Zoos are nothing more than a collection of interesting animals that belong in the wild and are stuck in an inadequate habitat for the rest of their lives. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to interfere with these exotic animals and their lives and keep them locked up in captivity. The catches and mock habitats they are stored in cannot meet the needs of these massive animals. Most of these animals are kept in conditions that their species wasn't even made for. Polar bears, for example, are made to be arctic creatures. Not being kept out in the heat at the San Diego Zoo. Keeping them locked up means they are bored, cramped, lonely, deprived of all control over their lives, and rips them from their natural home and behaviors. These certain behaviors showing abnormal traits and self-destructive behavior is known as "zoochosis." Zoos, in the United States, claim to provide an educational experience, research abilities, and conservation for endangered animals. However, if you watch zoo visitors, they spend only mere minutes at each exhibit. They don't read the information provided about each animal, they are strictly there to take pictures and gawk! People should stop kidding themselves about the tremendous educational value of showing an animal behind a glass wall.
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It has been proven that almost no research is being done by zoos. The only research they truly care about is the research done by their marketing team to find new ways to bring in money. This money then doesn't go towards the animals, it goes towards the visitors and making their zoos more appealing. They create fancy entrances, update bathrooms, new restaurants, or new kid friendly attractions. Anything to bring in the money.
Finally, almost all of the animals found in zoos are not even endangered. Yes, one type of elephant may be endangered, but the elephant they keep and claim to be endangered isn't. Many zoos have been caught in lies when it comes to the information they give to the visitors. The fact of the matter is this, zoos keep animals in habitats that are way below standards for these poor animals and honestly don't care about the well-being of these animals.
One thing most people complain about zoos is how sometimes most of the exhibits are empty. After some scientist did some research on this phenomenon occurring in zoos all over the country they found out some pretty horrific things. The reason these exhibits are empty is because, either the animal died and they haven't bought or captured another animal to fill it's cage yet, or the animal is being held in a tiny cage behind the door. Why do zoos do this? If the exhibit isn't a certain temperature or must be cleaned this is how the animals are stored. A tiny cage where most animals can't do anything except sit in a tiny, squished position.
After reading about such awful conditions I decided to do some research myself. Not only do these animals die half the age they would be expected to live in the wild, but most these animals are supposed to live in large packs surrounded by their families. In zoos, families are ripped apart and shipped off to separate zoo around the world to be used for breeding and filling in spots at zoos for an animal that just died. The video below was created by PETA to summarize the reality of captivity and what it really looks like for these animals.
A zoo is no place for an exotic animal; the living conditions and well being for each animal is at rock bottom. There are no "ifs" or "buts" about it. Zoos are bad, period. Next time you go to the zoo, really look at the conditions for these animals and think is this really what you want to teach our future generations? You want them to think this is something that is OK and normal?
