Many zoos protect a variety of endangered species, but instead of keeping them in zoos and putting them on display, they should take care of them in a facility where they could also recreate their habitat and have better settlements than the ones zoos have. Taking care of those that are endangered is an act of real kindness so we can conserve the species.
Many animals held in captivity begin to form strange symptoms called “zoochosis.” These unstable and uncommon behaviors can cause boredom, depression and frustration. Indications of zoochosis include:
- Bar Biting
- Coprophagia (Consuming and playing with natural waste)
- Self-mutilation
- Circling
- Rocking
- Swaying
- Pacing
- Rolling, twisting, nodding of the neck or head
- Vomiting
- Frequent licking
- Excessive grooming
In their natural habitat, species develop ways of resisting to naturally occurring illnesses. Zoo animals usually do not form a way of resistance to the most ordinary of aliments and are more vulnerable to catching viruses that they would never encounter in the wild.
Zoos look for baby animals, knowing that they are irresistible and cute to the public. When they grow older, andl less attractive to their owners, they will often be sold or killed. Animals that breed frequently, for example deers, tigers and lions, are sometimes sold to farms and ranches where hunters pay to kill them. This is simply devastating, and unfair! Zoos also sometimes sell aging animals, besides, while sanctuaries generally provide shelter to animals in need of care with other members of their species, zoos frequently remove animals from their wild and force them into a life of captivity, one that all too often involves separation from other members of their species. Some are abused or abandoned; most are kept in a prison-like environment. Unlike animal sanctuaries, the zoo’s focus is not on what’s best for the animals. Zoos claim to provide conservation, education, and entertainment, their primary goal is to sustain public support in order to increase their profits. If they were truly concerned with the preservation of species, they would instead work to preserve animal’s natural habitat. As a matter of fact, humans who are destroying the natural habitat of various species through contamination for example: rangeland degradation, topsoil erosion, crop and groundwater contamination, and other harmful processes.
This is an article I found in a website:
“I once read an article about an Asian elephant named Calle. She was captured only one year old and spent more than three decades being traded between circuses, carnivals and zoos. She had a foot problem and degenerative joint disease that the zoo blamed on her time spent in the many circuses and carnivals. The true reason for the problem was that the zoo did not have enough space in the elephant’s exhibit for the elephants to have full movement in their daily activities. The other surviving Asian elephant now has a similar condition. The other elephants in the zoo, African elephants, are also suffering from problems similar to Calle’s. The zoo gave her painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for years. Calle was dosed with unnecessary drugs and given unnecessary treatments. If the zoo had put the elephant in a safe sanctuary she might still be living. The drugs used, covered the illnesses so the public wouldn’t notice. “Immediately send them to sanctuaries before it’s too late.” The Commission of Animals Control and Welfare warned after the elephant’s death, but the zoo refused. My answer to whether or not zoos are always best for animals is no.” Website: http://sd71.bc.ca/sd71/school/courtmid/2004_student_web/7_1/3_g_sheldon/zoos_good_or_bad.htm
I agree with this person, and in my honest opinion is that before doing this essay I wasn’t aware about all the disadvantages zoos can have, but after investigating I have learned about them. This essay has changed my way of seeing things about zoos and facilities for animals in captivity. Zoos are unfair and cruel, in many ways.
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