Should Animals be kept in Controlled Environment?

I have been visiting zoos and aquariums since I was a child. I always thought that the animals in zoos were well taken care of and they were better off than being in the wild. As I get older, my views have changed on the subject. I now know when animals are captured for human research or enjoyment, they are taken from their families and forced to inhabit man-made environments that only artificially resemble their natural habitats. These animals aren’t happy to be in captivity, only humans are happy about it.

We do not have the right to confine wild animals, it goes against the natural order of nature. Removing animals from the wild endangers them. They have the natural ability to hunt and find mates. The enclosures confining larger animals don’t compare to what they are used to in the wild. For these reasons alone I believe that no animal should be kept in a controlled environment.

Animals inhabited the earth first.

It is not our place to capture or hold any creature that was born to be wild for any purpose. Taking animals from their habitat also upsets the natural order of life by disrupting the food chain. Animals are needed to strategically balance habits and keeping them in captivity alters the food chain which in turn, upsets the ecosystem.

When you remove animals from the wild and keep them captive many natural instincts that they have disappeared over time. Instincts like hunting for food or mating (both are necessary for species to survive) disappear.

When this happens, there is no reason to eventually return that animal to the wild because it instantly becomes a target for predators. A species is at its best when it is “ genetically sharp enough to be able to react to changes in their environment. “ A captive animal is unable to do that when every need is attended to while in man-made environments.

Man-made environments can never be comparable to natural environments. Large animals like polar bears, elephants, and lions are even worse off in captivity “ because of a striking difference between the area they typically cover in the wild and the size of their zoo enclosures.” Smaller enclosures lead to bigger problems also. Zoochosis occurs when captive animals are psychologically affected by their situation. Not having enough space to roam, to hunt, to be free coupled with the fact that these animals are usually alone led to problems that these animals would not experience in the wild.

Everyone doesn’t feel that holding animals in captivity is a bad thing. Many believe that the only way to keep the animals healthy and alive is to keep them in captivity. However, scientists would rather study animals in their natural habitats. Animals are important to the earth and those who inhabit it. They should be treated with respect and care. Keeping animals in captivity for any reason does not convey how important animals are to us. I think they should be left in their environment wherever they live. But I think some animals would be extinct due to today’s population and poachings such as polar bears, pandas, and elephants, etc.