Ritu Kanal
Zoos have been a part of almost all our lives; it is a form of entertainment where we as humans gawk at caged animals, enjoying the excitement of the sight of exotic animals in familiar surroundings. Yet we as humans are oblivious to the suffering that occurs in these localities. Around 175 million people visit Zoos each year globally [1], with over 1500 Zoos across the globe, there is no shortage of “entertainment” humans gain from these inhumane captivities. Though all looks great to humans, it is a very different story from the other side of the bars. The following will uncover the plight animals in captivity experience.
It is well known that animals are taken, viciously, from their natural habitat and that they are held in Zoos against their will. We as humans have the privilege of choosing where we go or stay but imagine having this taken away from you, imagine that you are now forced to live somewhere else, probably separated from family and friends. That’s what we are doing to these innocent animals. For our own amusement we make their lives a constant struggle. The separation of the animal from its natural habitat is not the only cause for concern here, the journey they make to the Zoos are extremely long most Zoos do not provide the necessary means to make the journey as safe as possible for the captured animals which eventually leads to sickness or even death.
Zoos deprive animals of the essential space needed, enclosing their lives in cages. Disturbing instances of small cages are quite common in Zoos, but the most alarming fact is that more than 60% of the animals in Zoos have self inflicted marks on their heads due to incessant banging on the bars of their cages, this was brought to light by an Indian animal rights activist, Maneka Gandhi. Shocking statistics show that animals will continue to fight their cages, they bite them vigorously and rattle them relentlessly which causes harm to the animal and can cause