In yesterday’s post, Mikhaila said zoos are great for many reasons. Although my family and I are big supporters of zoos, after going on the the game drives and seeing the animals run freely I can see that zoos can be like a prison for the animals. I don’t think we should have zoos because conservation and education can be done outside of zoos in the animals natural habitat. Also, why should we take animals from their homes for our entertainment?
Conservation can be done outside of a zoo by criminalizing poaching and turning the habitats into national parks. I know this because at the national parks we went to, they do not have many issues with poaching which I think is good. They also have park rangers to keep everything under control and signs at the main gate to eliminate littering so the animals like monkeys, don’t depend on people’s garbage to survive.
Education about how an animal lives can’t be done properly inside of a zoo. As soon as somebody takes an animal out of it’s natural habitat and starts feeding them and caring for them, they completely lose their ability to find their own food and live like they would in the wild. Once an animal has been taken from the wild, they have no chance to return. You can see that in the movie “Madagascar”. All of the animals live at the zoo and when they escape, they don’t know how to survive.
I think taking animals out of their habitat for our amusement is not necessary. If people want to see the animals, they should go and visit their home in their natural habitat. That way both the animals and people can be happy.
I know that they are happy when they laugh at my jokes!
Over the past three days of game drives, my thinking about zoos has changed. Conservation, education and entertainment can all be done inside an animals natural habitat and that is why I don’t think we should have zoos.
Please comment below to share your thoughts about zoos.
Comments
10 responses to “Zoos= Animal Prison”
Hi Zoe,
I enjoyed your viewpoints very much! There is a lot of “food for thought.” I am glad that you got to see the “Black Rhino” and I am sad to hear that it is on the endangered species list. I appreciate the Zoos because they try to protect those on the endangered species list. For example, through education and seeing these animals, perhaps they will be able to figure out why they are becoming extinct. If you had not seen this animal, you would not even know it existed. Not everyone will have the opportunity to visit the game parks, and the Zoos provide the opportunity to see these animals. If a black rhino was at the Toronto Zoo, perhaps a student visiting the zoo may try to understand why this animal is becoming extinct and discover the way to solve the problem. The zoo keepers, themselves, might be wondering about what is happening in their natural habitat that is causing this problem. They may have great ideas how to solve the problem. The more all of us see the various animals, the more we can offer ideas as to how to help these animals. I feel that the Zoos provide us with education, and, you never know, through this education we may discover how to get them off the endangered species list. I agree with you that poaching should be criminalized This was a great blog Zoe and I love your photos! Love, Baba.
Hi!
There is no right or wrong answer… this topic is great because it brings up a lot of conversation! 🙂
Zoe, I’m completely with you on animals living best in their natural environment, however there are two main issues here and they both revolve around money. Firstly, to protect against the criminal practise of poaching, these countries need to hire many rangers – not all countries can afford this. Also people in developed countries have to stop the demand for animal products like skins, elephant tusks, rhino horns and shark fin. Secondly, many people, families in particular, cannot afford to travel to the countries of these beaurtiful animals. Should they just observe them on TV, online or in books? Or do our local zoos provide valuable education for those less fortunate?
I am interested to read what everyone else has to contribute – its a hot topic. Thanks for bringing it up.
Hi!
I do understand that not everybody can afford to travel far, but what would be a better way to learn about how the animals live? 🙂
Zoe,
I am not sure what I can add that has not already been said about the pros and cons of zoos. Just a very small illustration perhaps. My daughter, Marlo, was a summer camp counselor at the Toronto Zoo for a number of years. She learned a lot about the animals and it increased her love of animals as well. This summer we encountered a turtle in the middle of the road near where we were cottaging. She stopped the car and helped the turtle get across. From working at the zoo she knew better than to take it back where it came from even though that was the closest side to it. She had learned that the turtle would have tried again and perhaps have then been killed. Instead she got it safely across. This is a really tiny example of the learning that zoos make accessible to more people especially those who may never be able to travel. Maybe some of these people will find some way to help animals. Ultimately though I agree that visiting in their natural habitat would be the ideal! Great articles both of you have written and very thought provoking!! Thank you!!!
Ginny
Hi!
That was very kind of Marlo to help the turtle cross… It might be far away, but it is possible to work as a park ranger in the national parks. You can probably learn a lot about the animals because they are in their natural habitat. 🙂
I agree with you Zoe but have also learned to appreciate other people’s perspectives and views. We have been lucky to travel and see animals in their natural habitat but I know that most people aren’t able to do this. When you get home, you won’t be able to keep a zebra in your backyard if your feelings have changed about zoos. But you do have the opportunity to visit the zebra in the zoo….all the best. Love Teta Doreen xoxo
Hi!
You are right, a lot of people can’t afford to do what I have done and see what I have seen… But have you or do you know anyone who has seen a laughing zebra in a zoo?
Wow, Zoe, this is a very passionate case you make for the beautiful animals you have seen. And I totally see your point, because the images of the wild creatures are still with you, how they live, play, hunt. As I have stated in Mikhailas posting, I was not happy after my first visit to a zoo, when I as a child. And I am totally against wild animals to be trained to perform in circus and theatre. I find that demeaning to the animals wild nature and spirit. On the other hand I think, that the majority of people in the world would never see a wild animal, unless it’s in a zoo setting and they would also not learn, how important it is to get involved in avoiding extinction through poaching and the change in their environment due to destruction by the never ending search for more riches, be it oil, diamonds, or gold etc. I love your posting and especially the photos, they show the animals in all their wild glory and lets hope they will stay protected. Thank you, Gazillion XOXOXO’s
Hi!
I had never really thought about the animals when we went to zoos… I only started thinking about it since the game drives and seeing the animals all together, like one big family. 🙂