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Emily Rosa

Mrs. Gardner

English 10H/Period 4

9 May 2017

The Reality of Holding Wild Animals Captive in Zoos

Have you ever considered the life long changes wild animals experience when they are

placed in captive environments in zoos across the world? Zoos worldwide capture wild animals

in hopes of educating the public, and force animals to perform tricks for entertainment. The issue

with zoos is that they have the ability of doing two things; they can distort our perspective of

what is right and wrong with animal treatment, or they can possibly change our perspective of

endangered species, educating those who are interested in wild animals around the globe. There

are little to no laws active today protecting the rights of animals and determining the difference

between abuse and entertainment. A few basic laws are from the Endangered Species Act,

(ESA), Animal Welfare Act, (AWA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, (MMPA), which

state the right to capture animals for entertainment purposes as well as the regulation of housing,

licensing, and transporting wild animals for zoos (Captive Animals and The Law). None of the

laws address living conditions or the trauma animals are put through while living in zoos. While

they can have educational and entertainment purposes, zoos have abusive effects on animals

because they use them for public amusement, rid them of survival skills, and place them in

substandard conditions.
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Initially, many would perceive zoos as an opportunity to serve for educational purposes.

For instance, blogger James Borrell in 8 Reasons Zoos are Critically Important reasoned,

Zoos are a living museum. What we learn about wild animals in captivity can help us manage

and conserve them in the wild. From animal behaviour, to reproductive rates to dietary

requirements. Also, in The Moral Case for Captive Animals reporter Robin Ganzert for

Deseret News writes, 61 percent of zoo- and aquarium-goers could discuss what they learned

from the experience, and 35 percent said the visit reinforced their belief in the importance of

animals and wildlife conservation. In addition, Toronto Zoos curator of animals Marie Frank

remarks, "We're not an attraction. We are a science-based, education-based organization" (qtd.

Chris Selley). Ultimately, many people believe that zoos have strong educational benefits as well

as the ability to make conservation awareness for wild animals. Yes, zoos have the power of

educating the public and all ages. However, zoos should reevaluate the way they treat wildlife

because they distort the difference between amusement and instinctive wild behavior.

Undoubtedly, zoos have the ability to entertain an audience and leave the visitors with a

better understanding of how certain animals thrive. However, when one considers the inhumane

treatment that the animals receive, amusement should not be associated with the behavior

towards wild species. For example, stated in 10 Things You Didnt Know About Seaworld,

orcas that perform at Seaworld have little to no shade in their enclosed tanks, resulting in

sunburns that are later concealed with black zinc oxide. Also, Jaimi Dolmage, blogger for One

Green Planet, narrates, Tigers food and water are withheld unless the tiger performs the task

the trainer wants it to, basically forcing the tiger who would otherwise be hunting its own food in
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the wild, to beg. To add to the dangers of animal entertainment, The growing popularity of

dolphin encounters, beluga interactions, and killer whales performing aerial acrobatics, observes

writer Shari Plummer from National Geographic, has fueled the market for trade in these wild

species. Based on these reports, animal performances result in mainly neglect towards the wild

animals along with little to no educational value to the public. In summary, if animal treatment

does not improve, why should zoos be able to train wild animals for public entertainment and

profit?

Furthermore, zoos continue to rid wild animals of their survival skills that they would

normally use in their natural habitat. By doing this, wild animals are not able to be released back

into the wild because their natural instincts have been stripped away. Animals in captivity would

not be able to live normally again after being hand fed by humans and in unnatural

environments. The article Pitiful Prisons from PETA describes, Animals are often prevented

from doing most of the things that are natural and important to them, like running, roaming,

flying, climbing, foraging, choosing a partner, and being with others of their own kind. In

addition, Aly Baker, Professor from Missouri University remarks, Although I am sure some

zoos and aquariums treat animals well, the animals do not experience life the same way they

would had they lived in their natural habitat, she continues, This poses an issue because if

these captive animals are ever released, they must relearn skills they lost in order to survive in

the wild again. Obviously, holding wild animals captive results in the animals no longer being

wild but more domesticated. Why should animals be rid of their natural instincts? Is it worth it

to allow zoos to train animals to be placed on display for profit?

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Essentially, wild animals should not be forced to live in an unknown, unsafe, and

unethical living environment. Similarly, animals are often forced in a smaller, uncomfortable

area that replicates their once known habitat. Furthermore, animals in captivity acquire a

mental disorder called Zoochosis. Blogger Jessica Ramos in Pitiful Prisons writes, For the

most part, animals live in the present. If their present is a small caged enclosure, then that is a

stressful existence from which they cannot escape. Relating to how the environments are

unsafe, reporter for the Virginian Pilot, Debbie Messina, proclaims the traumatizing results of

zoo captivity:

At the Virginia Zoo, 10 prairie dogs died when their tunnel collapsed, a rhinoceros

drowned in the moat of her exhibit, and a zebra narrowly escaped death after jumping

into the lion exhibit, while another lost her life when she bolted from a holding pen,

struck a fence, and broke her neck. (qtd. PETA)

Capturing wild animals and placing them in a new home with new surroundings, new routines,

and new expectations can ultimately destroy their natural life. From research, it can be

understood that a wild animal is completely uneasy and frantic when placed in an unfamiliar

environment. Therefore, wildlife should be left to thrive in the wild where they belong; all living

things deserve to live without unnatural expectations, without neglect, and without being taken

advantage of.

Although zoos are often a place to learn about wildlife that humans do not normally have

the chance to see, they have the unfortunate ability to neglect animals in various ways without

considering their actions. Zoos have the power to distort morals regarding animal treatment.
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Being forced into a new life can have a dramatic effect on a creature: imagine what it could do to

a wild animal that used to live freely.

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Works Cited

Baker, Aly. "Animals are Not Meant for our Entertainment." University Wire, 17 Jan,

2017, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Borrell, James. 8 Reasons that Zoos are Critically Important for Conservation 2014.

https://jamesborrell.com.

Captive Animals and the Law Animal Legal Defense Fund

http://aldf.org/resources/advocating-for-animals/captive-animals-and-the-law/

Dolmage, Jaimi. Exposed! Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Theme Park: Cruelty Isnt

Amusement One Green Planet, 2, September, 2014. http:www.onegreenplanet.org

Ganzert, Robin. "The Moral Case for Captive Animals." Deseret News, 03

Feb, 2017, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Plummer, Shari. Free Ride: The Case Against Whale and Dolphin Shows National

Geographic, 22 February 2013. http://voices.nationalgeographic.com.

Ramos, Jessica. Zoochosis: The Disturbing Thing That Happens to Animals in

Captivity Care2, 22, May, 2014.

http://www.care2.com/causes/zoochosis-the-disturbing-thing-that-happens-to-animals-in-

captivity.html

Selley, Chris. "Honey, I Shrunk the Zoo." National Post, 14 Jan, 2017, pp.

A.6, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Zoos: Pitiful Prisons Peta, 2017.

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www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/zo

os-pitiful-prisons/

10 Things You Didnt Know About Seaworld Sea World of Hurt, 2017.

http://www.seaworldofhurt.com.