For hundreds of years, people have come to see and experience animals of all different kinds at zoos. It seems like a wonderful place to learn and absorb the biodiversity of the wild animals set before you, but when you take a closer look at what they actually are, they are not what they are all cracked up to be. Let's see how this caged environment affects an animal's physical and emotional mentality.
There are multiple negative effects on animals in captivity. According to Di Lamont, a member with a degree in Animal Behavior and Welfare, they have been observed to pace irregularly in their cages, over groom/ self-mutilate themselves, or even chew on the bars of their cages. Take for example Tania, a female elephant whose tribe left her and immediately after that was sold to many different places across the country whom none took good care of her. Finally finding a space in the Romanian zoo, she is forced into a tiny space deprived of association with other elephants. According to National Geographic, wild animals like elephants live longer when they are happy in the wild. They can live up to 36 years in the wild and only about 17 behind bars.
…show more content…
However, some zoos help fight wildlife extinction and contribute money towards that cause or even try to improve their welfare. But endangered species will only be saved by helping to preserve their habitats and not donating to zoos. There is a reason wild animals are called wild. The word defined means untamed or native. When put in a zoo, animals are offensively tamed and taken away from their native country. There are over 6,000 species in zoos that fit that definition. Simply put, they do not provide what the animals