Zoos are widespread all over the world, and animal captivation is a subject of ongoing debate. While some people argue that zoos have educational and scientific value, I firmly believe that animals should not be held in captivity, as it has a negative impact on their behaviour and causes them significant suffering.
On the one hand, zoos foster an appreciation of animals in adults and children through personal and memorable experience. Seeing animals in real life has a greater impact in comparison with seeing them in pictures, a wildlife documentary, or via virtual reality technologies. For example, schools hold guided excursions to zoos in order to instil core values of love toward animals and the importance of their conservation. As a result, such places raise awareness about wildlife and the need for animal protection.
However, others believe that zoos serve as a distorted form of education, as they give a false impression of how species behave in their natural habitat and teach children and adolescents that imprisoning animals for our own entertainment, turning living creatures into exhibits, is acceptable. Confining animals to limited spaces restricts their freedom and affects their natural behaviour, resulting in suffering from stress and boredom. Consequently, this is displayed through repetitive or abnormal actions. For example, keeping parrots and canaries in cages alters their psychological state, which leads to their inability to fly. Instead, they prefer walking and climbing. Therefore, limiting animal’s freedom can cause alteration in their behaviour and distortion in our knowledge and understanding of it in the wild nature.
In conclusion, wild animals should not be kept in zoos, as it negatively affects their natural behaviour. Putting them in cages and restricting their territory makes them change their habitual actions, which not only influences their mental state but also has a negative impact on scientific research and the obtained knowledge.