Zoos and Aquariums
The animals are happy there, so what's the problem?
While a select number of zoos promote the fact that they're also involved in conservation efforts (the number that actually do this is incredibly low) it's important to focus on the main issue here, an issue conservation programs are often put in place to help gloss over. Holding (and breeding) animals in captivity for profit (the number one aim of all zoos and aquariums) and entertainment simply isn't ethical.
Some claim these places provide education rather than entertainment and I often wonder if those promoting this view genuinely believe it to be true. Because how can spending five minutes looking at an animal, confined in a sunken pit, behind glass or in a cage teach us anything of substance about the natural behaviours, interactions or habitat of that animal? Can anyone really claim in honesty that a day spent looking at confined animals unable to undertake many of their natural behaviours provides a better insight into the lives of these creatures than documentaries such as the BBC's beautiful and informative 'Africa' series?
Far from educating our children, zoos are really just another way we make our kids believe animals are here
for us rather than with us, and that animals are ours to do with as we please (you can check the 'speciesism' section for more on this).
The vast majority of animals kept in zoos are not endangered species and are in no way helped by being held in captivity. Not only do zoos then profit further by breeding and selling animals to other zoos and attractions, but healthy animals are also regularly euthanised for a number of arbitrary reasons.
Some claim these places provide education rather than entertainment and I often wonder if those promoting this view genuinely believe it to be true. Because how can spending five minutes looking at an animal, confined in a sunken pit, behind glass or in a cage teach us anything of substance about the natural behaviours, interactions or habitat of that animal? Can anyone really claim in honesty that a day spent looking at confined animals unable to undertake many of their natural behaviours provides a better insight into the lives of these creatures than documentaries such as the BBC's beautiful and informative 'Africa' series?
Far from educating our children, zoos are really just another way we make our kids believe animals are here
for us rather than with us, and that animals are ours to do with as we please (you can check the 'speciesism' section for more on this).
The vast majority of animals kept in zoos are not endangered species and are in no way helped by being held in captivity. Not only do zoos then profit further by breeding and selling animals to other zoos and attractions, but healthy animals are also regularly euthanised for a number of arbitrary reasons.
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If we take the time to consider this issue with genuine honesty it's easy to see that it's both cruel and unfair.
The inherent need to roam is genetically built-in to so many of these animals and to keep them trapped in small spaces for their entire lives is something we would never wish upon ourselves or those we love, no matter how comfortable the surroundings might be.
The bottom line is that unlike animal sanctuaries zoos are built not for animals, but for humans, and just like other exploitation industries zoos and aquariums are businesses built to serve human pleasures. It also means no matter how well intentioned the people involved in them may be, profits must always come first and therefore ahead of the best interests of the animals.
The inherent need to roam is genetically built-in to so many of these animals and to keep them trapped in small spaces for their entire lives is something we would never wish upon ourselves or those we love, no matter how comfortable the surroundings might be.
The bottom line is that unlike animal sanctuaries zoos are built not for animals, but for humans, and just like other exploitation industries zoos and aquariums are businesses built to serve human pleasures. It also means no matter how well intentioned the people involved in them may be, profits must always come first and therefore ahead of the best interests of the animals.
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- Further Reading -
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- The mental toll on animals trapped in zoos
- The reality of zoo culling and euthanasia
- Are zoos educational?
- The end of captive zoo breeding
- The role of zoos in conservation
- European zoos kill over three thousand unwanted animals each year
- Zoos and aquariums don't accomplish what they claim to do
- Does keeping animals in captivity really help children learn to respect them?
- The Zoochotic Report: The effects of captivity on wild animals
- The problem with zoos
- Blackfish (documentary)
- The Cove (documentary)
- www.ZooCheck.com
- www.BornFree.org
- Captive : Jo-Anne McArthur (book)
- The mental toll on animals trapped in zoos
- The reality of zoo culling and euthanasia
- Are zoos educational?
- The end of captive zoo breeding
- The role of zoos in conservation
- European zoos kill over three thousand unwanted animals each year
- Zoos and aquariums don't accomplish what they claim to do
- Does keeping animals in captivity really help children learn to respect them?
- The Zoochotic Report: The effects of captivity on wild animals
- The problem with zoos
- Blackfish (documentary)
- The Cove (documentary)
- www.ZooCheck.com
- www.BornFree.org
- Captive : Jo-Anne McArthur (book)
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- Further Viewing -
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Are Zoos Educational?
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Supporting Zoos
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Captive: Photo Exhibition
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Blackfish: Trailer
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"The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it."
Axel Munthe
Axel Munthe
