University of Regina English 100 Essay: Zoos and Wildlife Debate

This argumentative essay explores the complex and often controversial topic of zoos and their impact on wildlife. The essay begins by presenting the common perception of zoos as places of entertainment where people can observe animals, often under the guise of conservation. However, it quickly delves into the detrimental effects of captivity on animals, including biological and psychological changes due to artificial environments and restricted behaviors. The essay argues that the natural instincts of animals are deteriorated, leading to various diseases and psychological issues. The essay also addresses the breeding programs and the transfer of surplus animals to less suitable environments. Conversely, the essay acknowledges the conservation efforts of zoos, such as protecting endangered species and providing care for sick or injured animals. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for humans to understand the importance of cohabitating with wildlife and promoting a pollution-free environment, encouraging wildlife habitat preservation and education. The essay utilizes various sources to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive analysis of the topic.

Running head: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
Zoos are the places where people visit for their entertainment, hoping to see the
animals, which stay in the wildlife environment. Zoos are adorned like natural environment
in order to tame the animals by providing an essence of their wildlife environment. The
animals in the zoo are exotic, big and beautiful due to which people love to visit the zoo.
However, the animals do not feel entertained much as they are not kept in their native
environment due to which animals suffer (Ballantyne, et al.). Following it, the essay delivers
an argumentative structure on the topic why zoos are not suitable and helpful in conserving
wildlife environment.
The animals are kept within a marked territory bounded by durable glass enclosures.
Though the primary purpose of visiting zoo includes schools trips, family weekend trips and
entertainment, yet little did the visitors know about the sufferings of the animals (Ballantyne,
et al.). The animals are forcefully made habituated with artificial rocks and fake shrubberies
in their surroundings. And the fact that the wild natural instincts of the animals gets
deteriorated by the artificial human made environment, for example, the agility of the animals
like tiger, lion, cheetah becomes poor as compared to the animals living in real wildlife
habitat. In the caged up territory, they cannot chase, run, hunt or fly (Powell and Elizabeth).
Thereby, they undergo drastic biological change and psychological changes. Biological
changes are recognized by the irregularity in copulation, disintegration of sharp canines of
carnivores animals, animals suffer undergrowth in muscle development that is needed to
facilitate their wildlife instincts in order to stay fit and mentally satisfactory. Behaviour is the
primary expression of animals. Through behaviour, one can identify the problems and desires
of an animal. Behavioural changes are often visible caused due to stressful environment, for
example, animals like rhinoceros and gorillas often express their stress through their untamed
behaviour (West, Darryl, and Nigel). Behaviours like hiding from the visitors, fur plucking,
aggressiveness excessive sleep or inactivity, scratching of glass barriers, loud noises. People

2ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
often find thrilling when they see the animals reacting unusual (Powell and Elizabeth). This is
where the sad reality lies because the animals even after trying out their best to convey their
pain and sorrow, they still receive unintelligible crowds who are busy taking their shots and
staring at them with awe.
Animals like elephants, that travel miles after miles with their off springs and relatives
in herds for food and water are confined in zoos within limited space. The animals in order to
survive tries to adjust constantly in a limited space with artificial environmental components.
Through the course of their adjustments, they lose their primal instincts and eventually are
exposed to various diseases within the zoo environments. Hunting is one of the basic wild
instincts of animals. This instinct is destroyed as the prepared food is placed in front of the
animals. There are various diseases that victimizes zoo animals. Such diseases are in the form
of Hepatitis B, Shigella, herpes virus, Tuberculosis and many more (West, Darryl, and
Nigel). There are diversified flying species that are confined in cages due to which the birds
forget to fly. The captivity of birds suffers the problem of heavy wings due to lack of flying.
This further leads to their psychological changes that affect their health as well. The animals
reared in zoos lose the opportunity to learn skills to survive (Keulartz). In addition, it has
been recorded that the breeding programs are encouraged in order to produce cute off springs
and through the viewing of babies, the zoo attracts the visitors. Following it, at times when
there is an excess amount of adult animals, the dealers transfer the surplus animals to
roadside zoos where the animals might suffer the entire life in a warehouse. Through such
incidents, the animals suffer through chronic depression due to which they eventually die
(West, Darryl, and Nigel). The animals, due to their insufficient growth of muscles and claws
along with wildlife instincts, cannot pass on their beastic traits to their off springs. The born
captive animals thereby, are impoverished and do not understand the quality of their natural

3ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
wildlife instinct (Keulartz). The characteristic feature of wild life habitat is destroyed from
their understanding of way of living and surviving in the wildlife environment.
There are certain species that has benefitted from the breeding programs under
captivity. Species like wolves, condors and Oryx are facilitated with zoo-bred genetics that is
used to strengthen the wild life population. It is evident that zoos do invest in putting forward
the measures of conservation programs like ex-situ and in situ conservations in order to
protect the endangered animals. There are many ways to conserve wild life habitat and are
needed to be assessed properly. The animals should be taken care of providing proper food.
Moreover, it is observed that zoos protagonist the species that are going extinct. The extinct
species of animals need care and quality life. The animals are treated immediately when they
get hold of any diseases, the injuries are treated with care. They will not die or undergo any
sufferance due to starvation. In fact, these animals will not go through any social ostracism of
their kind. Therefore, these kinds of animals are suitable to stay in the zoos, which are
actually concerned regarding the animals and provide great attention and protection to the
animals (Mellor, Susan, and Markus). There should be legal laws and firm legislations that
can support the wildlife conservation in an extensive landscape. The laws must have the rules
and regulation that could penalize the organization, which hold such poor and heinous form
of zoo business (Mellor, Susan, and Markus). The rules and legislation should be applied in
every conservation of wildlife habitat in order to keep a check on the business and regulate
the process or program in a fair way. Such steps would help the programs be recognized as
the act determined to attain the welfare of the wildlife animals.
From the above discussion, the essay develops a clear picture of the animals at zoo.
With respect to the above discussed matter, it is concluded that the human culture must
understand that the existence of wild life and species share the same space and following it is
necessary to cohabit to get a sustainable environment to survive. Therefore, human beings

4ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
must take steps to keep the wild life environment pollution free and encourage planting trees
to preserve wildlife habitat. It is necessary to educate the people around how to preserve the
wildlife conservation in order to attain sustainable environment for the animals so that they
can attain potential growth. The argumentative structure of the essay highlights the adverse
impacts on the life of animals at zoo. The essay also establishes the wildlife conservation
program in order to bring an awareness of the importance of preserving a wildlife habitat and
the ways to protect the endangered species. Through the instances of the conditions of animal
in zoo, it is understood that the taking care of animals is crucial. Just for the sake of people’s
entertainment, one should not take away the animals’ freedom to fly, run, and swim endlessly
in their own natural habitat.

5ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
Work cited:
Reid, Robin S., et al. "Evolution of models to support community and policy action with
science: Balancing pastoral livelihoods and wildlife conservation in savannas of East
Africa." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.17 (2016): 4579-4584.
West, Gary, Darryl J. Heard, and Nigel Caulkett, eds. Zoo animal and wildlife immobilization
and anesthesia. John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
Keulartz, Jozef. "Captivity for conservation? Zoos at a crossroads." Journal of Agricultural
and Environmental Ethics 28.2 (2015): 335-351.
Roe, Katie, Andrew McConney, and Caroline F. Mansfield. "The role of zoos in modern
society—A comparison of zoos' reported priorities and what visitors believe they
should be." Anthrozoös 27.4 (2014): 529-541.
Murphy, James B., et al., eds. Komodo Dragons: Biology and Conservation. Smithsonian
Institution, 2015.
Powell, David M., and Elizabeth VW Bullock. "Evaluation of factors affecting emotional
responses in zoo visitors and the impact of emotion on conservation
mindedness." Anthrozoös 27.3 (2014): 389-405.
Seguel, Mauricio, and Nicole Gottdenker. "The diversity and impact of hookworm infections
in wildlife." International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 6.3
(2017): 177-194.
Ballantyne, Roy, et al. "Visitors' values and environmental learning outcomes at wildlife
attractions: Implications for interpretive practice." Tourism Management 64 (2018):
190-201.

6ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
Gaengler, Hannah, and Nancy Clum. "Investigating the impact of large carcass feeding on the
behavior of captive Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) and its perception by Zoo
Visitors." Zoo biology 34.2 (2015): 118-129.
Mellor, David J., Susan Hunt, and Markus Gusset. "Caring for wildlife: the world zoo and
aquarium animal welfare strategy." WAZA Executive Office (2015).