Behavioral Issues

Many animals are very distressed due to being enclosed in small quarters. To figure out how zoos affect the behavior of animals I searched and found an article called "Zoos Drive Animals Crazy" by Laura Smith. Smith is writing about an interview with Laurel Braitman who is the author of a new book, Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help US Understand Ourselves. This article highlights the stress put on animals and how it changes their natural behavior. 

 

Stereotypic Behavior:

Stereotypic behavior is a repetitive behavior that serves no obvious purpose. An example of this is Gus, a polar bear at Central Park Zoo that would swim in figure eights in his pool for hours on end. This eventually earned him the name "the bipolar bear." Other stereotypic behavior includes pacing and bar biting. Trichotillomania is also very common in captive situations. Trichotillomania is the practice of repetitive hair plucking. Regurgitation and reingestation is also very common among these animals.

 

 

 



 

An elephant at Kunming Zoo in Yunnan, China

that is displaying signs of repetitive behavior

 

 

 

 

Causes:

These behavior almost never happen in the wild. These behaviors are so common in captivity the name, zoochosis, was assigned to them. The behaviors occur because of confinement and unstimulation. This is due to the animals' small living areas. Gus "the bipolar bear" was living in an enclosure that was 0.00009 percent of the size of the range of a polar bear in the wild. The disruption of a family or pack for the sake of breeding and selling in another issue that causes stress in zoos. Many animals that have lived together for their whole life get split up because there is a good genetic match mate at another zoo. Zoos also get rid of animals to create a more diverse range of animals.

 

Treatment:

Zoos treat zoochosis with a range of unhealthy drugs. Many zoos use pyschophamaceutical has been prescribed. They are used because they are low cost and cheaper than replacing a whole enclosure to make it more enriched. The most common drugs used are Valium, Prozac, and antipsychotics. In the United States in 2010 the animals pharmaceutical industry had $6 billion in sales.

 

My Thoughts:

I believe that the animals' health and well being show through their stressful behavior should not be sacrificed in order to keep people coming to the exhibits. Many animals are suffering from these disorders and we need to change how we keep these animals and what we do to correct our mistakes. Personally, I believe that animals should not be kept in captivity due to these reasons.

 

If you would like to learn more here is a link to a documentary on zoochosis:

 http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/zoochosis-what-really-happens-to-animals-in-captivity-video/

Smith, Laura. "Zoos Are Fun for People but Awful for Animals." Slate Magazine. N.p., 20 June 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

Circuses

After my last post I knew that I wanted to go deeper into the treatment of the animals in captivity. I did some research and I found an article highlighting the torturous circumstances many animals in circuses go through. This includes instances of animal abuse and mistreatment.

 

Caged

Circus animals spend most of their lives in transportation cages. Animals are sometimes allowed to spend some time in an exercise cage. The only other times they get to be outside of their cages is to rehearse or perform. When elephants are outside they are chained by their front and hind leg. Many animals exhibit abnormal behavior such as socking and nodding.

 

Care

Many circuses can not afford to give their animals good care. Many are under fed. They also do not receive proper medical care or frequently cleaned cages. Training includes the use of brutal training methods to establish a dominate trainer to make the animals perform their tricks. Training devices includes tools such as shock devices, sticks with concealed screws or spikes, and severe beatings.

Baby elephant being trained at Ringling  Bros Circus

Embar, Wanda. "Circuses." Animal Cruelty -. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.                         

Are You For or Against Animal Abuse?

Ever since my last blog post I kept wondering if captive animal locations actually benefit the animals. From my experience I know that animals are treated very poorly in places such as these, but I kept my mind open to why people think it is beneficial to keep animals in captivity. I searched up people's different views on this topic and found an article about the benefits and disadvantages of keeping animals in captivity. I looked into this article and found that it is very trustworthy. http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsinentertainment/a/Arguments-For-And-Against-Zoos.htm 

 

Advantages of Having Captivity:
 

Many zoos and aquariums claim that they bring people and animals together. They also say that they protect endangered species through breeding programs and safe environments. This gives the opportunity for educational programs for people of all ages. They also have enrichment programs, so the animals will never get board and can lead healthy and happy lives in the habitats.

 

Arguments Against Captivity:

 

Animal rights activists say that humans do not have the right to keep animals in captivity as well as breed them for our own personal benefit. Many of the animals bread in zoos over populate the capacity of the zoos and are separated from the animals that they have bonded with. This separation leaves them with mental issues and depression. Studies have shown that animals in captivity suffer from stress and boredom as well as live shorter lives. One of these studies includes that elephants kept in zoos do not live as long as animals in the wild. They are very social animals and need to be with other elephants to have a satisfying life, which the zoos do not provide.  If people want to see wild animals they can visit them in the wild or visit a sanctuary that gives the animals freedom compared to a small enclosure.

 

My Thoughts:



After hearing both sides of why we should or why we should not have animals in captivity I feel that the reasons against it ways out the reasons for it. Animals do not deserve to be in captivity and caged up in such a small area. They are treated badly and have shown serious mental issues. There are many alternatives than having animals in captivity such as sanctuaries or just leaving them in the wild where they belong.

 

Lin, Doris. "10 Arguments For and 13 Against Zoos." About.com News &  Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016 

Captivity: Is It Essential?

Ever since I was a little girl I fell in love with animals. I was always fascinated by how diverse they were and how many species existed. My favorite part of summer vacation was spending time at zoos and Sea World looking at all of the animals. Later on, I hated going to these places and seeing the animals caged in small enclosures compared to the space they would normally live in outside of captivity. I now refuse to go to zoos or places such as Sea World. My logic was that if people stopped going to these places they would eventually close and stop having to keep animals under horrible conditions in order to make money. As I was researching this topic I found an article named "Zoos: Pitiful Prisons" by PETA

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/zoos-pitiful-prisons/ This looked like a very reasonable source, so I decided to use it. From this source I learned that many animals died in zoos from poor care and conditions. I then asked myself why so many animals were dying in zoos when they claim to provide services essential to the animals' survival. Many species are doing especially well on their own in the wild without human interference. Although research provides strong evidence about animals living in the wild is better, why are humans keeping species in captivity when it is not essential for their well being?

                           
"Zoos: Pitiful Prisons." PETA. Ed. Virginia McKenna, Will Travers, and Jonathan Wray. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.