Should Animals be kept in Zoos?

       Should animals need to be kept in zoos for supervision or should they be released in the wild to live on their own, to survive? Many animal conservation programs have been made to ensure that animals are rescued and given care. There have been programs such as the “Saving Animals from Extinction program for African penguins” with Zoos helping them with the project and many more programs being held to conserve species. However, with this being around, some people have arguments that believe that animals should stay in the wild even if it is an aquarium full of fish.  Then there are other arguments siding that animals should be kept for their own protection. In addition, animals should be kept in zoos because it saves them from extinction, while also zoos can help keep the animals healthy prolonging their life.

      The first reason that Animals should be kept in Zoos is because there is someone who looks over the zoos to see the animals well-being. In the article of “In defense of Zoos and Aquariums”, it has been said that the “The National Aviary, like most other respectable zoos in the United States, is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or AZA” (Clarvit 2). They are the ones who make sure the animals are in a good condition. Moreover, this proves that the animals are in a safer environment and they can’t be harmed which supports that they should be kept in zoos. The article also states that the “AZA evaluates environments, health and nutrition of animals, conducting yearly welfare assessments.Veterinary programs, education programs, safety policies, facilities, security and finances'' (Clarvit 2).  To support that,  this shows that the animals will not be in a way of harm or a position of abuse which is why they should be kept in zoos and people should not worry about the animals safety.

    The second and final reason that Animals should be kept in Zoos is because people want to conserve animals from extinction. In the article of “In the Defense of Zoos”, it shows that there are Aquariums one being the Monterey Bay, they have a “unique program focused on the rescue, rearing, and reintroduction of southern sea otters” (Clarvit 3). This can also be done for Zoos as one of many Zoos, “The Columbus Zoo”, “protects over 555 acres of prairie habitat, an endangered ecosystem that is vital for many North American species” (Clarvit 3). This shows that they want to take action and save the endangered, if they were released into the wild then they would have a higher chance of not surviving. In addition to that, the National Aviary also has a program which in the article “In the Defense of Zoos and Aquariums'' states that they are “the leader of the Saving Animals from Extinction program for African penguins, an endangered species native to South Africa” (Clarvit 2).  This supports that animals should be kept in zoos because it proves it again, it is another program that wants to save species of animals and have them taken care of by zoos so they can live happily.

     Many people do not feel the same way about zoos and that people can have inaccurate claims about zoos/aquariums and that people are being “abusive” or harmful to animals which is why they think that animals should not stay in zoos. In the article of “Cruelty or Conservation”, one argues “figures clearly show that public aquariums are not centers conserving wild populations of fish, but rather nothing more than public entertainment venues that cause suffering to animals who should be living free in the wild..” (Dalton 2). Now, here is why they are wrong. They should be asking themselves, how would they survive in the wild alone? Could it be possible that the animals have health issues? Another part states that “Two rays were said to have open wounds, while others had been debarbed. “It would have been a human who debarbed the rays to avoid getting stung whilst handling them, including for use in touch pools. We don’t have any evidence of how or why it was done, only that it was,” says Threadgill” (Dalton 3).They are wrong because if they have no evidence, then they cannot prove that a human had done an act to harm an animal.

    In conclusion, animals should be kept in zoos. Although others may say it is a bad thing to keep them in zoos, at the end of the day it is their opinion and they should not be quick to judge them. It is our job as humans to think what is right for the animals and support that they should be taken care of in the zoos and be kept there.