Persuasive Essay Sample: Zoos Should Be Banned

Imagine being caged throughout your life. Being stripped away from your family at a new pace with new people. Being stared at and pointed at by strangers. This is actually what animals go through while living in zoos. Zoos, short for zoological parks, are places where animals are forced to live in captivity and put on display. Zoos have been a form of entertainment as far back as 2500 BCE and became popular during the 18th century. Throughout time zoos have been a great experience for humans this is not the case for the animals. Animals in captivity are severely mistreated and have serious health conditions. Zoos are a negative environment for animals and should be banned. 

Animals held in captivity at zoos face major dangers mentally and physically, which could lead to death. These animals are separated from their families and trapped for the rest of their lives. These intergenerational bonds are broken depriving animals of the love from their families. Even if the animal is born in the zoo, they are still stripped away from their parents and sold to other zoos. Living without the support and dependability of their family members takes a toll on the mind. The animals are stuck alone in a new place with little space and extreme boredom. There is not enough space to exercise and way less than their natural habitats not allowing them to live naturally. This can cause animals to be diagnosed with zoochosis. Zoochosis is a mental illness that many zoo animals have to suffer from. This includes physical behaviors such as swaying, rocking, over-grooming, vomiting, and self-mutilation (Smith). Mental struggles affect the physical body causing critical medical issues to arise. Zoos animals are introduced to new diseases only found in captivity that they have to combat. Some examples are Overgrown hooves, Avain Aspergillus infection, and Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus infection (EEHV) (Loomis). These diseases could have easily been avoided if Zoos’ were more sanitary. All three of the diseases listed are caused by poor hygiene and or poor feeding habits. Zoos claim to be dedicated to the conversation of endangered species but fail to care for these animals successfully. It is unknown that all zoos are like this some may be successfully carrying out nature conservation but the absolute truth about zoos is untold so no assumption cannot be made. 

Nature conservation is the movement that focuses on the conservation of specific species from extinction and the habitats that house these species. Zoos usually have a breeding program to contribute to the conservation movement by saving different animals from dying off. It is no secret that a massive number of species are going extinct all around the world and zoo breeding has prevented many of the species known and loved to remain alive (Hone). The point of this breeding is to raise the number of endangered species and releasing them into the wild. Yet, this is not the case since only 12% of captive-bred animals are released (Brichieri-Colombi 35). Many baby animals are instead kept at the zoo being exploited to attract more money and visitors. For example, in Wales zoos only 9% of the animals held captive are endangered (Free). Sometimes the newly bred animals are killed. Zoos are killing animals frequently for reasons such as lack of space or no reason at all and were told by Zoo CEOS to just dispose of the bodies (Smith). The zoos’ over-breeding is counterproductive and goes against their word of saving the species. There have been nearly five hundred animals dead at a single zoo in the past four years (Smith). The animals have the chance of being killed on top of being underfed, used to excessive breeding, and being confined to a small space all for humans’ amusement. 

Zoos are morally wrong. No human has the right to capture and confine an animal for their enjoyment. Why should animals have to be stripped from their families, be under-fed, have little space to live naturally, and have to go through such mental trauma? Animals do not deserve this kind of treatment. As living creatures, they have the same feelings as humans, especially given that many are mammals as well.  Zoos are animal prisons, which on most occasions do not truly care about the well-being of animals. So in conclusion, should we as humankind be allowing this suffering to continue for our amusement? NO! Zoos need to be stopped.