"Pros and cons of keeping animals in zoos"

Введение:

1.Актуальность выбранной темы:

Я выбрала данную тему, потому что меня глубоко волнуют проблемы экологии и влияние их  на существование животного мира. Наша планета становится опасным местом для  жизни всего живого, и если мы не предпримем  никаких мер по ее спасению, защите экологии и сохранению мест обитания, они просто исчезнут с лица земли, что частично и происходит сейчас, с бурным развитием экономики и промышленности. Поэтому зоопарки в нашей  жизни становятся островками спасения тех видов животных, которых человек поставил на грань исчезновения. Они являются как бы домом для животных, где они находятся в безопасности, имеют пищу, о них заботятся и в случае болезни  их лечат. Так же зоопарки играют просветительскую роль, развивая в людях представление о том, что они являются частью мира живой природы, и ответственность за сохранение этого мира лежит на них. В зоопарках имеют место программы по разведению и сохранению исчезающих видов животных, имеются хорошие результаты, как у нас, так и в других странах.

В настоящее время существуют 2 точки зрения на проблему содержания животных в неволе, прежде всего в зоопарках. Одни признают ведущую роль зоопарков, как центров сохранения исчезающих видов животных, мест отдыха, а также просвещения людей, другие выступают против зоопарков, аргументируя это тем, что животные теряют свои естественные инстинкты, страдают, отказываются размножаться. И можно ли назвать их жизнь в зоопарке полноценной? В своей работе я постаралась рассмотреть аргументы в пользу обоих мнений, проанализировать и сделать собственный вывод.

2.Цель: Найти и обобщить  информацию по данной теме. Собрать информацию, изучить, проанализировать, структурируя ее, сделать выводы.

3.Задачи: Собрать информацию о содержании животных в зоопарках в нашей стране и в Великобритании, изучить, проанализировать, сделать вывод. Узнать мнение своих одноклассников по данной проблеме, а также мнение зарубежных сверстников, изучить, проанализировать и сделать вывод на основе полученного материала.

Методика исследования:

1. В информационных источниках (интернет-ресурсы, книги, справочники) подобрала материал по данной теме, исследовала его, перевела, сократила предложения, выбирая основные мысли.
2. Проанализировала собранный материал, структурируя его по 2 разделам: плюсы и минусы содержания животных в зоопарках.
3. Исследовательская часть включала в себя опрос одноклассников по данной проблеме, результат опроса был представлен в виде диаграммы, сделан вывод. Так же данный вопрос был задан моим сверстникам из Европы,  их ответы были представлены на слайде в презентации и сделан вывод.

В конце своей работы я представила заключение, к которому пришла в результате своих исследований.

1. About zoos…

Zoo is a place where people keep and display animals. Visiting zoos is a popular and educational activity throughout the world. Almost every large city has at least one zoo. Many zoos have beautiful gardens and tree-lined paths leading from one animal display to another. Zoos vary in the type of animals they keep. Many large zoos keep mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish from all over the world. Some have collections of interesting insects. Smaller zoos may have animals from just one part of the world, or just one type of animal. Zoos that have only fish and aquatic mammals, which live in water, are called aquariums. Some zoos display only animals from the region where the zoo is located. Zoos range in size from hundreds of acres or hectares to only a few. But size alone does not determine the quality or importance of a zoo. The best zoos are those that have healthy, well-tended animals and displays that help visitors learn about each animal's natural behavior and its role in the environment. Modern zoos have become refuges for some species (types) of animals that are in danger of extinction (dying out) in the wild. Many human activities threaten the survival of wild species, especially the destruction of habitats (natural environments). Most animals are specially suited to live in a certain environment and cannot survive when their habitat is destroyed.

Zoos are important centers for recreation and education, wildlife conservation and scientific studies. In many zoos trained workers give visitors brief talks and provide guided tours. Many zoos have education departments that conduct lectures, classes and group programs for children and adults .Zoos publish magazines, pamphlets and other material. Wildlife conservation has become one of the most important jobs of zoos. Zoos breed many endangered species to increase their numbers. Such captive breeding in zoos has helped save several species from extinction. Zoos throughout the world trade and lend animals to one another to avoid inbreeding (breeding animals that are closely related to each other. Zoos use this information to determine which males and females to breed together. The goal is to develop healthy populations of animals that can someday be returned to the wild. Zoos also participate in conservation projects outside their walls. For example, many zoos sponsor efforts to preserve the natural habitats of threatened species. Zoos provide scientists with living laboratories in which to study animals. Scientists called zoologists study animals in zoos, as well as in the wild, to learn about animal behavior, such as hunting, eating, breeding, and caring for the young. Such research helps zoos know how to better care for their animals and how to make their exhibits as natural as possible.

 Cageless zoos. Drive-through zoos keep their animals in outdoor settings without cages, though predators and prey are kept apart. Visitors view the animals while riding through the zoo in their automobile or aboard a bus or a train. Wild-animal parks resemble drive-through zoos because the animals are not caged. But these parks are larger than most drive-through zoos and are more interested in breeding animals, especially endangered species, than in exhibiting them.

The Moscow Zoo was founded in 1864 by professor-biologists K.F.Rulje, S.A. Usov and A.P. Bogdanov from the Moscow State University. The Moscow zoo has over 7500 animals, representing about 1000 species. The zoo studies animal’s  behavior, feeding and reproduction, and breeds rare endangered species.

The London Zoo is a zoo in Regent’s Park, London. It was established in 1826 by the Zoological Society of London. There are over 17000 animals living in it which is over 750 species. Today the zoo is an important centre for study of animals, and breeds of animals that are in danger of disappearing in their native environments. 

 Is it cruel to keep wild animals in cages? Some people would say yes, but many experts argue that zoos play a vital role in the protection of endangered animals.

2. There are some pros and cons of keeping animals in zoos:

Pros: Due to quick urbanization and deforestation many species of animals cannot live in their natural habitats anymore, they suffer and disappear, besides  some species are disappearing  because of  bad weather conditions and a shortage of water and food. Some animals are killed by hunters and people who want to get money killing rare species of animals.  Sometimes  people  find cubs in the forest or in other place and the only way to save them is putting in a zoo.  That is why animals need protection and zoos and reservations exist.

People can see rare species of animals there that do not live in their country or children living in the country can see and touch the pets that usually live on a farm, such as cows ,sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, horses. We can see that zoos are good for entertainment and education. Furthermore, specialists monitor the proper nutrition of animals, for their vitamin balance, for females during  their pregnancy. Veterinarians treat animals, make them vaccinations, collect tests. Zoo keepers take care of animals, feed them, while in wild life they have to find food themselves. In addition, living in zoos gives a real opportunity to animals to be protected from other animals, they do not have to protect their territory, fight against their enemies, to be afraid of a sudden attack. Their life in zoos is rather peaceful. Moreover, there are rare species that need protection. For example, the White Rhino. The White Rhino is the second largest animal with a big head, two different horns and a square-shaped lips. The White Rhinoceroses’s skin colour is actually grey. Adults bulls weigh up to 2 tons, but cows weigh a bit less. They live mainly in South Africa, but today they are endangered, they suffer from poaching due to their horns.

3. There are some cons of keeping animals in zoos:

Firstly, zoos are public places, that is why a lot of visitors bother animals: people take pictures with them, feed them, even anger them. Moreover wild animals have no space in the cage both to run and jump. Their life is not so meaningful and interesting comparing with life in forests, jungles. Living whole life in cages they feel stressed and sorrowed.

The worst thing about keeping animals in zoos is that they can lose their natural instincts and they become dependent on people. If we send wild animals back to wild life, it will be very difficult for to survive and what is more, there is a little chance to stay alive for a long time.

4. What about Britain? How do the British solve this problem? What is general public opinion towards zoos?

For generations of children, a trip to the zoo has been a much-loved part of growing-up. It is the only place where people can see exotic animals such as lions and elephants. Collections of wild and unusual creatures have been kept for centuries and until recently the idea of a world without any zoos was unthinkable. However, during the past 25 years there has been a revolution in people’s attitude towards the animals they share this planet. Zoos are in firing line. Critics argue not just about the conditions in which animals are kept, but about whether they should be in captivity in all.

An independent report commissioned by Zoo Check has found that 60% of polar bears in British zoos showed some signs of psychological disturbance. A pollar bear in a few meters of white-washed concrete is not allowed to express its natural behavior pattern ;it’s deprived. While the RSPCA is not anti-zoos, general public opinion attitudes have changed over the last 10 years:»With higher primates and bears, there is the question of whether they suffer in captivity even with the most perfect facilities. They have a very sophisticated behavioural repertoire to obtain food. Putting food in the cages means they have no way of fulfilling that behavioural need», environmentalists say.

David Jones, the Executive of London Zoo, says, «I have very rarely seen animals that one could call unhappy. The standard cage is fast disappearing. There not many exhibits now where the animals are caged so that you cannot see them for the bars. If we didn’t see live animals, interest in their plight in the wild would wane. Zoos like London, with  its vast resources, provide fringe benefits for wild animals, educating people worldwide about their wildlife and training them in conservation techniques.»

There are 80 full-time staff researching genetics, embrio transfer, animal diseases and transport welfare-all skills essential for conservation work. And zoos do not depopulate the wild- 70% London Zoo’s animals  are born in captivity. The traffic is offen in the other direction. Some  150-200 threatened species are well represented in zoos, and could be reintroduced in the wild, given that they had the right situation there. Successes include the Scimitar Horned Oryx, an African deer which at one time faced extinction, with fewer than 200 left. There are  now 1500 in captivity and a reintroduction programme has begun. But the RSPCA  say that zoo-breed animals are often unsuitable for release. One successful conservation operation «Project Tiger» which saved the Bengal  tiger in India turned down the offer of zoo-raised cubs because they would not have survived in the wild, and concentrated instead on preserving large areas of the animal’s habitat. But people  of Gerald Durrell’s Jersey Zoo say it may be too soon to judge whether reintroduction programmes work as specialists have to take a long-term view, because such programmes have been introduced only recently. It is impossible to reintroduce animals to the wild unless their natural habitat is still there. So the breeders are involved in both aspects. They firstly have several endangered species breeding programmes which operate with agreement of countries the animals come from. But this does not satisfy the anti-zoo lobby which feels that zoos are a waste of resources that could be better spent on conservation in the field. So, if people do not do something they will end up with a handful of man-selected species existing only in zoos where they won’t live at all naturally.

Conclusion:

There are arguments both for and against zoos. Nowadays, most zoos do their best to protect animals, but I believe that animals should live in their natural habitats and we must do our best to make their life safe and happy. We must care about the environment, because animals are our younger brothers and we are the parts of our planet we cannot live without each other.

 Bibliography:

1.Нестерова Н.М. Страноведение: Англия «Учебники и учебные пособия».-Ростов-на Дону:»Феникс»,2001г.-320с.

 2.Павлоцкий В.М., Храмова Н.А. «30 тем для свободного общения»,-СПб:Каро,2009г.-240с.

3.Интернет-ссылки:

-https://library.by/readme.ru

-https:www.worldbook.com

-https://hubpages.com

-https://www.english-online.htb

-httb://britanica.com

Contents:

1.About zoos..

2.Some pros of keeping animals in zoos.

3.Some cons of keeping animals in zoos.

4.What about Britain?

5.Bibliography.