When most people think of zoos, they think of of a fun family friendly environment where you go to look at all the animals that you do not normally see, but this gives the public a fallacious idea. What these people do not usually think about is the welfare of the animals behind the fences. Zoos need to undergo a major change  in our society in order to improve the animal's quality of life. There is no legitimate claim that would outweigh their cons, so they need to be closed down to stop humans from encroaching on the way animals were born to act and to give them their right to be free. Many studies provide evidence that animals being in captivity can have many negative effects on their wellbeing but nothing is being done about it. The claims that zoos provide entertainment, help scientific studies, and help preserve species do not hold up when you look deeper into the facts. Zoos should be shut down in order to provide animals the quality of life that they deserve and provide an environment where humans and animals can have a symbiotic relationship to allow animals to take part in the natural behaviors that they were meant to have. 

First created for the enjoyment of the wealthy and now a place for the public's entertainment, zoos have definitely come a long way. Having exotic animals used to be only feasible for the wealthiest people. Due to this animals were looked at as a sign of affluence. Despite the fact that these animals were held captive in wealthy establishments, they were not treated like they were supposed to. As exotic animals became a popular attraction for people to see the first zoo was created. The first modern zoo was established in Paris France and opened in 1793. ("Zoo" 1). Used for amusement purposes only, zoo animals were forced into small cages with environments that drastically deviated away from their natural habitats. A National Geographic article states "Early zoos like the Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes were more like museums of living animals than natural habitats. Animals were kept in small display areas, with as many species as space would allow." (1). Now zoo animals have more freedoms to move around and their enclosures more accurately depict the natural environments that they come from, but it is not enough. Animals still die just as fast as they used to in the smaller enclosures. An article written in Eluxe Magazine by Chere Di Boscio and Renee Nat it states "Knut, the famous polar bear, was born in captivity in Berlin's Zoological Garden, and was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than 30 years. Even so, he died at the age of four from drowning after he collapsed into his enclosure's pool while suffering from encephalitis -- something that would never have happened in the wild" (Nat, Renee, Chere Di Boscio 1). Even with updated environments animals like the polar bear are not living to the average age of 15 to 18 years old that they get in the wild. This goes to show that something needs to change in the zoo industry. In today's society there are a variety of different types of zoos, but something that they all have in common is the fact that they take away the rights of innocent animals who will never experience the freedoms that they deserve.

The relationship between animals and humans has changed drastically: Once a symbiotic and cohesive relationship it is now in a state of dominance. Animals are no longer free to do as they please and are put in confined environments where their life is dictated by the zoo industry and what pleases the zoo demographic. Humans and animals used to play off of each other, one benefiting the other and no one mammal taking control. As stated in the piece Why Look At Animals by John Berger, "That look between animals and man, which may have played a crucial role in the development of human society, and which, in any case, all men had always lived until less than a century ago, has been extinguished. Looking at each animal. The unaccompanied zoo visitor is alone. As for the crowds, they belong to a species which has at last been isolated" ("Why look at animals?" 1). Man and animals are no longer considered equal, with the creation of zoos and the dominance over animals, humans are now a controlling species and putting their own needs over the needs of many other species.

The main arguments presented by the zoo industries is that they provide entertainment, a basis for scientific research, a way to prevent extinction and a source for education. In an article published by PETA they wrote "According to a 2004 report by the World Conservation Union, the world's biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate primarily because of human activities that cause pollution, climate change, and the destruction of animals' habitats and because of the exploitation of animals for food, the pet trade, and medicine. Captive breeding does nothing to address these serious problems" ("Animal Rights Uncompromised: Zoos."). Clearly the zoo industries justification for preventing extinction does not hold up. What zoos should really be doing and spending their money on is helping the animals in the wild and educating people on how they can help the animals. Education about animals is something that can easily been done online. Yes seeing animals is fun and not something that you experience on an everyday basis but it does not aid in the public's ability to learn about animals. The Detroit zoo has recently implemented an electronic replication of the earth and human effects on animals in order to teach the public of their wrongdoings. With this exhibit being fully electronic they are able to inform the public without taking away any natural rights of the animals ("Animal Welfare and the Future of Zoos"). This is how all exhibit should run, it still provides the entertainment aspect but it also does not harm any living creature. 

There have been many stories that have come about in the media about animal cruelty and how animals are not being treated fairly in zoos. As published in an article by the Humane Society it states "Results from two undercover investigations at roadside zoos revealed inhumane treatment of tiger cubs exploited for photographic opportunities, indiscriminate breeding of tigers, rampant trade in cubs for public handling and dumping of the cubs once they were no longer profitable" ("Undercover Investigations ... " 1). A lot of the time baby animals are used as a way to bring more people in and once they are no longer babies they are no longer cared about. Later on in the article it states "Manhandling and physical discipline of cubs when they would not cooperate for photo shoots. All 4 cubs at both zoos were punched and slapped. At Tiger Safari, Maximus, a white tiger cub was dragged, choked, tossed and suspended by his legs and tail." (1). Not only were the tigers found treated poorly but it was purely for the fact of no cooperation when they needed to be used to entertain humans. Animals were not born to benefit humans; all mammals are born with the same basic needs.

There have been many studies on visitor effects on zoo animals. One study in particular observed how noise of zoo guests negatively affects the wellbeing and overall health of the animals in captivity. The article Zoo Visitor Effect on Mammal Behavior: Does noise matter? by multiple well educated professors explains "Despite the common effort to improve the animal welfare, zoos can negatively impact the well-being of the animals they house due to inherent aspects as unvarying husbandry routines and exposing the animals to the public" (does noise matter 1). During the study they tested visitor noise level and how it made a difference on animal behavior. The study showed that "Notably, several species were more vigilant or active in response to increasing zoo visitor group size and sound pollution" (Quadros, Sandra, et al 1). Animals are not used to environments that contain high levels of volume, the study then recognizes that "The sound pressure produced by visitors is characterized by loud peaks and not continuous in nature." Zoo should be creating environments that closely replicate the wild and having this much noise is not complying with that idea. In the study, the scientists suggested that "The results of this study demonstrate the need for auditory barriers and opportunities for animals to escape from visitor-generated noise" (2).  This seems like these suggestions are a band aid for the solution. It does not actually fix the problem; it just covers the real truth that animals are not okay living in these zoo environments. What would truly solve the problem is zoos being shut down all together. If visitors are having negative consequences on the wellbeing of the animals, then it goes to show that animals were not meant to be in a situation where this sort of problem would occur.

The visitors of zoos have more of an effect than just noise. As written about in the study titled Visitors' Effects on the Welfare of Animals in the Zoo: A Review written by Gareth Davey he argues "visitor variables such as visitor presence, density, activity, size, and position are associated with animal behavioral -- and to a lesser extent physiological -- changes" (Davey 1). Human presence has a lot more of an effect then most people think. There are some small changes like "Counteractions to reduce visitor presence at exhibits include one-way viewing glass, a dry moat barrier, and camouflage nets" (2) that are said to help the problem but animals still have to confront these issues because they are not given a choice. In one of the studies that was mentioned in the paper used the example that there was "less social behavior (contact, mounting, and play) of cotton-topped tamarins between groups ex- posed to visitors and groups away from the public" (2). Animals were not meant to be watched and affected by human presence. We are supposed to have a symbiotic relationship where we live cohesively as equals.

In another study, the positive effects of giving animals choices and how the zoos halt animals' ability to make these choices were studied. In the article "Choice and Control for Animals in Captivity" by Laura Kurtycz, she brings up how animals being in captivity affects their behavior and overall well being, then she further goes to talk about how the zoos can fix this problem and allow animals to have more choices and control over their environment. In one of her arguments she points out "animals in captivity intrinsically have much less control over their lives than their wild counterparts. While wild animals make a myriad choices every day  --  where to go, what to eat, where to sleep, who to mate with  --  animals in captivity have the vast majority of choices made for them by their human caretakers" (Kurtycz 1). Throughout the study she proved that "researchers have found that just having choices does have a positive effect on behaviour, even when animals do not take advantage of them" and the animals  "were less agitated and showed a decrease in stress" (Kurtycz 2). Zoos are taking away the ability for animals to act like animals. They are forced to do what the caretakers want and are deprived of the right to choose. This goes to show how zoos are negatively affecting the wellbeing of the animals. 

Effects of animals located in environments that do not match the environments in the wild. Animals habitats are greatly smaller than the environments that they are used to. Zoos have grown a lot, the cages used to be so filled with animals that they could barely move. Yes, things have changed and cages have gotten bigger but they are not big enough. Published in an article in the New York Times titled "Zoos Are Too Small for Some Species", Biologists Report by Mark Derr it states "The typical zoo enclosure for a polar bear is one-millionth the size of its home range in the wild, which can reach 31,000 square miles, the authors said. Some captive polar bears spend 25 percent of their day in what scientists call stereotypic pacing" (Derr 1). Animals are not used to these small environment and are forced to spend their days in a habitat where they can barely walk around. Most wild animals walk many miles a day but being in an enclosure has prevent the animals from being able to. The walls of the zoos need to come down in order to let animals roam as they please in the habitats that they are used to. 

One of the biggest controversies connected to the zoos is the difference in life expectancies between captive animals and those found in the wild. As published on the National Geographic website "Zoo females only live 19 years -- about half the lifespan of the Myanma timber elephants, which, on average, survive until 42" (Mott 1). Animals' genetic make up is not conducive with being confined. With not having habitats that contain the right temperature water, or the right air temperature that they are used to, the animal's quality of life is affected. Captive breeding is something that is very popular among zoos; having baby animals is a real crowd pleaser. What you do not know about captive breeding is that there is a 65% infant mortality rate (Derr 1). This is not something that happens in the wild; if the death rate is so high why do zoos keep trying to breed the animals? Not only are the odds against their favor, but it also causes mass amounts of stress on the pregnant mother whose baby dies. 

There are many ways to make a change. What I think is the most important is the wellbeing of the animals before anything else. With the end goal of no longer having zoos there are small steps that can take place in order to aid in this happening. Supporting organizations like PETA and anti zoo organizations can help make a step towards the bigger outcome. I believe that all animals should have the right to experience the free life. I believe the best outcome is to phase out profitable zoos and zoos that keep animals in confinement for no reason. The sole purpose of animals that are taken out of the wild is to aid them if they are unable to serve in the wild on their own. I think the purpose of zoos should be for rehabilitation and to educate people on what they need to do to save animals. 

The Black Jaguar White Tiger foundation was created in order to create a home to lions and panthers who have been abused or mistreated. Their mission is not for entertainment, their mission is to save animal lives. "To rescue as many Animals in need from sad circumstances like circuses, breeding facilities (Both legal and illegal) and from people that have them as pets, providing them with a home, the best food and medical care available and a life of dignity and Love for the rest of their lives" ("About Us." 1). No they are not able to reintroduce them all back into the wild but that is due to the fact that they would not be able to survive by themselves. Their business is not focused on money or for the entertainment of guests. Theie sole mission is to protect the animals and support the ethical treatment of animals. In one of their mission statements they state "To continue working hand by hand with the Mexican Government, to keep changing laws in order to protect all species of Animals in Mexico and inspire all countries around the world to join in" (1).

Animal lives are not usually on the top of people's radar; they are often overlooked. There are a lot of things that the public do not realize about the reality of zoos. This is not something that is going to just stop overnight, it is going to take time before we realize what cruel environments that we are forcing animals into. Recently in the news Seaworld has announced that it is going to stop its orca exhibit. This is just one step to starting this ongoing fight to protect the animals. People need to realize the truth behind zoos and why they should not have a role in our society. All living things on earth are equal, Therefore you should not be able to manipulate another's way of life. You would not let your child be locked up in a cage by themselves where they were not able to do what they truly want, so why is this the case for animals. There is a lot of evidence that proves that animals in confinement do not live as long and are not treated the way that they deserve, so why is it still allowed? People choose not to listen to the truth and they want to live in a happy bubble of ignorance away from the facts but if more people knew the truth of what is really happening in zoos then it would be clear that something needs to change in the zoo industry.

