I Dont Want to Live in a ZOO

By Rebecca Lempereur
main character/ narrator: polar bear
Hi Im Paul the polar bear and I live in a zoo.
I dont know what its like to be free
It makes me sad to not see the open land.
Imagine being stuck in your room
All day and night you cant play outside
I dont want to be in a zoo
This is my friend Ella the Elephant
She needs more room to run and play!
Ella is so bored in a zoo.
This is Tommy the Tiger
Tommy misses hunting with his friends
Tommy is sad in a zoo.
This is Chip the Chimpanzee
Chip gets scared when a lot of people are around.
Chip wants to live in peace in the wild.
This is my friend CHRIS
He knows what its like to be free
Chris can speak for the animals
And say its not fun to be trapped
Some people want animals in a zoo to keep them safe from EXTINCTION.
But sometimes animals leave just like the dinosaurs!
Its part of life and better than being trapped in a zoo.
There are ways for you to help!
Watch a DOCUMENTARY about me and my friends in the wild
Or use the computer to visit a VIRUTAL ZOO online
I would love for you to learn about me!
Just dont let me live in a zoo.
Let me live in the WILD

QUESTIONS YOUR CHILD MIGHT BE ASKING:

1. Why are animals kept in zoos?

Animals are kept in zoos for a human recreational activity. The origin of trapping animals and
putting them on display was for the sole purpose of look what I have because I can (Paaskesen).
Nowadays the reasons for zoos have evolved from the initial trophy mentality. Zoos exist
because of public demand. Seeing animals is a form of entertainment and a recreational outing
for people (Lemonick 51). In other words, the need for zoos evolves around humans and their
wants, rather than the wants and needs of animals. However, there is the argument that animals
are put in zoos for protection. An animal that is at risk for extinction or in danger from poachers
use the justification of protection to be put in zoos (List of Pros and Cons of Zoos). The natural
order causes animals to go extinct and poachers are again human driven hate-crimes against
animals. It is not enough reason to keep animals in captivity because of the poor quality of life
animals get in captivity (List of Pros and Cons of Zoos). Overall, animals in zoos are there
because humans want them to be there and its not for the sake of the animals.
2. Why are the animals so sad?
The general reason why animals are sad in zoos is because they cannot live life as well as if they
were in their natural wild habitats. Putting animals in zoos removes their freedom and causes
negative effects to their wellbeing such as suffering from psychological disorders and exhibiting
abnormal behavior from animals born in captivity compared to their counterparts in the wild
(List of Pros and Cons of Zoos). This means that not only are animals in zoos getting a lesser
quality of life in captivity, but they are also suffering mentally and physically. Studies have
shown that animals in captivity develop a psychological disorder much like obsessivecompulsive disorder called zoochosis (Paaskensen). In this disorder, animals exhibit abnormal
behaviors such as pacing, self-harm, rocking, etc that are not performed naturally in the wild. It
is caused by a brain dysfunction from stress of not being able to perform natural instinctive
behaviors (Paaskensen). This disorder is prevalent in zoo animals because they are unable to live
a life where all their basic needs are met. Zoos can never recreate nature (Hill pg#). While it is
argued that some animals can tolerate zoos more than other, it is explicit that larger animals such
as elephants, bears, and giraffes do not do well in captivity. These animals need their natural
habitats of large spaces, specific climate, and variety that cannot be met in a zoo (Lemonick 5052). The life a free animal lives in the wild can never be experienced in captivity. Animals need
variety that enclosures and zookeeper routines cannot provide (Hill pg#). In other words,

enclosures will never be big enough and satisfying enough for animals to live their lives
compared to their wild counterparts.
3. Do we hurt animals when we go to the zoo?
Unfortunately, yes. There is a correlation of stress and negative behaviors due to the presence of
visitors (Davey). Studies have shown that the presence of humans cause many species stress.
Animals such are chimpanzees will increase aggression while other animals such as jaguars will
increase pacing behavior, which is all in response to the stress of visitor presence (Davey 171172). Seeing large crowds of humans therefore cause large amounts of stress for the animals.
Another unfortunate experience animals deal with from visitors is disrespect and taunting.
People have been reported for throwing objects at animals, taunting, and yelling at the animals
(List of Pros and Cons of Zoos). As if animals dont experience enough stress, some visitors
will go as far as abusing the animals. While this is not all visitors, it is the few that do that add to
the stress animals feel from being in captivity, which is again human driven that animals are in
captivity in the first place
4. Who is Chris?
Chris McCandless was a man who left the confines of society and lived a life of freedom in the
middle and west coast of the United States. Author Jon Krakauer wrote a novel called Into the
Wild about McCandless and his two year adventure living on the outskirts of society and
investigates his last adventure into the Alaskan wild. Krakauer investigates Chris beliefs and
personality through Chris journal and interviews with friends and family. The quote below was
in the novel Into the Wild and was left by Chris McCandless in a letter to his friend Ron Franz:
So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to
change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and
conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is
more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very
basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from
our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an
endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun (Krakauer 58).
McCandless feels and believes in a life of freedom, away from confines and conditional
happiness. McCandless can relate to and vouch for the animals in captivity because of his strong

connection to the wild and experiences with feeling confined in society. His experiences mirrors
the wants and needs of animals living in a zoo, and that is to live in the wild.
5. What are other ways to learn about animals?
Fortunately, there are other ways to learn and experience wild animals besides going to a zoo.
Thanks to technology, amazing documentaries have been made that show wild animals in their
natural habitat and are informative about each animal (Paaskesen). This means that without
harming animals, people are able to watch and learn about them through the documentary.
Another way to have a zoo experience without a zoo is through the new projects of virtual zoos.
These are intended for users to navigate through a simulated zoo and gain much more in depth
view of wild animals (Paaskesen). Therefore, because of technology, there is no need for animals
to be in captivity in order for people to learn about them.
Below is an interactive virtual zoo:
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (http://www.waza.org/en/zoo).
6. Is there any hope for zoos to get better in the future?
So what if zoos never go obsolete? What if public demand for the recreational activity does not
decrease, even at the cost of animal welfare? There are current measures placed to help give the
animals living in captivity the best life possible with the resources provided. In place at some
zoos are enrichment programs where zookeepers try different things mimic behaviors the
animals would experience in the wild (Paakensen). While this had shown a positive outcome for
some animals, humans can never simulate the natural environment (Paaskensen). Another
measuring taking place are allowing animals to roam free and choose to interact or not interact
with humans (Davey 176). This has given animals more freedom, however there is the question
of safety for both animals and humans. In regards to visitor stress on the animals in enclosure,
there are measures taken such as providing a screen to where the animals cant see the humans
(Davey 177). Not being able to see the visitors helps to decrease the stress animals experience
from visitors. While all these measures have been implemented in some zoos, it really does not
solve the core of the problem of animals living a low quality life in zoos. An important question
to ask ourselves as humans is if recreation activities and child excitement enough to justify the
mistreatment of animals? (Lemonick 50). The answer is probably not.
Bibliography
Davey, Gareth. Visitors Effects on the Welfare of Animals in the Zoo: a Review. Journal of

Applied Animal Welfare Science: Jaaws. 10.2 (2007): 169-83. Web 5 Apr. 2016.
Hill, Sonya P, and Donald M. Broom. Measuring Zoo Animal Welfare: Theory and Practice.
Zoo Biology: 28.6 (2009): 531-554. 5 Apr. 2016.
Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.
"List of Pros and Cons of Zoos." OccupyTheory. OccupyTheory, 07 Feb. 2015. Web. 05 Apr.
2016. <http://occupytheory.org/list-of-pros-and-cons-of-zoos/>.
Lemonick, Michael D., Jeanne McDowell, and David Bjerklie. Who Belongs In The Zoo?
Time 167.25 (2006): 50-52. Military & Government Collection. Web 5 Apr. 2016.
Paaskesen, Nanna, dir. The Documentary Network. Zoochosis- The living conditions of animals
in captivity. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 9 Jun. 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2016