Do the benefits of Zoos justify keeping animals in captivity?
Yes I think they do. Keeping animals in captivity isn't THAT horrible is it? People keep imagining how they would feel in a cage, but the essential flaw in that thinking is that these species aren't human, and do not possess that level of conciseness.
I have to admit that this is something I struggle with. Keeping an animal in a cage for our enjoyment. I have absolutely loved going to zoos. The Griffith Park, Sacramento Zoo, the one in Fort Wayne. All wonderful experiences and at the time very cheap entertainment.
As I got older I started to wonder about how right it is.
And animals do not possess our level of consciousness but they do experience depression. Watch a tiger in a small cage endlessly and mindlessly pacing the same exact route. Because they don't experience the same thought processes we do, doesn't necessarily justify taking them from the environment in which they are meant to live for our entertainment.
so I am torn on the subject.
Yes, I think so. First of all, most of the animals kept in zoos where born in captivity. They have lived their whole lives in captivity, don't know what it's like to be in the wild, and probably wouldn't survive on their own if set free. Some animals in zoos end up there after being rescued, and would have otherwise died if left in the wild.
Secondly, many of the species kept in zoos, even if they could survive on their own in the wild, don't have much of an environment to go back too now thanks to humans. Eventually, probably the only place some species will be able to survive is in captivity. Personally I'd rather see species survive in captivity than go completely extinct.
Not all zoos are created equal, but as long as a zoo takes proper care of it's animals than I do believe that the benefits they provide, both to humans and to the animals individually and as a species, justifies keeping the animals in captivity.
What is with all of these anti-zoo conversations around here? Is Hubpages a place for zoo-hating moms to congregate? Seriously, I feel weird being here sometimes.
The benefits of zoos far outweigh any negative repercussions that could arise from captive animals. I honestly cannot list them all. But let's consider for a moment that in many animals' native homes, they not only have to battle for their lives every day by eating enough food just to sustain themselves while also not being eaten by something else, they also have to traverse busy roads, dodge bullets from poachers or legal hunters, and try their luck raising a family in an increasingly diminishing territory. Even one injury from a feral dog, clip from a car's bumper, or attack by a rival or predator could result in lowered immune systems which could lead to nasty infections and a slow, but inevitable death. All of this isn't even mentioning parasites such as worms, mites, and ticks, which can also become rampant if an animal's immune system dips below a certain threshold from as simple a reason as stress. Animals must always be in on their A-game, they always have to be ready to run the fastest, fight the hardest, and eat the right foods. If they fall behind, they're liable to be picked off by predators, disease, etc. Animals are often romanticized as being "natural" and "free" in the wilderness, but in actuality they are literally fighting for their lives with everything that they do.
Do we see this kind of struggle in appropriately managed zoos? No. We do not. It is unfair to assume that all animals dream of being free and wild. Why would anyone want to be hunted instead of cared for? Anthropomorphizing aside, animals in captivity are safe, and keeping animals safe is good.
Zoos also imprint on young generations. They imprinted on me, and they still do today. They teach children that there is a vast array of multi-colored wonders of all different shapes and sizes waiting for us to discover, explore, and learn about. There are other living creatures we share our lives with, and zoos allow up-close encounters with these creatures. A zoo can be vastly more engaging than a documentary, or even when you're looking at an animal 1 mile away through binoculars. At a zoo, an animal can look at YOU, smell YOU, sometimes even touch YOU. It's in real time and it can be very humbling to see these rare creatures up close.
In addition to the satisfaction it may bring humans, zoos are largely volunteer-run organizations, and they donate or run programs such as Amphibian Ark and various Species Survival Plans.
I also feel as though my comments are getting voted down solely for my opinion that doesn't conform to some others' here. No matter how much factual evidence I present I receive hostility for my position. It discourages me from answering questions.
by Claire 8 years ago
Why do so many people want to own exotic pets instead of viewing them in their natural habitat?With so many species becoming extinct in the wild isn't it time to stop taking exotic out of it and keeping in cages and houses. Don't you think that they should be left as part of the ecosystem?
by Stephanie Launiu 10 years ago
Is putting animals in zoos cruel?There is an ongoing debate about the benefit to society vs how detrimental to animals it is to be kept in zoos. Some say that zoos are the only way modern people can view animals that would otherwise be in the wild. Others say that it is cruel to raise wild animals...
by Real Life Stories 12 years ago
50 years from now, will we look back on zoos and think them archaic, cruel and backward?Today in the news in the UK, are reports of a rogue lion wandering the countryside. No zoos have reported any animals missing. It's most peculiar. It got me thinking, will generations from now wonder...
by India Arnold 13 years ago
What are the good and bad conditions of the modern day zoo?Most people feel at least the animals in zoos get treated pretty well these days. What do think are the pros and cons of todays zoos?
by B M Gunn 8 years ago
Do you think that it is inherently cruel to keep undomesticated animals in captivity?Often we see people bashing zoos and other situations where exotic animals are kept in captivity. My personal view is that the vast majority of the animal kingdom (with the possible exception of some higher...
by Phyllis Doyle Burns 10 years ago
A Monacled albino cobra is on the loose in Southern California. http://news.msn.com/us/search-on-for-de … californiaAuthorities think the snake escaped from captivity and the owner has not yet been found. Why would anyone own a venomous snake? I have read so many news articles...
Copyright © 2024 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2024 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |