The replication of nature in a confined area is the opposite of an accurate portrayal of naturalistic habitats. Despite a professed concern for the wellbeing of animals, zoos can be illustrated simply as collections of specimens rather than an actual home for them. Not only do zoos destroy the lives of the animals that are forced to inhabit them, but they also serve little educational benefit, as they are used as more of an entertainment center than as a learning tool.

“Humanity is the cancer of nature” (Foreman 1). Humanity is being increasingly drowned in excess and as the world demands more, more is destroyed than received in the attempt to displace ignorant cries for another portion of what they can supposedly call theirs. It is only because of a selfish desire for entertainment that zoos are prevalent. In reality, behind the blithesome atmosphere of zoos, there is an underlying channel of sullied corruption which funnels directly into a chain of cruelty for the sole purpose of funds. Funds which only aid in removing animals from their natural habitat to an artificial ‘home’ which is filled with an unfamiliar and unnatural atmosphere, hence influencing them to act differently than if they were in their natural environment. Animals’ natural environment, diet and daily actions are hardly accounted for. This and an utter disregard for the fact that these animals are rarely in contact with humans makes for a veil of the natural, habitual behavior of animals and therefore creates a false impression on how exactly these animals truly behave.

It is argued that the zoos’ purpose is to educate the public on the planets diverse selection of animals. What is not considered however is that when an animal is confined and segregated from their natural habitat, their actions differ completely from their ordinary mannerism and henceforth provide a counterfeit look into nature; zoos are not educating society, they are entertaining them. With the increasing availability of educational opportunities to learn about nature online, traveling to the zoo isn’t truly needed for education anymore. Zoos are manipulative machines that exploit animals to entertain the public in order to receive profit.

Zoos also claim to preserve endangered species. Many of the animals that zoos capture and import aren’t endangered and when they are, they are rarely re-released into the wild. In zoos animals aren’t introduced to many of the obstacles they will have to overcome if intercalated into the wild which weakens the possibility that they will perform well enough to survive in their natural habitat. “Zoos are also pressuring the federal government to weaken the Endangered Species Act to make it easier for them to capture and import animals” (peta.org 2).

Capturing animals from the wild to insert them in a false habitat is not only unnatural, but also detrimental to their health, both physically and mentally. Animals at zoos are closely confined, lacking of privacy, and have little opportunity to exercise. Arising from these conditions are anomalous and in some cases, self-destructive behaviors. Many animals pace within their confines, and when the opportunity arises, many attempt to escape, causing an uproar and great mental anguish to the animal trying to escape. Take for example the issue of captive gorillas depicted within Dian Fossey’s book Gorilla’s in the Mist:

In the wild only some 4,000 gorillas (including all three subspecies) now live in the reputedly protected areas. Advocates for establishing captive gorilla populations thus feel justified in attempting to preserve this most endangered of the great apes in zoos or similar institutions. Because of the strong kinship bonds of gorilla families, the capture of one young gorilla may involve the slaying of many of its familial group, and certainly not every animal collected from the wild reaches its destination alive. Moreover, three times more gorillas have been taken from the wild than have been born in captivity, and gorilla deaths in confinement continue to outnumber gorilla births. I cannot concur with those who advocate saving gorillas from extinction by killing and capturing more free-living individuals only to exhibit them in confinement.

Not only are the animals that are captured from nature torn away from their habitats and family, they are also torn away from their freedom. In confinement they aren’t able to establish the skills in order to survive individually in the wild. The argument of conservation is obviously torn away once one realizes that statistics show quite coherently that deaths in confinement outnumber births, showing the current system of conservation is not functioning effectively. Zoos henceforth are the opposite of conservation since many of these animals when introduced into the wild are unable to cope with the new habitat that surrounds them, devoid of the necessary skills in order to survive. A great number of the animals introduced to their natural habitats do not survive because of this.

Morally, it is hard to view a zoo and state that the animals are at home. Cramped cages, concrete floors, unfamiliar diets and the proximity of these animals to each other are obviously unnatural. Polar bears for example don’t live within 500 feet of both elephants and lynxes. Zoos simply depict the effects of unaccustomed, stressful surroundings in various animals.

Freedom cannot be portrayed in a cage. Accuracy cannot be collected from a false habitat which induces irregular patterns of behavior. Is it truly moral to lock something in a cage for the sole gain of humans? What one ceases to understand is that humanity as a whole is a group of animals as well, parallel to those staring into one’s eyes at the zoo.

 

Works Cited

Berlin, Ann.  “Collection of Animal Rights Quotes.”  Animal Liberation Front. 11.24.07 

<http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Saints/Authors/Quotes/AnimalRightsQuotes.htm>.

Fossey, Dian. Gorillas in the Mist. New York: Mariner Books, 1983.

“Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.”  PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  24.11.07      

          <http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=67>.

 

 

 

 

   Tagged: animal behavior, animal cruelty, animal rights, animals, capture, confinement, conservation, dian fossey, endangered species, endangered species act, gorilla conservation, gorillas in the mist, humanity, nature, peta, poaching, zoos   

A gap has been formed between that which is revealed and masked. I feel that before going too far in depth with the issues, the current state of the media must first be discussed and the nature in which it is presently depicting the world’s issues. Much is shielded and much is conveniently displaced from the main picture. It has become horribly difficult to understand the issues completely when the media outlets are depicting them with such utter bias that there is little left to grip to in regards to the differentiating points of the issue. The current media broadcasts have become so convoluted with bias that sometimes the alternative view is lost. I feel that this bias in the media is not only adding to the issues our world is currently facing, but also starting some of them. Misrepresentation by the media has also become a huge issue. When say a conflict is represented as being closer to being cured when in reality it is in utter chaos or a speech is only shown in increments that depict the speaker differently than originally intended.

Not only is there this growing gap in what is being told and withheld, but there is also a terrifying apathy towards global issues; this can be noted especially in American media outlets where issues broadcasted seem to be based very ‘close to home,’ not taking into account various other issues the world is facing. Sadly the general public doesn’t care to hear about the destruction, chaos, and horrific atrocitities currently facing the world. To get a much less biased picture of global issues, one must seek other alternatives to American media. I feel that in a world with such grand amounts of technological advances that an end to media bias should be found and that both sides of the story need to be represented equally in order for the public to understand the issues at hand with less narrow-mindedness.

   Tagged: american media, broadcasts, global issues, media, public   

I would firstly like to state my views on culture. I believe in cultural relativity: the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual. In other words I believe that all religious, ethical and political beliefs are completely relative to the individual in a cultural identity. Moral values vary from culture to culture and this must first be understood before a step towards understanding another culture can be taken. Once one is released of ethnocentric bias, they can then begin to view a culture not based on their moral backgrounds or upbringing, but instead by the culture’s point of view. I feel that this release of prejudice is a very important first step in order to understand some of the deeper rooted issues and conflicts of the world. Complete ignorance of a culture’s roots, beliefs, and traditions can be a very grave mistake when attempting to comprehend the reasoning behind some of the current crises occurring throughout the world. Although peace is a very pleasing substitute, it does not simply lace through whole societies in the matter of a few months. It’s a delicate process that can take years and if not handled as such, can simply enflare current conflicts even more. A solid basis of knowledge must first be obtained about the history of conflicts before plans for change to even begin to occur, for if change is rushed into blindly, it can literally be catastrophic to a culture.

Judging a culture’s actions from a perspective influenced by one’s own culture and its’ norms further widens the gap between culture. Too often are subcultures formed out of stereotypes, titling whole groups of people for either a minor or major aspect of their culture, but regardless of how much of a roll the aspect may play, it is not accurately descriptive or representative of the culture as a whole. Many times cultural beliefs are misrepresented or presented in a way that suggests superiority. I’ll extend upon these points at a later time.

   Tagged: conflicts, cultural relativity, culture, current issues, equality, ethnocentrism, history, individual, influence, international issues, moral values, politics, religion, roots, stereotypes, subculture, upbringing   

The current state of the world is frustratingly chaotic. Whole nations are melting into conflicts that seem to be endless. I’ve decided I’d like to use this blog to voice my views on current events. I hope to be able to keep it updated as consistently as possible, and although I’m rather busy I can’t guarantee that I’ll keep this updated as much as I’d like to.

To begin, I’d like to first state that I am currently in college to obtain a degree in International Relations. I think in regards to the set-up of this blog that I’ll devote one entry to each issue that way I can go in depth and hopefully get responses on different sides of the issues. I would also like to keep updates on recent developments in the news on certain events and to post pictures and videos along with my entries. So, stay tuned and if you’re reading this post a comment with ideas!

Thanks,

Garrett

   Tagged: current issues, global affairs, world politics