For the past few hundred years humans have directly caused the extinction of wild species at a rate 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal rate according to research done by the Center for Biological Diversity. We are heading towards the next mass extinction, and keeping some animals in captivity is necessary to preserve the natural world.

It is imperative that we do everything we can to stop the withering of biodiversity, once the last of a species dies it is lost forever. It is very possible that much of the natural world will be lost due to a lack of foresight in our heavily consumerist society. Future humans will not be able to appreciate the variety and beauty of the Earth that has flourished in the past thousands of years.

Keeping animals in captivity is not a recent phenomenon; animals have been taken out of their natural habitat for thousands of years. Often the animals were taken for the sole purpose of entertainment, with no regard to the impact on the environment or the well being of the animal.

According to the research done by the Zoo Animal Welfare Centre, visitors often have a negative effect on zoo animals. Humans are strange to many of the animals kept in captivity, and our smell, movement, and noise increases the stress levels of many species. These effects become much worse when the animals are given no choices or their enclosures contain no “hiding spots” that they can retreat to after excessive exposure to human viewing.

There is a huge difference between facilities that house animals solely to make a profit and facilities that are dedicated to the preservation of species.

In the past few decades there has been a significant shift in the attitudes of zoos, many have taken steps to become more involved in the conservation of animals. Often times zoos inspire people to be more environmentally conscious from the awe of seeing the beauty of the natural world up close. Many zoos are also active in saving animals that can no longer survive in the wild. The true extinction of a species can be prevented by the existence of zoos. The California Condor went extinct in 1987 but was brought back to the wild and now has an increasing wild population from the efforts of a coalition of zoos and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A huge problem remains that many of these captive species are exploited for profit in parks that do not share these changing thoughts. Some animals, especially marine mammals, are forced to perform in front of large audiences frequently. Orcas are a danger to each other and humans when they live in captivity because they show irregular behavior, in many cases injuring other orcas and their trainers.  

The performance cetaceans in zoological parks should no longer perform. They should be moved to a larger enclosed area such as a bay or sea-pen where they can start to live the semblance of a normal life while still being monitored and tracked.  Orcas have trouble surviving in the wild after a majority of their lives has been spent under human control, and should not be released into the wild where they might lack the knowledge to hunt or interact with wild orcas. Recently, the construction of a beluga whale sanctuary partnered with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation has begun and the plan is that the belugas will be moved there in spring 2019. Sanctuaries for large marine mammals are a lot of work but they are possible.  

There should still be animals in captivity, but the organizations holding them should shift their goals away from profit and more towards genuine care and conservation of the species, as many zoos have started to do. Education and marvel of the creatures in zoos can convince people to care about animals, and want to contribute to their conservation in the wild.

If an animal’s habitat is destroyed it can never be saved or reintroduced into the wild. This is why conservation should be above everything else in our list of priorities as humans. We have become the dominant species on Earth and have an obligation to maintain it, for our future and for every other species’ future.