Animals and the Zoo

the idea that zoos are cruel is some what understandable. people like to think of wild animals in their natural habitats, living free in the way they have done for thousands or millions of years. they think of zoos as prisons for animals. they thinkthat displaying animals in cages for the benefit of visitors takes away from the animals'dignity and confines them in small,uncomfortable spaces. in part, however these people's belief is based on amisconception. it's true that in the past, animals in zoos generally lived in cramped, dirty cages. newer zoos, however, try to duplicate animals' natural habitats as much as possible and give animals a comfortable amount of space.even many older zoos are upgrading their facilities for their animals.
there are a number of reasons why i think that zoos' functions are mainly are mainly positive.one reason is that zoos protect not only species of animals but also individual animals. many species are endangered because of human developement or other environmental problems. as mentioned, some species only exist in captivity.zoos around the world have cooperative breeding programs to increase the number of endangered animals. in the future, it may be possible to re-introduce these species into the wild.furthermore, some animals' native habitats have become dangerous for them, not just because of predators but because of humans.tigers, for example, are often killed becauseparts of their bodies are used in very expensive "medicines". in zoos, at least these animals are protected.
another reason to support zoos is that they provide an educational experince. how many of us would be able to see elephants from africa, penguins from antarcita, or koala bears from australia if we did not see them in zoos? more over, zoos provide information about which animals are endangered and tell us why these animals are in trouble.