Animals in Zoos
“Despite their professed concern for animals, zoos remain more ‘collections’ of interesting ‘items’ than actual havens or simulated habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals in captivity, bored, cramped, lonely, and far from their natural homes” (Zoos, Mercy For Animals). There are a variety of zoo sizes all across the US. The larger the zoo, the more animals and assets they have, the more the cost. When the zoo finds themselves struggling for money, they often sell the animals or start gimmicks to draw more people in. Most of the time, they don’t think of the animals well being when they start something new. “A former director of the Atlanta Zoo once remarked that he was ‘too far removed from the animals; they're the last thing I worry about with all the other problems’” (Zoos, Mercy For Animals). The animals in the zoos don’t only suffer from neglect. When Dunda, an African Elephant was transferred from one Zoo to the next, she was chained, forced to lay on the ground, and beaten for two days with axe handles. “One witness described the blows as ‘home run swings.’ Such abuse may be the norm. ‘You have to motivate them,’ says San Francisco zookeeper Paul Hunter of elephants, "and the way you do that is by beating the hell out of them’” (Zoos, Mercy For Zoos claim, a lot like circuses, that their use of these animals is solely for education. The fact of the matter is that there is little or no real education learned by the spectators. “labels provide little more information than the species' name, diet, and natural range. The animals' normal behavior is seldom discussed, much less observed, because their natural needs are seldom met” (Zoos, Mercy for Animals). Many of the behaviors they would naturally do are eliminated by the difference in habitat.
“The animals are closely confined, lack privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise, resulting in abnormal and self-destructive behavior, called zoochosis. As for education, zoo visitors usually spend only a few minutes at each display, seeking entertainment rather than enlightenment. A study of the zoo in Buffalo, N.Y., found that most people passed cages quickly, and described animals in such terms as ‘funny-looking,’ ‘dirty,’ or ‘lazy’” (Zoo, Mercy For Animals).
“A worldwide study of zoos conducted by the Born Free Foundation revealed that zoochosis is rampant in confined animals around the globe. Another study found that elephants spend 22 percent of their time engaging in abnormal behaviors, such as repeated head bobbing or biting cage bars, and bears spend about 30 percent of their time pacing, a sign of distress” (Zoos, Mercy For Animals).
Often, animals are rescued from zoos that couldn’t provide them with a safe sanctuary. Some of the animals start to hurt themselves out of zoochosis. “Of chimpanzees, who bite their own limbs from captivity-induced stress, the manager says: "Their hands were unrecognizable from all the scar tissue. More than half the world's zoos "are still in bad conditions" and treating chimpanzees poorly, according to renowned chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall” (Zoos, Mercy for Animals).
Zoos are supposed to exist to research the animals, but how can that be done when the animals don’t act naturally? Another reason for the use of zoo’s is to breed the animals, but most zoo’s only focus on the exotic animals. “A 1994 report by the World Society for the Protection of Animals showed that only 1,200 zoos out of 10,000 worldwide are registered for captive breeding and wildlife conservation. Only two percent of the world's threatened or endangered species are registered in breeding programs” (Zoos, Mercy for Animals). The animals that are on the edge of extinction are often put in more danger by the zoos because of their crowd appeal. They are forced to move from zoo to zoo. Inbreeding is also a problem that the animals are exposed to in zoos. (Zoos, Mercy for Animals).
“A worldwide study of zoos conducted by the Born Free Foundation revealed that zoochosis is rampant in confined animals around the globe. Another study found that elephants spend 22 percent of their time engaging in abnormal behaviors, such as repeated head bobbing or biting cage bars, and bears spend about 30 percent of their time pacing, a sign of distress” (Zoos, Mercy For Animals).
Zoos are supposed to exist to research the animals, but how can that be done when the animals don’t act naturally? Another reason for the use of zoo’s is to breed the animals, but most zoo’s only focus on the exotic animals. “A 1994 report by the World Society for the Protection of Animals showed that only 1,200 zoos out of 10,000 worldwide are registered for captive breeding and wildlife conservation. Only two percent of the world's threatened or endangered species are registered in breeding programs” (Zoos, Mercy for Animals). The animals that are on the edge of extinction are often put in more danger by the zoos because of their crowd appeal. They are forced to move from zoo to zoo. Inbreeding is also a problem that the animals are exposed to in zoos. (Zoos, Mercy for Animals).
