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Sometimes if animals are useless the workers sometimes kill the animal. They sometimes give the animal to other animals for food.

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We all know that with zoos and aquariums you can see more animals you never saw in you life in person. But think about this for a moment. Do you wanna see animals that are rare, that you never saw abused? If you were a animal being abused would you be amazed or even happy? Would you still like zoos?

Would you even like zoos anymore in your life? Imagine yourself as the owner of a zoo. Imagine yourself telling trainers to abuse the animals and to put them in small crowded cages. Imagine after your workers abused them out them back into the cage for entertainment. Would you really be proud of this? Would you even be proud of your zoo?  I know I wouldn’t. And I know that that’s what some zoos do. Sometimes they abuse a animal if they do a trick wrong. If you know this already I know you will soon hate zoos. Doing this is wrong.

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Animal can get scared

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“The zoo in Kiev, for example, has so many fatalities it's called the "concentration camp for animals." At the Mumbai Zoo, the animals that die - mostly from inadequate nutrition and care - are stuffed and put on display as taxidermy. Sadly, animal abuse isn't just limited to zoos in third-world countries. It happens right here at home. And often, the offensive aren't observable to patrons” from the dodo

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Zoos should be banned because most zoos don’t feed or give water to the animals. Animals sometimes beg the people going to the zoo for food. The people there attending the zoo don’t have the appropriate food for them. They throw junk food at the animals to eat because they are hungry. The owners of the zoo should just shut down the zoo. It’s better for the animals. If this goes on the animals will either die from starvation or from eating too much junk food.

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ZOOS THAT ARE BAD CAN FEED ANY ANIMALS PLASTIC AND LET THEM BATH IN DIRTY WATER THEY EVEN DRINK THE DIRTY WATER

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Animal stress\abuse\saddness IT IS VERY BAD AFTER I TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENS AT MOST OF THE WORLDS ZOOS

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Zoos abuse animals and they don’t care most of the times. In seaworld the orcas have scars all over them because they get abused by their trainers. Sometimes due to stress orcas attempt to kill their trainers because they don’t treat them well or because they are tired of being held for entertainment. They are held in captivity and almost nobody pays attention to that.

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Animals can get into a deep depression in zoos. Animals just perform for popularity and money for zoos. Zoos also abuse animals. Most zoos don’t even care for animals. Zoos often put animals in captivity. Animal stress is when animals get too stressed out from photography or about being stuck in a cage just for crowds. Animal stress can also be from missing habitats.

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Zoochosis - The living conditions of animals in captivity

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Animals can get depressed

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For example this bear does NOT belong in the zoo they will miss their natral habitat

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Animals get really depressed in schools. Animals get really depressed when they’re stuck in zoos just for entertainment. Some zoos even starve the animals because they don’t have enough money. If zoos have no money then what’s the point of trapping animals in the zoo when you’re not gonna feed them. It would be much nicer to free them to the wild then let them die.

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This is what happens when zoos take them in just for money and does not care about them

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Each year 10,000 bull dogs die in bullfighting. Neglect and abandonment are the most common forms of companion animal abuse in the United States. Continuous chaining is illegal in some parts of the...

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Staff in zoos sometimes kill animals for no reasons or for stupid reasons. For example, Harambe was killed because some parents let a boy into the cage and the staff fearing for the boy’s life shot and killed Harambe

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ANIMALS BITE BARS JUST BECAUSE THEY DONT HAVE ENOUGH SPACE AND HAVE ALOT OF STRESS (SOME ANIMALS CAN BE SO STRESSED THAT THEY CAN HURT THEMSELVES SO HARD THEY WILL DIE)

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Animals can kill themselves if due to pressure. For example, Knut the polar bear died after falling into his pool and drowning.

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Alot  of zoos just want money so don’t go if you do if you can buy food and feed it to the animals they will fell better for example some zoos don’t feed their animals they just let them die so I WISH ALL ZOOS SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN

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For example there’s a myth going on around the world it’s that the animals get depressed in most zoos

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Melissa cares for a variety of exotic animals and has completed a certificate in veterinary assisting and a bachelor's degree in biology.

"Aw, that polar looks so sad. He doesn't like this cage". "Poor monkey, so bored with nothing to do".
Have you ever made a comment like this? Have you ever heard someone say this at a public zoo or petstore? The answer is likely to be yes. Despite unfamiliarity with the species in question, or even that animal as an individual, this is a common occurrence and a blatant example of the conflict with anthropomorphism.

Mistaking both 'sad' and 'happy' expressions

Most people who do not spend significant time around non-domesticated animals often lack the ability to detect an animal's mood. Even I, before finally adopting a dog, found the behavioral patterns of that species to be foreign.

The more animals I became in charge of caring for, the more I learned about them; things that books and even documentaries failed to do. This experience is simply irreplaceable. However to different extents, 'wild' animal behavior will vary significantly with animals raised by or around humans, but in caring for animals you will come to understand the species' capabilities (and limitations).

There have been many times that my mother would perceive that my spotted genet was "calm" and try to pet him, but I would quickly intervene because I saw a nervous animal preparing to bite.

People often misunderstand both sadness, aggression, and even happiness in animals. Animal rights movements often speak of the 'fake dolphin smile' that will be glued on the faces of bottlenose dolphins even as they attack helpless porpoises in the wild. When many animals such as dolphins, dogs, and even snakes open their mouths, they appear to have this particular expression --> :D

Zoo or the wild?

Challenge! Which animals are miserable because of their lack of freedom? The "sad" animals in the following pictures are either in the 'wild' or captivity, (some traditional zoos and others in spacious 'sanctuaries' that most people approve of). Guess which one is which. No cheating, if you're familiar with these animals, where they're located, or the fauna which surrounds them to help you guess, it doesn't count!

Other animals naturally look sad, and sometimes even downright depressed. Some animals need not do anything in particular, but for most animals, the simple act of laying down with their head on the ground will give them the appearance of being miserable.

Therefore, any animal that performs this typical resting posture may upset people wth pre-exsisting anti-captive animal sentiment. Add on seeing this through cage bars, and it is totally heart breaking.

Some animals that often look sad.

Cage bars

But what are cage bars to an animal? To a human in our society (and probably all others), cages bars are more than a barrier. They represent loss of freedom, eternal confinement, lack of dignity, and criminality, among other things. This is why a cage can provide the same amount of space, but people will feel better about enclosures that lack bars and instead have moats or see-through glass. Animals do not possess our evolved, cultural aversion to cage bars. Most animals (or non-humans, for lack of a better term), perceive a barrier but do not associate the same emotional intensity with these structures. Humans on the other hand project their emotions with cages (or tanks) to animals.

On the flipside, the human's psychological state may even trick humans into thinking too highly of an animal's enclosure. The turquoise, clear water tanks that cetaceans are kept in may look inviting to us because they remind us of pools, tropical oceans and oasis, but recently this view has been challenged with more scrutiny by people who study their natural behavior.

So why do I provide examples of the opposite effect? It is important for all of us, from casual observers to scientists who study animal behavior to purge our inherent desire to see ourselves in the animals, both for the unfair criticism of zoos and well-being of all captive animals (not just zoo animals). Sometimes something as simple as the boney structure of an animal's jaw can make it 'sad' or 'happy' to the human brain.

Lethargy

Some other zoo visitors point out that an animal seems sad because it's not as lively or interesting as the animals they've seen in the wild or in documentaries.

There are some possible logical explanations for this. Most documentaries tend to show animals doing interesting things, being more active and doing things such as hunting or forging, playing, swimming, and other entertaining behaviors.

Most animals do not do this all day. If you see an animal in the wild, it's likely that said animal is more alert having seen you or being in the situation in which it will be out of its comfort zone, and thusly more alert. In not too many circumstances can you approach an animal unhabituated to humans during its 'down time', and at the zoo, you are seeing animals that are 100% acclimated to the constant stream of human visitors. And at times they may look, or may possibly even be 'bored'.

Boredom

Sometimes animals get bored. It will probably happen less in the wild since most wild animals have the daily occupation of surviving. But in some circumstances, if they are bored in nature it isn't likely to occur in a human's presence.

Regardless, being bored in captivity can be an issue as well a luxury. Zoo animals have their essential needs taken care of and can afford to be 'bored' just like you, your dog or your cat (perhaps your boredom led you here). Too much boredom however, defined by a lack of stimulus, is a welfare issue.

However, your minute-long visit of witnessing what you perceive as a 'bored' animal does not necessarily mean the animal is always in this state. You could be seeing an animal resting, or a certain part of the day where it is just not as active because its been fed, or is in the portion of the day where keepers aren't dropping by. Take into account also the natural history of an animal and the percentage of time it may spend not moving. Casting judgment on the animal welfare standards of a particular zoo by a short observation is hardly fair.

Answers to challenge

Photos from captivity
1 Colobus monkey ( Paignton Zoo)
2 Lions ( Colorado Animal Sanctuary) They have acres to roam!
5 Gibbon ( Dierenrijk)
Photos from the wild
3 Savanna Baboon (Chobe, Botswana)

4 Polar bear (Churchill, Manitoba, Canada)

6 Elephant (Pilanesberg game reserve)

Sometimes animals get sad..

Just like in your daily life, there are highs and lows for animals. It is possible that sometimes animals can be 'sad' about something, or stressed due to some change in their environment.

Animals do have their own lives outside of your zoo visit, and many things may be going on that could result in an animal(s) not being in the best mood while you're viewing it.

Is it ever OK to judge a zoo exhibit?

Yes, as long as you take an informed approach. It is important for the public to discern right from wrong and object to poor animal welfare...BUT...the tricky part is fairly determining that this is taking place when you aren't exactly an expert on how a specific animal should be kept or its normal behavior.

Each species has unique needs, and animals are also individuals with different histories. For instance, stereotypical behavior may occur in animals that were rescued from poor environments that will persist in their new location (occurrence of these behaviors are complicated, more on that later). Please refrain from taking a 'know-it-all' approach after taking a quick glimpse of the animal. Also, do not assume that an animal doesn't have access to more space other than what is visible before you. Always listen attentively to the people who deal with this animal day after day, as they are likely to have far more insight. Don't profess to be an animal mind reader, and be objective. Beware of emotional projection.

Questions & Answers

Question:

Are the animals in zoos getting exercise?

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Melissa cares for a variety of exotic animals and has completed a certificate in veterinary assisting and a bachelor's degree in biology. "Aw, that polar looks so sad. He doesn't like this cage". "Poor monkey, so bored with nothing to do". Have you ever made a comment like this?

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This is a example of animal stress because they miss their family or their habitats

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Animals don’t get much space in zoos. Animals can get cramped in small cages. Zoos who don’t offer bigger cages for animals are low on budget. You might be thinking why I’m putting in that zoos who don’t have big cages are low on money. Well if the zoo manager doesn’t have much money then what’s the point of making a zoo and just torturing the animals this way? Animals have feelings too. It’s not just humans.

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HELLO world DONT GO TO ZOOS BECAUSE MOST ZOOS ONLY CARE ABOUT MONEY AND POPULATION BUT LITTLE DID YOU KNOW SOME OF THESE ZOOS DONT CARE ABOUT THEIR ANIMALS

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Even aquarium are just like zoos for example look at the image and the orca is yelling because of sadness and abuse

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When zoos started to take lions in they have died or many of the species have been decreasing

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Animals in zoos are denied a life of freedom. A cage can never be their home.