When most people hear the word zoo, they think of exotic tigers, leaping monkeys, and huge polar bears. Zoos are a wholesome family experience. They are made to educate the public about animals, and allow people to see animals without getting too close. Seeing the animals in person is a way better experience than seeing them on Discovery Channel, but rarely do people think of the living conditions of these animals.
The habitats usually are clean, maintained and spacious but they don’t compare to their natural habitats in the wild. Some animals are kept in smaller cages with concrete and metal bars. These poor living conditions cause the animals to suffer from stress, boredom, and confinement, which is not healthy for the animals at all, and this could lead to death. A recent study has shown that elephants kept in zoos don’t live as long as elephants that are left alone in their natural habitats, because of the lack of space, and poor living conditions.
Animals can even escape from their cages, endangering other animals, and even humans. There have also been a few cases where the animals escape and eat other zoo animals. People might argue that zoos are saving the endangered species, and in fact they are, but also removing animals from the wild will further endanger the wild species. Many zoos have breeding grounds for exotic animals, but that may lead to overpopulation. When they breed exotic animals, most of the time the animals don’t get released back into the wild and die in zoos. This doesn’t help the wild population at all. We as humans have no right to breed, capture, and confine animals, even If they are endangered.
Like anything else in life, zoos have their pros and cons. In my opinion zoos have more cons. If animals are endangered or injured, I think they should go to sanctuaries rather than zoos. In sanctuaries, they receive the care they need, and then are released into the wild. If an animal is sick or injured and they go to a zoo, they will stay there for the rest of their lives, and usually die prematurely there. Zoos seem all good and happy, but the reality is that they are hurting the animals, and people need to be aware of this.