zoos

Also, thank you to those who read it:) 1. Harm to animals Physically, it is not difficult to see the disadvantages to zoos. Instead of the acres of open land most of these animals are used to, they are penned up in cages or pens, which never exceed an acre--think of how uncomfortable that would be for the children! In fact, the required amount of space for a tiger's cage is 1,728 cubic feet, or a 12 foot cube. . http://www.blurtit.com... Other than space, there is also the temperance in natural actions, such as defending one's livelihood and family. Most wild animals are very protective. By taking them into zoos and teaching them to expect regular mealtimes, play nicely, and expose themselves to humans, we are taking away their instinct and habits necessary to have these animals survive by themselves. Are we trying to breed a whole new set of species? If we breed the domesticated kind from the wild ones, slowly, the wild will begin to fade away and we shall be left with more problems than possibilities. Scientists will no longer worry about recreating the Wooly Mammoth, but more recent extinctions. We have already begun to see this happening, with examples such as the Quagga, a now extinct variety of the Plains Zebra. Once we have an over population of these domesticated animals in zoos, what are we to do with them? Are zoos to become a more exotic version of the pound? Perhaps we could inject/operate on the animals to make them infertile, as they are doing already in some captivity centers. . http://www.sandiegozoo.org... Zoo animals do live longer than those in the wild, because of more civilized health care and fewer vicious attacks, in the western parts of the world at least. There are still many zoos around the world which mistreat animals. Since there are not many statistics on zoos in some of the third-world countries. We consider Germany a fairly civilized country. According to nation master, Germany holds Europe's largest economy and second greatest population. It's GDP per capita (National gross domestic product divided by population~approx. value of goods produced by each person) is $35, 270.36, ranked #19 in the world in 2006. . http://www.nationmaster.com... However, that wasn't enough for some people. In 2008, the Berlin Zoo decided to take matters into its own hands, namely, selling some of the zoo's older animals to a slaughterhouse, where they could reap the rewards from the flesh and skins. . http://www.timesonline.co.uk... While I realize we cannot imbibe other countries with our morals and ideas, they set a bad precedent for future zoos, especially in such civilized and productive countries as Germany. As well as animal abuse from the inside, what about from the outside. Are zoos protected enough? Apparently not. An England zoo experienced horrific carnage due to vandals who invaded a petting zoo. . http://www.dailymail.co.uk... (Warning: Graphic pictures and language) 2. This brings me to my second point. Entertainment. (this section contains some disturbing stories. .. sorry, just a heads up) We are too tolerant in the face of 'entertainment' as a society. I. e. porn, vulgar TV shows, obscene music videos, language in songs that you wouldn't dare say to a teacher or your grandma, etc. However, the majority of these, while not considered appropriate for certain age groups, rarely involve unsuspecting creatures being hurt. Porn does lead to demoralization and shorter life expectancies, mostly for young women in that business, but they are not (at least, not in America) captured against their wills and held captive. These animals have no choice. It is simply the luck of the draw, who will go first and who will stay, forever, for a year, a month, a week. .. Do you consider it fair for animals to be treated in such awful ways, under the slight protection of entertainment? I don't consider things that are 'entertainment' as valuable as 'reserved'. Personally, I remember that as a child, I most enjoyed patting the horses, and feeding the fish. I was scared of the emu and it took me a while to get over my fear of goats. My point is, children's entertainment is not so hugely invested in zoos that slowly eliminating them would be a huge loss for early childhood. Also, under the guise of 'zoos', many animals get illegally transported into international black markets. China is the largest market as of 2008, but the United States of America is a close second, according to Newsweek. . http://www.bigcatrescue.org... Also, another example of America's not-so-great-entertainment industry: Las Vegas. Much goes on there that no one hear about, after all, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Not for Shaquille, however. Shaquille is a 150 lb black leopard, who, as part of a Las Vegas night club act, jumped through rings of fire. If he didn't perform as well as expected, his boss beat him with a baseball bat, in the face, until he was bloody. I apologize for the graphic content of that story. It is true though, and it exemplifies the cruelty of animals provided for entertainment. While I realize that we are debating about zoos, I do not think that animal 'entertainment' is a good reason for captivity. 3. Let's move on to providing jobs. My opponent has not listed any sources, so I shall wait for those. Thank you and Good Night:P