How Does Animal Captivity Cause Neurotic Behavior

Animal captivity causes neurotic behaviors in animals. These captive animals develop zoochosis; a form of mental breakdown, which causes them to hurt themselves. “Animals may have a mental breakdown and develop “zoochosis” - a form of psychosis that can cause them to sway or pace continually, chew on their own limbs until they bleed, or pull out their own fur or feathers” (Holmberg). Animals show neurotic behavior because of how they are treated. Workers and trainers don't satisfy animals needs and wants. Their anger builds up causing them to turn to biting and chewing. Animals are lonely and depressed, the only way they let go of their anger is by hurting themselves. Animals in the wild have more freedom. They aren’t lonely and depressed,

For example, animals held captive in zoos aren’t treated with care, trainers and workers hurt animals without even realizing it. “Birds’ wings may be clipped so that they cannot fly, aquatic animals often go without adequate water, and many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are kept alone or, at most, in pairs” (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons). This clearly shows that animal captivity isn’t safe for animals. Zoos don't accommodate animals, they physically hurt them. Zoos are meant to be a home for animals, but it isn’t. A home is a positive environment, but animals don’t live a happy life at zoos, instead they experience a lot of pain because of how they are treated. Animals in the wild have enough resources and can find food and water that satisfy them, but trainers don't satisfy animals. They provide them with meager amounts of food and water. In addition, in the wild, animals stay in large herds and do everything together, but in zoos animals are kept alone feeling lonely and depressed. Trainers don't entertain animals, instead they trap them in small cages and don’t treat them properly. This proves that animals shouldn’t be held in captivity because they are treated poorly. Animals held captive aren’t given a comfortable home, for example, zoos aren’t a comfortable home for animals because they experience a lot of pain due to how trainers treat them. “The Times did a

Animals show psychological distress due to their horrible living conditions. “These frustrated animals spend much of their time pacing, walking in tight circles, swaying or rolling their heads, and showing other signs of psychological distress. In some bear enclosures, path worn by the bears’ constant pacing could be seen; in others, there were actual paw impressions in the soil where bear had repeatedly stepped in the exact same spot. This behavior is symptomatic of not just boredom but also profound despondency” (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons). Animals in zoos spend their day in the same enclosure everyday for as long as they live. They are kept in small spaces alone with nothing to do. They can’t interact with other animals and can’t run around like they can in the wild. Animals are limited to what they can do because of the living conditions they are in. In the wild they have plenty of room to run, entertain themselves, and interact with other animals, but in zoos they are stuck in one cage with very little room to even walk. The animals continue to walk in circles leaving visible paw marks on the dirt. This clearly shows animals don’t have enough space to move around, causing them to show signs of psychological distress. They are filled with boredom and are hopeless. The horrible living conditions of captive animals proves that animals shouldn’t be kept in captivity. Zoos try to replicate