ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY
As the consciousness of nature and the environment developed, some issues which are related to nature start to being discussed very intensely. One of those issues is Zoos. A group of people believe that zoos are an animal prison and must be closed. Another group says there should be zoos for the protection of human species. In my opinion, zoos must be closed; no animals need to be kept in zoos just to have people enjoy it. In other words, animals are not the objects that exhibited to entertain people because the animals are not free there and there is not enough living space for animals in zoos.
First of all, if you have visited a zoo, you have noticed that animals are generally unhappy because they are not free. People think that animals are not intelligent and do not have emotions. Therefore, they do not think that animals will be unhappy when people close them in the cage. Moreover, people think that they rescued animals from the hardships of wildlife, perhaps from dying. However, this is not the truth. Animals are intelligent and have emotions; they can also be angry, happy or unhappy. In this respect, keeping them as captives in the zoo is not moral. Why are they prisoners? What are their crimes? The only difference from human jails is the animals in the zoo did not commit a crime. They must be left to their natural life and be given the chance to live as they wish.
Secondly, wild animals are always on the move and need a specific geographical area for their species to survive. Zoos cannot provide them that space. It is generally thought that in zoos animals live longer, away from disease and nature. However, this is not the fact. The pressure of habitats, malnutrition, and maltreatment shorten the lifetime of animals. Every place is concrete; animals do not have vegetation which is suitable for their habitat. This planet does not belong to only the people and we have no right to close them in the cage.
All in all, we are living in the age of the internet, in the age of technology and we do not need to see them behind bars in order to learn something about them. So why are we still tormenting these animals? All zoos must be closed. Animals must be released to their natural habitats or natural park. If there are some animals that cannot be released, they must be neutered and they must live in their own habitat.
