What are the advantages and disadvantages of keeping animals in zoos?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of keeping animals in zoos?
By the year 2050 scientists predict that one quarter of Earth’s animal species will become extinct. Species are rapidly losing their habitats due to the growth of the human population. This is happening both in the rainforests of South America and even in Britain. Housing development and agricultural growth put pressure on our own native species. Perhaps one of the main reasons for the existence of zoos is to preserve and protect the animals, which are endangered by such human development. Another purpose they serve is to make it possible for people to learn about these animals by making you able to see them in conditions, which are as close as possible to the natural ones without having to travel the world. The question we have to consider is do zoos really achieve these goals?
The zoo is a place where you can see all the animals that you wouldn’t see in everyday life, with very small risk of being harmed. For example by keeping the lion in a zoo we, as zoo visitors can view it from a closer distance and learn more about it. There is always the chance of young children putting their hands through cages, or of keepers themselves being trampled by an elephant, but in general the risk, although always there, is very small. Zoos usually have high educational levels and even people of old age find it interesting and always learn something new. People living in cities can increase their knowledge about nature through making a visit to the zoo. This however can also have its negative effects, when we take into consideration what harm can be done to the animals by keeping them in cages.