Are Zoos Ethical?
BY TINA LI '27
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The long-awaited day had arrived: a trip to the zoo, where life seemed complete. As a child, you had only read about these wild creatures or watched them on National Geographic. The zoo promised the chance to witness their magnificence up close. But as you pushed through the massive crowds and pressed your face against dusty glass windows, you were met with disappointment. The animals, seemingly lifeless, lay motionless on the dirty floor, completely immobile as the crowd grew louder and more restless.
As a kid, the thought of animal abuse never crossed your mind. After all, why would zoos mistreat animals? Reflecting on those memories now, you realize that the behavior of the animals was far from normal. As a child, you didn’t notice the small size of the enclosures of lack of vegetation. With age, now you recognize the abysmal state of the animals and their living conditions. Although zoos offer educational opportunities about exotic animals, many of the animals suffer from mistreatment and experience various mental disorders due to the confinement. It is time to realize that zoos can never be moral; at their core, removing animals from their natural habitat and placing them in worse conditions contributes to the animals’ physical and mental deterioration while promoting instant gratification and entertainment for kids and their families. Animals in captivity suffer from stress, anxiety, boredom, and depression due to insufficient living conditions, and human entertainment is ultimately prioritized over the health of these animals. These animals were born to be out in the wild, not confined to enclosures that are minuscule compared to their earlier habitats. It is also impossible for zoos to replicate an animal's diet out in the wild, and several species in captivity suffer from nutrient deficiency. The New York Times found a sample of wild rhinoceroses in Zimbabwe that had four to five times higher vitamin levels than average. Not only that, but animals in captivity face constant stress. According to The animals’ continuous mental strain can affect their physical health too. For instance, changes in the immune system leave animals susceptible to more diseases, excessive weight loss, and decreased reproduction. Poor zoo conditions ensure that releasing animals back to their natural habitat is not possible. Zoo animals lose their fear of humans as a result of being around them for so long, making them easy targets for poachers. They also lose all of their survival instincts. Tigers and wolves, for example, only have a one-third chance of survival after being released into the wild. Zoo animals have immense physiological trauma and would not survive in their indigenous environments. Animals are meant to have free range of Earth, roaming wherever they wish without the boundaries of a chain link fence or a glass window. Zoos cannot provide this necessary lifestyle for these animals. It’s true that zoos initially take in animals to protect them from habitat loss, poachers, and predators. By saving endangered species through breeding programs, funding, and providing a home for abandoned pets, zoos can raise awareness about the necessity of animal conservation. However, animals are still mistreated and abused. Regulations and laws do not drastically improve living conditions, and zoos keep abusing their animals. For example, Seaworld came under fire in March 2016 for sexually abusing its male orcas by forcibly impregnating the female orcas and using drugs to stop the orcas from resisting. Seaworld is approved by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, American Humane, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, and the International Marine Trainers’ Association. Knowing this type of abuse happens in a park as popular and as certified as Seaworld, consider what happens in the more obscure zoos and aquariums. Even though the orca breeding program was halted due to years of pressure from animal rights activists and cancel culture, the cruel cycle of unethical drug use and abuse continues with the whales and dolphins within the park. On top of that, overbreeding is extremely common in zoos because of unmanaged breeding and the demand for baby animals. Once these babies grow up to become adults, the zoos no longer need them since they don’t generate as much attention anymore. Some adult animals are sold to “game” farms where hunters kill them, laboratories for animal testing, or more rundown and smaller zoos. Others are killed for their hides or meat. Shuchat 20’ finds that three to five thousand healthy animals are murdered because zoo authorities deem them unnecessary or unprofitable. One specific instance is Marius, a young giraffe who was killed in 2014. Despite being perfectly healthy, the zoo authorities euthanized him because they deemed him unsuitable for breeding. Zoos are killing and abusing the animals they are supposed to be protecting, and the legislation just isn't enough. It is better to leave these animals out in the wild where they can be in their original habitats and keep their instincts, especially because zoos lack the means to support them. The legislation passed will never be enough to prevent every form of abuse, and ultimately, zoos will always be problematic because the industry prioritizes entertainment over fair treatment and proper living conditions. Keeping animals captive causes mental illnesses and a deterioration of physical health. Animals are not meant to be held confined to a cage, regardless of the intentions. It’s time to take action and prevent animal mistreatment. Visit animal sanctuaries instead of zoos, marine parks, petting zoos, or circuses. Sanctuaries are typically nonprofit, so their purpose is to protect the animals they’ve taken in instead of solely being a place for entertainment. Additionally, signing petitions to crack down on regulations around zoos and writing to lawmakers can create some change. Using animals as entertainment while trading off their mental and physical health is not worth it. |
