thesis statement on zoos

Social Issues

Zoos and Aquariums Argumentative Essay Sample

Can you imagine being stuck in a small, refined cage your whole life? A place where you sleep uncomfortably, eat scarcely, and are forced to entertain people out of your own will. These species of wildlife are being captured to make others “happy” and “excited” while secretly they’re the ones who are hurting the most. Animals across the world in zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries all deal with these horrific punishments every day, unaware of what they did to “deserve” this.

The idea of Zoos and Aquariums providing entertainment for people started thousands of years ago. From what was thought to be the first zoo in Ancient Egypt to now our modern-day San-Francisco Zoo, they were both created to amuse our society and make money. But what many people don’t realize is behind closed doors these animals are treated worse than inhumanely. The article titled “The Independent: Zoos Are Where the People Come First, Not the Animals' ' wrote, “these zoo enclosures are often built for a human-centric visitor experience rather than for the welfare of the animals' ' (Damian). The so-called safe places where these animals recover and help endangered species have quickly become a scheme to get money for the owners of zoos and aquariums.

My first point on why I believe zoos and aquariums are a terrible place for animals is because they fail to provide reasonable living conditions. They not only deprive them of their natural habitats but go the “cheap way” and get what’s going to cost them the least without taking the animal’s life into consideration. The website “Orlando Sentinel” talks about a well-known aquarium, Sea World, and its abuse towards marine life. The author, Marino, stated, “Kyara’s [a baby orca at Seaworld] mother, Takara, has lived her entire life in a concrete tank without ever knowing what it’s like to swim the ocean waters off the coast of Iceland from where her mother and father were captured.” When taking an animal like an orca away from their vast ocean home and sticking them in something as small as a “bathtub” for them you start to question what SeaWorlds “ main priorities” are. But, Kyra is just one example of the thousands of animals captured and put into captivity by SeaWorld. Their main intentions for these animals is to make money rather than help their animals live a somewhat “healthy life”.

But I can agree with many people with the fact that there are zoos and aquariums that do give their animals plenty of space to run freely and live similarly to how they normally would. In an article from “Boston Globe” stated “The executive director of the Detroit Zoo announced in 2004 that he was voluntarily sending his zoo's two Asian elephants to a California sanctuary, where the land was plentiful, the weather temperate, and the elephants could roam. The reason, Kagan said, was simple. To paraphrase: The zoo, despite its best efforts, was essentially ruining the elephants' lives.” To be clear, many activists against zoos do not believe that ALL zoos are bad and ALL zoos should be shut down, but from recent reports and history on zoos treating their animals horribly it inevitably ruins it for everyone. When certain popular Zoos start doing something wrong, it sets a precedent for all other zoos and makes us generally think very negatively of them. However a statement in the “New York Times” shows the overwhelming outweighing negatives which stated “the time devoted to pacing by a species in captivity is best predicted by the daily distances traveled in nature by the wild specimens." So although some zoos and aquariums do try and make their enclosures their “number one priority” in the end these animals will never truly experience what it’s like to be back in the wild again, or even ever.

The second point on why zoos and aquariums should not be allowed is because they can cause stress and aggression within the animals. The reason that most zoos and aquariums even take in animals is because they are sick or are going to become endangered and they are trying to “save” them. But by keeping them in small spaces, alone, for so long there have been many signs that this has led to awful stress in the animals. In the article found in the “Boston Globe”, ____ States, “Gus's compulsive behavior, a growing pile of research suggests, is distressingly common among captive animals. The gorillas behind the glass are plucking their hair, and the orangutans are incessantly masturbating. Dolphins ram their heads into the sides of pools, and sea lion pups try to nurse from each other instead of adult females' ' (Scharfenberg). To clarify, these unusual behaviors of animals are showing signs of aggression and could be harmful towards others if we don’t stop zoos and aquariums fast. Wild animals were not brought into this world to be our “pets” and companions, but again and again we treat them that way, until they act in an irrational way back. A story in the “GlobalPost” called “'Lion Park' Where an American Was Mauled to Death…” states, “This wasn't the first such incident at the Lion Park. In March, an Australian tourist who had his window down was chomped by a lion. In December 2013, the father of a former South African rugby player was bitten on the shoulder” (Conway-Smith). All of these “incidents” have happened because they’ve been locked up in small cages and are going mentally insane. A regular wild lion might not show as much aggression to humans because they don’t find them as a threat but as lions live longer and longer in captivity, withering away, so do their brains.

For example, when certain criminals are put in jail very few are obligated to be in solitary, where they have to spend time alone in a cell until their time is up. People who have experienced this have gone mentally insane and have shown signs of an illness in their minds. But what people fail to realize is that is exactly what most zoos/aquariums do to their own animals. There are many similarities between the 2 by keeping both “locked” up in cells, not allowing them to leave but there is one thing missing. The captured animals didn’t do anything to deserve to be in these cruel situations.

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Are Zoos Ethical? Arguments for and Against Keeping Animals in Zoos

Zoos, if done right, could be a good thing for the animals and the public—yet many so-called zoos get it terribly wrong.

University of Southern California

Ohio Wesleyan University
Brandeis University
Northeastern University
Animal Rights
Endangered Species

A Brief History of Zoos

Arguments for zoos, arguments against zoos, the last word on zoos.

A zoo is a place where captive animals are put on display for humans to see. While early zoos (shortened from zoological parks) concentrated on displaying as many unusual creatures as possible—often in small, cramped conditions—the focus of most modern zoos is conservation and education. While zoo advocates and conservationists argue that zoos save endangered species and educate the public, many animal rights activists believe the cost of confining animals outweighs the benefits, and that the violation of the rights of individual animals—even in efforts to fend off extinction—cannot be justified.

Humans have kept wild animals for thousands of years. The first efforts to keep wild animals for non-utilitarian uses began about 2500 BCE, when rulers in Mesopotamia, Egypt kept collections in enclosed pens. Modern zoos began to evolve during the 18th century and the Age of Enlightenment, when scientific interest in zoology, as well as the study of animal behavior and anatomy, came to the fore.

Early zoos were a dismal affair. Animals were kept in small enclosures with little if any, greenery. With a scant understanding of what the various animals needed, many perished relatively quickly. In accredited U.S. zoos (and elsewhere) things are better now, fortunately. Primates, for example, have gone from barren cages with little furniture to naturalistic and sometimes semi-free-ranging designs. But is it enough?

By bringing people and animals together, zoos educate the public and foster an appreciation of other species.
Zoos save endangered species by bringing them into a safe environment, where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, starvation, and predators.
Many zoos have breeding programs for endangered species. In the wild, these individuals might have trouble finding mates and breeding, and species could become extinct.
Some zoos have conservation programs around the world that use the zoo's expertise and funding to help protect wildlife against poaching and other threats.
Reputable zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums are held to high standards for the treatment of their resident animals. According to AZA, its accreditation guarantees that the organization has undergone strict evaluation by recognized experts to ensure the highest standards of "animal management and care, including living environments, social groupings, health, and nutrition."
A good zoo provides an enriched habitat in which the animals are never bored, are well cared for, and have plenty of space.
Seeing an animal in person is a much more personal and more memorable experience than seeing that animal in a nature documentary and is more likely to foster an empathetic attitude toward animals.
Some zoos help rehabilitate wildlife and take in exotic pets that people no longer want or are no longer able to care for.
Both accredited and unaccredited animal exhibitors are regulated by the federal Animal Welfare Act, which establishes standards for animal care.
From an animal rights standpoint, humans do not have a right to breed, capture, and confine other animals— even if those species are endangered . Being a member of an endangered species doesn't mean the individual animals should be afforded fewer rights.
Animals in captivity suffer from boredom, stress, and confinement. No pen—no matter how humane—or drive-through safari can compare to the freedom of the wild.
Intergenerational bonds are broken when individuals are sold or traded to other zoos.
Baby animals bring in visitors and money, but this incentive to breed new baby animals leads to overpopulation. Surplus animals are sold not only to other zoos, but also to circuses and hunting facilities. Some zoos simply kill their surplus animals outright.
Some captive breeding programs do not release animals back into the wild. The offspring may be forever part of the chain of zoos, circuses, and petting zoos.
Removing individual specimens from the wild further endangers the wild population because the remaining individuals will be less genetically diverse and may have greater difficulty finding mates. Maintaining species diversity within captive breeding facilities is also a challenge.
If people want to see wild animals in real life, they can observe wildlife in the wild or visit a sanctuary. (A true sanctuary does not buy, sell, or breed animals, but instead takes in unwanted exotic pets, surplus animals from zoos, or injured wildlife that can no longer survive in the wild.)
The federal Animal Welfare Act establishes only the most minimal standards for cage size, shelter, health care, ventilation, fencing, food, and water. For example, enclosures must provide "sufficient space to allow each animal to make normal postural and social adjustments with adequate freedom of movement. Inadequate space may be indicated by evidence of malnutrition, poor condition, debility, stress, or abnormal behavior patterns." Violations often result in a slap on the wrist and the exhibitor is given a deadline to correct the violation. Even a long history of inadequate care and AWA violations, such as the history of Tony the Truck Stop Tiger, does not necessarily ensure abused animals will be freed.
Animals sometimes escape their enclosures, endangering themselves as well as people. Likewise, people ignore warnings or accidentally get too close to animals, leading to horrific outcomes. For example, Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, was shot in 2016 when a toddler accidentally fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. While the child survived and was not badly injured, the gorilla was killed outright.
Petting zoos have been linked with numerous incidents of diseases including E. coli infection, cryptosporidiosis, salmonellosis, and dermatomycosis (ringworm).

In making a case for or against zoos, both sides argue that they're saving animals. Whether or not zoos benefit the animal community, they certainly do make money. As long as there is demand for them, zoos will continue to exist.

Since zoos are likely an inevitability, the best way to move forward is to ensure that zoo conditions are the best possible for the animals that live in captivity and that individuals who violate animal care health and safety sanctions are not only duly punished but denied any future access to animals.

One day we may look back at zoos and marvel at their barbarity. Or, one day we may look back at zoos and be grateful for the species they saved from extinction. Of these two scenarios, only time will tell.

Hosey, Geoff, et al. Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management, and Welfare . Oxford University Press. 2013.

Hosey, G. (2023). The History of Primates in Zoos . In: Robinson, L.M., Weiss, A. (eds) Nonhuman Primate Welfare. Springer, Cham.

“ Species Survival Plan Programs .” Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

“ Accreditation Basics .” Association of Zoos & Aquariums .

“ Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations .” U.S. Department of Agriculture .

Meagher, Rebecca K., Georgia J. Mason. “ Environmental Enrichment Reduces Signs of Boredom in Caged Mink .” PLoS ONE , vol. 7, 2012, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049180

Kleiman, Devra G., et al. Wild Mammals In Captivity: Principles And Techniques For Zoo Management, Second Edition . University of Chicago Press. 2010.

Gunasekera, Crystal Allen. “ The Ethics of Killing “Surplus” Zoo Animals .” Journal of Animal Ethics , vol. 8, 2018, doi:10.5406/janimalethics.8.1.0093

Brichieri-Colombi, Typhenn A., et al. “ Limited Contributions of Released Animals from Zoos to North American Conservation Translocations .” Conservation Biology , vol. 33, 2019, pp. 33-39., doi:10.1111/cobi.13160

Krasnec, Michelle O., et al. “ Mating Systems in Sexual Animals .” Nature Education Knowledge, vol. 3, no. 10, 2012, p. 72.

“ 9 CFR § 3.128 - Space Requirements .” Cornell University Legal Information Institute .

“ Animal Welfare Act Enforcement .” U.S. Department of Agriculture .

Conrad, Cheyenne C. Conrad et al. " Farm Fairs and Petting Zoos: A Review of Animal Contact as a Source of Zoonotic Enteric Disease ." Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, vol. 14, 2017, pp. 59-73., doi:10.1089/fpd.2016.2185

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Post last modified: December 7, 2023

Should Zoos Still Exist?

I’ll start by saying that personally I’m fundamentally against zoos but I do understand some of the arguments why they should exist. My main reason for being against zoos is because I don’t agree with caging animals for our entertainment.

I’ve disliked zoos since I was a small child. The memory of a polar bear pacing back and forth in a very small enclosure in a Yorkshire zoo has stuck with me. Many zoos now provide more space for their wild animals but it could hardly be described as equivalent to what they have in the wild. Keeping animals in climates that are not suited to them seems even more cruel.

Why Zoos Should Exist

Bearing all of the above in mind, some zoos do actually carry out important conservation work. The arguments for zoos are many and varied…

The arguments for zoos

Zoos can help to save endangered species by keeping them in a ‘safe’ environment. Safe as in protected from poachers, predators, habitat loss and even starvation.
Some zoos have breeding programmes. This is another way to protect endangered species which may have trouble finding suitable mates in the wild.
Zoos have an educational aspect. It’s easier to learn about an animal by seeing them in person.
Fostering empathy… By seeing an animal up close, the public might be encouraged to be more empathetic to a species that is facing extinction in the wild. They might put 2 and 2 together and realise the orangutan they saw is in jeopardy due to the products they buy. ( Read about Palm Oil here ).
Good zoos have high standards of welfare for their animals. Visiting an accredited zoo is better than visiting one which isn’t. For example, BIAZA ‘members are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of animal care, conserving the natural world through research and conservation, and educating and inspiring their visitors.’
A few zoos take in abandoned exotic pets and rehabilitate wildlife.
Zoos are a traditional family activity.

What is BIAZA?

“ BIAZA is the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums; the professional body representing the best zoos and aquariums in Britain and Ireland. We have over 100 zoo and aquarium members who pride themselves on their excellent animal welfare, education and conservation work.”

“BIAZA contributes approximately £24 million to conservation projects a year.”

Why Zoos Shouldn’t Exist

Just like there are quite a few arguments for the existence of zoos, whether you agree with them or not, there are also a lot, if not many more, arguments against zoos.

The arguments against zoos

Like the polar bear that’s haunted me for over 35 years, animals in captivity often suffer from boredom and stress. Captivity can in no way compare to being free in the wild.
What gives humans the right to capture, confine or breed other species? If an animal is endangered does that justify us removing its freedom?
Most captive breeding programmes don’t release animals into the wild. More often than not they become part of a never-ending chain of zoos, safari parks, circuses, canned hunting facilities and even the exotic pet trade. There are more tigers in American backyards than there are in the wild !
Baby animals bring the public in in droves, but this often leads to zoos having too many animals. Surplus animals can be sold on to other zoos (or safari parks, circuses etc) but many are just killed. You might remember back in 2014 when the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark killed Marius the giraffe. ‘Young giraffe unsuitable for breeding was shot, dissected in public and then fed to lions despite offers of a new home.’ The Guardian
Bonds between animals are broken when they are sold to alternative facilities which exploit animals, causing further stress to them.
The wild populations of different endangered species may become less genetically diverse due to the removal of individuals from the wild, causing them to become even more endangered.
If you want to see wild animals behaving normally they should be seen in the wild. Watching a captive dolphin performing tricks at Sea World in no way compares to seeing a wild dolphin in the ocean.
If you can’t afford to see animals in their natural habitat visit a wildlife sanctuary that does not buy, sell or breed animals. Sanctuaries take in injured wildlife, unwanted exotic pets or surplus animals from zoos.
Wildlife encounters at zoos might be an unforgettable experience for children or adults but they are stressful and can be harmful to the animals.
Zoo animals can escape. Not only is this dangerous for people and native wildlife, but the animals are often killed rather than tranquilised .
Zoo visitors often don’t act responsibly. They can put the animals lives in danger due to their stupidity or lack of care. When a toddler fell into an enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo in 2016 there was a worldwide outcry that Harambe , the gorilla whose enclosure the toddler fell into, was shot and killed.

The Difference Between Zoos, Safari Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

What is a Zoo? “an area in which animals, especially wild animals, are kept so that people can go and look at them or study them”

What is a Safari Park? “a large park where wild animals are kept and can move freely, and can be watched by visitors driving through in their cars”

What is a Wildlife Sanctuary? “a place where birds or animals can live and be protected, especially from being hunted or dangerous conditions”

Definitions from the Cambridge English Dictionary

The “Conservation Con”

One of the arguments for zoos is that they help to conserve species which may otherwise go extinct. Others argue that this is the ‘conservation con’, which is explained by freedomforanimals.org.uk

“Zoos in the UK hold tens of thousands of animals captive. One of the main ways they justify this captivity is to say that they need to protect animals who are endangered in the wild. (…)

By focusing on zoos in Wales, we carried out research which unearthed that just 9% of animals held captive are endangered and 17% are threatened in the wild. This means the vast majority of animals kept in zoos are not threatened in the wild, so why are they held captive?”

They go on to say…

“Whilst we do not believe keeping endangered species in zoos actually contributes to conservation, we really would expect zoos that claim to focus on this issue to not be holding so many animals captive who are not of conservation concern. It is time zoos were honest with the public and stopped using conservation claims as a veil for animal exploitation.”

‘Conservation’ is frequently used in defence of trophy hunting as well.

“Should We Close Our Zoos?”

Back in 2016, there was an episode of Horizon (a BBC 2 documentary series focussed on science and philosophy), called “Should We Close Our Zoos?” Although the episode is not available to watch in full on the BBC website, you can watch some clips from the programme. In one of these short clips there are some disturbing facts and figures (which have hopefully improved since it aired).

Between 3000 – 5000 healthy animals are culled by European zoos each year.
Elephants in zoos live only half as long as wild elephants.
Less than 10% of zoo species are endangered in the wild.
Around 400 pandas have been bred in captivity, just 5 have been released and only 3 survive.

Should We close Our Zoos? – 5 minute clip from the Horizon documentary.

So, Should Zoos Still Exist?

I don’t think that zoos should need to exist. For those that do rehabilitate wildlife and protect endangered species I think there is an argument for them. However it would be far better if they were to become wildlife sanctuaries and they stopped buying and selling animals. What we should be doing is protecting the habitats of wild animals and ensuring their survival in the wild. Until people around the world care more about life than money I’m afraid there’s little chance of certain species surviving without a helping hand from zoos.

That’s not to say that I think all existing zoos should still exist or that most of them are adequate. I believe there are many zoos that should be shut down immediately. As far as I’m concerned the majority of ‘good zoos’ still need to make massive improvements to their facilities. In my opinion, a zoos major function should not be to make money for its owner. The profits from ticket prices should go toward increasing animal welfare standards and increasing enclosure sizes. Most importantly the money should go toward protecting the natural habitats of wild animals.

I hope that in the not too distant future we see the end of zoos. Sadly I don’t feel like it’ll happen in my lifetime… We have too many people in power around the world for whom animal welfare and conservation is of little concern.

Even some wildlife charities are not what they seem .

The pictures below make me very sad, tweet posted during lockdown…

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This post has 80 comments.

Who is the author of this piece? I need to citate this souce for some school work and so this would be useful.

Hi my names Kate, but I’d prefer you link to this page as the citation

i agree with you so much, the pictures made me cry and do you know if zoos are going to shut down

Same doing a essay about it

Yes of course, We were asked to reference an author as well as the website. However if you’re uncomfortable with that, I’ll stick to just the page 🙂

I’ve always had a strong stance against zoos as well. Thank you so much for writing this piece. It’s nice to know that there are people who are passionate about these issues too.

That’s really good, some very vaild points made!

yah totally

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great job!!!!!!

love the article kate

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1) I think zoos should be allowed, because it helps injured animals

Very much so.

zoos should be allowed they help some animals who are hurt :/

they shall not exist PERIOD

Periods can have a sentence after them so I propose the idea that zoos shall exist because of many different reasons. Above all, they prevent the extinction of an animal species.

In making a case for or against zoos, both sides argue that they’re saving animals. Whether or not zoos benefit the animal community, they certainly do make money. As long as there is demand for them, zoos will continue to exist. Since zoos are likely an inevitability, the best way to move forward is to ensure that zoo conditions are the best possible for the animals that live in captivity and that individuals who violate animal care health and safety sanctions are not only duly punished, but denied any future access to animals.

I like zoo’s but now i see the pro’s and con’s.

ZOOS are important! There protecting endangered animals. Giving them a place to live, a place to be safe in. they don’t have to FIGHT to survive. they are given food to

Yes you said they don’t have to fight to survive-but guess what if the animal forget how to hunt and gather food when they release them back in the wild they will not remember how to hunt and SURVIVE because the zoo people just fed them everyday and they were used to that. Also It has been proven by researchers that some animals become violent in a zoo or aquarium because they are bothered by all the noise people make or they don’t have enough space to move around-like in the wild where they are free to move around wherever they want. I also believe there was a orca like 6-7 years ago that actually KILLED (literally bit the woman’s pony tail and was dragging her underwater to drown her)because it didn’t have enough space to move around.

That’s why they don’t

Release them

Animals that are going to get released, do have to fight for their food.

Zoos release some animals, but the animals they do release, they made them hunt for themselves.

Im doing a balanced argument writing exam to see which level of class I’ll be in during high-school. And this helped so much!

Looks good but i would check some of your grammar. It’s “zoos” not “zoo’s”, zoo’s implies something belongs to the zoo. Good points, and well written :]

If you are considering a visit to the zoo, decide whether you are willing to empathise with the animals afterwards by going home, locking the front door, and not leaving the house for the next 10 years. If you are uneasy with the thought of doing that, you might like to reconsider a visit to the zoo.

i wrote this and i am 11 Do you think zoos should exist? You don’t, well I hope this changes your mind. Because first of all zoo’s help inform people how to help save animals. Secondly, zoo’s help animal species grow and repopulate. Thirdly if animals are in zoos they cant get hurt if they are in the wild they can die of climate change, pouching and litter. Just like everything else, zoos have their pros and cons. I think that it’s important for people to realise that from a conservation point of view zoos are critical for certain species especially those that are captive bred. Many animals cannot and will not be able to live in the wild depending on circumstances. At the same time, zoos can be the only place where humans can protect them against poachers and the like. We have to make the difference between conservation zoos and the places where animals are stocked for their body parts.We can stop this masamune right here and right now but people won’t stop littering and poaching. You know how it always says save the manatees and stuff well have you ever heard save the white rhinos before. I don’t think so. So jone in and help not just the manatees but every animal. Some people question whether zoos are a good thing or a bad thing. Believe that zoos are good because they help animals and educate people.

First of all zoo’s help inform the public on how to help animals thrive in the wild. By studying animals so we can help them. Because it takes over a few years for a zoologist to find out their behavior and what they eat and stuff like that. If they were moving all the time it would take forever. Like if I was studying a cheta it is going to take probably a few years to know everything about them if they are in the wild. But if they were in a zoo then they would be able to study them better. By bringing people and animals together, zoos educate the public and foster an appreciation of the other species. The last female white rhino went extinct a few months ago in the san diego zoo. I got to see it when I was little but no one else ever saw a little baby white rhino which is sad but it lived longer in a zoo then it would in the wild. So yeah i was lucky to even see one.

Next up, zoo’s also help animals repopulate. Zoos save endangered species. By bringing them into a safe environment. Where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, starvation, and predators . I watched a video on if zoos should exist i think yes in it it said who wants to go see animals locked up in cages i thought gosh yay animals hate there cages with food, toys and a habitat built just for them they hate it ( said sarcastically ) take the california condor for example in 1982 there was alone 22 of them left but thanks to Now there are hundreds of these huge birds in the Californian skies. Thanks to the dedicated conservation efforts of San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Well over three hundred of them. We can also thank zoos for bissen, black foot wesile, golden footed monkey last but certainly not least red foxes.

Thirdly if animals are in zoos they cant get hurt if they are in the wild they can die of climate change, pouching and litter. These are a few animals that are almost extinct but there are a few in zoos The Arabian Oryx was hunted to extinction in the wild. However, from just a handful of animals in captivity the species was brought back from the brink thanks to the conservation efforts of Phoenix zoo and others.Through this incredible work, there are now over 1,000 of these magnificent animals back in the wild and thousands more looked after by zoos worldwide. Przewalski’s horse is the only truly wild horse species left in the world. It comes from the grasslands of Central Asia, but was once declared completely extinct in the wild. But Paderewski’s Horse has made an incredible comeback. Zoos have been working together to create a stable population across the world and now the horse is now returning to their natural habitat. That is just two of a ton of animals that alone exist in zoos. There are 39 animal species currently listed by the IUCN as Extinct in the Wild. These are species that would have vanished totally were it not for captive populations around the world, many of which reside in zoos or, for plants, botanic gardens So enough of that. Im going to talk about why zoos are critical to conservation. For species whose survival in the wild looks in doubt, zoos often set up ‘insurance’ populations, captive groups of animals that could in a worst-case scenario assist in reintroduction to the wild should the original population become extinct. The Zoological Society of London, as an example, participates in more than 160 of these programmed. Re introductions. It is often argued that zoos are bad because so few reintroductions actually happen. I would argue that it’s not the zoos that are at fault – a reintroduction can’t occur if the reason a species was driven to extinction in the first place hasn’t been resolved. In 2014, 700 million people visited zoos worldwide. Not all zoos are good at engagement, and indeed not all zoos are good full stop. However, surely that number of visits created some sort of connection with the natural world that might not have occurred otherwise. Zoos are a living museum. What we learn about wild animals in captivity can help us manage and conserve them in the wild – from animal behaviour, to reproductive rates, to dietary requirements. Zoos raise money for conservation efforts. It’s difficult to engage people with conservation taking place half a world away. But by enabling people to experience wildlife first hand, we can increase participation in international conservation activities. They remind us that we can succeed. Conservation is full of bad news stories, yet on many occasions I have stood peering through glass at a species that shouldn’t exis

i think zoos should not exist :]

i disagree with you

Hmmm I just did some reading and zoo animals actually suffer from depression and stress because their habitats aren’t natural. Also what do you think about the polar bears that have to live in warm conditions when God made them to live in COLD conditions. I think you have some good points, but i still don’t think that the animals should be on display for our entertainment. I think that they should only be in a zoo if they are injured, not just for display.

AND THAT’S SOME FACTS

I would like if there something to do, nobody talks about this anywhere. Sanctuarys is one thing, help animals and not show to the people. If someone want to see and animal just turn on the TV, if there is anything to pay to see an animal, that’s just making profit from the animal. If it is to help and rescue the animal, then there must be NO PEOPLE, NOTHING TO SEE OR PAY, only the workers or helpers. For the one who likes animals, just go and be a veterinarian

This really helped with this unit i was doing on in school, my group was about zoos and if we should ban them or leave them as is. This article really helped with gathering evidence for being against zoos. Have a good day ^^!

I think zoos should exists because people get to see animals up close and in person

I agree but for different reasons.

animals need to be free and not in a cage for their whole life

like bruh get this in your brain

That is a con however, zoos make a habitat super big and it is just like in the wild.

Enjoyed this as I have recently published a book called ‘The Second Level of Extinction’ where modern zoos are exposed as charlatans and fraudsters who make absolutely no contribution to the conservation of wild animals or environment but then as charities claiming to do so rake in millions of dollars from gullible people. It is available on Amazon and elsewhere. Author is AP Wolf.

yes zoos are fun and exciting but the animals shouldn’t be displayed for our entertainment zoos should be helping endangered animals and animals that are in risk of dying if staying in the wild and when they are grown enough to take care of themselves you could then send them back into the wild

Zoos’ are not made for our entertainment. They are made for animals. They just let us come for teaching us about the animals.

I think that zoos should stay open.

If zoos etc did not exist, our children’s children will never, ever see some wild animals. Some species are not safe in their natural environment. There are rogue zoos, these are the ones that should not be supported. However there are, fortunately more zoos that are more responsible and maintain a healthy wild animal population.

I believe zoos should close. It is bad to keep animals cooped up in small spaces, let alone alien environments. The quotidan stress and boredom the animals receive is unfathomable. So, I feel it is essential for us to eliminate zoos (by that, I mean the bad zoos).

there should not be anymore zoos

so zoos should not exist

That was worded amazingly! Thank you so much. I am looking for reasons for zoos to stay for research.

just imagine being stuck in a cage watched and wiped

I think they should keep zoos for the hurt animals

zoo’s shouldn’t exsist

sorry miss clicked zoos shouldn’t exist because they hold animals against free will

If animals had the option they would most likely choose zoos.

where i live our zoos a amazing and the enclosures are huge and none of the animals look at all depressed tbh all of them look happy and none of them looked over feed

I think they should keep the zoo for the endangered animals,the Abandon Yong,and the injured to save more animals. The zoos are not hurting the animals one zoo saves almost 200 animals per year well have more animal on this plaint

I am with you!

Zoos do not WHIP animals!!!!

I am finding research for a topic in school and I found great reasons from you guys! Thank you so much!

I think zoos should exist but they also have wrongdoings. I think they should exist because they can protect animals and if an animal population is going down they can breed animals there is a lot that zoos do good but there are also things they don’t do good, they sometimes use animals just for the public and the money. They also just capture the animals even if they are perfectly healthy. The animals can also forget how to function on their own. So my opinion it’s a 50/50.

I did a topic in school about this topic and I will share it with you guys. DO NOT COPY MY WORK!!!! Many people argue about whether or not there should be zoos. After conducting research, it is obvious that we should have zoos. Zoos help animals in many different ways. In the text, it says, “Zoos save species from extinction and other dangers.”(procon.org) Since zoos save animals from extinction, they can likely help animals repopulate. Zoos take in animals that are hurt and can’t fend for themselves. The animals’ Zoos do release, are still wild. Zoos just monitor animals that they are going to release. They make them hunt for themselves. In conclusion, Zoos help animals survive so they should exist. People think zoos should exist however, zoos help animals in many different ways. One of those ways is animals in zoos produce helpful scientific research. In the text, it states, “Zoos produce helpful scientific research”(procon.org) This means by having animals in zoos, we can look at them and notice how they act to different things. Additionally, “nine species like California condors, black-footed ferrets, Przewalski’s horse, golden lion tamarins, American red wolves, and more from the brink of extinction.”This shows that zoos save animals from extinction and reintroduced them to the environment. Clearly, zoos are more helpful than harmful. Therefore zoos should exist. It is argued zoos don’t educate the public enough to prove there should be animals in captivity. For example, people say no one learns anything at a zoo. Expert Claim, “Zoos don’t educate the public enough to justify keeping animals captive.”(procon.org) Zoos don’t educate people if people don’t read or see what the zoos have to give them.However, If people listen to what the tour guide has to say or read what a sign says people learn a lot.Studies show, “Zoos and aquariums do teach the public about the delicate balance between animal species and their habitats, a new international study shows. More than 6,000 visitors to over 30 zoos and aquariums across the world took part in this landmark study. Participants filled out pre- and post-visit surveys to evaluate their biodiversity understanding and knowledge of how to help protect biodiversity. The study found there was an increase from pre-visit (69.8%) to post-visit (75.1%) in respondents demonstrating some positive evidence of biodiversity understanding.”(Sciencedaily.com) Going to zoos actually benefits animals and humans. Humans get to see animals and learn about the animals. Animals get to have lots of visitors and have a nice safe home. While some may argue that zoos do not provide education to people, zoos give you the opportunity of a lifetime to see amazing animals and learn all about them.

Kate, although Maurice’s death was injustice, it was in Europe, not America!

Are you referring to Marius when you say Maurice? If so I clearly state that was in Copenhagen in Denmark, The Guardian link underneath links to an article talking about Marius.

Some zoos are beneficial, while others are only to make money and entertain. Many zoos take exotic species from the wild simply to attract visitors, but others breed endangered animals whose habitat is disappearing. So some zoos should stay, but others need to go.

You have a point there

Zoos are not needed When the school announces that they are planning a field trip, most of the students would think about a one word, zoo. Likewise, zoo has been a famous choice for children or students to visit whether it is a school field trip or not. Zoo has a lot of species of animals such as penguins and bears. Not only do people watch animals performing tricks but they can take a closer look on animals. These actions can eventually increase the people’s interest on animals and may be interested in learning about that. Moreover, zoos can save endangered species such as polar bear by providing them with an artificial habitat and food. However, nowadays, most of the people view zoo as a prison for animals. Zoos have limited freedom and made animals perform tricks in order to earn more money. Such, in personal opinion, zoos are not needed. As mentioned in the first paragraph, zoos can be viewed as an animal’s prison. Many people make animals to perform tricks even if that is not what the zoos should actually do. During the process of how animals learned the tricks to perform to the audience in order for the zoo to earn more money, they would be very likely to suffer and receive a lot of pain. Animals are not actors or performers on stage to be watched or to entertain the audience. There are a lot of occasions around the world that involve animals such as gorillas or bears to draw paintings that may be used to attract more consumers. Moreover, animals have the primary object for experiments. These experiments may include experiments for cosmetics or products used when cleaning one’s body, and a perfume. Likewise, just as the name “prison of the animals” state, animals would have no freedom while being in the zoo. In addition, animals would not be able to choose foods that they want to eat. They will be only eating foods that their keeper would give them to. These are some cases that may happen when animals lose their freedom. Additionally, just like a prison for people, animals would be assigned to a habitat which would be about 1,000 times smaller than the natural habitat that they actually live in. Such, captivity may be the worst that the animals have actually faced. Not only does the small area of the habitat may bother them, the attention and the intervention of the people, may bother them as well. Most of the viewer especially children would be most likely to knock on the glass or the wall which separate the people from the animal. Also, the sound of people running and screaming at a strange animal, can also be one of the biggest worries for the animal. The daily stress would lead to strange behavior known as the zoochosis. This behavior would include pacing, swaying, and other conditions. These behaviors are only apparent to animals which are located inside the zoo but never in animals living in the wild. This would eventually decrease the lifespan of some animals. Additionally, zoo is made by human and can differ greatly from the animal’s natural habitat. The factors that contribute to this difference may include the size of the zoo, and how the foods are provided. Most of the zoo’s size is considerably smaller than the natural habitat. This can decrease an animal’s freedom. Furthermore, from the current status, one may realize that the foods are provided as nonliving to the animals. This can mean that the animals do not have the need to hunt for food but rather just consume it. These factors combined can have the animals to lose their natural ability or instinct. For example, many of the animals freed from the zoo and out to the wild would have to have more time and effort to hunt and adapt to the natural surroundings. Thus, animals kept in zoos would naturally not survive in the wild with other of its species. Also, from the fact that the size of the artificial habitat is about 1,000 times smaller than the actual natural habitat, most predatory animals such as cheetah or a tiger would lose their natural instinct or ability to run or be aware of danger that might lurk in the nature when it is freed. Together, animals from the zoo, would be most likely to lose their natural instinct or not be able to survive in the wilderness even if they are freed from the zoo, “the prison of the animals”. Zoos are not needed because it can be a prison for animals and the fact that zoos are made by humans. Many zoos exist primary to help the endangered species. However, since zoos are an artificial place, it cannot help the animals directly. Some of the animals that are freed may have trouble adapting to the wild, and animals still in the zoo may suffer a lot due to people’s attention, limitation of freedom, and other factors. In conclusions, zoos are not needed for people but it is still necessary in order for the caring of diseased animals, and many others.

they do not WHIP the animals😡💢

I believe that we should dedicate time, resources and federal lands for ALF for our Animals all kinds. Assisted living facilities , to protect and serve . Equality . Humanitarian efforts.

I think that there are pro and cons to zoos and I can see everyones point of view.

I have a frog and a leopard gecko and they live in plenty of space and are happy they also bring me a lot of joy.

Thank you for reminding us of the power of human connection and empathy.

NO ZOOS FOR LIFE✊

Good ZOOS need to stay and bad Zoos need to leave

Zoos have to exist because imagine if zoos didn’t exist wild animals would go extinct because animals are getting injured and dying or they can’t find food because they’re injured. That is why zoos exist to save animals. To save animals from going extinct. To feed animals when they’re hungry to make sure that they are never hungry. they might not have a lot of room but at least they have a place where they are never hungry never tired and not always having to be on the look out for predators. So thank God that they’re zoos around here I like that better than having animals going extinct wouldn’t you? or would you rather animals go extinct?

Comments are closed.

Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Zoo — The Ethics and Controversies of Zoos

The Ethics and Controversies of Zoos

Categories: Animal Ethics Zoo

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Words: 824 |

Published: Aug 24, 2023

Words: 824 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Conservation and education, animal welfare and enrichment, research and scientific study, human-animal connection and conservation awareness, ethical concerns and animal rights, alternative approaches: sanctuaries and natural habitats, case studies and success stories, captive breeding and reintroduction, conclusion: navigating the complex landscape of zoos and animal welfare.

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Should Animals Be Kept in Zoos? Essay

Cover letter, works cited.

This essay explores the dilemma of keeping animals in zoos. In this essence, the legitimacy of restricting the animals is investigated.

Moreover, the essay seeks to establish harmony between advocacy for abolition of zoos and the need to preserve some species of animals. In addition, there is the necessity to control the interaction between animals and human beings.

I have observed that there is no solution to such dilemmas. Any observer has to establish a middle ground and maintain balance between the arguments. This is because it is not possible to take a radical action on the issue at hand.

I had an experience of arguing over the issue, which has two equal sides while writing the paper. I was able to examine both sides of the argument and analyze the arguments.

While it seemed appropriate to me that people should keep animals in the zoos prior to this assignment, my perception changed after analyzing both sides of the argument. I had to take a middle ground and analyze the perceptions as a neutral observer.

When writing the arguments in the paper, it became difficult to make an objective analysis of the arguments due to the influence of personal opinion. It is difficult to establish a middle ground that does not favor either side.

The topic of the essay generates significant interest in me because most people assume that animals have their specific places in the ecosystem, which are subject to manipulation by human beings at will.

On the other hand, liberal people advocate that fair competition can exist between animals and people naturally. This article proves that neither case is entirely true.

Throughout the history of humanity, interaction with animals has been inevitable. Superiority of human beings has made them highly competitive. Other living things have to adapt to new environments or leave their natural habitat to create space for human beings and their activities.

The human population is evenly distributed around the world. On the other hand, animal population is partially distributed, with different species occupying different parts of the world. Since animals have always fascinated people, there has always been the urge to observe animals and their behavior.

In addition, all living organisms on earth survive through competition for resources with each other (McKinley & Shepard 65). This has led to endangerment of some species of animals. Generally, animals are considered important to human beings, regardless of the material value of each species.

Gradually, it has become important to protect animal species that are facing the danger of extinction, either due to encroachment of their immediate space in the ecosystem, or due to competition with other organisms whose lives depend on common resources.

For this reason, zoos have been built, and animals are kept inside for the sole purpose of preservation of animal life or for entertainment (Norton 42). It is true that the zoos protect a small number of animals from the competition that exists in their natural habitat.

In this way, they protect the species from extinction, and satisfy human being’s curiosity as people go for sightseeing at zoos as a recreational activity (Norton 21).

Most zoos keep wild animals, and majority of the animal population at the zoos is made up of animals that are rarely seen by human beings in their immediate environment. These animals are used to roaming in the jungle and forests.

Others are used to swimming freely in the seas and rivers. However, due to limited space, zoos keep the animals in a much smaller and controlled environment. Obviously, there is restriction of freedom for the animals in order to contain them in the zoo.

For most of their lives, the animals in the zoo do not lead a normal life like other wild animals. They are protected from the competition in the ecosystem due to their perceived importance to human beings. However, this is a serious impediment to their freedom too.

Animals are not allowed to roam freely during the day or night, as they would have done in a free environment. On the other hand, the rigors of competing with other wild animals are eliminated from their lives.

Moreover, the animals receive special treatment as they are provided with veterinary care, a service that other animals in the jungle and sea do not normally get (Robinson 53).

It is arguable that the setting of a zoo is analogous to a prison were felons are incarcerated to protect the society from their potentially harmful tendencies.

One might easily conclude that the animals in the zoo are in some kind of psychological distress due to disruption of their normal course of life and their detainment.

This view assumes that animals, like human beings, have the ability to discern the importance of freedom. Furthermore, the notion argues that animals have thoughts and feelings just like human beings.

It is difficult to establish these arguments as facts due to the limited emotional interaction between animals in the zoo and their keepers.

Thus, the idea that animals perceive physical freedom in a similar way as human beings is subject to debate (Mullan & Marvin 75).

Zoos are not primarily intended to curtail the freedom of an animal, but are designed to protect the animal from harsh environment. Normally, there are efforts to create an environment similar to the particular animal’s habitat in the zoo.

It is also difficult to assess whether the artificial environment created by zookeepers is identical to the natural habitat suitable for the animals.

This observation means that it is not entirely true that the zoos are aimed at curtailing the freedom of the animals (Brooman & Legge 85). Consequently, the animals may be better off at the zoo.

Moreover, it is not true that zoos completely change the normal course of life for the animals within it since there is an effort to simulate their natural habitat.

Some people are of the opinion that animals are inferior to human beings. This suggests that zoos are meant to restrict the animals within the zoo environment to protect human beings’ interest.

Some animals are dangerous to human life, while others compete against human being for resources. This is an obvious observation that has been under scientific study.

On the other hand, animals could be perceived to be equal to human beings. This means that the animals can compete for resources fairly against human beings.

Some people use this perspective to argue against establishment of zoos, which in their perspective, are the making of an unfair competition between animals and human beings.

The highlighted perceptions and observations present the dilemma of the existence of zoos. In a critical analysis of all radical perceptions, no single argument is proved entirely appropriate for the issue of zoos.

If zoos were to be eliminated as a way of protecting and preserving animal life, there would be dire consequences for humans and the animals themselves (Acampora 45).

It is an obvious observation that some animals would become extinct due to predation and competition from other animals in the natural habitat. People could also be affected by the interactions and conflicts between the animals and human beings.

While some animals would pose direct danger to human beings, others would affect the creations of human beings such as organized agriculture. It is thus obvious that a conflict will result from the freedom of animals.

However, this presents another question for argument since there is fairness in sharing of natural resources by living organisms in such a situation.

Although a relatively small number of animals are kept in the zoo, majority of animals are free and live in the wilderness. This brings up the issue of the scale of restriction of animals within zoos.

Keeping all animals in the zoo and eliminating them from their natural environment is an extreme action. This kind of an action would present a situation of extreme interference with nature. It is only logical that a balance between freedom of animals and existence of zoos has to be established.

Animals could be kept in an open environment that is similar to their natural habitat as much as possible. This would eliminated the problem of having animals in a zoo were cages similar to prison cells are used to contain the animals.

On the issue of competition, it would be unfair to let animals live free and compete against human beings in the natural environment. People would eliminate animals from the ecosystem due to their superiority in terms of logical reasoning.

This makes it necessary to provide some kind of protection for the animals. In this essence, zoos can neither be justified nor completely denounced.

Acampora, Ralph R.. Metamorphoses of the zoo: animal encounter after Noah . Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2010. Print.

Brooman, Simon, and Debbie Legge. Law relating to animals . London: Cavendish, 1997. Print.

Mullan, Bob, and Garry Marvin. Zoo culture . 2nd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999. Print.

Norton, Bryan G.. Ethics on the ark: zoos, animal welfare, and wildlife conservation . Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995. Print.

Robinson, Phillip T.. Life at the zoo: behind the scenes with the animal doctors . New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. Print.

Shepard, Paul, and Daniel McKinley. The subversive science; essays toward an ecology of man, . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969. Print.

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"zoos and animal welfare" argumentative/persuasive writing.

"Zoos and Animal Welfare" Argumentative/Persuasive Writing

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Apply the appropriate models to show interactions among organisms in an environment.

CHANGE AND CONSTANCY

Explain mechanisms organisms use to adapt to their environment.

Describe how selective breeding and biotechnology can alter the genetic composition of organisms.

Compare and contrast observable patterns in the physical characteristics across families, strains and species.

Explain why the extinction of a species may occur when the environment changes.

Explain that mutations can alter a gene and are the original source of new variations in a population.

Big Ideas Purpose, topic and audience guide types of writing
Concepts Focus, content, organization, style, and conventions work together to impact writing quality Persuasive writing attempts to influence the audience by presenting an issue and stating and supporting a position. Various types of writing are distinguished by their characteristics
Competencies Persuasive Writing: Develop substantial, relevant and illustrative content that demonstrates a clear understanding of the purpose (content). Persuasive Writing: Employ a thoroughly elaborated argument that includes a clear position consistently supported with precise and relevant evidence where rhetorical persuasive strategies are evident (content). Persuasive Writing: Employ effective organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a controlling idea (organization). Persuasive Writing: Use proper conventions to compose in the standard form of the English language (conventions). Persuasive Writing: Write with a sharp, distinct controlling point made about a single topic with evident awareness of task and audience (focus). Persuasive Writing: Write with precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that create a consistent and effective tone (style). Write persuasive pieces, specific to a purpose and audience, which have a clearly stated position or opinion, with convincing and properly cited evidence that anticipates and counters reader concerns and arguments. Write to influence the audience by:• stating and supporting a position with detailed evidence, examples, and reasons. • using persuasive techniques (e.g.: emotional appeal, statistics, description, anecdote, example, expert opinion) to strengthen the argument. • employing a distinct structure to organize the argument and the opposing viewpoints. • acknowledging and refuting opposing arguments. • evaluating sources for validity, perspective, bias, and relationship to topic.• documenting sources of information responsibly and ethically. • using sources to achieve a balanced and authoritative argument. • supporting judgments with relevant evidence and detail. Write to influence the audience by:• stating and supporting a position with detailed evidence, examples, and reasons. • using persuasive techniques (e.g.: emotional appeal, statistics, description, anecdote, example, expert opinion, analogies and illustrations) to strengthen the argument. • employing a distinct structure to organize the argument and the opposing viewpoints. • acknowledging and refuting opposing arguments. • evaluating primary and secondary sources for validity, perspective, bias, and relationship to topic. • documenting sources of information responsibly and ethically. • using sources to achieve a balanced and authoritative argument. • supporting judgments with relevant evidence and detail. • presenting the position in either a deductive or an inductive framework. Focus, content, organization, style, and conventions work together to impact writing quality

Description

The Literacy Design Collaborative teaching task provides a blueprint for seamlessly integrating literacy and content standards in a rigorous, authentic classroom experience. After determining the discipline, course, and grade level, educators use teaching tasks built around predefined template prompts. The teaching task requires students to read, analyze and comprehend written materials and then write cogent arguments, explanations or narratives in the subjects they are studying.

Students will examine the zoo as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures and displayed to the public. In many cases, animals may also be bred to produce offspring. Although enjoyed by many, some feel zoo conditions are detrimental to the health of animals. Students will explain and support their opinion as to whether or not animals should be kept in zoos.

In this extended writing task, students will read, analyze, and gather relevant information from text(s) and write an argumentative essay. Students will…

Apply knowledge of the distribution and management of natural resources to a current issue
Apply knowledge of the relationship between an environment and extinction to a current issue
Read, analyze and gather relevant information from multiple texts
Write an evidence-based argumentative essay, and address competing views

enclosure - something that "closes" a space

welfare - a condition of being or doing well

conservation - protection from extinction

zoochosis - obsessive, repetitve behavior associated with animals kept in prolonged captivity

extinction - dying out or termination of a species. Occurs when a species can no longer reproduce at replacement levels

endangered species - a species existing in such small numbers that it is in danger of becoming extinct

500 minutes/10 periods

"Animal Ark or Sinking Ship?" BornFree.org . Born Free Foundation, July 2007. Web. Apr. 2011. < http://www.bornfree.org.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/files/zoo_check/ publications/Animal_Ark_or_sinking_ship.pdf >.

Dixon, Thomas. "Zoos: Debatabase - Debate Topics and Debate Motions." IDEA: International Debate Education Association - Debate Resources & Debate Tools. 06 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. < http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=1 >.

Horton, Jennifer. "Are Zoos Good or Bad." HowStuffWorks.com . 15 Sept. 2008. Web. Apr. 2011. < http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/zoos-good-or-bad.htm >.

Lin, Doris. "Should Zoos Keep Endangered Species?" About.com . The New York Times Company. Web. Apr. 2011. < http://animalrights.about.com/od/wildlife/a/EndangeredZoos.htm >.

Van Tuyl, Christine. Zoos and Animal Welfare . Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. Print.

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Suggested instructional strategies, instructional procedures.

Teacher Preparation Prior to launching the teaching task in the classroom, a teacher should consider the following questions:

How much support will students need to successfully complete the task?

What parts of the process can be completed independently (during or outside of class)? What parts of the process represent new learning or substantial challenge and warrant direct instruction or guided practice during class?

What content and vocabulary instruction and activities will be provided so that students are able to successfully complete the task?

How will reading be scaffolded for my students? (Read together? Read in groups? Read independently?)

What note-taking method will students use, and does that method align with the writing task?

How will students make the transition from the reading to the writing? (outline, graphic organizer, etc.)

What writing instruction is needed to help students write their thesis statements, organize their notes, embed quotes, and cite evidence?

How will students receive feedback at various stages of the writing process to make sure they are answering the prompt, their papers are focused, their ideas are fully developed with details, examples, etc.?

Daily Plan The daily plan is flexible based on students' prior knowledge, experience and skills in reading, research and writing as well as their ability to apply subject area knowledge to a new scenario. The amount of time, in class instruction, and scaffolds needed can be increased or decreased to provide the appropriate level of challenge and support for students.

Teaching Task 2 (Argumentative/Analysis L1, L2): Should animals be kept in zoos? After reading informational texts, write an essay that addresses the question and support your position wiht evidence from the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views.

Task Engagement and Analysis The teacher introduces the teaching task to students by linking the task to the class content that has been taught previously and to existing knowledge, skills, and interests. The teacher asks students to read the teaching task and make notes or discuss with peers things they already know about this issue or topic.

The teacher helps the students to understand the expectations of the teaching task by asking students what they think a good response to the task might include and creating a classroom list. The teacher may share examples of the type of texts the students will produce (either actual student samples or commercially published texts). Sharing the rubric with students will clarify the expectations. (Clicking on each performance level of the rubric will enable teacher access to annotated student writing for that level.)

The teacher explains the timetable and supports available for completing the task.

Text Selection The teacher has either preselected the texts or will provide access to research sources for students to select texts. The teacher asks students to begin to record information about the sources (e.g., using notebooks, note cards, technology). The teacher may need to provide models or instruction on creating a bibliography or works cited. The students should identify author, title, publisher, date, and any other needed information (e.g., volume, editor) A discussion about the credibility or merit of sources may be needed.

Preview texts The teacher can provide students with all of the texts or offer students a list of acceptable sources from which to choose. The teacher briefly highlights each text with a summary to assist students in making appropriate text selections. The teacher asks the students to skim through each text to identify the genre, purpose, and text structure. A teacher think-aloud explaining rationale for making certain text selections may be beneficial to students.

Note-taking The teacher provides or suggests that a note-taking method be used that is consistent with the expectations for the task and the type of writing (e.g., argumentative-pro/con t-chart). Students should be encouraged to refer to the teaching task so that their notes are relevant to the prompt. Students should be encouraged to include both textual information and their own connections and implications. Students should continue to add to their bibliography or works cited.

Teachers may need to teach or reinforce practices to promote academic integrity and to help students avoid plagiarism. The ability to use and credit sources appropriately shows respect for the work of others and adds credibility to a student's argument and/or research.

Reading and Research The teacher assigns the reading, research and note-taking to students and provides instruction to support analysis and synthesis of texts. The teacher may ask students to reflect orally or in writing on key questions including:

Which parts of the text provide evidence that relates to the prompt?

What historical or current examples did you notice that relate to the prompt?

What is the text explicitly saying? What gaps or unanswered questions do you see?

What competing arguments have you encountered or thought of based on the text (argumentative)?

How do you know your sources are credible?

Depending upon the needs of students in the classroom, additional scaffolds may be necessary (e.g., whole-group reading and teacher modeling of note-taking, paired in-class reading, talking to the text, small group discussion). The teacher may either provide students with print source options or make electronic texts available to them through the use of Web 2.0 tools (e.g., Wikis, Nings) or online library databases (e.g., EBSCO, ProQuest).

Transition to Writing The teacher uses discussion based strategies such as the Paideia/Socratic seminar or small group discussions to help students make connections between their research and notes and the teaching task.

Developing a Thesis or Claim Students write an opening paragraph that includes a controlling idea and sequences the key points that will be made throughout the writing assignment. The teacher may provide models of opening paragraphs and analyze them with the class. Students may provide feedback to each other on their opening paragraphs. Students should compare their opening paragraph to the teaching task and assess whether the paragraph fully address the main points of the prompt (e.g., define and explain, compare, take a position, etc.)

Organizing Notes/Planning Students organize their notes into a graphic organizer or outline that establish a logical structure for the assignment. An outline begins with the thesis or claim, sequences key points and includes supporting evidence from texts.

Development of rough drafts Students begin writing their rough drafts. The teacher frequently checks in with students to answer questions, offer feedback, and provide writing instruction as needed. Through planning, the teacher embeds opportunities for students to receive feedback on their writing prior to the submission of the final draft either through peer conferencing, teacher conferencing, or written teacher feedback. Students revise their drafts based on the feedback they receive. The amount of time needed for the development of rough draft varies and may include time during and outside of class.

Completion of Final Draft Students either self or peer-edit their papers for conventional errors and complete the final draft.

Assessment and Reflection The teacher uses the LDC rubric to assess the students' writing and provide feedback to help students improve their performance. Patterns in student performance guide further instruction.

Analytic Scoring The rubric is structured to facilitate analytic scoring - the awarding of separate scores by readers for each of the seven scoring elements. Scorers should keep in mind that the description of work quality within any particular "cell" of the rubric may still address more than one idea, and therefore may not match a particular essay perfectly. The scorer must identify the descriptor that is the best match to a paper based on the preponderance of evidence. If the decision is truly a "coin toss," the scorer should feel free to use the "in-between" or "half" scores. A variation of analytic scoring might be used in a situation in which the emphasis of instruction at a particular time might be on a subset of the seven scoring elements. For example, if instruction is focused on development and organization, then a teacher might simply award scores for those two scoring elements.

Holistic Scoring Holistic scoring is assigning a single, overall score to a paper. Analytic and holistic scoring rubrics look much the same. The holistic scorer's job is to pick the single score (1, 2, 3, 4) that corresponds to the set of descriptors for scoring elements that best matches a paper. Again, in-between or half scores can be used. Ideally, holistic scorers are thinking about all the scoring elements as they read papers, but over time they find that they can assign holistic scores very rapidly, yet still fairly accurately. This is one of the advantages of holistic scoring. However, analytic information is not generated by this method.

Score Recording and Feedback It would be good practice for teachers to share the rubrics with students and discuss "criteria for success" relative to the scoring elements. However, it is not intended that a clean scoring rubric would be attached to every paper that is scored in all situations. It might be more appropriate to attach score slips that list the scoring element names with blank spaces after them for the recording of scores (and a space for a total score, too, perhaps). A customized rubber stamp could accomplish the same. Analytic scores do provide useful information to the students since they reference descriptors in the rubric. However, nothing beats descriptive comments that are best written in the margins of the papers where they are most appropriate.

Cut Scores for Proficiency Levels Scorers can readily compute a total score (the sum of the seven element scores) or an average score (that sum divided by 7). If translating scores to performance levels is desired, then the structure of the rubrics lends itself to the use of the following cut scores:

LDC Scores and Grades LDC scores could be translated to grades contributing to students' course grades. How this would be done is an individual teacher's decision. Teachers could establish their own cut scores for letter grades or just re-label the four performance levels as A, B, C, D. They could come up with their own way to convert LDC scores to numerical grades consistent with whatever numerical scale they use for other class work.

Click on each performance level below (Not Yet, Approaches Expectations, Meets Expectations, Advanced) to view annotated student samples.

Sean Houseknecht, Alex Shubert, Monica Cressman - Elizabethtown Area School District

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Should Animals Be Kept In Zoos (Argumentative Essay)

Should animals be kept in zoos.

The debate of whether or not confining of animals is right in zoos is a popular one that attracts both opponents and proponents. The increased interests in science and natural history saw the introduction of zoos in 1763, which facilitated up close animal studies and would provide a chance for entertaining and educating the public. Nevertheless, confining the animals into small spaces in unnatural habitats, the constant staring from people and loss of their freedom makes zoos the worst homes for animals.

Zoos provide unnatural habitats for the animals. Animals are naturally born and bred to live and die in wilderness habitats. However, despite the numerous efforts and good intentions by zoo management, it is impossible to provide the perfect environment for various animals. For instance, animals like the wilder beasts live in groups that migrate over long distances while elephants on average walk for over 50 km a day in packs. However, zoos can only provide minimal acres of land for the animals to walk about thereby making the environments unnatural and uncomfortable for the animals.

Zoos are a premise of captivity for animals that makes them crazy. Imprisoning of animals in small cages housed in poorly managed zoos that fail to meet the necessary standards, averts them from behaving naturally. As a result, suffer from zoochosis condition, which elicits stress, strange behavior of hurting themselves due to frustration and boredom; they become inactive and increasingly pace around. Moreover, the animals adopt aggressive behavior that results in them lashing out and injuring or killing people.

Zoos are not educational. Zoos operate on the premise that they provide an opportunity for the public to learn about animals. However, this is untrue, as keeping animals in confined and unnatural environments tend to alter their natural behavior, character, and responses. Thus, persons visiting the zoos observe the altered behavior marred by boredom, stress, and loneliness. Moreover, keeping animals in zoos teach people that it is okay to lock up and make animals miserable for their personal gain. Therefore, by gaining pleasure and entertainment from making animals suffer is a horrible lesson to learn.

Proponents of keeping animals in zoos argue that zoos offer the best forms of protection for animals. According to them, animals receive protection from poaching and predators that are out to kill them. Additionally, by engaging in breeding programs, zoos believe they protect various species from becoming extinct, therefore, making them positive institutions to exist. However, this is untrue as some zoos keep the animals in deplorable environments whey they lack food and adequate medical care. Moreover, based on research, endangered animals living in zoos are only about five species and only a few species undergo breeding.

Proponents also believe that zoos provide the opportunity for people to see a wide array of animals while benefiting children with lessons about the environment and animals. Nevertheless, this is not the case as zoos only house few species of animals as compared to those an individual can observe in the wild. Also, zoos expose animals to neglect and stress that alter their behavior hence impeding true learning for children.

In conclusion, animals just as humans enjoy rights to freedom, protection from abuse, stress, neglect and lack of privacy. There is no denying that zoo violates all these rights by introducing them to unnatural habitats and caging the animals. Hence, in promoting health and happiness of the animals, animals should not be kept in zoos.

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Why Are Zoos Bad? Why Animals Should not be Kept in Zoos?

Alexander Laybourne

March 7, 2023.

WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More

To many people, a trip to the zoo is a fun day out for the family. Visiting a zoo is a chance for many people to see exotic animals they would otherwise be unable to see.

However, few people stop and actively consider why zoos are bad.

In this article, we will take a look at why zoos teach children the wrong lesson about captive animals.

As a late Gen-Xer-cum-early-Millenial, my childhood was rich with trips to visit zoos. However, looking back as an adult with a world-savvy eye, there is far more to animal captivity than meets the eye.

So Why are Zoos Bad?

While zoos can definitely be exciting places for families to visit, the fact remains that they are bad for animals. In most cases, animals in zoos lead very unhappy lives.

We say zoos are bad because animals are forced to live in unnatural, stressful, boring environments, leading to a lack of mental and physical stimulation. They are removed from their natural habitats and confined to small limited spaces and often forced to perform tricks or entertain visitors.

Zookeepers also often may neglect their healthcare needs. As a result, many animals at zoos may die prematurely from stress or illness.

You can surely help these animals by refusing to visit zoos and instead supporting sanctuaries where animals live in natural habitats.

What Are the Negative Effects of Zoos on Animals?

There are a great many negative effects of zoos on animals.When we visit zoos, we can see they often go to great lengths in order to recreate the animals’ natural habitats.

However, this is often not much more than an illusion for the customer. A small exhibit is never going to truly capture the vastness of the open world.

The common negative effects of zoos on animals are listed below.

Animals often suffer in captivity
Animals are removed from their natural habitats.
Many zoos fail to provide the required minimum standard of care
Healthy animals are killed
Zoos don’t replicate animals’ natural habitats
Zoos teach children the wrong lessons
Zoos teach people that animal captivity is acceptable
Animal protection laws are not strong enough
Zoos are largely unethical
Many visitors disturb and disrespect the animals
Zoo animals are often drugged to be kept calm
Euthanasia practices
Zoos often have insufficient knowledge of animals.
Increased risk of disease
Zoos contribute to the exotic pet trade

What’s Bad About Zoos Overall?

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty details of why keeping animals in zoos is bad:

Animals Often Suffer in Captivity

Wild animals often suffer in captivity because they were meant to be free. Zoo owners go to great lengths to build enclosures that have a wild aesthetic and give paying visitors a taste of the wild world.

However, the truth is that no enclosure can come close to matching the vastness of an animal’s natural environment. Animals in zoos can sense this, and over time their confinement can lead to worrying behavioral changes.

Animals Are Removed From Their Natural Habitats

Many zoo animals are forcefully removed from their natural habitat. This relocation alone can come as a large shock and wreak havoc on the animals’ mental health. For some animals in zoos, the shock of their relocation alone can be fatal.

In addition, when animals are removed from their natural habitats, they are also removed from their family structure and social hierarchy. For many wild animals, this is a vital part of their life, and they can struggle to redefine their footing.

Once again, a change of this magnitude can cause captive animals to exhibit changing behaviors, which include self-destructive acts and unrelenting restlessness.

Many Zoos Fail To Provide the Required Minimum Standard of Care

The required standard of care for wild animals, such as those held by zoos, is wide-ranging and nigh on impossible for zoos to provide.

Outside of providing sufficient space to allow natural behaviors to develop, issues such as climate, diet, and the formation of a social hierarchy – where appropriate – make running a zoo a difficult task.

Even the best zoological park cannot fully capture the wild, and many smaller zoos fail to take effective measures to ensure the health and well-being of their animals.

A study by Bristol University found that many British zoos fail to provide animals with the required minimum standard of care.

Healthy Animals Are Killed

Running a successful zoo is about drawing in visitors as much as it is caring for animals. As a result, many zoos breed animals. Unfortunately, this is done under the guise of conservation and to protect endangered species .

However, only a certain number of each species are really needed, and so should breeding result in a sharp increase, these numbers are reduced via various methods.

Healthy animals in zoos are killed because they are not needed. In addition, baby animals that are deemed excess to requirements find their way into black market sales. This support of the exotic pet trade also results in a lot of preventable animal deaths .

Zoos Don’t Replicate Animals’ Natural Habitats

Many zoos create attractive enclosures to attract visitors. However, the vast majority don’t do enough to accurately replace an animal’s natural habitat. There is more to natural environments than just looks.

Most zoos or animal sanctuaries don’t have the space or the facilities to truly recreate the wild. Especially not for the broad spectrum of species they have in their park.

Animals need physical stimulation and a level of interaction with nature that we, as humans, cannot understand, let alone interpret and recreate.

Zoos Teach Children the Wrong Lessons

Many zoos give children the wrong lessons about wild animals and how to protect animals. Many zoos and aquariums offer behind-the-scenes tours and informative talks on animal welfare.

These tours often pretend to talk about their animals’ natural habitat and inclinations. However, they are really just teaching children about caring for animals in captivity.

Children leave most zoos with a misconception about how animals behave in the wild and what it takes to truly care for endangered animals.

Zoos Teach People That Animal Captivity Is Acceptable

In normalizing captivity zoos, and teaching animals to perform tricks for human entertainment, zoos and animal sanctuaries are spreading the message that animal captivity to normal, healthy, and fully acceptable.

The truth is there is a vast difference between genuine conservation efforts and endangered species protection and running a zoo. Many zoos claim to be helping preserve dwindling populations.

This may be true to some extent; however, many zoos are running breeding programs for their own benefit and have no interest in releasing their animals back into the wild.

Animal Protection Laws Are Not Strong Enough

Existing animal protection laws do not actually consider the true ramifications of captivity. Many animals in zoos are not used to confinement. Their natural habitat extends far beyond anything captivity zoos could provide.

For example, Orcas are migratory animals with a vast range. Being placed into a small tank, away from their family units, might not break existing animal protection laws.

The same applies to elephants. In zoos, elephants are often given a small outside enclosure and an internal ‘house.’ This is nowhere near enough space to provide an elephant with a life comparable to that of its wild counterparts.

However, that does not stop the silent damage that captivity delivers to such roaming animal species.

Zoos Are Largely Unethical

At the end of the day, Zoos are largely unethical places that are built under the pretense of habitat conservation but really are there to earn money and entertain people who want to be able to say they saw real-life wild animals.

The truth is that zoos are a prison for animals. They are contained in small spaces, often made docile through drugs and other medications, and slowly strip away all autonomy and freedom from all animals.

Most animals are taught to perform tricks and go against the grain of nature purely for human entertainment.

Zoos often do more harm than good, creating unnatural environments that look realistic enough to make any potential return to the wild all but impossible.

Many Visitors Disturb and Disrespect the Animals

Many visitors will disturb and disrespect the animals in a zoo simply because they feel as though they are owed a performance of some sort. They bought tickets, and the wild creatures should behave accordingly.

When in their natural environments, wild animals are not used to being confronted by humans. However, in a zoo, the boundaries between the wild and captivity are rearranged.

Visitors will hammer on the glass or clamor around an animal enclosure, calling and shouting for the creature to perform for their pleasure.

Zoo Animals Are Often Drugged To Be Kept Calm

Animals in captivity can struggle to adapt to their new environment. Animals begin to display erratic behaviors, self-mutilation, and an inability to settle.

Many zoos will then resort to drugging animals in order to keep them docile and ‘normal’ for the pleasure of the viewing public. Drugs given to animals include sedatives and antipsychotic drugs.

Euthanasia Practices

An animal’s worth is only equal to the attraction it offers to visitors. Zoos are expensive to run, often have a very tight budget, and cannot afford to maintain and support animals that do not ‘pull their weight’ in terms of attraction.

Once an animal has served its purpose, many zoos will either sell them or euthanize them.

Zoos also have the power to euthanize their animals when they themselves deem it permissible.

If an animal cannot be given sufficient space or is suffering from stress and not behaving as expected, the zoo is within its right to kill the animal(s).

Zoos Often Have Insufficient Knowledge of Animals

Zoo keepers are often trained and specialize in a particular breed or species. However, the truth remains that zoos often have insufficient knowledge of the animals they are housing.

It is not possible to have zookeepers versed in a detailed understanding of every single species.

Instead, they will hire generalists with a degree of knowledge specificity and run with that. This goes to the detriment of the animals in zoos and puts them at risk of receiving inadequate care.

Increased Risk of Disease

Zoos are home to many animals. Non-native animals are held in conditions that vary greatly from what they are used to living in. This alone increases the risk of disease, as animals are exposed to viruses they have never encountered before.

When factoring in the number of zoos breeding animals and the risk posed to baby animals, the change of disease skyrockets further.

There have also been reported cases of zoos not properly disposing of dead bodies when animals die on their premises. Some surplus animals or injured animals are even fed to predators as a means of life-cycle maintenance.

There is no end to the risk of cross-contamination and disease spread, especially when considering the fact that lots of zoos fail to provide the correct standard of care.

Zoos Contribute to the Exotic Pet Trade

When zoos find themselves with surplus animals, they need to find ways to reduce their numbers. One way that is rarely documented is the sale of other animals into the exotic pet trade.

Private individuals with the financial means use their money to procure rare or exotic animals from zoos to add to their own private collections. The sale of excess animals to traveling roadside zoos is another big problem.

What Are the Better Alternatives to Zoos?

The better alternatives to zoos are the options that don’t result in animals being held in conditions that are unsuitable and forced to live in natural environments.

Most people visit the zoo to see the big draw animals. Elephants, lions , tigers, rhinos, and such. All of these animals are well studied and have a plethora of documentaries and video footage of them in the wild.

Watching these is a much healthier and more educational way to learn about wild animals than visiting a local zoo.

In addition, a costlier but more educational option is to make arrangements to view animals in the wild. Nature reserves, bird watching, going on a safari. All of these options afford you a close view of nature exactly as it was intended.

Final Thoughts

We’ve discussed the reasons and can surely all now answer the question of why are zoos bad. The real question is, how can we change things?

Zoos are a part of culture across the world. If you go on holiday to any major destination, the chances are high that there will be at least one zoo and/or one aquarium nearby.

Personally speaking, I’ve been to zoos in Sydney, Australia, and all over the UK. I’ve been to zoos and aquariums in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island, not to mention those in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

However, it does not change the fundamental fact that as the world changes, we must also become more aware of the darker side of such animal sanctuaries.

Will we ever see all zoos closed down? No, most likely not. However, through education and informative motions for change, we can make change the way zoos are run.

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Opinion Guest Essay

Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost

Credit... Photographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times

Supported by

By Emma Marris

Ms. Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book “Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.”

June 11, 2021

After being captives of the pandemic for more than a year, we have begun experiencing the pleasures of simple outings: dining al fresco, shopping with a friend, taking a stroll through the zoo. As we snap a selfie by the sea lions for the first time in so long, it seems worth asking, after our collective ordeal, whether our pleasure in seeing wild animals up close is worth the price of their captivity.

Throughout history, men have accumulated large and fierce animals to advertise their might and prestige. Power-mad men from Henry III to Saddam Hussein’s son Uday to the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar to Charlemagne all tried to underscore their strength by keeping terrifying beasts captive. William Randolph Hearst created his own private zoo with lions, tigers, leopards and more at Hearst Castle. It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs.

The forerunners of the modern zoo, open to the public and grounded in science, took shape in the 19th century. Public zoos sprang up across Europe, many modeled on the London Zoo in Regent’s Park. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. Living collections were often presented in taxonomic order, with various species of the same family grouped together, for comparative study.

The first zoos housed animals behind metal bars in spartan cages. But relatively early in their evolution, a German exotic animal importer named Carl Hagenbeck changed the way wild animals were exhibited. In his Animal Park, which opened in 1907 in Hamburg, he designed cages that didn’t look like cages, using moats and artfully arranged rock walls to invisibly pen animals. By designing these enclosures so that many animals could be seen at once, without any bars or walls in the visitors’ lines of sight, he created an immersive panorama, in which the fact of captivity was supplanted by the illusion of being in nature.

Mr. Hagenbeck’s model was widely influential. Increasingly, animals were presented with the distasteful fact of their imprisonment visually elided. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species.

The “educational day out” model of zoos endured until the late 20th century, when zoos began actively rebranding themselves as serious contributors to conservation. Zoo animals, this new narrative went, function as backup populations for wild animals under threat, as well as “ambassadors” for their species, teaching humans and motivating them to care about wildlife. This conservation focus “ must be a key component ” for institutions that want to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a nonprofit organization that sets standards and policies for facilities in the United States and 12 other countries.

This is the image of the zoo I grew up with: the unambiguously good civic institution that lovingly cared for animals both on its grounds and, somehow, vaguely, in their wild habitats. A few zoos are famous for their conservation work. Four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York City, for instance, are managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is involved in conservation efforts around the world. But this is not the norm.

While researching my book on the ethics of human interactions with wild species, “Wild Souls,” I examined how, exactly, zoos contribute to the conservation of wild animals.

A.Z.A. facilities report spending approximately $231 million annually on conservation projects. For comparison, in 2018, they spent $4.9 billion on operations and construction. I find one statistic particularly telling about their priorities: A 2018 analysis of the scientific papers produced by association members between 1993 and 2013 showed that just about 7 percent of them annually were classified as being about “biodiversity conservation.”

Zoos accredited by the A.Z.A. or the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria have studbooks and genetic pedigrees and carefully breed their animals as if they might be called upon at any moment to release them, like Noah throwing open the doors to the ark, into a waiting wild habitat. But that day of release never quite seems to come.

There are a few exceptions. The Arabian oryx, an antelope native to the Arabian Peninsula, went extinct in the wild in the 1970s and then was reintroduced into the wild from zoo populations. The California condor breeding program, which almost certainly saved the species from extinction, includes five zoos as active partners. Black-footed ferrets and red wolves in the United States and golden lion tamarins in Brazil — all endangered, as well — have been bred at zoos for reintroduction into the wild. An estimated 20 red wolves are all that remain in the wild.

The A.Z.A. says that its members host “more than 50 reintroduction programs for species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.” Nevertheless, a vast majority of zoo animals (there are 800,000 animals of 6,000 species in the A.Z.A.’s zoos alone ) will spend their whole lives in captivity, either dying of old age after a lifetime of display or by being culled as “surplus.”

The practice of killing “surplus” animals is kept quiet by zoos, but it happens, especially in Europe. In 2014, the director of the E.A.Z.A. at the time estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 animals are euthanized in European zoos each year. (The culling of mammals specifically in E.A.Z.A. zoos is “usually not more than 200 animals per year,” the organization said.) Early in the pandemic, the Neumünster Zoo in northern Germany coolly announced an emergency plan to cope with lost revenue by feeding some animals to other animals, compressing the food chain at the zoo like an accordion, until in the worst-case scenario, only Vitus, a polar bear, would be left standing. The A.Z.A.’s policies allow for the euthanasia of animals, but the president of the association, Dan Ashe, told me, “it’s very rarely employed” by his member institutions.

Mr. Ashe, a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, suggested that learning how to breed animals contributes to conservation in the long term, even if very few animals are being released now. A day may come, he said, when we need to breed elephants or tigers or polar bears in captivity to save them from extinction. “If you don’t have people that know how to care for them, know how to breed them successfully, know how to keep them in environments where their social and psychological needs can be met, then you won’t be able to do that,” he said.

The other argument zoos commonly make is that they educate the public about animals and develop in people a conservation ethic. Having seen a majestic leopard in the zoo, the visitor becomes more willing to pay for its conservation or vote for policies that will preserve it in the wild. What Mr. Ashe wants visitors to experience when they look at the animals is a “sense of empathy for the individual animal, as well as the wild populations of that animal.”

I do not doubt that some people had their passion for a particular species, or wildlife in general, sparked by zoo experiences. I’ve heard and read some of their stories. I once overheard two schoolchildren at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington confess to each other that they had assumed that elephants were mythical animals like unicorns before seeing them in the flesh. I remember well the awe and joy on their faces, 15 years later. I’d like to think these kids, now in their early 20s, are working for a conservation organization somewhere. But there’s no unambiguous evidence that zoos are making visitors care more about conservation or take any action to support it. After all, more than 700 million people visit zoos and aquariums worldwide every year, and biodiversity is still in decline.

In a 2011 study , researchers quizzed visitors at the Cleveland, Bronx, Prospect Park and Central Park zoos about their level of environmental concern and what they thought about the animals. Those who reported “a sense of connection to the animals at the zoo” also correlated positively with general environmental concern. On the other hand, the researchers reported, “there were no significant differences in survey responses before entering an exhibit compared with those obtained as visitors were exiting.”

A 2008 study of 206 zoo visitors by some members of the same team showed that while 42 percent said that the “main purpose” of the zoo was “to teach visitors about animals and conservation,” 66 percent said that their primary reason for going was “to have an outing with friends or family,” and just 12 percent said their intention was “to learn about animals.”

The researchers also spied on hundreds of visitors’ conversations at the Bronx Zoo, the Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. They found that only 27 percent of people bothered to read the signs at exhibits. More than 6,000 comments made by the visitors were recorded, nearly half of which were “purely descriptive statements that asserted a fact about the exhibit or the animal.” The researchers wrote , “In all the statements collected, no one volunteered information that would lead us to believe that they had an intention to advocate for protection of the animal or an intention to change their own behavior.”

People don’t go to zoos to learn about the biodiversity crisis or how they can help. They go to get out of the house, to get their children some fresh air, to see interesting animals. They go for the same reason people went to zoos in the 19th century: to be entertained.

A fine day out with the family might itself be justification enough for the existence of zoos if the zoo animals are all happy to be there. Alas, there’s plenty of heartbreaking evidence that many are not.

In many modern zoos, animals are well cared for, healthy and probably, for many species, content. Zookeepers are not mustache-twirling villains. They are kind people, bonded to their charges and immersed in the culture of the zoo, in which they are the good guys.

But many animals clearly show us that they do not enjoy captivity. When confined they rock, pull their hair and engage in other tics. Captive tigers pace back and forth, and in a 2014 study, researchers found that “the time devoted to pacing by a species in captivity is best predicted by the daily distances traveled in nature by the wild specimens.” It is almost as if they feel driven to patrol their territory, to hunt, to move, to walk a certain number of steps, as if they have a Fitbit in their brains.

The researchers divided the odd behaviors of captive animals into two categories: “impulsive/compulsive behaviors,” including coprophagy (eating feces), regurgitation, self-biting and mutilation, exaggerated aggressiveness and infanticide, and “stereotypies,” which are endlessly repeated movements. Elephants bob their heads over and over. Chimps pull out their own hair. Giraffes endlessly flick their tongues. Bears and cats pace. Some studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of zoo carnivores, 64 percent of zoo chimps and 85 percent of zoo elephants have displayed compulsive behaviors or stereotypies.

Elephants are particularly unhappy in zoos, given their great size, social nature and cognitive complexity. Many suffer from arthritis and other joint problems from standing on hard surfaces; elephants kept alone become desperately lonely; and all zoo elephants suffer mentally from being cooped up in tiny yards while their free-ranging cousins walk up to 50 miles a day. Zoo elephants tend to die young. At least 20 zoos in the United States have already ended their elephant exhibits in part because of ethical concerns about keeping the species captive.

Many zoos use Prozac and other psychoactive drugs on at least some of their animals to deal with the mental effects of captivity. The Los Angeles Zoo has used Celexa, an antidepressant, to control aggression in one of its chimps. Gus, a polar bear at the Central Park Zoo, was given Prozac as part of an attempt to stop him from swimming endless figure-eight laps in his tiny pool. The Toledo Zoo has dosed zebras and wildebeest with the antipsychotic haloperidol to keep them calm and has put an orangutan on Prozac. When a female gorilla named Johari kept fighting off the male she was placed with, the zoo dosed her with Prozac until she allowed him to mate with her. A 2000 survey of U.S. and Canadian zoos found that nearly half of respondents were giving their gorillas Haldol, Valium or another psychopharmaceutical drug.

Some zoo animals try to escape. Jason Hribal’s 2010 book, “Fear of the Animal Planet,” chronicles dozens of attempts. Elephants figure prominently in his book, in part because they are so big that when they escape it generally makes the news.

Mr. Hribal documented many stories of elephants making a run for it — in one case repairing to a nearby woods with a pond for a mud bath. He also found many examples of zoo elephants hurting or killing their keepers and evidence that zoos routinely downplayed or even lied about those incidents.

Elephants aren’t the only species that try to flee a zoo life. Tatiana the tiger, kept in the San Francisco Zoo, snapped one day in 2007 after three teenage boys had been taunting her. She somehow got over the 12-foot wall surrounding her 1,000-square-foot enclosure and attacked one of the teenagers, killing him. The others ran, and she pursued them, ignoring all other humans in her path. When she caught up with the boys at the cafe, she mauled them before she was shot to death by the police. Investigators found sticks and pine cones inside the exhibit, most likely thrown by the boys.

Apes are excellent at escaping. Little Joe, a gorilla, escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston twice in 2003. At the Los Angeles Zoo, a gorilla named Evelyn escaped seven times in 20 years. Apes are known for picking locks and keeping a beady eye on their captors, waiting for the day someone forgets to lock the door. An orangutan at the Omaha Zoo kept wire for lock-picking hidden in his mouth. A gorilla named Togo at the Toledo Zoo used his incredible strength to bend the bars of his cage. When the zoo replaced the bars with thick glass, he started methodically removing the putty holding it in. In the 1980s, a group of orangutans escaped several times at the San Diego Zoo. In one escape, they worked together: One held a mop handle steady while her sister climbed it to freedom. Another time, one of the orangutans, Kumang, learned how to use sticks to ground the current in the electrical wire around her enclosure. She could then climb the wire without being shocked. It is impossible to read these stories without concluding that these animals wanted out .

“I don’t see any problem with holding animals for display,” Mr. Ashe told me. “People assume that because an animal can move great distances that they would choose to do that.” If they have everything they need nearby, he argued, they would be happy with smaller territories. And it is true that the territory size of an animal like a wolf depends greatly on the density of resources and other wolves. But then there’s the pacing, the rocking. I pointed out that we can’t ask animals whether they are happy with their enclosure size. “That’s true,” he said. “There is always that element of choice that gets removed from them in a captive environment. That’s undeniable.” His justification was philosophical. In the end, he said, “we live with our own constraints.” He added, “We are all captive in some regards to social and ethical and religious and other constraints on our life and our activities.”

What if zoos stopped breeding all their animals, with the possible exception of any endangered species with a real chance of being released back into the wild? What if they sent all the animals that need really large areas or lots of freedom and socialization to refuges? With their apes, elephants, big cats, and other large and smart species gone, they could expand enclosures for the rest of the animals, concentrating on keeping them lavishly happy until their natural deaths. Eventually, the only animals on display would be a few ancient holdovers from the old menageries, animals in active conservation breeding programs and perhaps a few rescues.

Such zoos might even be merged with sanctuaries, places that take wild animals that because of injury or a lifetime of captivity cannot live in the wild. Existing refuges often do allow visitors, but their facilities are really arranged for the animals, not for the people. These refuge-zoos could become places where animals live. Display would be incidental.

Such a transformation might free up some space. What could these zoos do with it, besides enlarging enclosures? As an avid fan of botanical gardens, I humbly suggest that as the captive animals retire and die off without being replaced, these biodiversity-worshiping institutions devote more and more space to the wonderful world of plants. Properly curated and interpreted, a well-run garden can be a site for a rewarding “outing with friends or family,” a source of education for the 27 percent of people who read signs and a point of civic pride.

I’ve spent many memorable days in botanical gardens, completely swept away by the beauty of the design as well as the unending wonder of evolution — and there’s no uneasiness or guilt. When there’s a surplus, you can just have a plant sale.

Emma Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book “Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.”

Photographs by Peter Fisher. Mr. Fisher is a photographer based in New York.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram .

Allene W. Leflore

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Thesis Statement For Argumentative Essay On Zoos
1. Introduction to Research Essay & Thesis Statement: Since their very beginnings, zoo's around the world have been at the forefront of ethical debates. Animal ethicists, animal liberationists and proponents of the land ethic raise considerable questions about the nature of zoos in a moral and ethical context.
Zoos and Aquariums Argumentative Essay Sample
However a statement in the "New York Times" shows the overwhelming outweighing negatives which stated "the time devoted to pacing by a species in captivity is best predicted by the daily distances traveled in nature by the wild specimens." So although some zoos and aquariums do try and make their enclosures their "number one priority ...
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Ms.Yassin I believe animals should be kept in the zoo because it it helps protect our species from being endangered. It also provides the Public education on all the animals ‚ helps endangered species by breeding the animals and animals are mostly born in the zoo not knowing what it is like to live in the wild. Zoos are vital for education.
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Zoos and Aquariums Argumentative Essay Sample

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Should Animals Be Kept In Zoos (Argumentative Essay)

Why Are Zoos Bad? Why Animals Should not be Kept in Zoos?

Alexander Laybourne

So Why are Zoos Bad?

What Are the Negative Effects of Zoos on Animals?

What’s Bad About Zoos Overall?

Animals Often Suffer in Captivity

Animals Are Removed From Their Natural Habitats

Many Zoos Fail To Provide the Required Minimum Standard of Care

Healthy Animals Are Killed

Zoos Don’t Replicate Animals’ Natural Habitats

Zoos Teach Children the Wrong Lessons

Zoos Teach People That Animal Captivity Is Acceptable

Animal Protection Laws Are Not Strong Enough

Zoos Are Largely Unethical

Many Visitors Disturb and Disrespect the Animals

Zoo Animals Are Often Drugged To Be Kept Calm

Euthanasia Practices

Zoos Often Have Insufficient Knowledge of Animals

Increased Risk of Disease

Zoos Contribute to the Exotic Pet Trade

What Are the Better Alternatives to Zoos?

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