Animal Cruelty And Why Animals Should Not Be Kept In Zoos

Until recently, the existence of zoos in our society was never something which we thought twice about. Zoos were widely accepted as educational and entertaining institutions. Children, and adults, love seeing animals, and a visit to the zoo has always been something we look forward to. Gradually, however, discussion has aroused about the morality of keeping animals, and other creatures in captivity, as animals have rights such as we do. Zoos have been proven to be inhumane and keeping animals in captivity in a wide variety of case studies and observations.

Instead of encouraging wild animals to thrive in their natural settings, zoos place very unnatural boundaries on theses animals. For instance, in zoos, polar bears are usually confined to spaces that are only around one-millionth the size of their minimum home range in the wild. This relates to a lot of the larger animals, they are put in these unreasonable spaces that are unnatural and uncomfortable. It is like if we were to be put and kept in one room for our entire lives. The animals who stray across large distances in nature often develop something called ‘zoo chosis’ in captivation this is most similarly compared to dementia in humans. The typical behaviours resulting from boredom and distress when placed in zoo enclosures, are endlessly pacing or swimming in circles. Animals and humans have both evolved from nature and they do not belong in zoos and captivity they should be undisturbed in its own natural habitat. To remove these animals from what they need to survive and what they are designed to live in against their will and for our own entertainment is completely immoral.

Over the years many employers and zookeepers have come out and spoke upon the subject of what really happens to these animals when kept in captivity. Saying that many of the zookeepers and employees of zoos do not treat the animals living within the exhibitions with enough compassion or care. As one San Diego zookeeper described an incident in which an African Elephant was beaten for two days with axe handles, as ‘a way of motivating the animal to put on a display for visitors’. After all, zoos are a money making business and without the animals as entertainment there is no money. Not only this zoos give an animal only enough to get by and survive, and no more. Often zoos tend to save money if they do the bare minimum for an animals well being. Large animals such as elephants are often subjected to cruelty above and beyond that of smaller animals. A study has proven that in a certain American zoo, the elephants there were dying at a faster rate than they were breeding, as a result of disease spread by the lack of space and dirty cages. The exhibition of animals in captivity tells an impressionable public that cruelty to animals can be condoned.

In conclusion, animals are born wild and therefore should live and die wild. Studies and first-hand experiences have shown and proven that zoos are cruel to the animals and provide an unreasonable and unlivable environment for them. Using the excuse of they are just animals is immoral and not good and unfair because we are animals too and they should not be treated like anything based solely on the fact that they are different. It is hard to argue that torturing and keeping animals in captivity is ok for our entertainment and that is why I argue that zoos are inhumane. My overall point is that keeping animals in captivity is extremely cruel and unusual as well as overall inhumane.