alexs family, have all been involved in various animal welfare charities. Animals such as lions, elephants, and tigers don't get even close to one percent of the area they roam in the wild. Their natural habitat extends far beyond anything captivity zoos could provide. In zoos, elephants are often given a small outside enclosure and an internal house. This is nowhere near enough space to provide an elephant with a life comparable to that of its wild counterparts. The worst climate risks, mapped: In this feature, select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. There are zoological park associations that were formed to keep zoo owners on their toes. Artificial environments. The Arabian oryx, an antelope native to the Arabian Peninsula, went extinct in the wild in the 1970s and then was reintroduced into the wild from zoo populations. The allure of baby animals and the crowds they pull can lead a zoological garden director to increase them to keep attracting customers. On the other hand, some animals try to flirt their way to protect their nest. There is more to natural environments than just looks. The Enigmatic Wombats: Surprising Facts and Myths Debunked. Animals are removed from their natural habitats. Display would be incidental. ViewResources. However, it does not change the fundamental fact that as the world changes, we must also become more aware of the darker side of such animal sanctuaries. Animal Legal Defense Fund,National Headquarters As an avid fan of botanical gardens, I humbly suggest that as the captive animals retire and die off without being replaced, these biodiversity-worshiping institutions devote more and more space to the wonderful world of plants. By designing these enclosures so that many animals could be seen at once, without any bars or walls in the visitors lines of sight, he created an immersive panorama, in which the fact of captivity was supplanted by the illusion of being in nature. In the end, he said, we live with our own constraints. He added, We are all captive in some regards to social and ethical and religious and other constraints on our life and our activities.. The California condor breeding program, which almost certainly saved the species from extinction, includes five zoos as active partners. What Cause Extinction What Can We Do To Stop It? A zoological park is defined as an establishment designed for conservation, study, and public display. Your email address will not be published. CITES does not directly address living conditions for captive animals. Keep on reading. However, suffering doesnt have to be physical; boredom, confinement, and stress can cause an animal a lot of suffering. Caring for the said animals, away from their predator will give their species a chance of repopulating. That's how animals living in captivity feel. For example, if the number of lions is drastically reduced in an area, their prey will thrive. Animals are an important part of nature and should have the right to live in their natural environment. For example, the law does not restrict the display or private ownership of captive wild animals or prohibit the use of controversial bullhooks, whips, electrical shock or other devices commonly used in circuses. Once an animal has served its purpose, many zoos will either sell them or euthanize them. Zoos are built as a source of income for some. 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. State And Local Laws: Strong state laws and even local laws have historically been a useful way to protect exotic and wild animals. And it is true that the territory size of an animal like a wolf depends greatly on the density of resources and other wolves. The Humane Society of the United States believes that animals in bare tanks do not present a realistic image of natural behaviors or natural habitats. Animals live in cruel conditions, confined to small cages without the enrichment they need to lead full, happy lives. Most zoos dont focus on the educational aspect of zoos; the animals are mainly kept for amusement. 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. There were five such states until 2017, when South Carolina passed a law banning wild and exotic animals to be kept as pets. Photographs by Peter Fisher. Many zoos give children the wrong lessons about wild animals and how to protect animals. Private Possession: Many wild animals may be kept captive in private homes as pets. 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. A day may come, he said, when we need to breed elephants or tigers or polar bears in captivity to save them from extinction. Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Claws N Paws, Looking for case and legal resources? Elephants are particularly unhappy in zoos, given their great size, social nature and cognitive complexity. Chimps pull out their own hair. However, the truth remains that zoos often have insufficient knowledge of the animals they are housing. An orangutan at the Omaha Zoo kept wire for lock-picking hidden in his mouth. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. There is considerable variation from state to state and among cities and counties, as to how much legal protection is offered to captive wild animals. Thats true, he said. When in their natural environments, wild animals are not used to being confronted by humans. Zoo animals sustain both physical and psychological scars from harsh zookeepers. Copyright 2023 The Science Times. Marine mammals are best protected by cleaning up and protecting their habitats. 1. These wild animals are sold at auctions, pet stores or over the internet. Fighting is a sign that they are threatened, especially when an animal has no way of getting away quickly. The researchers divided the odd behaviors of captive animals into two categories: impulsive/compulsive behaviors, including coprophagy (eating feces), regurgitation, self-biting and mutilation, exaggerated aggressiveness and infanticide, and stereotypies, which are endlessly repeated movements. Even if the animals are being fed well, the lack of freedom can cause them to be stressed. Zoos cannot begin to provide the amount of space animals have in the wild. However, that does not stop the silent damage that captivity delivers to such roaming animal species. Existing refuges often do allow visitors, but their facilities are really arranged for the animals, not for the people. Some zoo animals try to escape. Reintroduced animals have a hard time coping with life in the wild after long periods away. According to an article inPlant Based News, marine parks and aquariums are a billion-dollar industry that exists to entertain the public by catching fish and sea mammals from the wild and using them as live exhibits. However, this is often not much more than an illusion for the customer. Polar bears have one million times less space. This is evident in killer whales' most vital body part: their teeth. Now, Alex writes full-time, and when hes not working on an article, hes knee-deep in writing fiction. says that its members host more than 50 reintroduction programs for species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Nevertheless, a vast majority of zoo animals (there are 800,000 animals of 6,000 species in the A.Z.A.s zoos alone) will spend their whole lives in captivity, either dying of old age after a lifetime of display or by being culled as surplus.. WorldAnimalFoundation.org, Today's Deal: $300 Discount on Halo 2+ GPS Dog Collar. Most states have no laws governing captive wild animals. 7 reasons why animals in captivity deserve freedom. A fine day out with the family might itself be justification enough for the existence of zoos if the zoo animals are all happy to be there. Here are some tips. For example, the typical enclosure designed for a polar bear is about a million times smaller than its natural roaming grounds. Most people visit the zoo to see the big draw animals. While zoos can definitely be exciting places for families to visit, the fact remains that they are bad for animals. Their sleeping quarters can get overcrowded and this can lead to the animals harming each other. Some surplus animals or injured animals are even fed to predators as a means of life-cycle maintenance. The confined living areas are a big contributor to animal stress and lack of physical stimulation like would be gained from a nice sprint. They found that only 27 percent of people bothered to read the signs at exhibits. As we snap a selfie by the sea lions for the first time in so long, it seems worth asking, after our collective ordeal, whether our pleasure in seeing wild animals up close is worth the price of their captivity. 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. Wildlife experts remind people that these animals do not know people's intentions, so they will try to protect themselves no matter what. Zoo owners go to great lengths to build enclosures that have a wild aesthetic and give paying visitors a taste of the wild world. Lack of learning valuable animal life skills such as hunting and social structures eventually leads to the alteration of the said animals behavior. Zoos are expensive to run, often have a very tight budget, and cannot afford to maintain and support animals that do not pull their weight in terms of attraction. Most zoos or animal sanctuaries dont have the space or the facilities to truly recreate the wild. Mr. Fisher is a photographer based in New York. The most recent addition to the family, Willow, a cockapoo puppy, has settled straight into family life and now controls who sits where on the sofa. There are a great many negative effects of zoos on animals.When we visit zoos, we can see they often go to great lengths in order to recreate the animals natural habitats. Don't be suckered into supporting companies that offer experiences like hugging a tiger, swimming with dolphins, riding elephants, or kissing sharks. Cons of zoos Animal cruelty in zoos continues to be extremely common. This is due to the fact that many zoos want to keep as many animals as . Their death can be caused by either: lack of space, physical problems, diet, and PTSD. 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. Life expectancy is controlled by both the mental and physical health of most animals. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Learn More. In this article, we will take a look at why zoos teach children the wrong lesson about captive animals. The educational day out model of zoos endured until the late 20th century, when zoos began actively rebranding themselves as serious contributors to conservation. When she caught up with the boys at the cafe, she mauled them before she was shot to death by the police. Keeping endangered animals in zoos infringes on those individuals' rights to freedom. More tigers live in cages in this country, than exist in all the wild. Many people consider zoos amoral and cruel while others have the notion . This is due to the inhumane conditions that these animals are forced to endure. They go for the same reason people went to zoos in the 19th century: to be entertained. In addition, a costlier but more educational option is to make arrangements to view animals in the wild. Animals in captivity can struggle to adapt to their new environment. State laws vary considerably, with some states banning the ownership of wild and exotic animals while others have virtually no regulation whatsoever. This is seen as a cheaper option as opposed to moving them back into the wild. Most animals are taught to perform tricks and go against the grain of nature purely for human entertainment. They learned from their parents to be mistrustful because they have no way of knowing whether people could be good or do them harm. But whether recent events have triggered a profound shift in public consciousness is harder to quantify. What if they sent all the animals that need really large areas or lots of freedom and socialization to refuges? The Endangered Species Act: The Endangered Species Act, the ESA, is a federal law that protects fish, mammals, birds and plants listed as threatened or endangered in the U.S. and beyond. The statistics on the number of big cats alone that have died in captivity between 1990 and 2021 is 126. However, the truth is that no enclosure can come close to matching the vastness of an animals natural environment.