Wild Animals Solar Power Energy Generation Guide
Wild Animals Stressed In Captivity
By Genevieve Thomson
Over the years, a number have spoken out against bad
zoos that hold wild animals prisoner. "The saddest
thing about zoos, is the way they drive animals mad.
Much of the behavior we take for granted in zoo animals
– repetitive padding up and down, head banging, obsessive
paw swinging, or just plain moping is actually psychotic,
the sort of thing humans get driven to, when they are
kept in solitary confinement," wrote Bill Travers,
co-founder of Zoo Check, an animal protection charity.
Environmental Advocate Julia Allen Field added, "We
cannot glimpse the essential life of a caged animal
-- only the shadow of its former beauty."
Writer Russell Hoban argued, "The zoo is a prison
for animals who have been sentenced without trial and
I feel guilty because I do nothing about it. I wanted
to see an oyster-catcher, so I was no better than the
people who caged the oyster-catcher for me to see."
Some Animals Are Difficult To Breed In Captivity
Organizations like Animal Liberation Victoria rigorously
debate zoos as positive forces of change. They argue
that only 120 out of 5,926 endangered species are in
breeding programs in zoos, not to mention animals like
elephants and pandas are difficult to breed in captivity.
Small populations may resort to inbreeding, which produces
weaker offspring. The lack of survival instincts, poaching
and habitat destruction threatens the survival of re-introduced
wild animals anyway. Therefore, the argument that these
animal exhibits promote conservation of exotic animals
is a myth, ALV of Australia argues.
Keeping Animals Locked Up In Zoos
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA),
is another wild animals protection organization opposed
to zoological facilities, enclosed pens and wildlife
spectacles.
"Animals are often prevented from doing most of
the things that are natural and important to them, like
running, roaming, flying, climbing, foraging, choosing
a partner, and being with others of their own kind,"
their website says.
"Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to interfere
with animals and keep them locked up in captivity, where
they are bored, cramped, lonely, deprived of all control
over their lives, and far from their natural homes."
Stress And Psychological Dysfunction In Captivity
A 2003 Oxford University study found that wild animals
like cheetahs, lions, tigers and polar bears "show
the most evidence of stress and/or psychological dysfunction
in captivity."
When comparing the space differences, researchers found
that 22% of all zoological society species, including
the Asian elephant, chimpanzee, giraffe and California
sea lion, were kept in spaces 1,000 times’ smaller than
their minimum home range.
Animals Kept In A Zoo For The Amusement Of Humans
The African buffalo’s living quarters were actually
10,000 smaller than the minimum home range for the animal,
on average. Only 10% of the species had enclosures even
comparable to their natural environment’s size.
The author reported that it’s comparable to a
review of human living a life in a telephone box. The
report concluded: "These animals are designed for
a life in the wild, not for a life in a zoo for the
amusement of humans.
It is now down to the public to express their concern
by avoiding zoos."
About the Author:
Genevieve Thomson has written a number of articles on
Our Living Planet, Solar Power and Renewable Energy including
Endangered Animals,
Save The Earth,
Water Conservation,
Whale Watching Trips,
Solar Power System,
Solar Thermal Systems,
Alternative Power Systems,
Hybrid Car,
Recycling Programs.
Look out for new articles as they become available on this site.
Little Known Ecosystem Facts.....
What types of ecosystems are there?
There are many different types
of ecosystems in existence. The tundra, marine ecosystems
such as a coral reef and the rainforest are but just three
examples of over twenty different ecosystems that we are
aware of and interact with on a regular basis.
Your front yard and surrounding area is an ecosystem.
Even the busiest city is an ecosystem by the very definition
of an ecosystem. It is one in which the organisms are
interacting with the environment.
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