do you think that wild animals should be held in captivity at the zoo or be free in their natural habitat?

Question

i'm not just talking about saving the almost extinct species and allowing people to see them upclose in a safe environment without having to go to a dangerous safari & learning more about animals but do you think that newborn wild animals are being deprived of their natural survival abilities of being a wild animal that normally hunt for their own food and learn what it's really like to freely be a "wild" animal in the open spaces of their natural environment?do you think that zoo animals are spoiled?do you think that they are being treated well from what you've seen?do you think that they are just being exploited for money and not properly cared for? do you think that they have enough roaming space?or do you think that overall,it's great? why or why not.from a zoo animal's perspective,how do you think they feel or see humans?since animals cannot talk,can you still tell from their other expressions how they feelno links/outside sources.describe thoughts/opinions in your own words only.

if you've seen the movie,Planet of the Apes,and you see them as entertaimnet value,would you mind being caged as a pet for the apes or as entertainment for them,such as animals are entertainment for some people? can't we just have researchers/animal explorers videotape animals in the wild and showcase the images they've captured in the media,instead of seeing them at the zoo? since we can't touch the wild animals at the zoo anyway so visuals are just as effective to learn from?

metaphorically speaking,baby animals are sort of like human babies that grow up in a comfort zone at home or someplace safe(in this case,the zoo for wild animals) but shouldn't they be allowed to enter the "real world" or the "wild"...although we know that there are poachers/predatory animals or in a human's case,we have the criminals that prey on people...isn't life about risks or should we keep them from unncessary risk that can be prevented and keep our children close by where we can see them?:)

i don't mean re-ship and free the animals already in captivity,who have adapted to their new environment but animals that are already free,let them be.maybe hire people to keep an eye for poachers.i've visited the zoo a few times and haven't learned much besides seeing how some of them are great performers if given the training and are very cute.i've learned more info from reading books and watching videos about wild animals than visiting the zoo.i saw the infamous pandas shipped from china and only noticed the panda eating bamboo leaves and a snippet of info from the exhibit board.it was mainly a visual experience and didn't learn anything new besides the fact that they're beautiful animals up close^__^

re:vanessa-you've overlooked and ironically,proven my point by mentioning bill gates and warren buffett.everything is about money nowadays.i posted this to spark some personal reflection and critical thinking but it doesn't seem like you do either.

Answer 1

In a perfect world, (Planet Utopia) all creatures would roam free and unmolested, but since the dawn of mankind, animals have been exploited and will always be exploited.

Prehistoric humans exploited animals for food and fur and without both, humans probably would not have survived and evolved.

As humans observed and began to interact with animals, they formed a somewhat symbiotic relationship. Man began to hunt with wolves, the wolves provided warmth and companionship, while man provided scraps for the wolves to eat.

At some point, humans probably began to trade meat and furs with other humans and that created a market and with that market, animals were trapped and soon animals were kept confined and bred for their fur and meat.

Unfortunately, mankind learned that animals could be trapped, raised and sold for food, fur, mobility, profit and entertainment. Whether it be for circuses, zoos, public aquariums, pet stores, labs, private individuals, and horse and dog races. Are racehorses and greyhounds treated well? As long as they are winners.

Man even illegally pits dog against dog, game roosters against game roosters and fighting fish against fighting fish for the purpose of gambling. Again, the winner is treated well, the loser is maimed or dies.

Regardless of mans attempt to protect, there are still unscrupulous individuals who kill elephants for ivory, and Rhinos for their horns. We are all guilty of the exploitation of animals, in one way or other, legally and illegally.

I choose to believe that most humans love animals and we keep them caged because of that love. Selfishly, we want to hold them, touch them and protect them from harm. We want them in our lives no matter the cost.

I, myself, have parrots, dogs and fish. I take care of them to the best of my ability and I love them and I provide them with everything I can for their wellbeing and I enjoy providing and caring for them.

Perhaps if so many people did not want to keep parrots in cages, there would be no market for them and so many would not die at the hands of illegal poachers, but as long as there is a market for animals, mankind will exploite them.

As animals rely less and less on their own extincts and skills, their brain actually shrinks and the areas of the brain that evolved for survival become less important and they become more dependent on the care of humans. So in that way, I guess zoo animals are spoiled. Are animals treated well in zoos? Well, perhaps all their physical need for maintaining their life are met, but are their emotional needs taken into consideration.

Many captive parrots pluck their own feathers out. Could this be from anxiety....some inate intuition telling them that life in a cage is not natural for them? Large captive cats will pace back in forth, elephants will rock back and forth and chimps will exhibit bizzare behaviors when not provide with intellectual stimulation, despite the fact that they are fed and well cared for.

Could we gather all the captured animals up and set them free? No, and even freedom would not be humane after we have deprived them of being born wild and free.

Sadly for animals. until man ceases to inhabit Earth, they will be exploited.

You become responsible forever, for what you have tamed.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Answer 2

The quality of Zoos varies greatly. When I was in Belize, I visited the national zoo there. They rehabilitate animals, such as endangered species that were orphaned in the wild or abandoned by irresponsible pet owners, and release them when they are able to survive on their own. They live in a natural park like setting, and only the individual animals that can't adapt to living in the wild are kept permanently. It's a beautiful zoo and they do a great job of educating the public. It's a role model of what all zoos should and could be.

Answer 3

Well, which do you think is more fair.. keeping an animal born in captivity healthy, safe, and enriched (which most GOOD, accredited zoos do), and usually happy, while at the same time educating people about them and keeping the gene pool and population stable... or taking a young animal and going out of your way to ship it around the world, stressing it out immensly, just to let it go in a world where food is scarce, predators and dangerous humans are everywhere, and, most importantly, the animal will not have the immune system to survive? Most captive animals have greatly depressed immune systems (like living in a plastic bubble) and returning to the wild would mean certain death.

Answer 4

I believe they should be kept at the wild if possible. But because society nowadays and some people in general are cruel to animals and like to do wild hunts and things of that sort maybe the best option for me is to safeguard those wild areas and turn them into huge natural reserves where animals could still be in wild but with infrastructures and forest guards to protect them from hunters and other dangerous people. To maintain theses natural parks (if the state didn't support them) there could be areas where people could see the wild life without they even noticing us and pay a fee.
I don't like zoo with cages where for instance we see tigers or gorillas caged up, but those they are already zoo's who resemble natural parks that animals barely notice people and people walk around the natural environments in tracks seeing them. I think this is by fair the best humane option if the animals have to be in zoo.
This was one of those zoo's a went:
http://www.ranuawildlife.fi/?deptid=6877

Answer 5

I think that animals should be in their natural setting as much as possible. I like going to zoos to learn about these animals, but I also feel bad for them for being in a small space all the time.

Answer 6

No I don't think animals should be kept in zoos. Animals are not supposed to live on concrete that's not the way God intended it otherwise the whole earth would be in concrete, which by the way seems like what it is coming to. I will not spend my money and condone such outrageous behavior by human beings and it's disgusting that people pay to see animals in misery.

Answer 7

As long as the displays are humane the animals serve as ambassadors of the wild, inspiring concern, intellectual curiosity and aesthetic appreciation. Thus creating more a environmentally sensitive public, helping to divert gifted people down career paths of biology, veterinary medicine, environmental advocacy, artistry and so on. Ultimately the few in captivity serve to benefit the many more in the wild.

Answer 8

OK well 1st most ppl that works at our city and state zoo are very good at there jobs and they care Very Very much for the animals they look after.

some yes are spoiled hehe, but don't worry they love it.

Now for the ones in the wild are ok to, for they are in the zone, but the bad thing about the wild is other bigger animals, and the human poachers that kill them for sport or money......

Answer 9

Without zoos people would never have learned about some of these animals. Many of them would be extinct if we hadn't been introduced to them and learned that they lived, where they lived, and their importance to our world. Zoos have their place just as many other things in this world we may not like.

Answer 10

Although i think it is cruel to keep animals in enclosed or even caged areas, i think the infringment of mankind and the overpopulation of the planet would result in there complete extinction in the near future. Sorry to say.Safer to keep them in zoos, preferable ones like "the wild animal park in san diego ", or similiar ones.