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Bailey Sanford
15 December, 2016
Mrs. Erskine- 1A
College Composition 111
Research Project Essay
Should Animals be Kept in Zoos?
Zoos can be described as facilities that house and exhibit animals to the public. While
there are over 1,000 zoos worldwide and 175 million people visit zoos annually, the debate
lingers over the controversial question, should animals be kept in zoos? While experts believe
zoos have conservation programs to protect different species and to educate the public, others
concur with the idea that animals should remain in their habitats due to high mortality rates and
the inhumane and unhealthy conditions.
The main purpose of a zoo is to conserve and protect endangered or threatened species.
In the article, Zoos of the Future may be Animals Last, Best Hope, the author describes zoos
as being the last source of conservation for many animals, as many species do not thrive in the
wild anymore. These zoos are safe havens from poaching, habitat loss, droughts, and wars
commonly found in the wild. Zoos provide more funding for conservation than all well known
conservation organizations, like the World Wildlife Fund. In addition, many zoos have breeding
programs for endangered species, while in the wild these animals might have trouble finding
mates for breeding. Breeding programs in zoos focus on breeding animals that face extinction,
meaning captivity may be the the only chance endangered animals have at survival. According to
the author, McMarlin, and the Saint Louis Zoo, life in the wild is facing global extinction on a
massive scale. Around 21% of the world's mammal species, 12% of the bird species, and 33% of

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all amphibian species are critically threatened with extinction. The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG
Aquarium, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, plays a lead role in the resolution to issues with
conservation, breeding, and performing behavioral and reproductive research on their wildlife.
The zoo is experiencing success by currently trying to breed four female elephants, while no
other zoo is attempting this problem of breeding endangered elephants. Other endangered
species at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium include the Amur leopards. The facility has
three of these leopards, which is seven percent of the wild Amur leopard population. With only
50 to 70 left in the wild, the zoo provides financial support to conservation programs for Amur
Leopards and the other 4000 animals the zoo contains (McMarlin).
The responsibility of zoos is to educate people on the importance of respect for wild
animals and their habitats, according to the article, Why it's Ok to Exploit Animals for Human
Entertainment. Accredited zoos participate in the role of educating millions of visitors,
including 51 million students, annually, about wild animals, their habitats, their conservation
problems, and the ways visitors can contribute to their conservation and preservation (VerSteeg).
When visiting a zoo, the personal connection one feels while looking at an animal causes one to
want to protect and conserve their environment. In a study by Association of Zoos and
Aquariums, 61% of zoo visitors are still able to talk about what they learned seven to eleven
months later and 35% said the zoo reinforced their belief about conservation (Milian). Zoos
provide a means for people to experience animals up close and an attempt to learn what animals
need to survive in the wild. Those who have visited a zoo may hear about or observe animals
suffering from habitat depletion, pollution, and hunting in their communities and picture a
image of an animal they encountered at the zoo. Consequently, this may result in the
encouragement of taking action due to their hands-on experience. People are able to learn about

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wildlife at zoos through formal classes, lectures, camps, teacher workshops, distance learning,
zoo tours, overnights and outreach programs. Through these sources, people are able to take the
information learned and apply the facts to their communities.
Critics of zoos believe these facilities are harmful to not only the animals, but to the zoo
workers and visitors. When a new animal is introduced into a zoo exhibit with other animals, the
consequences frequently result in negativity. The article, Why do we Keep Gorillas Behind
Bars? talks about a gorilla named Tom who was sent to a new zoo, due to a genetic match with
the other zoo's ape inhabitants. Tom was attacked by the other gorillas in the exhibit, causing him
to shed one third of his body weight and to cry whenever his old caretakers would visit. In
another case in 2015, a Melbourne Zoo gorilla attacked a female gorilla resulting in the females
death (Singer). Not only do animals hurt each other, but they tend to injure and kill people as
well. In Tiger Kills Zookeeper: Captivity Brings Crisis, Advocates say. the article shows how
in April of 2016, Stacey Konwiser, an experienced Palm Beach Zoo keeper, was fatally mauled
and killed by a Malayan tiger in an enclosure. Since 1990, at least 265 injuries and 24 deaths
have occurred by captive big cats in zoos, resulting in the deaths of 128 big cats (Pacenti).
Those against zoos believe the facilities can be described as inhumane and unhealthy for
its inhabitants. Viewing animals in cages tells the visitor little about a species, its natural
environment and how they act in the wild, as certain animals needs may be hard to meet in an
exhibit compared to its true habitat. The reading, Gorilla Death at Cincinnati Zoo puts Debate
over Captive Creatures explains animals in enclosures have few choices to daily activities,
sexual partners, social interactions with other animals, and food. At night, carnivorous,
dangerous animals, like tigers are locked in solitary confinement when biologically, the night
time is their most active period. In these compact areas, animals face stress, boredom, and

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become insane, which sometimes can lead to death. In addition, neurotic and self-harming
behavior tends to develop, which is not commonly found in species throughout the wild.
Primates throw feces and eat their own vomit, while birds pluck out their own feathers
excessively. Apex predators, like tigers and bears, tend to pace without interruption or swim back
and forth all day. The typical zoo enclosure for a polar bear is one-millionth the size of its normal
range in the wild, which on average is around 31,000 square miles. Most captive polar bears
spend 25% of their day pacing due to their small enclosures, which correlates to the infant
mortality rate for captive animals to rise around 65%. Animals, like gorillas, are inclined to
health predispositions while in unhealthy enclosures. Gorillas frequently suffer from cardiac
disease and the National Zoo reported 30 of its apes take heart medication due to their cardiac
problems (Guarino). Activist say videos and documentaries may substitute for seeing exotic
animals in person due to the inhumane and detrimental statistics.
With the familiarity of zoos across the world, many are likely to have an opinion over the
contentious discussion of whether or not animals should be in zoos. Those who favor zoos
believe in the facilities to save endangered or threatened species and to keep them from
becoming extinct. Supporters have confidence in the fact that zoos educate the public and restore
respect for animals and their communities. Those who disagree with zoos on the other hand,
presume animals should stay put in their ecosystems due to mortality rates in zoos. Unfavorable
individuals conclude zoos bring about inhumane and unhealthy conditions.
Works Cited
Guarino, Ben. "Gorilla Death at Cincinnati Zoo Puts Debate over Captive Creatures...."
Washington Post - Blogs. 31 May 2016: n.p. <I>SIRS Issues Researcher.</I> Web. 07
Dec. 2016.

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McMarlin, Shirley. "Zoos of the Future May Be Animals' Last, Best Hope." <I>TribuneReview; Pittsburgh Edition</I>. 28 Aug. 2016: n.p. <I>SIRS Issues Researcher.</I> Web.
01 Dec. 2016.
Milian, Jorge. "'Jungle Jack' Hanna: Zoos Are Vital, Not Torture, for Animals." <I>Palm
Beach Post</I>. 27 Apr. 2016: n.p. <I>SIRS Issues Researcher.</I> Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
Pacenti, John. "Tiger Kills Zookeeper: Captivity Brings Crisis, Advocates Say." <I>Palm
Beach Post</I>. 17 Apr. 2016: n.p. <I>SIRS Issues Researcher.</I> Web. 09 Dec. 2016.
Singer, Peter, and Karen Dawn. "Why Do We Keep Gorillas Behind Bars?." <I>Los
Angeles Times</I>. 05 Jun. 2016: A.26. <I>SIRS Issues Researcher.</I> Web. 05 Dec.
2016.
VerSteeg, Jac. "Why It's OK to Exploit Animals for Human Entertainment." <I>SunSentinel</I>. 08 Jun. 2016: A.9. <I>SIRS Issues Researcher.</I> Web. 01 Dec. 2016.