Argumentative Essay On Giraffes

Imagine being kept in a zoo your whole life, where you do not have much space to run. For the majority of the day you are lying down watching people stare at you and take pictures of you. No one knows that you are stressed out and hurting. This is the life of a captive giraffa camelopardalis better known as the giraffe. Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world, but do not be intimidated by their height because they are also one of the sweetest animals. A baby giraffe is six feet tall when it is born and can grow up to fourteen to eighteen feet by the time it is an adult (The Animal Files 1).When you look at captive giraffes there does not look like there are any physical problem with them. However there are many that we do not see. The major issues are teeth and bone problems, how much they sleep, and the health problems such as stress and anxiety. In the wild the …show more content…
The food that is given to the captive giraffes consists of alfalfa hay, pellets that have vitamins in them, and fruits and vegetables. Giraffes prefer apples, bananas, and carrots. In captivity giraffes lack the ability to chew constantly, because of this they end up weakening their teeth which causes more problems for them (Giraffes in Captivity 2). Fluoride is apart of a captive giraffe’s diet, and when it is ingested by a young giraffe, it causes more harm than good. Too much fluoride in a captivate young giraffe’s diet can cause enamel to decay as well as problems in the bone, urine and blood. If fluoride is ingested during the entire period of tooth development than enamel hypoplasia will affect all of the teeth in the mouth. Fluoride toxicosis can also occur, and it can be fatal to the giraffes. If fluoride is used in an adult giraffes diet, they will not be affected by it because their teeth are fully developed (Franz-Odendaal 2). We need to pay attention to what is given to the giraffes for food if we want them to stay