Are zoos curing extinction, or the economy?

Zoos have been around for as long as we can remember- the first ever zoo being opened in Paris in 1793, and it may have been the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon- the gasps of excitement when you saw your favourite animal or the fascination when you saw one eat hungrily from your hand still ingrained into your memory. But as you paused to admire these exquisite creatures did you ever stop and think what a life in captivity, confined to a cage, is really like?

And more importantly, who is it benefitting? 

The world as we know it is a cruel, unjust place not only for humans, but for animals as well. In 1999, Colchester zoo rescued three elephants from a circus, to provide them with a better life, to free them from the cruelty and abuse they had suffered for many years. Animal research was a primary reason for holding innocent animals in captivity and this research increases human knowledge of animal biology, as well as animal-based behaviour, interactions, nutrition and reproduction. Research can be used to learn more about health problems that affect not only animals, but humans too! Zoos also contain a plethora of educational benefits for children. By disconnecting from their devices and leaving their animated world, children can understand the importance of taking care of the environment as it has significant impact on animals- as many of them are losing their homes due to habitat destruction and pollution! Young people can also witness the best way to care for animals due to watching trained professionals. Some zoos, like Colchester zoo, allow young children to hold snakes and insects, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of how to properly look after a fragile animal as well as allowing them to fully immerse themselves in animals` lives. Zoos also spark curiosity and the frequent asking of questions enhances language and brain development and increases children`s vocabulary. Animal welfare is extremely important and another reason why zoos confine animals and breed them is to ensure the critically endangered do not become extinct, or fall at victim to poachers, trophy hunters, habitat destruction, pollution or other animals, allowing them to live a longer life.

But what about the animals who are not critically endangered?

Animals who would thrive in the wild, ones who aren’t at risk of being poached, or will never be a victim of the interchangeable climate, what about them?

To be trapped in an unnatural world and cut off from the real one by steel bars and glass windows, denied every inch of privacy as curious onlookers gawp at you excited to get even the tiniest look, sounds frightening. Colchester Zoo attracts over 500,000 visitors each year, could you imagine 500,000 faces staring straight into your home, straight at you?

A life in captivity restricts all animals’ rights- they are supposed to be roaming free, living in a place with no restraints or confinements, no limited space or food. But instead they are trapped in a place where every single decision- what to eat, when to sleep- is being made for them. Some zoos offer poor, cramped living conditions which can cause an animal to feel trapped in an unnatural manner. This can have disastrous effects on animals, and in extreme cases can cause them to develop abnormal behaviour as a response to the distress they are suffering. The lack of basic human rights- space, privacy- which we take for granted is so viciously taken away from innocent animals as they are powerless to prevent becoming an attraction.

Animals were not created to perform tricks like they`re an act in a circus, but in some countries they endure the long hours of harsh training for public entertainment. What is this teaching young, impressionable children? That it is acceptable to interfere with animals?

Take them away from their parents?

Force them to live a life of misery and confinement?

All for entertainment.

As well this, many zoos and safari parks in Asia purposely drop terrified cows, donkeys and pigs into the enclosures of starved lions and tigers, for public enjoyment. Some animals in Asia are treated so poorly, with little space and irregular feeds, that they resort to self-harm as a way to deal with the confinement, boredom and neglect.

Animals are being disregarded, deprived, overlooked and treated in a way that is nothing short of barbaric, but why?

The economy.

Profit maximisation is a process businesses undergo to ensure the best output is achieved. By taking animals, endangered or not, from their natural habitat they increase the amount of animals at their zoo, attracting customers and boosting the economy. Similarly, when asked why non-endangered animals are taken into zoos, a Colchester Zoo employee stated “we have non-endangered animals in zoos to attract visitors, which in turn allows us to funnel the funds which are generated into conservation projects to support and protect important organisms that are endangered”.

By taking animals that would be perfectly safe in the outside world and forcing them to live a life behind bars just to try and prolong the inevitable, is preposterous. Because zoos will not cure extinction. A large reason why animals are going extinct is due to habitat destruction and if the aim of zoos is to release the animals once the numbers are stable, where would they go?