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Remi Lin 411110208

Professor Paul Bellew

CCII, Group B

Apr. 21, 2024

The Ethic Issue: Animal's Life in Captivity

Serving as entertainment for humans and protection for animals, the zoo is a popular

vacation spot for people of all ages. However, recently more and more studies indicate that

captivity has caused mental and physical injuries to animals. Even though some zoos help

preserve endangered animals, a number of zoos do not offer animals good living environments.

According to “Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost”, Emma Marris pointed out that

some of the animals in the zoo have to take medications due to the psychological effects of

captivity (especially for social animals which require interaction with other animals, and large

animals such as elephants), while another study evinces that the captive animals has undergone

some change in hormones (Bekoff and Pierce 44). However, it is implausible to close all the zoos

down in one instance since the zoos’ animals have lost the ability to survive in nature, and some

zoos do serve as sanctuaries for endangered animals. Therefore, to balance between the captive

animals’ welfare and humans’ entertainment, the current environment in zoos should be

reformed.

First of all, captivity causes psychological problems for certain animals. According to

Marris, there are cases where zoos need to use psychoactive drugs to control animals’ behavior.

For example, a polar bear in Central Park Zoo couldn’t stop swimming and was later prescribed

Prozac, which is a medication used for the treatment of mental disorders (Marris). In addition, it

is indicated that stereotypies, meaning uncontrollable repetitive behaviors or movements

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resulting from mental illness, are generally observed in zoos (Bekoff and Pierce 43). This

condition is even more severe when it comes to giant animals like elephants and gorillas. There

is research presents that “as many as 80 percent of zoo carnivores, 64 percent of zoo chimps, and

85 percent of zoo elephants have displayed compulsive behaviors or stereotypies” (Marris).

Lastly, loneliness is also an unavoidable problem for social animals in zoos. Animals such as

elephants, wolves, dolphins, etc. suffer from solitude in zoos. (Bekoff and Pierce 45). However,

zoos can barely provide such a broad space for animals. On the other hand, captivity causes

physical damage to the animals as well. Captivity has induced long-term activation of the

hormonal system in animals' brains. In other words, the animals trapped in zoos need to cope

with stress more frequently than those living in the wild. Apart from the effects on the brain, the

captive animals’ movements, sleeping habits, immune systems, and so on can be severely

changed (Bekoff and Pierce 44). The bad effects mentioned above provoke contestation over

captivity.

However, it is impossible for countries all over the world to wind up the operation of

zoos, especially when zoos have become a business. Moreover, animals that have lost their

habitat have to be kept in zoos. To balance animal’s welfare and people’s entertainment needs,

the modern zoo should be reformed as soon as possible. Dr. Ganzert, the president and CEO of

the American Humane Association, states that the American Humane Association is aiming for

higher requirements of zoos and aquariums for animal welfare (Ganzert). Another example is the

Detroit Zoo. The zoo incorporated technology into exhibitions, where the “three-dimensional

animal documentary experience and the virtual safari” replace the original animals, which

creates an animal-free space while people still enjoy the company of animals (Bekoff and Pierce
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46). Nonetheless, not every country has advanced technology that requires a large amount of

funds, especially for underdeveloped countries.

Moreover, due to the lack of awareness of animal rights, the citizens will not approve of

the government putting a lot of budget into the development of zoos. Therefore, one of the most

important and effective solutions is to raise public awareness of animal rights and understanding

of the living conditions of captive animals. Animal rights and the living conditions of captive

animals should be added to the current curriculum.

To sum up, improving the current zoos’ environment to balance human demand for

entertainment and animal welfare is the most important issue that modern zoos should focus on.

Even though zoos play the role in providing sanctuaries for endangered animals, its confined

spaces cause psychological and physical problems to animals. To resolve the recent dilemma

zoos and animals have faced, raising public awareness of the living conditions of animals in zoos

is essential for the further development of zoos. With the support of the public, the reformation

of zoos will arrive sooner or later.

Word Counts: 737

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Works Cited

Bekoff, M., & Pierce, J. “A Postzoo Future: Why Welfare Fails Animals in Zoos.” Journal of

Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol. 21, 2018, pp. 43–8,

https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2018.1513838. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Ganzert, Robin. “Zoos Are Not Prisons. They Improve the Lives of Animals.” Time, 13 June

2016, https://time.com/4364671/zoos-improve-lives-of-animals/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.

Marris, E. “Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost.” The New York Times,11 June 2021,

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/opinion/zoos-animal-cruelty.html. Accessed 29

Mar. 2024.