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Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

Have you visited a zoo recently? Did you think it was cruel to keep animals there? Or did you think there are some good points - like helping to educate young people about animals?

What do you think? Consider the views below and let us know what you think.

  Some creative arguments

 What do you think?  (Comment below)

Print | Comment? | posted on 13 June 2008 15:22

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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

If it is for breeding purposes and to save animals from extinction, it would be ok.
But, not so that people can oggle at them in their cages.
It is better to see animals in their natural environment. If you cant get to the Amozzan or Africa or Alaska well it would be a good idea to see some of Attenboroughs productions
16-06-2008 21:33 | emily
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I think it is ok to keep animals in zoos as long as they're treated right.
17-06-2008 20:04 | DOB

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

it is not fair to keep animals in zoo's they should be aloud run free in the wild!!! it is also not right to keep them in the circus!! IT IS ANIMAL CRUELTY!!!!!!!!!!!
23-06-2008 11:26 | anon
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

Yeah it is if the enclosures are large enough! Think of the fantastic breeding schemes and the educational side!
27-06-2008 21:07 | Aoife R-M
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I think its fine to keep animals in zoos as long as they are treated correctly but they shouldn't be kept there just to be glared at 24 7.
28-06-2008 10:26 | Ellie
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I have a mixed view on this topic. I think that it is horrible to keep animals in cages/closed habitats. But i also think that it is improving the population of the animal and it is for their own statability.
14-07-2008 12:04 | bob
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

It depends whether they have enough space. I agree with endangered animals being bred and kept in suitable and safe enclosures, but being cooped up in a cage is unfair. How would you like it if someone put you in a stuffy cage and people came and stared at you?
22-07-2008 13:03 | anonomous
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

Definately NOT. Every living thing on this planet should be living free in its natural habbitat.
29-07-2008 20:06 | Georgette

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

definetly not
18-08-2008 22:16 | PRIVATE

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

yes
we need 2 see dem
01-09-2008 14:53 | paidrig

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

ya i think it is
01-09-2008 14:54 | john

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

yeah cause they will eat us if they are left out
01-09-2008 14:54 | pppppp
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think safari parks are better as they're more open and the animals are all together, rather than in cages. it's good for animals that are becoming extinct.
i think it's alright if the animals have been bred in captivity and they don't know any different. capturing animals from the wild is definitely wrong. if they are bred in captivity, they should have a large enclosure so they can run around and get good excercise.
09-09-2008 21:34 | Rachael
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i don,t nthink it is all they are doing is siting in a pen for the rest of there life it is sad
10-09-2008 17:19 | chloe

 no it is crul and in humane

i thinc it is crule and has no mening but sume entertanment
17-09-2008 12:09 | wats it to you

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

On very limited circumstances if any. If that animal is injured and cannot survive on its own or if it’s almost extinct with the aim of letting the animals back into the wild (if possible) but when we keep them for our own amusements or for profit then its damage to our souls including those who ignore the wrong. Animals deserve freedom just like us so IMO Zoo's should be closed and pet doctor farms should be an alternative. There is enough documentaries and information to educate kids so I don't think Zoo's are required. I visited a Zoo recently with my 2 Kids and won't be going back every again. Certain animals are more suited to Zoo’s than others but the Lions, Gorillas looked miserable and the animals looked crammed. For those who think they are just animals all I got to say is that what places you above those and if something does place you above those I think our responsibility is to be nice! We all need to mind the planet (now more than ever) and all the small things add up to the BIG things, everyone’s help counts so lets try set examples for others to follow! Aid the wild and not increase the Zoo’s, help the animals and poor people who live with them, recycle and then we can attempt to turn back the clock!
17-09-2008 17:05 | +-=0
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

For certain species of animal, thre must be keep safely in the zoo so that they would not extinct.
20-09-2008 08:04 | Amal_uyah

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think it is a good idea trust me...!!!!
22-09-2008 10:27 | dnt wri

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

yes because you get to see loads of different animals from all over the world in one palce. animals are safe in the zoo.I saw lots of animals in Dublin zoo, it was a lovely day out.
24-09-2008 12:15 | maeve owens

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

sometimz but they do need sum freedom the could use a free pLace where they can run around like an hour a day or something so dont keep them in their cages for 2 long it could drive them mad MAD I TELL U MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!
01-10-2008 11:36 | kIMBERLEY

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

we should not keep animals in zoos for OUR profit and entertainment.

They do not wreck the world; we do

JUST BECUASE THEY CANNOT SPEAK IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY DONT SUFFER

WE ARE HURTING THE INNECENT;IT IS A TERRIBLE CRIME

SOME people are too cruel and small mined to see that


I will NEVER go to a zoo agen


We have NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER to put ouerselves above them
03-10-2008 19:21 | mill

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think if the animals are in the wild they might get hurt and in the worst scenario they might even be killed and thats only for living in their own habbitat. So i think that it is write for them to live in a zoo as long as they have enough space. If the animals are extinced that would be even better just to stop them from becomeing extinced.
08-10-2008 13:58 | Ellen
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

if it keeps animals like polar bears and white tigers out of extinction , i am happy to see them in school!!
15-10-2008 10:52 | no name

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

ya becuase they might become extinct
15-10-2008 12:09 | jebus 2k8 =)
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

what do you think?
if you think about this problem by regarding in terms of the animals?
their freedom?
taken out of their natural environment and climate?
17-10-2008 08:02 | judith

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

to opose mil s answer. i will do anything to keep indangered animals alive and well and if that means taking them out of there natural habatait then so be it .

p.s just because we are keeping them alive does not mean we are putting ourselves above them. we are trying to keep them safe
20-10-2008 18:09 | Ava xxx
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

yes animals should be kept in zoos. Only the endangered spiecese though
22-10-2008 16:11 | daniel filce

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

dont tink they should?
24-10-2008 10:37 | lisa

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I really think is too cruel
28-10-2008 19:10 | nick jonas
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

it think it is alright to keep animals in zoo's but they have to have to have large enclosures and have to be treated right but it would be nice to see them in the natural environment but it is also good because they might die in their natural environment because of poachers.

WE SHOULD KILL POACHERS TO GIVE THEM A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!DOWN WITH POACHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DOWN WITH POACHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
30-10-2008 07:30 | Hugh

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think it is cruel because animals need to be free in the wild and if they are hurt they should be treated well. treating them well doesn't mean locking them in cages.
05-11-2008 11:34 | no name

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

ya you think you see the animals and go home right? but the animals at the zoos have to stay there forever!!! and thats just sad=(
08-11-2008 16:41 | animals are great
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

yes i think that keeping animals in zoos is not right because they sould be free to live anywhere they wont,so the zoo people have no right to take the animals from the wild
17-11-2008 16:00 | the man!!!
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I think it is good and bad as if you keep them in the zoo they won't become extinct.
If you don't keep them in the zoo they can run wild in the wild and live the natural life.
25-11-2008 17:04 | Amrita

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

well,i have two sides to the story.Firstly,i feel that keeping animals in zoos are like animal cruelty.Similiar things have been done to animals,like testing make-up on animals.Animals should be able to inhabit where they want.They should be put back into the wild where they would want to live in.Some zoos treat the animals unfairly and that's another reason why the animals are going extinct.But,there is another side to the story where in the mojority of zoos,the animals are treatedwell and carefully,this is where i think that keeping animals in zoos are a good idea.Most animals get fair treatment and some animal even had babies in zoos!But there are disadvantages to living in the wild.Some poachers try to kill the animals and thats why some are going extinct.Some animals do feel safer in the zoo but some don't get fair treatment.I think that the animals should be able tho pick where they want to live.The wild would be more free but in most zoos they offer big and spacious spaces so that the animals can live comfortably.As long as some anials feel safe in the zoo,they can stay there.But I think that if some animals miss the wild,the could be put back into a resource park and stay there safely so no poachers get them.That way,the animals in thw zoo and the wild would be able to live in peace.The animals really get to pick which place they live in but as long as they feel comfortable in a particular space,no matter if it was the zoo or not,then they should have the right to live there.If anyone agrees with me thank you!!!!!!!!I love animals and I don't want to see them getting hurt but they should really be the ones who get to pick where they live.
27-11-2008 20:25 | Sarah Teresa Hamilton

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think that it is good for the righr reasons.no we dont need to see them but it would be nice to help them survive longer. the conditions should be right but just as animal circuses have gdied out, so too will the animals who are in captivity for the enjoyment of so called civilised human beings
28-11-2008 10:40 | m h

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

it is a good idea to keep some animals in the zoo it depens on what animal it is like keep a lion in the zoo not a parot because you can have it for a pet
11-12-2008 14:00 | Rayanne dooley
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I believe it is wrong to keep animals in a zoo. Who does it benefit. If we want to preserve these animals we must preserve their habitat. Zoos are a Victorian anachronism. As for breeding programmes, the limited gene pool from zoo animals all around the world mean that these captive bred animals will only ever be for show. Did you see how depressed the elephants were before being moved to Germany listing from one from side to another for hours on end like drugged patients in a psychiatric ward. The silver back Grilla that is currently there looks suicidal.
03-01-2009 17:33 | Ian
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

In my oppinion i find that keeping an animal in a cage is WRONG! Also for example a tiger- the tiger is used to living in a HOT climate not somewhere in England or Ireland where it is cold and rainy. Animals have feeling just because they cannot speak, IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY DONT HAVE FEELINGS. how scared would you feel if a stranger took you away from your home and brought you to a strange new environment?? Yeah, i would say you would feel scared,helpless,worried...... well thats what animals in zoos feel like...




I agree with a santuary for breeding extint animals... but LET THEM BACK FREE IN THE WILD.


POCHERS ARE TO BLAME!!!!
09-01-2009 15:07 | Nicki
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

ok heres my rant...
im a keeper at a large zoo in scotland and have been reading some of the comments that people have put about this topic.

I have to say that a lot of the opinions, although everyone has a right to their own, are uneducated and shows a great deal of pure ignorance. Most people rant about how animals have the right to be in the wild....OFCOURSE THEY DO!!!!!!! The reason that they are kept in captivity is because humans have detroyed their habitat, therefore the numbers within species are drastically droppping and theres lots of wonderful species that have gone extinct.
I pose this question to all those that say zoos are animal cruelty.....Do you have any idea how these animals are kept???? All collections have hundreds of standards, regulations and laws of requirements that they ahve to meet to get a zoo licence. PLUS, all the keepers love the animals they work with and put 100% of their effort into looking after and caring for them...its a passion not just a job. trust me!
Dont sit there and take a moral high ground...humans are slowly killing the natural environment...i bid you...Would you give up your aerosol,gas central heating, your car, your fancy trip abroad?????? i severally doubt it!
Here is a horrible but hard cold fact....we are so close to losing many of the wonderful species of animal that inhabit the world...if it wasnt for zoos species such as the barbary lion would be completly extinct and would stand no chance of being introduced back into the wild. Zoos these days are there not for entertainment but necessity and also for education.
My final question to you all....What are you doing to save the worlds animals?????
13-01-2009 21:39 | dawn

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

in some cases i do think it is ok to keep animals in zoos but for those animals that should be really out in the wild or in their orginal habitat then i think that is where they should be! animals that are not endangered should be put back to their old life because it is cruel! how would humans like if animals kept us in cases jst to make money off us? we wouldnt like it or tolerate it so why should they?!
19-01-2009 15:29 | Michelle
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

if its for breeding purposes than thats ok but if theyre keeping the animal in there as an attraction its cruelty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
20-01-2009 15:31 | roisin

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I think, animals deffinatly should NOT be kept in zoo's, if people would stop hunting them everything would be alright.

ANIMALS DO NOTHING TO THE WORLD, WE DO THE DAMAGE.

saving some animals are okay for a zoo, but some should be let wild and get check ups once in a while.
22-01-2009 14:34 | Aisha

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

it is't really if the animal is leaving it's mother. how would you like it if you are being stared at every day! but it's 0k for some animals if they are with their chrildren!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23-01-2009 17:26 | none
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

Well,as long as they treat them right.I mean,it's animal cruelty to keep them there for all their lives,but the female animals can breed so maybe when the babies are old enough they will go back to the wild and then they get some more animals and keep doing the same thing.
30-01-2009 16:38 | Aisling
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

they will live lol they have done so far
02-02-2009 11:40 | hanna
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think it fine i go to a zoo a lot and the seem very happy and the get feed right but if they go back to wild they will DIE
13-02-2009 17:46 | Mitchman28
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

I think animals should be free, not mocked by people on how they look or what they do to survive animals need to learn to fend for themselves not to rely on the human society
18-02-2009 18:43 | ronald

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i agree with every single person here that says keeping animals in zoos is cruel. sure the endangered animals get bred but that can happen in other places. not zoos!! they get very little space to stay everyday and no freedom. some of them aren't even with their families. its just like being kidnapped - poachers take animals from their habitats and take them to zoos. they get separated with their families. everyone has been to a zoo before and it doesn't take a genious to work out that the animals are suffering. they get stared at 24/7!!!! they get mocked and teased and sometimes visitors even hurt them! thanks =)
15-03-2009 22:33 | Mileys.Biggest.Fan

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i have a mixed view on this. they can be kept fairly in a large enclosure and should be fed well and treated in the same way people get treated.They shouldn't be kept in a small cage or be treated unfairly or treated as a form of amusement to people glaring at them.
17-03-2009 19:58 | t.p
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think it is good to keep only endangered animals in zoos but not normal animals which should be living in the free wild........

if you agree with me write a comment..

animals should be happy and free...
18-03-2009 11:21 | sophie b

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

no...... it is an abominable use of money and time. how would you feel if some random people caged you and let fat tourists carted around in buses with their big glugs in hand, staring at you like they havent seen someone like that before? if we used the money put into zoos, we could make a better wildlife protecton agency and stop poachers.
thats my view.....
25-03-2009 13:46 | bob

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think its wrong to keep animals in zoos, in some curcumstances it is right to keep animals in zoos for example, if its for breeding porposes to stop them from being extinct.
if its not for breeding perposes it is an absolute monstrosity !!!! !!
!!! :(
31-03-2009 13:00 | jj

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

i think they should not be kept in zoos have you seen how unhappy they look
08-04-2009 14:39 | lolipop
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

yes it is a good idea because if animals are sick and have no home they can get better in the zoo from the zoo keepers. if they have no home in the wild they might find it hard to get food and water but in the zoo the get it for free!!!
21-04-2009 17:59 | lauren

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?


personally, i am on both sides. . . i don't think that it is fair to keep animals in zoo's just for show . . . however, i think it is very fair if it is just to educate them and help make their lives easier. it is also nice to provide a supply of food and water for the animals to help them survive . . . but i think that eventually they to be able to have a wildlif and they should eventually be able to be on their own and have their own family!!!
27-04-2009 01:21 | clarissa
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 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

It is NOT okay for animals to be kept in zoos!!!! Breeding dosen't always work and it is proven that many spesis go extinct anyway!How would you like to be locked up in a cage for no reason!!!! You can just as easily put them on reseves!!! their behavier is different than their natural behavier!!!!
01-05-2009 17:43 | M

 re: Is it okay to keep animals in zoos?

no, i thinkit is outrageous to keep them in cages forever and ever and ever and ever
06-05-2009 10:44 | grainne
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