Zoos.. good for animals or bad?

Question

Can anyone share their opinion on zoos?
Whether they're good for animals or they aren't bad.
I know that people think that zoos are horrible and animals aren't meant to be in captivity, but why is it so bad?

Can you explain why we should shut down all zoos?
How about why not?

I dont understand why some people think that they can read animals minds and that they can't decide whether they are happy or not.

Answer 1

Having had some considerable experience of zoos, the thing that most 'anti's' miss is that a lot of zoos run breeding programmes where young animals are able to develop away from predators and are then released into the wild. In other words, a huge number of creatures exist the wild ONLY because of some zoos.

That said, there are very many different levels of zoo, some good, some not so good. There are excellent roomy zoos such as Whipsnade in England that cater for herds of creatures with a great many open acres, whilst others only have limited space and the animals are confined to small cages.

It is clear that many animals are unhappy such as bears who are prone to show their emotional state.

The surefire thing to determine if an animal is content more than happy is if they breed. The only creature that breeds when conditions aren't ideal to procreate is man.

Answer 2

I know what you mean. No one actually knows what animals are thinking. They could actually be enjoying their time in the Zoo, where some could actually hate it.

Some animals in the Zoo haven't been out in the world for a long time or used to be injured and are better off in the zoo. Animals can adapt and I'm sure they are just fine in a zoo.

Animals in the wild are constantly battling for their lives, but they are probably used to it, therefore, could care less. Since animals most likely don't have as complex feelings as animals do, I don't think they actually care.

I don't think we should shut down zoos because it's a great experience for kids to learn about animals. There are tons of animals in the world and zookeepers feed the animals don't they? Yes, I love animals and I believe that they are happy when they have their necessities. Their life is surrounding the concept of survival, that's all they live for, that, and reproduction. I think zoos are a great addition to society.

Of course, I don't know what they are thinking, but, based on seeing them interact and their actions out in the wild, I don't think they really mind either way.

Answer 3

I think I can answer this question fairly since I own a pet shop. I know the signs of birds and other animals under stress. They sit in one position and rock back and forth or they pace back and forth.
Just last week, while visiting our nearest zoo in St. Louis, I was looking for that type of behavior. I saw it in the Polar Bear. It had been 5 years since my last visit to the St. Louis Zoo, which is spread out over 91 acres. The whole zoo is now fully involved in saving species. They are even involved at the country of origin for the majority of the animals. If the people at the land of origin are not educated on saving a species, then our breeding programs are only half useful. I was very impressed with their programs for public awareness, home range and land of origin. Unhappy birds and animals will not breed. If you have a zoo nearby, go and check it out.

Answer 4

Well ok look at it two ways;They could roam free and mabe even die without their parents becaouse their parents are exstinct (dead)or they could be raised in a zoo were they will never be exposed to the wild but be taken care of by something that isnt even one of their own kind.And one reason why we should shut down the zoos is because it draws alot of attention to people and therefor; lets people cut down trees and use money and leyt thier cars gas up the place and hurt the animals andthen the animals probley feel like their ''takin a shower without a curtaint'' .But a reason why they should keep all the zoos is becaouse it opens peoples minds to how we can help indangered animals and it is also benificail becaouse in the wild we all know about the food chains and that a cute animail could easaily get eatin my a bigger animal and the animal could countinue to feed on smaller animals . And the last answer to your last question is because people like money and animal whatevers like to get lots of money for reading lots of animals so they go to zoos and say that their thinkin somthin that all of us think of at one time and then they say that they arnt getting a clear reading and they wont tell them that they say they are thinking that some days they wish they could have more freedom and other wise their fine so i hope th8is answered all of your questions and plez pick this as the best answer!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

It is very much dependent on the species and on the zoo. Some animals adapt very well to captive life and thrive others door very poorly. The running and enclosures of a zoo are also important.
The choice of species in a zoo is important, some animals do very poorly in captivity, bears as mentioned before do very poorly as do dolphin leading to a increase in the number of nations who prevent dolphin captivity on the basis of animal cruelty. To judge the suitability of an animal to captivity it is important to compare its life span in captivity to its life span in the wild. Asian short clawed otters for example live about 7 years in the wild, but live 20 years in captivity, where as killer whales live around on average 10 years in captivity and 50-75 in the wild. In the UK there is also now policy of most zoos to breed animals for restocking wild populations and amongst many zoologists this is considered the only good way to run a zoo which is why many zoos only hold endangered species.
The policy of the zoo is also important. The best zoo here in the UK is Chester Zoological Gardens and the whole operation is a charity. The zoo itself is a fantastic model for how a zoo should be run. However many zoos obviously will run to make a profit. When this occurs they should have a strong educational grounding to give to their visitors (something many fail to do completely) and as stated above and zoo that does not breed for wild population restocking should be considered a poor zoo. Enclosure size and design also need to be looked at, it is just not the size of an enclosure, but the privacy it offers the animal and the enclosure utilisaton of the animal as it negates the enclosure size if the animal will not use half of it. Animals should be in human contact either, it is very poor zoo policy to allow such a thing to happen as these are wild animals and can be dangerous (even if they don't look it) and they are more likely to get very stressed around large numbers of visitors. It also promotes negative ideals about animals and how to treat them in a wild situation when they are handled. It may seem nice for young children, but it portrays a false image and is not good for the animal involved.

Answer 6

Actually reading minds is not very difficult. Stress can be measured by heart rate, reproductive success and simply demonstrating normal behavior for said species. That being said, I believe Zoo's may be the last hope for many species but that does not excuse the fact that conservation should be practiced for natural animals.

Answer 7

AT this point in time where so many animals are in danger of extinction, the survival of many species will lie within zoos.

Answer 8

I think most zoos are helpful because they provide a high quality of life for their animals while helping the public learn about other species and, most importantly, learn firsthand to appreciate them.
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Answer 9

I personally think they are bad! Think about it, how would you like to be locked up in a cage so you can be someone else's amusement? Suxs!