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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 4 page paper argues that zoos have no real reason to exist. Videotapes and TV programs of the animals in their natural habitat would allow interested persons could see the animals if they wanted to study them for educational purposes.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KV32_HVpczoos.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
to exist. Discussion The sources for this paper all come from the Opposing Viewpoints series; these books select the most controversial issues of the day and print articles favoring or
opposing the issue. A sort of "straw man" ballot shows most authors are against zoos. In a selection of nine stories, six oppose zoos, two favor them, and one article
is an off-topic rant about personal property. By an informal count, thats 6 to 2 (or 3 to 1) against zoos. Thats a very high percentage, and seems to indicate
that the public is no longer in love with the idea of keeping animals captive for educational value. If zoos are closed, of course, then thousands of employees and millions
of even billions of dollars invested in the zoos physical plants will be lost. Cities that depend on zoo visitors for revenue will lose major funding and will no doubt
fight against such measures. (San Diego comes to mind; three of its major tourist attractions are biological preserves: the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Seaworld.)
Still, if animals are suffering, there seems to be little reason for keeping zoos open. And it seems that in many zoos, animals lives are miserable. Studies have shown that
animals in zoos "can suffer physically, mentally and emotionally. For this reason, captive environments must be complex enough to compensate for the lack of natural freedom and choice, and they
must facilitate expression of natural movement and behavior patterns" (Laidlaw). This is referred to as "enrichment" and its practiced at reputable zoos everywhere. But despite this, and despite good intentions,
most zoo animals in North America still lead "miserable lives in undersized, impoverished enclosures, both old and new, that fail to meet their biological and behavioral needs" (Laidlaw). In Canada,
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