General

Visiting zoos is a popular leisure activity for children and adults around the world. Very young children in particular like petting zoos because they are able to touch and feed the animals. When walking around a zoo, visitors get to see many types of wild animals from around the world, which they would never be able to see otherwise. Originally zoos were created to showcase the diversity of the animal world and spread knowledge about nature. Today, many zoos also aim to promote animal protection and save rare and endangered animal species.

Despite these positive objectives, there are significant negative aspects when it comes to zoos. Animals living in zoos experience high levels of stress due to being exposed to constant noise and being surrounded by humans. In the wild, they live in open spaces, while in zoos they are often confined to very small cages. Many people believe that it is cruel to animals to keep them in zoos.

In my opinion, there is only one reason for zoos to exist and that is to help animals survive and, if possible, return them to the wild. Additionally, keeping animals in captivity should not be motived by financial gain.

Last summer, my son and I spent an entire day at the Toronto Zoo. Because it is so big, we didn’t have enough time to walk around the entire grounds and see all the animals. Nonetheless, we had an amazing day and were really impressed with the zoo. All the animals are given a lot of space to move about and their enclosures were created to resemble their natural habitats. Because of this, the animals are healthy and active. Best of all visitors get the opportunity to observe them rest and play in close proximity.