People hold different opinions when it comes to the topic of the opening of zoos for the public. As, on the one hand, there is the belief that zoos should be shut down as it is cruelty towards the animals to captivate them, while a contrary view holds that zoos are helpful in the preservation of unique animals, and
the ones at the risk of extinction. I feel both ought to have merits and demerits of their own.
Many people, myself included, claim that it is highly unfair and inhuman behaviour to keep the animals in the zoo and
, these should be closed. Most of the public zoos,
, captivate the
animals to showcase them to the visitors, as these could be rarely found in their natural
.
, in zoos, most of these are kept in cramped and restricted areas, which are much smaller than their natural
, and
artificial environment constrains an animals’ natural behaviour.
, some of these animals are habitual of living in groups in the wild and cannot adapt to the solitary life in the zoo. The chimpanzees, gorillas, and others of
family,
, are known to live in large groups in the wild,
, when forced to stay in zoos in isolation, these animals suffer from severe mental torture. What is worse is that many times, these animals suffer at the hands of the zoo-keepers, staff, and the visitors, as, when the wild animals are held behind the bars, people often underestimate them and fail to learn to respect them. In
regard, a number of people feel that it is brutality towards the animals to keep them away from their natural
, just for the fun and entertainment of human beings.
Despite
, others feel that zoos provide a safe and protected environment for the endangered
. As there are thousands of wild
that are on the verge of extinction, so these zoos can help in preserving
by offering professionally run breeding programs.
, one
program is running successfully in China for the breeding of Pandas, and professionally trained staff and nurses are appointed to take care of these Pandas. In these Panda zoos, there have restricted visiting hours for the visitors, and they are instructed beforehand to follow a proper code of conduct inside the zoo, so
way, people learn to respect animals.
, a number of zoos are known to provide rehabilitation programs for the animals going back to their
, preparing them to face and handle the obstacles they are going to face in the wild. So the above points, to some extent, justify the running of zoos for
protection.
In conclusion,
, like other living
have all the rights to live a free life in their natural environment, which is taken away from them in the zoos. While some people believe, zoos can help in their preservation and protection; I believe only the endangered
should be kept in breeding centres and no other
animals should be captivated in zoos just for human entertainment.