IELTS TAKS 2 : ZOOS

Question

Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

 

It is often argued that zoos are inhumane and should be abolished whilst others believe that zoos play a critical role in preserving wild animals. While the breeding schemes in the zoos contribute to the conservation of endangered species, I believe that suffocating living conditions that many animals held in captivity suffer from are unacceptable.

On the one side of the argument, there are many who claim that zoos are building up programmes to save species facing extinction by successfully bred them in captivity. This is important for ensuring the survival of animals under threat from poaching and destruction of habitat caused by human activities. For example, dozens of zoos across North America have joined hands to bring black-footed ferrets, California condors, red wolves and several other endangered species from the brink of extinction to life. 

On the other hand, there are a large number of zoological parks around the world that house their animals in cramped cages with very little space to move around or behave naturally. The animals captivated in zoos for too long will be devoid of natural instincts and that can lead to them being distressed and depressed. For instance, tigers, the king of forests, with those vigorous signature characteristics, when being domesticated in zoos, have lost most of their original instincts and became nowhere like the tigers living in their own environment.

In summary, zoos are great places to safeguard the dwindling population of many species but in my opinion, all existence species have their right to live freely and be themselves so the zoos should not be allowed to exist.