Zoos can be quite controversial among animal lovers. While some people believe that zoos provide a benefit in some ways, I side with those who feel that zoos are inhumane, which therefore should be shut down.
On the one hand, it could be argued that there are some pros of having zoos. Firstly, zoos could provide a suitable living ecosystem for animals, especially endangered animals. Take Sumatran elephants for example, which are often poached for their ivory tusks, they might probably get a benefit from a protected environment, which protects them from illegal hunters. Apart from this, the animals could probably have better health due to the availability of veterinary care. Thus, those two factors might be able to help them to extend their life expectancy.
On the other hand, I agree with those who think that zoos should be closed for their cruelty. Firstly, by being captive inside zoos, animals can feel extremely uncomfortable living in a cage, which is relatively smaller compared with their natural habitat. For instance, whale sharks, although they have immense size, are often seen being confined in relatively small pools, which consequently limits their physical movement and even worse damages their body. Keeping them in captivity likely creates a detrimental effect on their mental well-being and also it is categorised as immoral. Furthermore, zoos are created just for business purposes, where the animals are often forced to perform a show – such as a circus show – to entertain the visitors, causing the animals not to have adequate rest and leading to health issues. The situation happens because the zoo’s owners and the management are irresponsible, merely focusing on gaining as much money as possible without considering the negative impacts on the animals.
In conclusion, while zoos could protect animals from external threats and serve educational content, these reasons cannot justify their operation simply because holding animals in confinement has questionable ethics. Therefore, I remain firmly convinced that competition zoos are no longer permitted to operate.