Animals in Captivity

By: Amy

          Have you ever wondered how animals in captivity feel? I would feel trapped. I don’t understand why people put animals in cages for their entire lives. Both their mental and physical health will be affected. In fact, I believe that animals are much better off in the wild.

Many people don’t consider that animals in captivity have been removed from their natural habitat. We know that God created all creatures to live on the earth in their natural habitat. They were each created in a special way to adapt to their environment. When they are taken and placed in captivity, it can be very hard on them.

In many cases, animals are in zoos or theme parks so people can make a lot of money off them, but it is not to benefit the animals whatsoever.

Many studies show that captivity affects animal’s mental health. For example, their stress level increases and they show abnormal behavior.

In a movie about killer whales at sea world showed how the whales became aggressive towards each other while having areas that were too small. Their aggression would sometimes cause death to the other whales and even their human trainers. One mother whale was separated from her baby and she made crying whales sounds for days. A study on tiger’s show that they begin to pace and become anxious when they are in an unnatural habitat and many animals would become bored. It is also important to remember that some animals are very smart and that captivity would be even more difficult for them.

Have you ever wondered why some animal species are going extinct? One of the main reasons is captivity. Animals in captivity are affected physically. For example, many animals are unable to nurture or care for the young. Female chimpanzees get their nurturing skills from their mothers. However, young chimps that have grown up in captivity are not able to learn from their relatives in the wild.

Wild marine animals can travel up to 100 miles daily, eating and socializing, however in captivity they are unable to show their natural behaviors due to lack of space. They would be unable to swim in a straight line for a long time or dive deeply.

Other physical behaviors animals would not be able to do are climbing, stalking and running. Hunting is an important physical activity for predators such as tigers and lions.

In conclusion, I am not in favor of animals being taken from their natural habitats. There is enough evidence to demonstrate that their physical and mental health are greatly affected. God did not create wild animals to be trapped in zoos for human enjoyment!