Should Zoos Exist?

Imagine you are a proud lion, with golden fur and a luxurious mane. Imagine what it would be like to spend the rest of your life, in a small cage, just for the entertainment of humans. It’s sad, isn’t it? Zoos are made for the general human population be able to see the wild animals that they’ve heard of, but is it right to keep them in cages like that? It isn’t right. As I said earlier, keeping wild animals in cages is wrong. By doing so, we have taken away their freedom, and we’ve put them into a small space, which is much smaller in comparison to its own natural habitat. We are taking them away from their homes. We are also ripping these animals away from their families. How would you feel if you were having dinner with your parents, when suddenly, you are taken away from them and put into a small cage? Another reason is that animals kept in captivity lose their natural instincts/aren’t able to follow their natural instincts. It can affect them greatly in a psychological way; some might even become psychotic and maybe attack humans, which would give the public a bad image of animals. Also, zoos “claim” to be saving endangered species by keeping them “safe” in zoos, but that’s not true. Of course, the animals are safer in captivity than in the wild without poachers.

 But, if more and more endangered species are put into zoos, there would be less in the wild. Inbreeding can happen, causing the endangered species to become infertile, or suffer from inbreeding depression (they are not as physically fit as their parents). They are no longer genetically diverse, so that if the animals were ever released back into the wild, they wouldn’t be able to breed; it upsets the natural balance of nature, and pushes the species even closer to extinction. In conclusion, those are the reasons why I think animals should not be kept in zoos. They are better off in sanctuaries, where they still maintain their freedom and get to be released back into the wild, or in national parks.