Throughout the world, there are 230 accredited zoos and aquariums in nine different countries (Zoo and Aquarium Statistics, 2017). A safe assumption is that most people have been to a zoo at least once in their lifetime. With this being said, one of the trending topics in today’s world is if these zoos are helpful or harmful to animal’s well-being. One of the recent events that have occurred in sparking this debate happened in 2016 at the Cincinnati Zoo, where a three-year-old boy slipped underneath the barrier and fell into the gorilla exhibit; which ended in the death of a 17-year-old endangered gorilla (Silva, 2016). Now, the underlying question that has very defined opposite positions, are zoos positively or negatively impacting these
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Zoos can be good for animal welfare when it is proven that these animals need assistance to survive and cannot make it on their own. Where I disagree with zoos, is when zoos breed animals in captivity and take animals from the wild that are not injured or ill. These animals have a right to life and natural selection just like humans do. Imagine living your life one day and then being snatched and taken somewhere where your natural desires and needs typically are not met. A good example of this would be human trafficking. In human trafficking, people are kidnapped, sold off, and used for the rest of their life without consent. A counter-argument some people may have is that human lives are different than animals and that we need zoos to educate ourselves. Although, who has the right to determine who’s worthy of a standard of living and who’s not. Also, with technology and transportation being more advanced than ever before, it should be easier to research and educate ourselves on animals in the wild than in zoos. Zoos can also improve by having higher standards and regulations implemented on animal’s well-being. Overall, the only form of animal captivity that should be allowed is animal sanctuaries. Animal sanctuaries only acquire injured or sick animals from the wild until they are in a state when they can be independent in the wild
Zoos can be good for animal welfare when it is proven that these animals need assistance to survive and cannot make it on their own. Where I disagree with zoos, is when zoos breed animals in captivity and take animals from the wild that are not injured or ill. These animals have a right to life and natural selection just like humans do. Imagine living your life one day and then being snatched and taken somewhere where your natural desires and needs typically are not met. A good example of this would be human trafficking. In human trafficking, people are kidnapped, sold off, and used for the rest of their life without consent. A counter-argument some people may have is that human lives are different than animals and that we need zoos to educate ourselves. Although, who has the right to determine who’s worthy of a standard of living and who’s not. Also, with technology and transportation being more advanced than ever before, it should be easier to research and educate ourselves on animals in the wild than in zoos. Zoos can also improve by having higher standards and regulations implemented on animal’s well-being. Overall, the only form of animal captivity that should be allowed is animal sanctuaries. Animal sanctuaries only acquire injured or sick animals from the wild until they are in a state when they can be independent in the wild