Animal Captivity Argumentative Essay

With all of the shocking headlines that zoos have been making recently, animal captivity has become an extremely controversial topic. Whether it be a zoo, aquarium, or safari park, these establishments are all constantly scrutinized for keeping animals from their natural habitats. Although many don’t realize that captivity is a large benefit to animals and humans alike. While a negative light looms over this topic, many tend to forget about the valuable information gained from being able to study animals up close. More people should view animal captivity as a positive aspect of society because it educates the public, assists in saving endangered species, and is very beneficial to numerous areas of scientific research and .
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Scientists research animals by tagging them in order to study their movements or migratory behaviors, if any. Researchers follow specific procedures for animals in order to cause no harm, but will end up assisting the animal. An example of research in captivity is that of flamingos, which gives people opportunities to study the species. Zoos allow for study on animals to be available for research, which in other cases make “observations of detailed behaviors… impossible,” (King 142). Zoos have opened opportunities for research to species that would otherwise be considered dangerous or difficult to study in the wild. Thanks to the captivity of flamingos, Catherine king was able of study flamingos at a close range, which is hard to do in the wild. The research opened up by the captivity, have allowed scientists to study flamingos better, which gave way to information on Lesser Flamingos’ nests and eggs and James Flamingo nest and eggs, which were not described until 1954 and 1957, respectively according to King. Data on the birds have caused scientists to reveal
At these establishments people of all ages are able to learn about animals, the ecosystems they live in, and the conservation measures that are being taken to preserve them. Educating the public is also a crucial aspect in the continuation of programs that work to help animals. In the article, “Beyond Threatened Species And Reintroduction: Establishing Priorities For Conservation And Breeding Programmes For European Rodents In Zoos,” authors Gippoliti and Amori believe that education is, “...essential to increasing public participation and support for biodiversity conservation.” Without public awareness, these programs would be nonexistent and certain animal populations would continue to diminish until they became