Why Should Zoos not be Banned?
Zoos are famous places of recreation for all ages. Inside the zoos are different animals in makeshift habitats that have been imitated from where animals truly live in the wild. For this reason alone, many animal rights advocates call for the banning of zoos because of how it deprives animals from living lives in the wild; where they should actually be. For people who regularly go to the zoos, this is not enough reason because the zoo, as a social space, is already tightly woven to the urban dynamics of the city anchored on recreation. For them, a zoo is a park that offers more especially for families and children. With this mind, it is important to take into consideration a grey area where animal rights advocates would be able to compromise banning of the zoos into an agreement that would be more favorable to the recreational spaces of the city. In light of this, it is important to see the alternatives that are present when it comes to giving animals in the zoo a better life than the seemingly oppressive experiences they have in confined spaces.
One important to consider is the regulation of zoos and how this is done by a city’s parks and recreation department. It is a well-known fact that zoos are very confining especially for wild animals. The same goes for how being subjected to public scrutiny is an unhealthy experience for the animals. With this, it is important to open the idea that wild animals should be prevented from staying in zoos, for their own well-being. If this cannot be prevented; a more comfortable environment should be dedicated to animals in zoos. If this is not followed by zookeepers and the authorities that regulate zoos, this is when banning should be taken into consideration.
In the perspective of the public, zoos are not completely deemed as evil spaces. For children, zoos are a place of entertainment and fun where they can actual witness animals as if they are in the wild. Here is where the problem lies; awareness should also be nourished amongst children regarding the state of zoos. Through this, probably a better regulation among zoos will achieved that would be beneficial to all parties involved.
One of the main reasons why the discourse on banning zoos is still not yet talked about that much is because zoos have already established their social space and actual space within both rural and urban demographics. People perceive zoos as part of their schema: a zoo is a place that would always be readily available to them and the idea of banning zoos still seem to be a far-off idea. With this being said, the idea of banning zoos completely will never be off the table. It is true that some zoos do not treat animals fairly and these are the zoos that should be closed down in order to encourage other city zoos to not do the same.
Children’s experiences will never be complete without going to amusement park or the zoo. Maybe it’s high time to put an innovation towards the functionalities of zoos at present time. Maybe there are ways with which zoos would be friendly to both visitors and animals. Alternatives would always be welcome in order to ensure that animals in captivities are not deprived of the life they should be having. Aside from this, the process of acquiring animals should also be overseen in order to prevent any mishandling that would badly affect the state and condition of animals and zoos. Lastly, the clamor of animal rights advocates would only be called for and hopefully in the future, there would no longer be worrying about the welfare of animals in zoos.
