Should we have Zoos? – Amelia Cudzikova, Heathside school

However in recent years, many have raised questions if we should have zoos with Ethicality called into question. Although we cannot generalise all zoos as some do not keep animals in the most perfect condition and all zoos have room for improvement. But we shouldn’t say all zoos are bad as unfortunately in the world there are those who do not act ethically or morally and we should push for improvement rather than closure. 

One of the main arguments in favour of removing zoos is that it’s ethically wrong to keep animals in enclosures out of their natural habitat where they cannot flourish as they would in the wild. That animals are stressed as they are in an unfamiliar environment and often become depressed which is harmful to the animal. A main example is Sea Life which is well known for the mistreatment of its fish in 2016 there were 965 deaths in Scarborough Sea life centre, which was a third of their whole population. This caused many people to question if zoos and aquariums are really ‘Protecting’ the animals or using them for their own profit-driven greed. 

Another point brought up is the case of Surplus animals, which are animals killed or transferred elsewhere (most likely sold) when there is a large amount in the zoo which cannot be housed. This is mainly due to baby animals bringing more visitors so zoos try and make sure there is an influx of babies to attract visitors. This leads to overpopulation and not enough space to house them which in turn causes some animals to be killed. A notable case was in 2010 at Copenhagen Zoo where Marius the Giraffe was killed and dissected in front of a crowd and later the body parts were seen to be fed to the lions. The reasons vary from the gene pool being too common to him being a surplus animal. But the public outcry called into question the ethicality of zoos.

Now onto why we should keep zoos as you heard one argument, you must move to the other…

The reason why zoos should remain open is due to their protection of endangered species by setting up breeding programmes to repopulate the species and prevent it from extinction. The unfortunate case for many endangered species is habitat loss and illegal poaching which prevent species from thriving. Zoos provide a safe environment to protect them from those dangers. In 1972 the last wild Arabian Oryx was shot dead, this caused zoos worldwide to work together and try and bring back the Arabian Oryx through breeding programmes which led to their numbers increasing and in 2011 them being removed from the endangered species list. There are no over 1,000 Arabian oryxes in the wild and thousands more in care with efforts still progressing to increase their numbers. This could not have been done without the help of zoos and their facilities as then another would have been added to the extinction list.   

Zoos also help teach people about animals and evoke an appreciation for species and bring animals and people closer together. As well the requirements for zookeepers are quite strict with applicants requiring a diploma in zoology or animal management. With it also being a competitive field one must have good experience which shows professionalism in maintaining and caring for the animals and their wellbeing. The Animal Welfare Act as well ensures that animal safety and well-being are prioritised and well looked after to stop abuse from occurring or maltreatment. 

Overall, Zoos have many positives and negatives providing a safety net for the most vulnerable animals and assisting in efforts to protect animals from endangerment. Although, many disagree and call into question zoos’ priorities for animal well-being and unfortunately some zoos do not and focus on profit rather than their own well-being. But both sides argue that they are saving the animals and it’s unlikely that all zoos would be removed so for now we can ensure that animals are treated in a proper condition and are not subjected to any abuse or distress.