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Are Zoos Healthy or Not Healthy?

Mia Candler

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How would people feel if we were the ones in the cages? Zoos aren’t too big, but they do help animals who are in need. Britannica states, “35 species of carnivores that live in zoos have smaller enclosures than what they need for them to do their normal things; this led to problems like pacing and more infant deaths” (Procon). Encyclopaedia Britannica explains that, “visitors that go to zoos actually gain knowledge about biodiversity and how to protect it as well” (Procon). Zoos are nice and fun to visit but, we do not know what is really going on with the animals and how they are.

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Zoos are not all that good for animals. When going to a zoo, there is about 100 or more acres to walk for a person, but for animals it is different. Barbara Smuts states that “animals that live in the wild travel more than what they can in a zoo. The zoos are 60-100 times smaller than what the wild animals are allowed to travel.” The animals need more space than what they have now. Barbara Smuts explains “zoos are just keeping animals from moving around the amount they would in the wild. They could change and make it bigger but choose not to.” It is not healthy for the animals to be by themselves and not have much room. According to Barbara Smuts, “animals in captivity get a thing called boredom. They do almost the same thing everyday due to the lack of space they have compared to what they would have in the wild.”

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Having a lack of space is not good for the animals, but there are other things that aren’t healthy for animals. Barbara Smuts states “animals need a companion to get through life. The sense of loneliness can cause mental harm to animals  (Humans and Nature). Animals need to have fun just like humans, and they can have stress as well. Scott Nolen states that high levels of stress may cause animals to self-injure themselves” (American Veterinary Medical Association). Zoos are harming animals as much as they save the ones who need it; the animals are still being mentally harmed after they were rescued.

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Zoos can be a good thing for the animals that are endangered or injured. Animals that are healthy and able to survive on their own should be free. Barbara Smuts claims, “animals shouldn’t be held captive unless they are injured or can not survive on their own.” The animals are smart and can figure out things like humans. When they like something they make it their entertainment. Barbara Smuts writes, “animals are content. They have a way of doing things by trying to make a living off what they got.”Animals get bored because they stay in the same enclosure and do not get moved. Barbara Smuts states that “her local zoo moves animals to different parts so they do not get bored in the enclosure”(Humans and Nature). Animals that get stressed out are normally a bad thing but for animals sometimes it is not. Scott Nolen explains that stress is not always a bad thing. It can be a good thing like when animals are mating or are exploring new things or environments” (American Veterinary Medical Association).

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When the zoos are open, all types of people come in; some zoos let schools come in and tell them what to do better on. Barbara Smuts explains that “zoos allow visitors like kids from schools to visit the zoo and give them feedback about it. The kids might help make the zoo better.” Zoos aren’t a bad thing when the animals are in need of it, and they give kids learning opportunities about the animals as well.

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When thinking of zoos, all different types of animals come to mind. Animals like the ones that are endangered, need zoos to help repopulate them. The animals that are sick, injured, or can not survive on their own need zoos to help them to get better and stay alive. However, zoos can also be bad for them. Keeping animals captive is not so good for the animals that have been nursed back to health and are ready to go back to the wild.  The animals need freedom, but they also need safety. Zoos aren't a bad thing kids are learning from them, animals are living and getting healthier from them. The zoos just need to observe the animals better and need to realize what is helping and not helping the animals. Zoos are nice and fun to visit but, we do not know what is really going on with the animals and how they are.

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Works Cited

Encyclopaedia, Britannica. “Zoos – Top 3 Pros and Cons.” Procon,    13 Aug. 2021.

https://www.procon.org/headlines/zoos-top-3-pros-and-cons/.

Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Nolen, R. Scott. “Measuring stress in captive animals.” American

Veterinary Medical Association, 1 Dec. 2002.

https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2002-12-01/measuring-stress-captive-animals.

Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Smuts, Barbara. “Nowhere to Go; Nothing to Do.” Humans and

Nature, 10 Jun. 2016.

https://humansandnature.org/nowhere-to-go-nothing-to-do/.

Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.