How can we help the Animals in Zoos?

          So how can we solve the controversy on zoo's you may ask.  Well, there are many ways that we could protect the animals without having to travel to their natural habitats. We could make animals' enclosures bigger, to allow the animals to run free with other animals from their habitat.  Also, we could start to conduct background checks on all zoo keepers along with proper training regiments to reduce the possibility of animal abuse.  This training would also eliminate the possibility of people who just want a job from applying.  There are zoos arround the countrybin which there are no enclosures, and the animals run free.  This would give the animals more room to move, but would make it more difficult for keepers to retrieve an injured animal for treatment.  According to the people at PETA,  the main problem with zoos is the size of the enclosures.  They also say that the animals in zoos develop self-destructive behavior, such as self mutilation and bar-biting.  If zoos had bigger enclosures and gave their animals more things to do,  I think that the whole problem with zoos would be solved. 

My Opinion of Zoos

Being fairly young myself, I believe that zoos are a major part of everyday society.  Zoos are where parents and grandparents bring their babies and grandchildren when they are first learning about the world and what is in it.  As a baby, my first major trip out of the house was a trip to the Denver Zoo with my grandparents.  The excitement in a child's eyes when they see the lions yawn or the orangutans climb up the rope structures.  This is the reason that zoos are often used as field trip destinations for children learning about the diffrent kinds of animals.  These field trips entertain children while the learn about the animals in diffrent ecosystems.  Zoos also help with the conservation of many endangerd animals such as vultures and elephants.  Most animals in zoos now are rescued from circuses, or abandoned by their mothers in the wild.  Zoos have many positive aspects that are not hard to find if you are willing to look for them. 

The Controversy of Zoos

In the world of zoos, there are many instances of controversy between animal rights activists and the zoos them selves.  Although most zoos are humane and take good care of their animals, some zookeepers are inexperienced and abuse animals without knowing it.   I believe that zoos should only  hire zookeepers who are experienced and have a passion for taking care of wild and endangered animals.  Also on the board of controversy is the keeping of elephants in zoos.  Animal rights activists say that elephants, nomadic animals when in the wild, are being repressed in their pens due to the lack of space they are given to walk about.  The animals can develop chronic leg and foot injuries from standing around all day.  Although there are some instances of similar injuries in zoos, for the most part, i believe that all of the animals are well taken care of and that they have large amounts of stimulation, both mentally and physically. 

The History of Zoos

Before public zoos, royalty kept small numbers of exotic animals in their homes. These wild animals were for the royal’s entertainment and to show the rulers social status. In early Egypt,Pharaohs housed large and powerful animals, such as bears and elephants, in menageries,or indoor zoos.  Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt was rumored to own baboons that she had acquired along with myrrh saplings.  More modern zoos, however, often began as a small .personal collections owned by wealthy members of society.  These collections were shown to guests who later believed that the beautiful animals should be shared with the public.  Many animal rights activists disagree with keeping animals on public display, claiming that the animals’ life spans are shorter in captivity and that the animals have no stimulation to keep them entertained.  Although I do not necessarily agree with these opinions, I do believe that we should try to make life more exciting and eventful for the animals that live in our zoos.