
The issue of animal captivity has become extremely prevalent in recent years due to multiple attacks in zoos as well as the incident involving Harambe, a gorilla. These animals  did not just lash out randomly. They were provoked by being forced to live in captivity. The bottom line is that captivity causes animals to suffer emotionally, eventually leading to possible physical suffering. Many animals in zoos show clear signs of stress or boredom, but these signals are not easily distinguished as unnatural by the average zoo visitor. This is a problem because zoos are meant to educate people about animals and encourage the conservation of animals in the wild. Many zoos have release programs in which they free animals into the wild after years of them living in captivity. This seems like a great conservation tactic; however after living in a zoo for so long and being cared for and fed by zookeepers, the animals are not able to live on their own in the wild, and may end up being injured or even dying. Overall, animal captivity damages animals physically and mentally during confinement as well as after release.

Animal captivity is the keeping of animals under human care. This includes aquariums, zoos, farms, homes, and even laboratories. Specifically, zoos are places in which animals are kept in captivity for people to see and observe them. Animal captivity has been around for thousands of years. The early stages of zoos were simply small collections of animals owned by the very wealthy called menagerie. The first public zoo opened in Paris, France in 1793, named the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes. Rather than being like the zoos we know today, which do their best to replicate and resemble animals’ natural habitats, this zoo was more like a museum for animals. It basically tried to fit in as many different species of animals as possible, which resulted in very small, cramped living spaces for the animals. This was a common characteristic of most early zoos (Rutledge et al.). Today, zoos are required to meet standard policies and regulations regarding aspects such as the size of enclosures, treatment and care of animals, and transportation of animals. The main law that drives these policies is the Animal Welfare Act. Passed on August 24, 1966, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) sets the basis for humane treatment and care of animals in captivity. The main way the Animal Welfare Act enforces its standards is by requiring periodic inspections of zoos (Gesualdi 100). Unfortunately, this act is not enough to fully protect all captive animals from suffering both mentally and physically.

Animal suffering in captivity as well as after release is caused by a few main factors. As still observed today, most zoos have a lack of space which can easily lead to the animals experiencing extreme boredom. Not only does an animal in a zoo have to live in an unnaturally small enclosure, it also must live relatively alone. A zoo obviously cannot contain an entire herd or population of a specific animal, so the few animals that do live in an enclosure at a zoo suffer from loneliness as well. Both of these factors, boredom and loneliness, go hand-in-hand as agents of stress on the zoo animal, which can be harmful. Not only are captive animals going to suffer while in captivity, but also if they are ever released, the animals will suffer due to lack of experience in the wild. After being handled, cared for, and treated by humans for so long, a natural wild animal could not just adjust to living in the wild, having to rely on itself to live and survive. It is often observed that without proper immersion back into the wild, animals will most likely suffer and potentially die. So, animals in zoos do not only suffer while within zoos, but they can suffer after being released into the wild as well.

A main factor of animal stress in zoos is boredom. There is not much for animals to do all day every day in a small enclosure that is far from comparable to the size and dynamic of their natural habitat. Boredom can put stress on animals psychologically and, in extreme cases, physically. Boredom causes strange habits in animals that are easily recognizable. These habits include, “… big cats endlessly pacing back and forth in their cages, zoo elephants constantly swaying side to side, polar bears swimming in endless circles, and monkeys and parrots ‘grooming' themselves until they have no fur or feathers left” (Are Zoos Bad News?). None of these actions are characteristic of these animals’ counterparts that live in the wild. This points to the conclusion that these actions are caused by captivity and can be physically harmful to the animals. Not only can boredom be harmful to the animals, but alsoif boredom is severe enough in animals it can lead to the animal to “snap.” This was the reason thought by experts to be the cause of a tiger attack in San Fransisco that led to the death of a man who was mauled by the tiger. Experts said that the tiger’s small enclosure must have finally driven it crazy and it just snapped and reverted back to its wild nature and attacked prey (Are Zoos Bad News?). Unfortunately, in this case the “prey” just happened to be a young man.

On a less aggressive note, zoos can cause animals to become very lonely. In a zoo enclosure, animals that live in herds or packs in the wild are forced to live alone or with one or two other animals of the same species. This is not natural for the animal and can lead to stress and depression. Animals that tend to experience this due to naturally living with larger populations are elephants, monkeys, and gorillas. All three of these animals are extremely intelligent creatures known to have very similar brains to humans (Turner). It would be wrong to lock up a human to live alone for their entire life in Antarctica. This is because humans are built to interact with and be around other humans, and Antarctica is not a natural environment or habit for humans. This is what is happening to many animals in zoos today. They are forced to live alone and in a climate that is not suitable or natural for them to live in. For example, Maggie is an African elephant being kept at the Alaska Zoo. She is the only elephant there and lives in a cement barn with a treadmill. This is completely unethical and Maggie suffers from extreme boredom, loneliness, and stress because of it. Elephants are extremely social and intuitive animals and should not be kept alone in an environment that is not suitable for them (Wells). While this concept is especially prevalent to elephants, it applies to all animals as well.

No animal should be forced to live in solitude or in an environment unsuitable for their nature. As stated before, this can cause mental and physical suffering due to boredom, loneliness, depression and stress. There are proven studies with statistical analysis that back up these statements and claims. In the summer of 2007, a study was conducted on tigers in captivity to see if the environment they lived in impacted their behaviors. Four tigers were placed in solitude indoors in a zoo, while six tigers each lived in social groups with 6 other tigers outdoors with plenty of space. Over a span of two months, behavioral surveys were conducted on the tigers daily. After the study was complete, the results showed that the tigers placed in solitude in the zoo spent an overwhelmingly extensive amount of time pacing and resting in comparison to the tigers placed in social groups with plenty of space to roam. Both of these are well-known indicators of stress in animals. Based on this study, experts confidently concluded that the environment in which an animal lives in has a clear impact on its behavioral patterns. This study does not hold true just for tigers. The same effects on behavior can be felt by and observed in all animals placed in captivity in zoos (Sajjad et al.).

Due to the effects of living in captivity for so long under human care and protection, it is extremely hard for animals to adjust and adapt to living in the wild if they are ever released. After being fed, nurtured, and treated by humans for the majority of their lives if not all of their lives, a wild animal can lose its “wild side.” Unless properly reintroduced into the wild, they will not be able to provide for themselves by hunting or gathering food, or be able to protect themselves. Multiple studies have been carried out to test and prove these statements. For example, a study conducted on the release of captive-bred Greater Rheas into the wild proved that the releasing of animals into the wild after they have been held in captivity can cause the animal to become stressed, which in turn increases their chances of death. In this study, 20 Greater Rheas were released into the wild and monitored after living their whole lives in captivity. After a few months of recording the animals’ fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM), which indicate stressors in the animal, thei FGM levels were too high and it was clear that they were very stressed in trying to adapt to their new environment in the wild (Leche et al.).   This study, although only done on Greater Rheas, applies and relates to any animal released into the wild after living in captivity for an extended period of time. If an animal is going to be released into the wild after captivity, they must be properly and effectively reintroduced into their natural habitat to ensure they will be capable of surviving on their own.

To establish that an animal is ready to live on its own in the wild after captivity, there should be reintroduction programs to help them “get back on their feet.”  These programs should set a standard set of requirements specialized to the specific animal being released that must be met before they can actually be released into the wild. These requirements should include aspects like: The animal is able to hunt, scavenge, or gather food independently. The animal is capable of protecting itself from predators and natural elements. Obviously, there should be many more requirements to ensure the animal will be healthy, but these should serve as a strict basis to be met. 

Similar to these guidelines, there should be stricter, more specific laws and regulations regarding the size of zoo enclosures, number of animals per enclosure, standard health concepts, etc. Although there are laws in place such as the Animal Welfare Act that are meant to ensure humane treatment and care for animals, these laws are outdated and not specific enough. There should be specific laws relating to specific animals with detailed studies to back them up to make sure that each law is best for the animal.

In addition to approving new laws to regulate zoos, we should at least promote the use of animal reserves rather than zoos. Animal reserves are much larger than zoos and are very open, allowing animals to roam freely. They are much more similar to an animal’s natural habitat than an artificial zoo exhibit, and people can still observe and interact with the animals by going on tours. Just like a safari ride, people could ride through the reserve on a truck and experience the animals in their true natural habitat in the wild.

At the very least, people should be educated about the effects of animal captivity on the physical and mental state of animals as well as animal conservation. Animal education programs could be implemented into elementary schools to raise awareness for and bring light to animal rights at an early age. This way children will not need to go to zoos to “learn” about animals because they would already be learning about them in school. Zoos claim to want to educate people on the animals they have there, but in reality, zoos are a business and just like any other business, their primary concern is money.

While these proposals would benefit animals held captive in zoos in the future, there are already actions being taken for animal rights right now. Organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and Humane Society International (HSI) have been established to bring awareness and raise money to help fight for animal rights in zoos and in general. In Michigan, large predatory animals such as bears and wolves have been banned from private possession. Animal acts have been banned in events such as circuses in California, Missouri, Massachusetts, and England just to name a few. In Costa Rica, all zoos have been shut down. In India, it is no longer legal to keep elephants in captivity (Captive Animals and the Law). There have obviously been large and important steps made in the fight against animal captivity; however, there is still a long road ahead if animals will ever be fully freed from captivity in zoos.

Many people believe that zoos are beneficial to animals. According to Irus Braverman’s book Zooland: The Institution of Captivity, everything done or provided to animals in zoos is for the animals’ greater good. Braverman emphasizes that animal care, technology, and zoos overall have greatly improved since the early days of zoos as supported in the quote, “While early zoos and menageries were dedicated largely to entertaining the public, modern zoos emphasize conservation and education as their central institutional missions” (5). She uses the example of Timmy the gorilla to support her argument. Timmy was born in the wild in Cameron, captured when he was 1, and transported all the way to the U.S. to be kept in a zoo. He started his journey at Memphis Zoo, and was relocated multiple times for his own well-being. He died at the age of 52 in Louisville Zoo living in their “Gorilla Forest.” Braverman stated that he was protected in every aspect of his moves as all gorillas and animals are, which shows just how well-cared for captive animals are. For example, “IATA’s Live Animal Regulations specify every inch of the container used for shipping gorillas, including its sides, floor, roof, door, ventilation, and food and water containers” (12). She emphasizes 7 areas of animal captivity that have had major improvements since Timmy was first brought to America. These improvements are in the areas of, “… naturalizing, classifying, seeing, naming, registering, regulating, and… collectively reproducing zoo animals” (187). Although Braverman’s points do show improvements made by zoos in regards to animal safety, they do not account for all animals and zoos. Zoos are still businesses and will do whatever it takes to make money, even if that means not taking proper care of their animals.

Animals evidently suffer both mentally and physically during and after captivity. Animal captivity is an important issue because animals continue to suffer due to the effects of captivity. Zoos cause animals to become stressed due to lack of space and activity which, in turn, leads to animals being damaged physically and mentally. Even if animals are released from captivity, they are not experienced in the wild enough to survive on their own. Animal captivity is a problem that requires a solution because animals have been suffering in zoos for too long, and too many animals and humans have been killed due to animals in zoos. In my opinion, one of the best solutions to abolish animal captivity implement animal conservation and awareness programs into schools. The main goal of zoos is technically to educate people about animals and promote conservation. However, this does not tend to be the case, as zoos are a business. By implanting an animal conservation program into school at an early age, people will not have to go to zoos and pay to learn about animals. I also believe we should push towards animal reserves rather than zoos. Rather than animals living in enclosures in individual zoos, multiple zoos could come together to create animal reservations so animals could roam free and have much more space. Lastly, I believe that we should establish strict policies and laws regarding the mental and physical health of animals that zoos are required to abide by in order to stay open. It would be extremely hard to get rid of zoos as a whole, but it would not be hard to create strict laws that promote better animal care in captivity as well as bigger, better living spaces. Animals in zoos are suffering and something must be done about it. If my proposals for solutions are implemented, there is no doubt in my mind that animals will no longer be forced to suffer in captivity.
