The practice of keeping animals in zoos has been a trend in most countries. Nowadays, they have developed into “animal parks” or similar facilities. This issue, it is believed, would bring about, in spite of some possible disadvantages, several advantages that I will outline in my essay.
Perhaps, one major drawback from this issue would be the unnatural way in which animals live in such places. For example, captive animals do not need to hunt or raise offspring, and this means that they are not living as nature intended. Furthermore, animals probably suffer mentally when kept in captivity, even if their surroundings are spacious and similar to the natural habitat. Symptoms of mental issues range from repetitive behaviour to eating disorders, and these are often seen in captive animals. Finally, it might be said that zoos add little to animal conservation, which is better served by preserving their habitat.
Moving to the benefits, first, it might be said that in most cases they offer a secure and peaceful setting for animals, for example in high quality wildlife parks or reserves. Second, the animals would suffer from loss of habitat or poaching in the wild, and in captivity they are at least safe and able to breed successfully. Last, zoos and animal parks are part of an integrated system of protecting animals, involving habitat protection, breeding programmes and disease control. This all helps to safeguard endangered species and thus preserve the global ecosystem for the future benefit of all life forms.
Overall, it seems that zoos and animal parks play a crucial role in protecting endangered species and preserving global ecosystems. However, zoos prevent animals from living as nature intended, so it is better to allow them to hunt freely and raise their young in the wild.