I don’t go to zoos.
I’ve heard too many bad stories about how zoos treat their animals, such as not feeding them enough or whipping them to make them act a certain way.
Animals are enclosed in a tiny area, sometimes with toys they may not have in the wild. The toys are supposed to enrich the animals due to the boring spaces they live in and the mundane and repetitive schedules they live by.
These animals are subject to human entertainment rather than living in their natural habitat.
We’ve all seen “Madagascar 2,” and it shows that zoos more or less tranquilize animals to bring them there.
Elephants aren’t native to the North American continent; how else would they get their animals?
At the movie’s end, the animals end up back in Africa and cannot survive by their own means. They can’t survive in the wild because they were raised in captivity; when a zoo has to shut down or give away its animals, the animals have to go to another zoo.
Not to say that all zoos are bad, but zoos are made mainly to make a profit for their business. That’s why you see animal merchandise, expensive food carts and cafeterias across the zoo.
While many people argue zoos are good for saving species from extinction, few actually inhabit endangered species of animals.
According to aza.org, only 800 species are endangered compared with the 8,600 species zoos a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums have.
Instead of supporting zoos that are profit-rendering machines, support animal sanctuaries and conservation efforts.
The difference between an animal sanctuary and a zoo is animal sanctuaries take in animals that can no longer survive in their natural habitat.
These animals come from circuses, closed zoos or owners surrendering their exotic pets.
A zoo, on the other hand, overbreeds and overcrowds its animals to have babies and lively animals for people’s entertainment.
Zoos argue that if people see animals, they will want to protect them.
However, a zoo’s idea of protection is taking animals out of the wild and putting them in confined spaces.
Their other argument is when children see the animals, they will have a liking for them.
There isn’t much logic behind this argument because all kids love dinosaurs, and no kid has ever seen a real dinosaur.
Zoos don’t belong in our time because of how far advanced our research of animal behavior and well-being is.
We also have technology that can imitate 3D portrayals of animals instead of harming the real thing by keeping them in cages.
Even circuses have started to use hologram technology to provide entertainment instead of captivating animals. This happened in Germany, this can happen in zoos as well to provide entertainment not at the expense of living creatures.
We should embrace more ethical alternatives, such as wildlife sanctuaries, rehabilitation centers and protected reserves.
This way, animals can live freely, and humans can observe them in their natural or close to natural habitats with little interference.
