Zoos: Helpful of Harmful for Animals?

         Zoos harm animals. They are locked up for human pleasure, sometimes develop mental illness called Zoochosis, are removed from their natural habitat, do not have the space they need, and it is proven that African and Asian female elephants survive longer if they are in the wild then if they are in zoos.

According to Damian Aspinall, animals are locked up for our pleasure. He states it is "like a life sentence in jail, even though they did absolutely nothing wrong."Humans usually do not notice the sadness in animals eyes. They want freedom, not to be locked up. They get limited space all because people pay to watch them and learn about them.

In the article “Zoochosis”, Stephanie Santana and Shauwn Lukose state animals can develop a mental illness called Zoochosis. Symptoms of Zoochosis include, pacing back and forth, twisting of the neck, bobbing their heads up and down, turning in never ending circles, and tearing holes in their own skin. These animals want to inflict harm on themselves all because they are put in zoos. Almost every animal that develops Zoochosis shakes the cage bars that holds them in to try to escape.

Also according to Stephanie Santana and Shauwn Lukose, animals are removed from their natural habitat. For instance Junior, a killer whale from Iceland was removed from their natural habitat and placed in a tank in Niagara falls. He died after four years, deprived of outside air, sunlight, and also companionship. Many animals are forced into small areas with groups that are nothing like their family.

Animals never get the space they need. They should be able to run around as far as they would like, but instead, they have limited space. For example, aquatic animals like whales and dolphins need to swim up to a hundred miles in one day, and dive hundreds of feet. But, they do not get to have that because they are put into small tanks.

In a graph chart titled “Life Span of Female Elephants in Zoos and in the Wild”, scientists prove that female elephants live longer in the wild. For African elephants, they live around seventeen years in zoos, but when they are in the wild, they live around fifty-six years. For Asian elephants, they live around nineteen years in zoos, while they live around forty-three in the wild.

To conclude, zoos harm animals because they are locked up for human pleasure, can develop mental illness, are removed from their natural habitat, do not get the space they need, and they live longer in the wilderness. Animals all over the world in zoos do not get the basic necessities they need throughout the day. They deserve to be treated right.

DO NOT COPY AND PASTE THIS PART!!

So, I wrote this essay in 6th grade. If you'd like a better version of this essay, I'd gladly write out another one for you.