Eric Epstein

6/26/15

Halter

Zoo Coup

    Ever since the concept of zoos was introduced, it was rather controversial. Tigers, lions, bears, and other wild beasts were impounded in preposterously small cages. Immediately, people debated whether it was charitable to keep beasts of the wild in small encasements. However, the very first zoos were much different than today’s habitats for domestic creatures. In this day and age, zoos benefit both the people, and the animals.

Much of today’s urban population knows little about wild animals, except for maybe their names and what sounds they make. This is a huge problem because animals are slipping away from our everyday lives, and with the exception of our pets, we have very little animal contact. According to animal rights activist Doris Lin, “By bringing people and animals together, zoos educate the public and foster an appreciation of the animals. This exposure and education motivates people to protect the animals.” Another impactful problem is that many people, especially children, only have “virtual” experiences with animals. Most children get what they know about animals from movies and TV shows. Quite often, these portrayals of these animals are not quite accurate, and leave something to be desired. Again, Mrs. Lin makes a very good point: “Seeing an animal in person is a much more personal and more memorable experience than seeing that animal in a nature documentary.” The only way that our generation will feel any sort of connection to the fauna of our earth are by preserving zoos.

Zoos are also an ideal place to domesticate creatures. Modern zoos have to adhere to tremendously rigid regulations laid down by the Animal Welfare Act. These guidelines aim to make living in zoos the most pleasant it possibly could be for animals. However, many narrow-minded anti-captivists have intransigent opinions that all zoos are animal penitentiaries. But in reality, zoos have cutting-edge animal research to enable them to provide the most luxurious habitats they possibly can. In the Op-Ed “A Change of Heart About Animals”, the author Jeremy Rifkin cites a study at Purdue University about the social life of pigs. Rifkin writes, “[Pigs] are easily depressed if they isolated or denied playtime with each other. The lack of mental and physical stimuli can lead to deterioration of health” (Rifkin 1). Zoos have taken this study to heart, and new regulations were passed preventing isolated habitats. But zoos did not simply expand their habitats to accommodate multiple inhabitants. They have started to include enrichment activities, “animal playgrounds”, and a lot of other entertaining activities that animals might find in similar habitats out in the wild. Although there are no official regulations for enrichment in animal habitats, many zoos include them. Regulations could also easily be passed, and many predict some regulations will soon go into effect.

There is also a countless number of species saved from extinction because of zoos. Zoos give struggling species a chance to survive and repopulate. For many species are living on the brink, the best immediate solution is to preserve the animals in captivity. “[Zoos] aren't just places to see wild animals in cages anymore. Zoos are working harder than ever to save endangered animals around the world,” says zoologist Amy Miller. Miller’s sentiment parallels the movement around the globe of revamping zoos in to “animal sanctuaries”. Although many will say that the early zoo was inhumane and ruthless when it came to animal treatment and rights, nobody in their rational mind can say that today’s zoos are unethical.  

Besides being a huge moneymaker, zoos educate the public about wild animals, provide a safe haven for endangered animals, and are completely ethical. For all of these reasons, zoos are an imperative asset for every city. Those who say that zoos are unethical and frivolous are clearly uninformed. Zoos have been around for a long time, and although they have had a marred reputation, today’s modern zoos are utopian animal sanctuaries.