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Grey Sligting

Mr. Gradner

Milky Jalapenos

28 October 2019

Are Zoos Good or Bad?

Zoos have slowly become a problem of controversy throughout modern day society.

Many people think that zoos are a bad thing because the animals inside of them are being held in

cages that don’t simulate the animals’ natural environment at all. The opposite side of the

argument is that these animals being encapsulated would go extinct without these zoos, so zoos

can be seen as sanctuaries of education and entertainment or unnecessary prisons. The zoos

argue that they are protecting these animals from predators and extinction, but at the same time,

they can entertain humans. Zoos have existed since 1798, so they have been around for a long

time and this question has just popped up and it is now a big problem. Humans have a big

fascination with animals and that is why zoos exist. If humans didn’t care to see animals, they

would just be in private buildings being protected instead of being shown as human

entertainment. There is also controversy on what kinds of animals should be held in zoos and

which should not and if it's better for some animals more than others.

There are more than just two sides to this argument on whether zoos are a good thing or a

bad thing. Many people think that zoos are practically a jail for animals but others think that zoos

are a good thing and are stopping the extinction of many of these species. A big dispute of zoos

is the season of winter. Winter is a very hard time for zoos, animals have to be stored inside as it

is too cold for them to be out. These animals don't want to be inside for a whole season at a time.
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Knowing that animals are stored inside for a whole season helps the argument of those that think

zoos are harmful. As talked about in The Pros and Cons of Zoos video, “sound and light can be

very detrimental to the animals that are being held in these zoos” (Discovery Channel). Sounds

in the zoos usually range from 62 to 72 decibels but the sound of natural habitats is around 27

decibels. The light levels are also too high for the animals in the zoo, but these light levels need

to be high enough for the people to see the animals in the zoo. Zoos try and create habitats for

these animals but they are rarely created to the same specifications as a normal habitat. The cage

that they are being held in are often either too small, contains too much light or is too loud for

these animals to obtain. It can be very harmful to these animals lives if their habitat is not perfect

in which they would live outside of the zoos. On the opposing side, in the same video, ​The Pros

and Cons of Zoos,​ it talks about how zoos are actively changing the habitat of these zoo cages.

They are fitting them with the animal and what type of habitat it lives in. Every cage will be

different for every single animal so that they can live as if they weren't in a zoo. There are

instances when people will even take pictures of the animals when it looks they are sad and they

want to leave their cages. (see figure 1)

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Fig. 1 “Sad Ape Behind Bars.” ​Pennstate,​ 12 Oct. 2014.

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa14/2014/10/12/do-zoos-drive-animals-insane-2/.

This is an image of an ape that looks like he doesn't want to be behind bars. It looks like he is

reaching out for help or even a little bit of hope. He is holding out his right hand while holding

the bar with his left hand. The picture uses pathos because it is a sad picture. It makes you feel

bad for the ape, and the picture is in black and white which makes it even more sad. This is the

type of picture that the anti-zoo people promote to make everyone feel bad for the animals that

are stuck behind bars.

In general, I think that zoos are a good thing if they are done the right way. Zoos need to

have a good, simulated habitat for the animals inside of it. They need the right specifications for

each animal to live, as if they would in their regular habitat. I think that seeing these animals is a

good entertainment for humans also. Going to the zoo to see cool animals that you have never

seen is a better activity than staying at home and watching television or playing video games. It

is fun for kids to go see special animals that they would never see outside. If there were no zoo,
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nobody would ever see the rare animals that are only found in other countries. But other

countries have different habitats and that is why these animals need those habitats in their zoo

cages. As talked about in my informal article, “zoos are typically just a safe haven”

(Holemburg). I think that zoos are doing a good thing by preserving animals and keeping species

from going extinct and I think that zoos should start to focus more on that aspect. It would be

helpful to change the name of zoo to something about keeping species from going extinct. People

would be more positive about the idea of having zoos if zoos changed thier main purpose to

caring for the animals instead of entertaining humans.

In conclusion, both sides of the argument have very good points. One side thinks that

zoos are a good thing because they are keeping animals from going extinct and they are a safe

haven and the other side thinks that zoos are a bad thing and that they are a jail for animals. They

think that the animals are suffering in their cages behind bars. Zoos should put more emphasis on

the preservation of animal species but while they are doing that, they should also make it a zoo

for our own human entertainment. But zoos should make these cages to simulate the

environment and habitat of what these animals would be living in if they were not in a zoo. Zoos

can be a bad thing but if you change the bad things, they can be an entirely beneficial thing.
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Works Cited

Above The Noise. ​“Are Zoos Good or Bad for Animals?” ​YouTube. 24 Sep 2019. 5:33.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DlBJlahU1g

Discovery Channel. “​The Pros and Cons of Zoos​” YouTube. Seeker. July 2015. 5:03.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHBuAOp5upU

Holemburg, Marta. “Are Zoos Ethical?” ​New York Times. ​Scholastic. Nov 21, 2017. Web. Oct 7,

2019

Peart, Karen. “What a Zoo! (Or Whatever…)”​Sociology. ​Scholastic. Apr 16, 2017. Web. Oct 13,

2019

“Sad Ape Behind Bars.” ​Pennstate​, 12 Oct. 2014.

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa14/2014/10/12/do-zoos-drive-animals-insane-2/.