Zoos have been a part of human life for a very long period. These are common for large cities where people are glad to have a portion of wildlife even in such a specific manner. People bring their children to those places so that they can see animals from around the world. The vast majority of humans see zoos as a safe place for animals that have anything they want, food, shelter, and care. However, for many, it is obvious that zoos are cruel and immoral as they are prisons for creatures that have no sufficient power to escape or even appeal to their jailers.
Zoos were first found as a part of the property of royal or very rich people who wanted to have something exotic. Many wealthy people wanted to impress their visitors by displaying exotic animals in their gardens. Later, people started arranging zoos for the public to show the diversity and beauty of the world. In simple terms, zoos have been created for entertaining and educational purposes. There was hardly a person or group of people who thought about the moral aspect. The idea about the human being as the highest creature on the planet justified the use of animals in many ways.
Zoos are inappropriate places for animals, which is especially true in different third-world countries where animals receive poor care. In many zoos, their dwellers do not get a sufficient amount of food, and some even starve. In many places, animals suffer due to ill-suited living conditions. Some zoo managers and keepers do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to take care of different species, which leads to the death of many living beings.
Even the most properly financed zoos can hardly seem a better place than the wilderness for animals. In simple words, zoos are parks with caged animals that have to endure permanent intrusion in their existence. Wild animals should not be displayed for millions of humans for their fun or even educational purposes. When it comes to education, technology can help young generations to learn about the biodiversity of the planet. Television, the Internet, and such technologies as virtual reality can be employed. People also have a sufficient number of museums where people can see animals and learn more about the species that interest them.
In addition to being an illustration of people’s cruelty, zoos can be seen as examples of humans’ immorality. The sentiment regarding the high position of a human being among other species makes people commit diverse crimes. Keeping another species as a captive for display is an immoral act. People are only a part of the natural world, so they have no moral right to cage animals and torture them. Therefore, zoos should cease to exist in the modern world.
Some may argue that zoos can be kept as a shelter for animals that are saved. Thousands of animals around the world are saved from natural disasters or man made traps. Some are ill or wounded, so people try to help such animals. Hence, many individuals believe that species that cannot live in the wilderness (due to different reasons) should be cared for in zoos. Such claims seem moral to many people and serve as a justification for the existence of zoos.
Nevertheless, this distorted morality cannot and should not be an argument in favor of zoos. People have no right (or even sufficient knowledge) to interfere in the natural cause of events. People’s impact on the population of numerous species acquires different forms. In some cases, the number of some animals increases considerably, while in others, some species become extinct. At that, people are unable to understand the influence of such changes on the ecosystem. For instance, the hippopotamuses of Pablo Escobar’s zoos now pose a threat to the ecosystem of a considerable area. By saving and placing some animals in the wilderness again, people can threaten the survival of the species that may become less adapted to the environment.
In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize that zoos are cruel and immoral. Zoo captives often have to live in inappropriate conditions or even endure tortures. Starving and cruelty can often be found behind the gates of many zoos. Although some zoos manage to create an environment that is close to the region of origin of species, animals are still caged and cannot live a full life. Humans have no moral right to capture other species because they are also a part of the natural world. Being only an element of an ecosystem, humans should try to adapt to the environment rather than change it in different ways. Zoos should not exist in the modern world as they are an illustration of human cruelty and immorality. In order to learn about animals, people can use a huge knowledge base they already have in books, television programs, and the Internet. In order to help animals to survive, it is unacceptable to cage animals, but it is critical to make a minimal impact on the planet.