Should wild animals be kept at zoos?

For many people, the zoo is a source of childhood fond memories: swinging monkeys, laughing hyenas and growling tigers. Some say zoos advance their education but others see zoos as prisons where innocent creatures are unjustly held captive. In this essay, I will look at some of the arguments for and against keeping wild animals at zoos. One argument of keeping wild animals at zoos is that zoos provide education and conservation. Children are taught about the value of animals so that they understand the importance of conservation during their visit. They also learn by having a close encounter with the animals in the zoos. They can see, listen to, smell or even touch the animals. This is something that children cant get when they watch the animals on TV. Another advantage is that zoos encourage research and conservation for the wild animals. Researchers can learn about animals by observing their daily behaviour in the zoos and then, they can develop wildlife conservation programs for thousands of animal species. This is particularly crucial to the extinct species. From the above, we can see that there are clearly advantages of keeping wild animals at zoos. However, there are also some disadvantages. The first drawback is that wild animals lose freedom. Even though sometimes some worlds famous zoo-owners claim that the enclosures of zoos have improved by leaps and bounds nowadays, the spacious areas are still no comparison to the wild nature the real home of the wild animals. Worse still, many animals which live in large herds or family groups in the wild are forced to be kept alone or, at most, in pairs only. It is cruel to separate the family life of animals for the entertainment of humans. Another disadvantage is that animals are deprived from developing their survival skills. There is no doubt that wild animals are under good care and well-fed every day so that they can maintain their good shape in the eyes of the zoo visitors. However, this also means that these wild animals can never be survived if they are released to the wild as their ability to fight or hunt for food may disappear. Besides, some animals may also pick up diseases at zoos that could endanger the wild population. In conclusion, there are both advantages and disadvantages of keeping wild animals at zoos. However, I believe that, on balance, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Therefore, I believe that it is best for people to allow wild animals remain living in the wild. (Written by Tony Chan of 3D)