Should Zoos Exist?

Zoos are great, right? You get to be up close and personal with some amazing animals that you'd pretty much never get to see in the wild. Clearly, zoos are a win for people. But when it comes to the animals, zoos might cause more harm than good. Should zoos exist?

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**How did zoos become a thing?**
Humans have been capturing and displaying exotic animals for thousands of years. The earliest known collections date back to 3500 BCE in Egypt, where rulers kept hippos, elephants, baboons, and different species of large cats. Now back then, that didn't mean that your average Egyptian could go check any of that awesomeness out. These early zoos were really just a way for kings to flex on other kings. Modern zoos, where the public can come and watch animals exhibiting their natural behavior, didn't really become a thing until the early 1800s. The longest continuously operating zoo in the world is the Vienna Zoo, which has been going strong for more than 260 years.

**What are the arguments in favor of having zoos?**
Zoos may be great entertainment, but their big goal is to educate the public about wildlife and what we can do to protect them. Zoo animals are sort of like ambassadors for their counterparts in the wild. Zoos also contribute to scientific research. "Zoo" is short for zoological park, and zoology is the scientific study of animal biology and behavior. In addition, zoos work really hard to save animals that are threatened in the wild. Zoos can take at-risk animals, breed them in captivity, and then reintroduce them back into the wild.

**What are the arguments for NOT having zoos?**
Zoos have their problems. Not all zoos are created equal. Some are clean and well staffed, others aren't. There are some in the richest cities in the world, and there are some in conflict zones. What this means is that not all zoos have the resources to properly care for the animals they house. And for many critics, no amount of education or research justifies keeping animals captive. That captivity can be REALLY bad for both physical AND psychological health. And while zoos have been really helpful is saving endangered animals, it doesn't work out for certain species. For example, most large carnivores like lions and tigers that are bred in captivity die when released into the wild. It turns out that they haven't developed the natural behaviors they need when they're out on their own and have to fend for themselves.

SOURCES:
Do we need zoos? (The Atlantic)

Why zoos are good (The Guardian)

The case for the end of the modern zoo (New York Magazine)

Zoos and their discontents (New York Times Magazine)

Stress and lack of exercise are killing elephants, zoos warned (The Guardian)

Most Captive-Born Predators Die If Released (National Geographic)

Captive Breeding Success Stories (PBS)

Quantifying the contribution of zoos and aquariums to peer-reviewed scientific research (Facets Journal)

Evaluating the contribution of zoos and aquariums (Conservation Biology)

FOR EDUCATORS

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#zoos #animals #zoology

[francoisrd]

I think large enough enclosures with natural habitat is critical. Think open air sanctuary instead of cage

[itsyao]

My love for animals and the environment was not from going to the zoo. Instead, learning from PBS and amazing well put documentaries. I believe you can learn how to love things from afar and still champion their habitats without visiting them or disrupting their life.

[ericvilas]

The only zoos that are ethical are the ones that take sufficient care of _all_ their animal's needs. That includes the need for space and natural interactions. I think the zoos that manage to satisfy those needs _are_ ethical, and important.

It's important to be nuanced in this and not say "all captivity is bad" or "zoos are always good". Humans learning to love animals and wildlife is a good thing, and captivity is bad insofar as it harms the animals. So ideally, you'd have massive zoos where the animals are genuinely happy and well-kept.

[ssiddarth]

Was actually just thinking about this a few days ago, loved the balance perspective you provided in the video but in my opinion humans shouldn't keep animals in captivity unless it's for the protection of the animals themselves.

[HonestlyAnnaFun]

Thank you for saying not all Zoos are equal. Some are for profit only. Others are for conservation and education. Those other zoos have strict standards of animal care, making sure animals have a healthy life in their Zoo habitats.

[faya]

There are different kind of zoos though, you can go to safari car and enter the zoo without putting them in cages.

[KevinRAAMAAAGE]

You should look up przewalski Horses. Zoos brought them back from extiction. They are the last true wild horses that have never been domesticated. That is pretty important, they're basically ancient horses

[JaggedBird]

As long as they have large enclosures with natural habitat recreations along with good conditions and caring staff, then they're okay. This is much more critical if they are on the endangered species program that helps them repopulate

[WCKD_WZRDNG_WLF]

I don't think that most of us will truly understand what it feels like to be trapped behind metal bars for most of our life and then be released back to this random place called the "Jungle" and then die because our own families don't accept us. Please everyone reading this: whenever possible, choose the zoos you visit wisely. never support animal abuse of any sort because animals have feelings too :3

[Desyx]

I've seen a few zoo's that have a lot of open land for their larger animals. Those ones I like.

[laynewyman]

Its impossible to say "Zoos are bad" and "Zoos are good". It really depends on the institution itself. As long as the animals are well taken care of emotionally and physically then I am okay with that zoo operating. In fact owning a zoo is one of my personal dreams.

[drtao]

as long as the zoos have good resources and conditions, they are ok.

[wealthiness]

It depends on the conditions, of course, when they have wide-open areas it's better, at the Oakland Zoo I saw the chimps fighting & beating up the baby for some weird reason maybe because they were stressed of being in such a small area for that many chimps, everyone gathered & screamed in fear for them...

[Drygyer]

That background music was so good. I started jamming along with the bass and forgot to listen to what miles was saying there for a second.

[wanderingjellyfish]

I think Zoo’s who put the animals first and keep them safe and happy are perfectly fine. There’s still shady zoos but there’s also a lot of good and safe ones. Chester Zoo for example has some amazing giant indoor forests where a lot of the animals there won’t even know they aren’t in the wild and they are safe and a large amount of the profits go to saving the species in the wild. Along with conservation efforts created by the Zoo. Scientists can study them easily and the public can experience and become motivated to help them. Without good Zoos like these I think we’d be in an even more dire situation than we are now with the environment.

[bluewolfgamez]

This is like, exactly what I need for my homework, Its a lot to think about!

[quibily]

I went to a zoo in a small city in China, once, and it was so My small town American zoo that I grew up with was so much better. All the animals had so much space to roam, I barely got to see some them because they were so far away, lol. And then this one in Neijiang, China, the big cats had space to roam the size of a college dormitory! Poor guys...

[non]

Maybe they should have bigger enclosures for the animals with some prey for them so they learn natural instincts and so they aren’t bored and ca; play around

[Imperiused]

Keep up the good work guys. I don't really swing one way or the other with zoos. Although I might put foward an argument that the digital age has made Zoo's educational value redundant. You can now get closer to animals online and watch them in their natural habitat pursuing more natural behaviors. Outside experiences that allow to you feed and touch the animals, Zoos only really offer the experience of being able to see animals "in real life." This definitely matters to some people, but for me the ability to observe these animals in my own home through programs like Deep Look has taken away any desire to spend an entire day at a Zoo looking at bored animals.

[atletix_]

Zoo’s have good sides ofc. When it comes to taking care of injured animals, educating people about wildlife, spreading awarness around endangered animals and increasing numbers of endangered species.

But then it is really important to have enough space for the animals to roam in, many of these animals naturally wanders many miles in a day.

But i still think that we should focus more on protecting the wild habitats the animals orginates from. We should continue to fight against poachers and habitat destruction and let the wild animals do their destiny. The tiger for instance, is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator and keeps the population of other animals low. thereby maintaining the balance between prey and the vegetation upon which they feed. So it is important to think about What happens to other animals when taking species out of their natural habitat.

I also think it is very exciting knowing that it lives different kind of animals in all sort if ecosystems.And it makes me more calm knowing they could roam free and do their thing. But some humans causing negative impact and fuck up the natural process.