Current subscribers: You will continue to receive e-mail unless you explicitly opt out by clicking, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. However, critics say this doesn't justify their existence. Animals used in circuses may travel thousands of miles a year during extreme weather conditions. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Zookeepers sometimes give the animals antidepressants, tranquilisers, or antipsychotic drugs to try to conceal their distress. ", PETA's Bekhechi adds, the aim of breeding programmes is just "to produce baby animals to attract visitors.". Due to the low density of the population of some animals in their natural ecosystems they struggle to find partners. The only thing to be learned at these sad facilities is how animals who want to be free act when they are confined. Smaller zoos dont always have the money to hire well-trained zoological staff or expand their breeding programs and facilities to maintain the ethos of conservation. But babies grow up quickly, and older, unwanted animals may be warehoused like inventory or quietly shipped out. Because The Rose-Tinted Menagerie (whose full text is available online at http://www.iridescent-publishing.com/rtm_home.htm) has not been updated since its publication, discussions of the law may now be inaccurate, but circuses, zoos, and commercial dolphin and whale shows continue to thrive, and the principle remains the same. Up until this time, people paid no attention to science or animal conservation. Exposing the practices of these businesses also involves dealing with where the animals come from; thus, a chapter on the trade in endangered species exposes loopholes in international law, and other chapters give the lie to the idea that seeing animals performing in a circus or captive in a zoo has educational benefits. In one British zoo, the carcasses of slaughtered animals, including baboons and endangered deer, were left to rot beside bins. Costa Rica, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, India, and Austria ban or restrict wild animal performances nationwide. The polar bears in Winnipeg have disco poo. In fact, many zoos are, Putting aside these opposing views, it does remain a sad reality that the. Even if there is some form of regulation in place, most countries abilitiy to control zoos for animal welfare is very limited, meaning that zoos can basically treat animals however they want. At the end of the day, zoos are businesses geared towards entertainment, not educational establishments. You may know all about what happens to water aboveground, but what do you know about groundwater? Experts indicate that petting zoos are hotbeds of serious pathogens, and they have been linked to outbreaks of diseases such as E coli, with the elderly and young children particularly at risk - which hardly amounts to "family-friendly" entertainment. Before anyone starts sprinkling the stuff on their cornflakes, this isn't the hottest new beauty trend nor is it a natural phenomenon: Assiniboine Park Zoo's keepers use coloured glitter in the bears' feed to identify their droppings. In a zoo in Alabama , a red panda was made to do the same in an attempt to attract visitors. All rights reserved, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The ethical dilemma around keeping wild animals in captivity is significant. So by that we can safely assume that someone has decided . Don't zoos help to preserve endangered species? | PETA (Hint: Its Not Bread), The Keystone Pipeline: Myths and Facts of a Climate Disaster, 6 Solutions to Deforestation and What You Can Do. Zoos do more than just provide a place for animals to reside. to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. Reasons Why Zoos Should Be Banned - Internet Public Library "Zoos are prisons for animals, camouflaging their cruelty with conservation claims," Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at PETA, explains. The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) operates an accreditation system for sanctuaries, rescue centres and rehabilitation centres. Animals used in traveling zoos are subjected to the stresses of transport, strange and frightening environments, irregular feeding and watering, mishandling, and extensive public contact. In April, ethical tour operator Responsible Travel after consultation with wildlife charity Born Free Foundation axed trips that include zoo visits. 3. While zoos spend millions on keeping animals confined, natural habitats are destroyed and animals are killed, as theres insufficient funding for their protection. Zoos do more than just provide a place for animals to reside. In the United States, no government agency monitors animal training sessions. That's not a record that justifies tens of millions of wild animals kept in zoos. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees animal displays, but with just over 100 officers responsible for inspecting more than 8,600 licensees, its impossible for the USDA to monitor all exhibitors adequately. Tigers, elephants, chimpanzees and many other species have never been successfully released into the wild by UK zoos. Learn about global activism that have changed the ways we interact with our precious planet for the better. The modern circus traces its history to the Roman Circus Maximus, an elongated U-shaped arena constructed in a long narrow valley between two of Romes seven hills. Many of them are reported every week in the media, however, the large majority are kept secret and those responsible are never held accountable or punished. Who knows how humanity will look back and judge our present animal zoos in 100 years. Therefore, zoos should be banned because they are very cruel to animals. And while theres a commonly held misconception that zoos reintroduce endangered animals into their native habitats, in reality, most zoos have no involvement of any kind with any reintroduction programmes.
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