Should We Keep Animals in Zoos?

Kangaroos are native to Australia, polar bears live in the Arctic, and gorillas call Africa home. Yet it’s possible to see all three animals in person on the same day—without stepping on a plane. All it takes is a visit to a zoo.

More than 200 accredited zoos and aquariums exist around the world today. Together, they house thousands of species, from teeny insects to giant mammals. 

The facilities attract an estimated 200 million visitors a year. But despite their popularity, many people have long debated whether keeping animals in captivity is ethical, or the right thing to do.  

Zoo supporters argue that the institutions help promote animal conservation through funding and research. Zoos also let people come face-to-face with endangered animals, such as giant pandas, that they otherwise would never see in person, supporters say.

But zoo critics say even large enclosures are harmful to animals, especially lions and other creatures that typically roam expansive areas. They argue that all animals should live freely in their natural habitats, not cooped up in exhibits for people’s entertainment.  

Should we keep animals in zoos? Two experts weigh in.

Today’s zoos are extremely important to saving wild animals and their habitats. In 2020, facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums contributed more than $230 million to conservation efforts. 

The California condor shows what zoos can accomplish. In 1982, only 22 condors existed in the wild. Thanks to zoos’ efforts to care for, breed, and release these birds, there were roughly 500 of them by 2019, with more than half living in the wild. 

In addition, zoos and aquariums help rescue and rehabilitate endangered wild animals, such as grizzly bears, sea turtles, and Florida manatees, that have been injured or orphaned. 

Research by these institutions also unlocks new ways we can save animals from extinction. For example, technology and resources from the San Diego Zoo in California helped scientists clone an endangered black-footed ferret in 2020. The same process could benefit other species and even bring back some extinct ones. 

In a world where more and more people live in cities, zoos provide a valuable link to the natural world, inspiring people young and old to protect it.

—DAN ASHE
President and CEO, Association of Zoos & Aquariums

There’s no doubt that reputable zoos work hard to take good care of animals and do important conservation work. But there is heartbreaking evidence that many zoo animals don’t enjoy living in confinement. Captive tigers pace back and forth. Elephants bob their heads over and over. Giraffes endlessly flick their tongues. Some studies have shown that up to 80 percent of zoo carnivores and 64 percent of zoo chimps have exhibited these kinds of unnatural behaviors.

Researchers say elephants are particularly unhappy in zoos, given their great size, social nature, and intelligence. They suffer mentally from being cooped up while their wild cousins walk up to 50 miles a day. And elephants kept by themselves become incredibly lonely. At least 20 zoos in the United States have ended their elephant exhibits in part because of ethical concerns.

Some zoo animals even try to escape. Jason Hribal’s book, Fear of the Animal Planet, details dozens of attempts. It’s impossible to read these heartbreaking stories without concluding that these animals desperately wanted out. Keeping animals in zoos isn’t the right choice. 

—EMMA MARRIS
Author, Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World