Betsy Brown
High School Writing
September 19th, 2024
Imagine a life put in a tiny cage, deprived of freedom, just given food constantly, living as a textbook for human education. This is the reality for countless animals living in zoos across the world. While advocates claim that zoos play a vital role in conserving endangered species and embracing education, the ethical consequences of keeping wild animals captive exceed these possible advantages.
Zoos educate people. “When educating people about the importance of conservation of species and their habitats in zoos, it is important to create a connection between them and nature,” Mcelroy (n.d.) says. Zoos, where visitors can observe the actual living animals up close and see them with their own eyes, bring an unforgettable experience and an understanding of animal conservation. With the need to conserve endangered species, the public must learn about conservation, and the interaction between animals and humans could potentially protect wildlife. However, putting animals in small enclosures, only to deepen people’s understanding of wildlife, is unethical. In the wild, animals are designed to inhabit large areas, hunt, and interact with others. But what about the conditions that zoos provide to animals? None of them are enough for animals to live as they used to live in the wild. Keeping animals in cramped spaces with restrictions to access the natural habitat they require to survive, is the same as diminishing animal basic rights. In this biodiversity world, people must respect animals, just as we value our human rights, and not treat animals as if they are our possessions.
Providing places for connection between humans and animals is not the only way for humans to make conservation develop. Many activities are done to provide a better understanding for humans about animals and their lives. For instance, at one of the famous zoos in Japan, the Ueno Zoo, there are programmes where students can directly interact with animals by taking care of them. These educational assistance programs are often held at Japanese primary schools as school events, and students can learn about animals as well as their habitats, entertainingly and memorably. In fact, it would encourage people to embrace pro-conservation and reverence for the natural world attitudes. However, interactions between humans and animals may also heighten the urge for certain people to possess wild animals as “pets” and could give the impression that abusing animals for “cheap titillation” is acceptable. In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, a recent research paper of the literature on the relationships between animals and visitors in zoos across several nations and continents has taken this into account (Learmonth, 2020). This means that the physical activities held in zoos might be effective for students, but simultaneously, they should not be fully promoted, as the drawbacks are serious.
Additionally, these activities are not completely conservation-focused, indeed, they have commercial goals. Exotic animal exhibitions are the main draw for most of the zoos, and they take precedence over really aiding in conservation efforts. Though some zoos do take part in endangered species breeding projects, the majority of animals kept in captivity are not included in these programs. Zoo animals that are not threatened with extinction and no need to be conserved, are used as financial targets for zoos' economic gain.
“But to be honest, how do we even know what animals feel?” Whenever people say that animals feel unhappy in the enclosed space at zoos, some oppose by saying this. It is obvious that animals and humans speak differently, and there is no way we can communicate with each other perfectly. However, behaviors such as pacing, self-harm, or lethargy, often referred to as “zoochosis” are commonly seen in zoo animals. Animals with these signs show that they have stress and frustration brought on by captivity (What Is Zoochosis and How Do Animals Get It?, n.d.). Because of their large size, social behavior, and such, elephants especially feel uncomfortability. They are confined alone and experience intense loneliness, and every zoo elephant suffers psychologically from being caged up in tiny yards whereas their free-ranging counterparts wander up to 50 miles a day, and many get arthritis and other joint issues from standing on hard surfaces. According to Marris, “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” (Engle, 2021).
In conclusion, zoos cannot excuse the cruel treatment of animals kept in captivity, even though they might provide certain educational advantages. The mistreatment and psychological trauma that zoo animals endure highlight the necessity of reconsidering human interactions with the natural world. Instead of depending on old and harmful techniques, conservation efforts should concentrate on protecting the natural ecosystem and species in the wild.
Word count: 796
References
The Benefits of Zoos for Conservation and Education. (n.d.). Center for the Environment & Welfare. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
Engle, J. (2021, October 8). Are Zoos Immoral? The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
Learmonth, M. J. (2020, November 4). Human–Animal Interactions in Zoos: What Can Compassionate Conservation, Conservation Welfare and Duty of Care Tell Us about the Ethics of Interacting, and Avoiding Unintended Consequences? NCBI. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
Mcelroy, M. L. (n.d.). The role of zoos in educating visitors about conservation of wildlife and habitats: a design for Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas. K-REx. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
What Is Zoochosis and How Do Animals Get It? (n.d.). In Defense of Animals. Retrieved September 23, 2024.