What do you think of when someone mentions animal abuse?

You probably think of a starving dog chained to a tree, or a cat so flea infested its skin is decaying. But what about wild animals like elephants, felines, zebras, and giraffes. Or even bears, deer and birds. Just because these animals are not domesticated does not mean they are safe. Not only are they abused on a daily basis but you are supporting their abuse and you probably dont even realize it. Im sure all of you have been to a zoo at some point in your life. It costs far less than a trip to Africa and the reassuring bars between you and the supposedly deadly animals makes the zoo a more popular attraction as well. Every year thousands of people are conned into a false interpretation of these amazing animals and how they live in their real natural habitats. In this speech I will discuss the negative effects on animals in captivity, why zoos do not benefit wild animal conservation, and what you can do to help stop the abuse.

First I will start with the one of the most severe, but most ignored, effects on captive animals, zoochisis. Zoochosis might sound like a silly made up word but it is actually a type of depression almost all captive animals develop. You can tell an animal has this if they show any kind of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors, or ARB. These behaviors include obsessive grooming, pacing, rocking, swaying, head bobbing, bar biting, and even self-mutilation. The sad thing about this is zoo visitors dont see these as signs of depressio n, but instead laugh and tell their children the animals are dancing or playing. Zoochosis is caused by taking animals out of their natural habitat and placing them in confinements that restrict their natural instincts. It is impossible to adequately replicate the natural habitats of these animals. From climate control to mate selection, nothing is natural for zoo animals. Wild animals are used to having wide open spaces and thousands of miles to run, hunt and explore. For example, elephants in the wild travel at least 30 miles a day and live in herds of about 10 adults and their offspring. In a zoo, elephants have very limited space and live alone or with only one or two other elephants. At night and off season they are kept in small concrete cages where they can barely walk in a circle, never mind 30 miles. Tigers and lions are unable to hunt their prey, or run through miles of tall grass. Their food is prepared for them and they have little to no grass at all in their cages. They also have limited space and live very lonely lives. Even birds wings are clipped so they

cannot fly. Some animals die due to of lack of food and improper diets. Privacy is also a large problem. How would you feel being constantly on display and having hundreds of people watch your every move. Even nocturnal animals are put in exhibits that do not allow them to hibernate as they would naturally during the day. This turns their whole world upside down. No matter how many toys or twigs are put in the cages, zoos cannot provide what it takes for these animals to be mentally stimulated. Animals dont need bouncy balls and swings, they need freedom. This lack of mental stimulation causes them to become extremely bored and also leads to depression, or as I mentioned before Zoochosis. In order to control these abnormal behaviors, some zoos will give the animals anti-depressants or even tranquillizers. This is inhumane. These animals never had a chance or even a choice.

Another negative effect on captive animals is a shorter life span. Although it is difficult to confirm the life span of wild animals, there have been studies proving captive elephants will only live to be about 16-18 years old. In their natural habitats, elephants will live to be between 50-70 years old. It doesnt take scientific fasts or years of research to realize that if elephants are dying prematurely in zoos than other animals are too. For example, in captivity 40% of lion cubs die before they are even a month old. In the wild only 30% die before they reach six months. Now considering the fact that there are no predators in zoos and these animals are supposedly fed on a regular basis and receiving medical attention there is no excuse for these deaths. Zoos all over the world claim they are helping these animals and providing education for us, but they are making these animals suffer for no legitimate reason at all. If they really wanted to help them and educate us, they would leave them alone or put more effort into animal sanctuaries instead of animal prisons. The only thing these zoos are teaching the public is that animals are indifferent to us. Our children will grow up believing animals are not individuals and we can do what we want to them for our benefit. Just because an animal cannot tell you they are sad does not mean they do not have feelings. People try to justify this imprisonment by claiming it is for research or conservation, when in reality it is nothing more than a profit for zoo owners and entertainment for us.

My next point I would like to discuss is why zoos do not benefit wild animal conservation. Every year hundreds of animals are taken from their homes and placed into captivity. The supposed point of this is to protect animals from natural predators, hunters and poachers, while zoos help repopulate the species and rebuild their natural habitats. First of all it is about 50 times more expensive to keep animals in zoos than it is to protect them in their natural habitats. There are about 751,931 animals from 6,000 different species in captivity. Only 1,000 of these species are considered endangered. The other 5,000 are just for promotion purposes and profit. Out of the 6,000 captured and forced to reproduce, only 16 species have been released back into the wild. None of these released animals survived because zoos do not provide them with real life living situations and they either starve to death or are killed by other animals because they are too weak and do not know how to defend themselves properly. In fact, zoos usually dont even have any connections with reintroduction programs at all. Their intentions are not to reproduce for the animals benefit but for their own. Baby animals attract hundreds of people every year, but what happens when they arent so cute and cuddly anymore? Older or unwanted animals, called surplus animals, are killed, fed to other animals, sold for their meat and fur or sold to hunting ranches, poachers, and research facilities. How can this even be considered conservation when it is the exact opposite. We are allowing these zoos to immorally kill off these beautiful creatures while we continue to destroy their homes. Instead of wasting millions of dollars on animal prisons why arent we investing in our money in ways that will not only help these animals, but benefit us and our eco system as well.

Finally I want to tell you how you can stop supporting this abuse and actually help these animals thrive in their natural habitats. Of course the most obvious way to help is not to go to zoos; this includes petting zoos, circuses and even aquariums. I know you probably think Im crazy but there are plenty of other ways to observe and learn about animals without holding them in prisons. Watching TV channels such as Animal Planet or Discovery, not only offer more education but the animals act more natural and exciting when they can go about their business in a natural manner. There are thousands of interesting books and videos that also offer more

interesting facts rather than a small paragraph on a piece of wood outside an animals cage. Going on an African safari ride or visiting the Tropical Rain Forest might be a little extreme, but they arent the only places amazing animals live. Take a walk through a nature trail or hike up a mountain. You never know what you might see and as long as you respect nature you are doing far more help that supporting a zoo. You can also go online and donate to non-profit organizations that help these animals. There are tons of programs that work to protect all kinds of wild animals in all types of habitats and they need your help.

I hope now you understand how serious the abuse is for these zoo animals. They are suffering, being immorally tortured and killed for profit and entertainment. Is a life of depression and loneliness for these animals really worth a day at the zoo? The excuses of conservation and protection can no longer be justified. If only these animals had a voice. If only you would take the time to notice the sadness and despair in their eyes.