Zoos, aquariums, and circuses. These places have been part of most childhoods, and have created many memories. Circuses show animals jumping through animals, doing superhuman feats. Aquariums display exotic and rare sea creatures for enjoyment, and zoos exhibit extraordinary animals. Many people have taken these places for granted. However, what happens to these animals behind the scenes, or even out in the open can be considered inhumane. The zoo is one of the main suspects in cases of unethical treatment of animals. Even though zoos claim to provide safe homes for endangered animals, animals should not be kept in captivity because the living conditions of habitats are subpar, zoos care more about their income than the care of the animals,
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Have you ever seen animals constantly pacing back and forth, bobbing their heads, or just looking bored? The cause of this is a condition called by many scientists as “zoochosis.” Zoochosis is a condition in which animals experience extreme boredom (Pitiful, Peta.org). When animals have this, viewers can see the animals constantly doing the same activity repetitively, such as licking themselves, biting at bars, twisting necks, and in some extreme cases even self-harm. Many different aspects can lead to zoochosis in an animal. The main reason is the poor living conditions in zoos. Confined spaces such as aviaries prevent the animals from flying naturally, which leads to zoochosis. Small spaces inhibit animals from behaving as normal, such as running, jumping, swinging, and more. One prime example of an animal that can easily get zoochosis is the elephant. In the wild, an elephant can roam with his/her herd over thirty miles per day, stopping at around two waterholes per day to drink. At a standard zoo, they are usually placed with two roommates and a couple of acres of space (Horton, Howstuffworks.com). These examples can support the claim that zoos can be more defined as a collection of exotic animals, rather than a save haven and home for endangered species. Not only are living standards low, they can become even fatal when zoos need to cut
Have you ever seen animals constantly pacing back and forth, bobbing their heads, or just looking bored? The cause of this is a condition called by many scientists as “zoochosis.” Zoochosis is a condition in which animals experience extreme boredom (Pitiful, Peta.org). When animals have this, viewers can see the animals constantly doing the same activity repetitively, such as licking themselves, biting at bars, twisting necks, and in some extreme cases even self-harm. Many different aspects can lead to zoochosis in an animal. The main reason is the poor living conditions in zoos. Confined spaces such as aviaries prevent the animals from flying naturally, which leads to zoochosis. Small spaces inhibit animals from behaving as normal, such as running, jumping, swinging, and more. One prime example of an animal that can easily get zoochosis is the elephant. In the wild, an elephant can roam with his/her herd over thirty miles per day, stopping at around two waterholes per day to drink. At a standard zoo, they are usually placed with two roommates and a couple of acres of space (Horton, Howstuffworks.com). These examples can support the claim that zoos can be more defined as a collection of exotic animals, rather than a save haven and home for endangered species. Not only are living standards low, they can become even fatal when zoos need to cut