Should animals be kept in zoos?

Answer 1

yes i think you should because some animals are dangerous and they shouldn't be loose everywhere!! like, what if they werent in zoo's? would you want an elephant in your front yard messing up your house? and its for their protection anywayz!! but i dont think dogs and cats should be in the zoo's and they are not so im glad!!

Answer 2

I've been fortunate to be in positions to see both sides of this view. For 3 years I worked as an Educator/Zookeeper in a zoo. And I spent a year working in a National Conservation Area.

From seeing animals in cages to witnessing them roam free I would love to say that the best thing for these creatures is total independence. However, rational thought comes in to play. The human population growth on our planet is increasing at an alarming rate. With this occurence, animals are losing precious habitat. And the actions of mankind (such as deforestation, pollution) are eliminating species, some of which we've never had the chance to study.

Zoos, and I mean AZA accredited zoos (not the roadside animal shows), are essential. They provide a research center for zoologists to learn behavior. They provide animals a home which otherwise might have been devastated if they were still in the wild. They also give the public a chance to see up close how beautiful and wonderous animals are. A good zoo will strive to not only give the public a great experience of seeing these creatures, but to arm us with the knoweldge of why they are an important and vital part of planet Earth.

Zoos may not be the best place for an animal to live. But in today's world, it may be the only place.

Answer 3

I think that zoos have a lot of positive and negative aspects.

On the one hand, zoos allow the general public to see and learn about animals from far off lands that they would otherwise only learn about from books and videos. The educational aspect of a zoo is invaluable.

However, I think that for the most part, zoos are miserable environments for the animals living there. I think even in the best possible conditions, most wild animals would prefer to be in their native environment rather than in a zoo. Granted, their food and medical needs are cared for in a zoo but it is still not the same as being with their own kind in their homeland.

I think that zoos that house animals who either were injured and can no longer protect themselves in the wild or animals who are abandoned pets are a little more understandable. I would much prefer zoos obtain animals from these sources than to capture them from the wild. I think the animals would agree!

Answer 4

Zoos are anthropocentric creations that were invented so that rich people cold brag with all the animals they brought back from their trips to "exotic" countries. It was an extraordinary experience for a young European to see the tiger or a kangaroo, a creature that he /she could never imagine existed.
Today, with invention of TV and Internet this reason sound even more stupid: if you want to see an animal and learn something about it, watch nature programs on TV or find it on the net! Usually you can't learn anything about the animals in the zoo since they aren't in their natural environment and don't act a same as their wild relatives. Most animals in zoos won't even mate, which is the essential instinct in order for a species to survive.
As for "dangerous, blood-hungry creatures" running around, there wouldn't be any if people hadn't brought them, so forget about an elephant in your front yard if you don't live in India or a part of Africa where elephants naturally live, in which case you would be used to it!
There are many different ways of protecting endangered species, but putting them in cage is not one of them!
So the answer to your question is: no!

Answer 5

Some zoos have done a tremendous job in protecting endangered species so yes, animals should be kept in zoos.

Answer 6

People should be kept in zoos and animals should just go about their business in nature before we human animals eat everything up.

Answer 7

To the extent that they are put on display, no, not really. as much as i am amazed seeing them in real life. i couldn't imagine spending my entire life into what would pretty much equal my bed room. as far as the comments that some people have made about them roaming free to eat children. most animals in a zoo are there cause they aren't found in that area. elephants don't exist in the wild in the US, they are only found in africa and asia. and humans and animals coexisted for over a hundred thousand years. it was a way of life, if a child was eaten, its just a matter of natural selection. just like humans are allowed to roam free and kill animals, animals were allowed to roam free and kill humans. makes sense doesn't it. now you can say that the animal didn't do anything to the human, but you can say the same thing about the human killing the animal. the concerns of industrialized people amazes me. im not saying animals should be living in cities. they wouldn't anyway. im just saying leave them be. an african lion never did anything to anyone in the US, so why trap them and cage them here. i'm not necessarily sure i believe in trying to restore extinct or highly endangered species. if they are going there is a reason for it. as much as we like to think we control the planet. we dont. the planet controls everything. so if an animal dies off let it die, but don't activly seek to finish them off either.

Answer 8

I feel that some animals should be kept in the zoo and some should not.some animals are close to not existing so we should try to keep those animals safe and try to reproduce them . some animals should be free like some fish i dont think it is fair for them to be kept in small tanks when they are use to the ocean, but this is only my opinon

Answer 9

Yes. Example specimens of the Earth's fauna should be kept for the simple fact that doing so educates humans about these animals and leads to increased interest and concern about the animals of the world.

Answer 10

Animals who are injured, and such injury prevents them from returning to the wild can be in zoos. I don't think wild, healthy animals should ever be captured and placed in zoos.

Answer 11

If they are well fed and well kept then ok... But perhaps they should be kept only for a few years and then wen they reach a certain age they could be replaced by other animals