Zoos Must Be Shut Down Persuasive Essay Example

Animals have been taken out of their habitat into captivity for human entertainment since as early as 3500 BCE. Across the world, wild animals endure poor treatment in zoos and aquariums, but this is not something that has just been recently occurring. “Early zoos, aquariums, and circuses obtained their animals from the wild and operated with little understanding of how to care for wild animals in captivity. Animals were regularly malnourished and kept in concrete or stone pens.” (Zoos and Circuses: Overview.) This has been presented as an issue for years now as there is still great concern about the treatment of these animals. The Federal Government must shut down zoos because they do not provide sufficient space, they are a danger to the lives of humans, and they are cruel and inhumane.  

Though many zoos with captive wild animals try to replicate their natural habitat, the animals still do not have enough space to live comfortably like they would in the wild. In fact, an article from The New York Times explains this more clearly, “The typical zoo enclosure for a polar bear is one-millionth the size of its home range in the wild, which can reach 31,000 square miles” (Derr). This clarifies that it is incredibly hard to imitate the natural environment wild animals live in because of the huge amount of space animals need and are used to being in. The same article states, “Some captive polar bears spend 25 percent of their day in what scientists call stereotypic pacing, and infant mortality for captive animals is around 65 percent” (Derr). It is important to realize that pacing can be an indicator of psychological and emotional stress resulting from an inability to follow natural migration and roaming patterns. Not only does keeping wild animals in captivity cause stress from an insufficient amount of space but it is also a danger to humans.  

There have been numerous incidents where wild animals attack zookeepers, children and other people who frequent zoos resulting in serious injuries and even death. An example of this is what had happened to 61 year old John Bradford, "Elephant keeper John Bradford was killed at Dickinson Park Zoo in 2013 when an animal he was working with began behaving violently”(Point: The Treatment of Animals by Zoos, Aquariums, and Circuses Should Be Improved through More Stringent Regulations and Oversight) It is certain that humans are not qualified for trying to train or care for these animals so it cannot be surprising when an animal “acts out” or reacts violently, wild animals are not domesticated there for they are a danger to people who work with them. Another instance where something like this happened is, “In 2012, a tiger escaped its enclosure at the Cologne Zoo in Germany, killing a zookeeper” (Counterpoint: Confinement of Wild Animals Is a Form of Cruelty and Should Be Prohibited). After this occurred the tiger was then shot and killed, in majority of the cases where a zoo animal attacks someone it is killed. Some animal care experts believe that incidents where captive animals kill their caretaker is the result of psychological trauma and stress that leads to aggression. Ultimately, animals kept in captivity tend to act out violently and injure people because of stress from confinement.  

The lives of animals kept in captivity in facilities like zoos are constantly at risk. Not only do they not have any control over their lives, but they die prematurely, endure unnatural temperatures, harm each other, and can become seriously ill. To give an idea of how living in captivity affects the lives of these animals, a study done by the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) showed the average lifespan of Asian elephants in the wild versus in captivity. “The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) published a study in 2002 indicating that the Asian elephant only lives an average of fifteen years in captivity, as opposed to a lifespan of up to sixty-five years in the wild” (Counterpoint: Confinement of Wild Animals Is a Form of Cruelty and Should Be Prohibited). Dying prematurely is a common pattern shown in animals kept in confinement. Multiple instances for this are since animals cannot interact properly with other animals in captivity as they do in the wild, their eating habits are changed, and even many elephants in captivity deal with more health issues or psychological issues like increased aggressiveness or unusual behaviors. Here is an example of how animals are frequently treated, many owners or trainers come to abuse the animals in captivity using either training or trying to get a reaction from an audience, usually to drive up business and make more money. "The owner of a private zoo east of Toronto is facing animal cruelty charges after video footage surfaced that appeared to show him hitting a tiger with a whip during a training session” (Owner of Bowmanville Zoo Faces Animal Cruelty Charges). A big issue with trainers in zoos is that it is a constant battle for control between the animal and the trainer, which to get control, they resort to abusive measures. 

In summary, the federal government needs to work on the prohibition of confining wild animals in facilities like zoos for the purpose of human entertainment because it does not provide sufficient space, it is a danger to humans, and it is blatantly cruel. It is important to stop taking animals into captivity because they play a critical role in ecosystems and biospheres on earth that make life possible for humans. Letting animals thrive in the wild gives them a better chance at life than they could ever have in captivity, in a manmade environment. Animals used to be worshiped and believed to be sacred, so how come they are now being mistreated and tormented for entertainment.