Oct 9, 2008

:A Rush of Blood to the Head

No!, no voy a postear todos mis ensayos que haga pero este me parece bastante interesante por si alguien lo lee :/.
Es mi opinion en contra de los zoologicos. Tenia que hacer una carta al editor de un periodico.


October 8th, 2008


Dear Sir:


Over the years many animals have died in zoos because of the conditions they are living in, with poor physical activity and stress caused by being held in a very small space. Zoos are intended to be educational but the only message transmitted to people is that it’s ok to capture animals from the wild and maintain them away from their habitat. Animal’s nature is not to be kept in a cage as entertainment for all of us.
Years ago families planned trips to the zoo as a fun activity. Kids waited for the weekend to go see their favorite animal. Back then there were no video games, no cell phones, and no computers. Children do not pay much attention to these places anymore. They actually find it quite boring. What they want is to see some action, an animal making funny gestures or movements, as if they were born to do so.
Many zoos claim to protect endangered animals because their own habitat has been destroyed or they just simply are not able to survive by themselves. The truth is that they don’t need our help, if animal’s habitats are damaged it’s because of humans interference. If certain species are disappearing it’s the nature of life, over the years animals have come and gone, they have changed, evolved, all of this without our “selfless” help. If we are to protect animals why don’t we do something when a hurricane is about to hit, why don’t we take all of the animals we possible can in a refuge? No, we don’t have to! It’s the way nature goes.
Animals are kept for no good reason. Captivity makes them feel depressed, bored and angry. There’s a term for this known as zoochosis, the symptoms vary depending on the animal. Most felines tend to nervously pace for several hours that there have been cases of paw impressions in the soil. Polar bears swim in circles and over-groom themselves so they present irritation on their skin and loss of hair. Giraffes lick the walls, bars, or gates and twist their necks in an abnormal way. These along other symptoms like head rocking, self-mutilation, and vomiting have been presented by several animals in zoos. And what benefit do animals have in environments like this? It’s not a win-win, humans are the ones that make money with this (entrance fees), they please themselves observing animals more closely, they educate themselves by seeing animals suffer. They even go to zoos to tease animals. In 2004, Dallas Zoo’s zookeepers spotted a couple of teenagers throwing rocks at 300-pound gorilla, Jabari, which later escaped and snatched a three year old kid. The gorilla was shot to death. Like-wise Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, attacked three young men and killed one of them. The police report later determined that the feline was provoked and the survivors admitted they had consumed drugs on that day.
Whether teased or not, there have been several situations of animals attacks in zoos, which proofs they are not supposed to be kept in this torturous places. Imagine that a recreational visit to the zoo ended up in a tragedy like this. What is the point of exposing kids to experiences like this?
However, cruelty does not end here. The WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) an association that regulates zoos, states in their code of ethics:
Animal wings are clipped for management purposes, contraception is valid for population control, animal tissues are used for research, the marking on animals should be done in a way that minimizes suffering (meaning they still suffer); and most important, the exhibits must be the right size so each animal can express it’s natural behavior.
This is just ridiculous, elephants need thousands of acres to live like they are supposed to and zoos cannot afford it. In fact, Detroit Zoo among three other zoos, have given up elephants because they have recognized it’s cruel and expensive to keep these animals.
Most zoos rely on taxpayer and entrance fees, all of this money can be used to protect animal’s habitats. Media and education are the best way to promote animal rights. I would like to invite people to take some actions on these issues. Being aware and spreading the word are the very first steps. There are tons of things that can be done to create a better environment for both humans and animals.

Sincerely,

Me

/b a c k. t o. t o p