Animals Behind Bars

767 Words4 Pages
The National Zoological Park is a place of wonder and excitement, not only for tourists and children, but for anyone who is lucky enough to reside in Washington, D.C. Since moving to D.C. last August, I have been to the zoo quite a few times. The animals are beautiful to look at and I always seem to find an exhibit or feature I have never seen before. In addition, the fact that elephants, lions, and pandas, along with many other animals, live less than two miles from me, a short five minute drive, is simply mind-boggling and utterly fascinating – those are some pretty cool neighbors. However, it was not until this project was assigned that I truly began to think about the animals themselves. Of course, they are awesome to look at, but it must not be nearly as exciting for them as it is for us. These animals, meant to run free in deserts and jungles, are kept behind cages or glass walls, restricted to the smallest of play spaces and their artificial, makeshift habitats, children banging on the glass and cameras flashing in their faces. Is it not inhumane to keep these wild animals behind bars in these conditions? I conducted some research on the effects of being kept in a zoo on such animals and found rather interesting results. For example, attempts to keep elephants from becoming extinct by placing them in zoos actually cause them to die much sooner than they might if they were free. A combination of “chronic physical ailments, social deprivation, [and] emotional trauma” (PETA) contribute to their premature death. In addition, elephants in zoos often face a lack of adequate exercise space. Elephants travel over 30 miles per day in the wild, yet are unable to do so in their small zoo enclosures, besides shuffling back and forth between facilities. While the zookeepers certainly must have good intentions, no zoo is truly well equipped to care for these animals.
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