Who Belongs In The Zoo Article Summary

The article, “Who Belongs in the Zoo?” (Written in 2006) by Michael D. Lemonick, Jeanne McDowell, and David Bjerklie, appears in Time Magazine. The article details animal behavior expert’s opinions on the impossibility for zoos to meet the basic needs of elephants and certain other animals they contain. It highlights famous zoos across the United States and what their enclosures are like for elephants, bears, gazelles, big cats, and giraffes. The purpose of this article is to bring awareness to the reader on how inadequate animal enclosures are in many zoos across the United States. It highlights the lives of a polar bear named Gus from New York City’s Central Park Zoo and an Asian bull elephant named Billy from the Los Angeles Zoo and tells their story from their point of view. The article provides evidence to the reader that their odd behaviors are a result from their enclosures being too small and inadequate. Although many zoo officials believe that their facilities are adequate for the animals they contain, the authors of this article believe that many enclosures are too small and insufficient for some animals who may roam up to 30 miles a day in the wild, such as, elephants. The authors …show more content…
Living in his confinement, Billy developed arthritis and severe foot problems. This is due to the fact that Billy has only 1 acre of land to roam upon. Billy also continuously bobs his head which is typical of elephants who are in distress. The article also includes Gus who is a polar bear in New York City’s Central Park Zoo. Gus displays repeated neurotic behaviors mainly in part by him being born in captivity. Central Park’s zoo officials say that it is too late to release Gus back into the wild because he wouldn’t stand a chance on his own in the wild. The authors explain that these abnormal behaviors animals exhibit are results from their small