Unfortunately, many people still believe that animals are well-kept in zoos. Representatives of endangered species spend their lives in cages without any chance to investigate vast territories and eat natural food. They are likely to live much longer than their wild brothers, not facing problems such as fighting for females or dying of hunger. Still, this longevity is hardly conducive to a happy existence. It is rather imprisonment to sate people’s curiosity and love of exoticism. Captured animals serve as clowns or puppets that have to entertain humans without a spare minute.
Probably, the main fake concerning animals in zoos is the fact that they are generally believed to receive ideal treatment and medical care services. If one visits a zoo, one will easily notice a terrible smell. It speaks about poor cleaning leading to a vast number of diseases. An animal cannot leave its cage and bury its feces. According to the most recent data, “enclosures in UK zoos and safari parks are on average 100 times smaller than the minimum home range for animals in their natural habitats” (Priya, 2018). Therefore, it has to sit beside surrounded by excrements till a zoo worker decides to clean the cage, not having a chance to make movements. Even human prisoners, including serial killers, are never put in such inhuman conditions.
Moreover, not to forget is that most zoo animals possess a much more acuter sense of smell than human beings. It can be severe torture for them to smell other animals’ strong odors day and night, nothing to say about mating calls. A male can simply get uncontrollable because of them and hurt himself. In addition, living in bacterial areas, animals lose their immune and easily fall ill. As zoos are unlikely to be funded by the government, no top-notch medical care services can be expected. It would be easier to sell a dead body to amuse the public in a museum as a part of the stuffed animal collection than buy antibiotics. Especially if an animal is big and needs a huge amount of active agents.
Another issue concerns particular labor that animals have to perform to earn money for their maintenance. In a new report, “an animal welfare group has flagged hundreds of zoos affiliated with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) for mistreating animals, including making big cats perform in gladiator-style shows, elephants play basketball, and diapered chimpanzees ride scooters”(Fobar, 2019). As it is hard to force an animal to play in front of the public, coaches usually resort to corporal punishment. Apparently, nothing can be worse than hitting a living soul to death because of money issues.
To sum it up, zoo animals are highly likely to suffer immensely from bad conditions and constant mistreatment from people. They are born mere clowns to make human children laugh at them when they are alive. They spend years eating rubbish in small cages surrounded by nasty smells and their own excrements. Then they fall ill and die to serve as visual material in museums and autonomy theatres. At the same time, zoo visitors cannot recognize how miserable these animals are with their eyes wide shut. However easy it is for journalists to unveil all the problems concerning zoos, society has no intention to hear the call for justice.
References
Excel High School. (n.d.). Web.
Fobar, R. (2019). Hundreds of zoos and aquariums are accused of mistreating animals. National Geographic. Web.
Priya, S. (2018). Nine reasons not to visit zoos. PETA UK. Web.