Are Zoos Humane?

When thinking about what to consider when doing background research for the zoo, ethics seemed to be an interesting thing to look into further. When I think about zoos, ethics is not something that usually comes to mind. I never thought of zoos being a showcase of animals and how sometimes they are not always in the perfect living conditions, especially when they are not in their natural habitat. According to thehumanesociety.org, some of the problems associated with zoos are: not meeting the minimal requirements for exhibiting animals and having outdated exhibits because they focus on the more glamorous species.

The website suggests ways to minimize these problems. One being focusing on “organizing the zoo around a core mission that educates the public about the needs of animals and the threats they face” (“Humane Society of The United States”). Another core process to keeping the zoos humane is keeping the animals in a habitat that is as close to their natural as possible. They should treat their animals with the “highest degree of humaneness and professionalism” (“Humane Society of The United States”).

I also found another website explaining the ethicality of zoos. The first question to ask is whether or not it is morally wrong to keep animals in zoo. The bbc.co.uk gives both the animal rights answer and the animal welfare answer. Animal rights refers to if one is thinking the animal has rights and animal welfare is addressing the point of view that it is wrong to keep an animal in a zoo if the animal would have a more pleasant life outside the zoo.

According to the animal rights answer, it is wrong to keep animals in zoos because it treats animals as a means to achieve some human end, the animals fail to get the respect they deserve and it violates the animal’s right to live in freedom. And according to the animal welfare answer, it is wrong to keep animals in the zoo because the animal is deprived of its natural habitat, the animal might not have enough room, it is deprived of its natural social structure and companionship, it is forced into close proximity with other species and human beings which may be unnatural for it, the animal may become bored, depressed and institutionalized, and many more (“BBC”).

However, the other side to the story is that if a species is endangered, keeping them in the zoo can help to save them from becoming extinct. As long as the animals are treated ethically and with respect then it is a good idea to do this. After researching this topic a little more I feel as though I could make a more informed decision about my standpoint on this issue. How do you feel about this issue?

 Sources

"Ethics Guide." BBC. BBC, 2012. Web. 23 Apr 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/entertainment_1.shtml>.

"Zoos: Working to improve zoo conditions and promote natural habitats." The Humane Society of The United States. The Humane Society of The United States, 25 Sept 2009. Web. 22 Apr 2012. <http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/zoos/facts/zoos.html>.