Zoos...a form of animal abuse?

MotherWolff

MotherWolff

Banned
I absolutely love animals. As a little girl, I can remember having very fond memories of going to the zoo with my family.

But as I grew older, I became more thoughtful of how the animals must feel on the other side of the cage than how I feel and how all the other people who visit the zoo feel.

I think the animals feel terribly miserable.

I wish the animals could be happy like the lion off of that Madagascar movie.

It sure as hell ain't like that.

Plus its very dangerous. There have been stories of animals attacking people. I heard a story about a panda, a panda of all things, biting someones fingers off!

I believe these animals flip out from being in prison-like settings when they should be in the wild.

Captivity is only good if the animal's health is restored and it is then released back into the wild.

One time my mom said she went to the zoo once and watched an elephant bash its head against the wall of its caged area.

That is god awful and this whole zoo stuff has to stop.

I don't even want to go to Sea World after watching that Black Fish documentary.

So what do you guys think?

Do you guys think that Zoos are a type of animal abuse/torture?

I mean, sure, seeing the animals is nice and all.

But for once, I don't want to be selfish by my entertainment depending on their(the animals) suffering.
 
BlackPuma

BlackPuma

1
It depends on which zoo and how each species is accommodated.

Animals have needs beyond food and procreation and as long as those are met it's pretty much fine. But this does require the knowledge, resources and will to do so, and that's definitely not the case for every zoo. Especially space and need to roam isn't met too well in zoos.

But I don't think it's quite as black or white as being an inherently good or bad thing.
 
MollyBeGood

MollyBeGood

Well-known member
A lot of times zoos take in animals that are from abusive situations, or that the owner can no longer care for, so they are like an animal sanctuary in that respect.

Now it is not always the case, but I like to think of them as being saved from certain death and from those situations of neglect etc... then it doesn't seem so bad.

there's a great quote form some movie/book-
"All the world dearly loves a cage"
...pretty much sums it up for me.
 
MotherWolff

MotherWolff

Banned
I think natural reserves are ok.

I mean, those are wide spread.

The problem with zoos is that the habitats in some of them, where the animals stay are very small.

Its like they're in jail.

Maybe its changed over time cause I haven't been there in years.

I just like the thought of wild animals being in the wild, where they belong.

I don't(well, I hope not) think the animals get beat or anything like that.

Just the limited amount of space they are in.
 
Just-lost

Just-lost

Member
zoos are terrible i actually campaign against them..... london zoo in the past has been caught breeding animals to be sent to laboratories.... another zoo in the uk was found selling baby albino lions to an animal circus..... the list goes on..... i run an animal sanctuary from my house and i get sent undercover things quite a lot and its all equally as bad.. hence im vegan ;)
 
MotherWolff

MotherWolff

Banned
Just-lost said:
zoos are terrible i actually campaign against them..... london zoo in the past has been caught breeding animals to be sent to laboratories.... another zoo in the uk was found selling baby albino lions to an animal circus..... the list goes on..... i run an animal sanctuary from my house and i get sent undercover things quite a lot and its all equally as bad.. hence im vegan ;)
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Oh my god! I can't believe people would have the audacity to do such things. I knew there was always something wrong with zoos since I was a teenager.

Awesome job on being vegan, by the way!:thumbup:
 
MikeyC

MikeyC

Well-known member
While I don't like zoos and make that known, I have gone to them with people in the past and all the animals appear to be taken in good care. I just don't like the enclosures. Pet shops are even worse.

I do eat meat, and lots of it, so I may be hypocritical. :giggle:
 
Just-lost

Just-lost

Member
MikeyC said:
While I don't like zoos and make that known, I have gone to them with people in the past and all the animals appear to be taken in good care. I just don't like the enclosures. Pet shops are even worse.

I do eat meat, and lots of it, so I may be hypocritical. :giggle:
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its not down to how they are kept they could well seem happy but when you think of how far an elephant travels in one day (miles and miles) im pretty sure if they could talk they would tell you how awful it is there for them.... its effectively like prison....24 hours in a cell kills me so imagine your whole life there? just to have snotty nosed little kids bang on the cages to try and get your attention? zoos friggin suck....
lol you arent a hypocrite well kinda :p
 
MikeyC

MikeyC

Well-known member
Just-lost said:
its not down to how they are kept they could well seem happy but when you think of how far an elephant travels in one day (miles and miles) im pretty sure if they could talk they would tell you how awful it is there for them.... its effectively like prison....24 hours in a cell kills me so imagine your whole life there? just to have snotty nosed little kids bang on the cages to try and get your attention? zoos friggin suck....
lol you arent a hypocrite well kinda :p
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Yeah, I don't like that they're kept in cages for amusement. Some zoos do the right thing by the animals but not always.

Pet shops and circuses are even worse, for mine. I hate seeing a small cage stuffed with ten puppies. I guess that's their way of trying to sell animals.
 
Kiwong

Kiwong

Well-known member
Zoos play a role in captive breeding programs for some endangered animals. Of course some Zoos are cruel to animals, but many of the best designed zoos aren't. Take for example the Dubbo plains zoo with its open enclosures and habitats. Even Taronga Zoo in Sydney has greatly improved its exhibits over the years.
 
Just-lost

Just-lost

Member
MikeyC said:
Yeah, I don't like that they're kept in cages for amusement. Some zoos do the right thing by the animals but not always.

Pet shops and circuses are even worse, for mine. I hate seeing a small cage stuffed with ten puppies. I guess that's their way of trying to sell animals.
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i agree ugh i cant stand pet shops :( nothing can make my heart feel broken like a bird in a cage its so wrong :(
 
Just-lost

Just-lost

Member
Kiwong said:
Zoos play a role in captive breeding programs for some endangered animals. Of course some Zoos are cruel to animals, but many of the best designed zoos aren't. Take for example the Dubbo plains zoo with its open enclosures and habitats. Even Taronga Zoo in Sydney has greatly improved its exhibits over the years.
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there are more up to date methods for breeding it dosent need to be done in the way they do it agreed they like to give the impression they try but think about it they want customers they want money thats what its about for many....im yet to see one succesful thing come from a zoo.... many have dodgy things going on behind closed doors
 
Kiwong

Kiwong

Well-known member
Just-lost said:
there are more up to date methods for breeding it dosent need to be done in the way they do it agreed they like to give the impression they try but think about it they want customers they want money thats what its about for many....im yet to see one succesful thing come from a zoo.... many have dodgy things going on behind closed doors
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Zoos have an important role to play in the conservation of many endangered animals. The people who work in this area are committed conservationists with a real concern for animal welfare. I should know I have worked with some of these people, and your impression of them couldn't be further from the truth.

Examples of a successful captive breeding program include the rescue of the Lord Howe Island Woodhen which was almost extinct in the 1980s, but now flourishes on the island.

Malleefowl Breeding Program | Taronga

Another example is the captive breeding program for the Mallee Fowl at Dubbo Plains. I worked as a volunteer searching for Mallee Fowls.

Other important programs include a program to save the Tasmanian Devil, Little Penguins and Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy do a great job releasing animals in fenced areas where predators are removed.
 
Metal_isthe_Answer

Metal_isthe_Answer

Well-known member
MotherWolff said:
I absolutely love animals. As a little girl, I can remember having very fond memories of going to the zoo with my family.

But as I grew older, I became more thoughtful of how the animals must feel on the other side of the cage than how I feel and how all the other people who visit the zoo feel.

I think the animals feel terribly miserable.

I wish the animals could be happy like the lion off of that Madagascar movie.

It sure as hell ain't like that.

Plus its very dangerous. There have been stories of animals attacking people. I heard a story about a panda, a panda of all things, biting someones fingers off!

I believe these animals flip out from being in prison-like settings when they should be in the wild.

Captivity is only good if the animal's health is restored and it is then released back into the wild.

One time my mom said she went to the zoo once and watched an elephant bash its head against the wall of its caged area.

That is god awful and this whole zoo stuff has to stop.

I don't even want to go to Sea World after watching that Black Fish documentary.

So what do you guys think?

Do you guys think that Zoos are a type of animal abuse/torture?

I mean, sure, seeing the animals is nice and all.

But for once, I don't want to be selfish by my entertainment depending on their(the animals) suffering.
Click to expand...

Consider this, nearly 100,000 elephants hunted for ivory in a span of 3 years (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140818-elephants-africa-poaching-cites-census/), tigers are endangered and almost extinct, what's better, a "prison" or the wildlife where these animals are endangered?
 
MikeyC

MikeyC

Well-known member
Kiwong said:
Zoos play a role in captive breeding programs for some endangered animals. Of course some Zoos are cruel to animals, but many of the best designed zoos aren't. Take for example the Dubbo plains zoo with its open enclosures and habitats. Even Taronga Zoo in Sydney has greatly improved its exhibits over the years.
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Yeah, I was in Mogo Zoo recently and they're trying to save an endangered tiger. Dubbo Zoo is one I would like to visit one day, and even my mum who likes to go nowhere expressed interest. :)

Just-lost said:
i agree ugh i cant stand pet shops :( nothing can make my heart feel broken like a bird in a cage its so wrong :(
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I hear you there.
 
Just-lost

Just-lost

Member
Well, Conservation is a term widely used by Zoos, makes a fantastic sales pitch!
Unfortunately, Rather than an actual conservation plan, Zoos tend to breed only the 'pretty' animals which people want to see and gorp at. While they may well breed endangered species, very very few zoos actually release any animals back into the wild, let alone even giving a second thought to habitat conservation - the true route of conservation. No, the animals bred in captivity stay in captivity permanently most of the time, staying in the captivity circle and distributed among other zoos, circuses, laboratories and in plenty of cases the black market or merely discarded into the trash after being killed. It is usually too far an inconvenience to send them all the way to their natural habitat for which they crave.
 
S

SCP-087-1

Well-known member
I dont know what crazy zoos you have in your countries but where I live the zoos invest a lot of money in animal enrichment. They have decent sized enclosures that replicate the animals habitats, interesting ways for feeding the animals, lots of toys for the animals and they take some of the animals for walks around the zoo. The elephant will calmly follow the zoo keeper and they walk right around the zoo. Zoos are fine as long as they actually care. And if it's also way easier to campaign to force a zoo to improve it's conditions than it is to campaign to close it.

Some animals are so critically endangered that captive breeding programs in zoos is pretty much the only chance they have. Zoos (at least the ones here anyway) also donate a lot of cash towards animal conservation.
 
Just-lost

Just-lost

Member
SCP-087-1 said:
I dont know what crazy zoos you have in your countries but where I live the zoos invest a lot of money in animal enrichment. They have decent sized enclosures that replicate the animals habitats, interesting ways for feeding the animals, lots of toys for the animals and they take some of the animals for walks around the zoo. The elephant will calmly follow the zoo keeper and they walk right around the zoo. Zoos are fine as long as they actually care. And if it's also way easier to campaign to force a zoo to improve it's conditions than it is to campaign to close it.

Some animals are so critically endangered that captive breeding programs in zoos is pretty much the only chance they have. Zoos (at least the ones here anyway) also donate a lot of cash towards animal conservation.
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Well, the ones they want to save include animal species which have basically no hope of ever existing on this planet in the wild, including Pandas. Millions and millions are wasted on Panda Conservation but why then, if there is no hope for Pandas, why do we continue to conserve them while there are an estimated 40 plus animae species and types, some of which we may not have even known existed, going extinct every day with little or no effort made for them? The truth is that Pandas are not as important for the environment as these 40 species being wiped out each day are, and Pandas happen to generate a LOT of revenue, running well into the £Millions. Business not Conservation.This applies to other animals too.
Granted some Zoos may have good intentions, but habitat conservation is the only way, otherwise any breeding program is a waste of time.
Of course Zoos spend a lot on 'enrichment', it has to look good to customers or they wont attend, trouble is that an enclosure can look great, but contain some very depressed animals.

Does an elephant want to be in snow?
Does a lion want to eat pre killed food all the time?
Does a monkey want to hit into some metal bars when it wants to explore?
Would you mind being in prison?
 
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