There are a number of pros and cons for animals in captivity. Much of it depends upon the location and how they are caring for the animals. It is important to understand both sides before establishing an opinion.
What Are the Pros to Animals in Captivity?
1. Caring for Animals That Cant Survive in Wild.
Many of the animals that are in captivity are there because they are unable to care for themselves. They were injured in the wild, and a location took them in in order to provide care. For this reason, animals in captivity can be a pro because it provides their survival. Otherwise, the animal would likely perish in the wild because of being unable to care for or defend themselves. Such animals that are in captivity because of this include dolphins, killer whales, chimpanzees, and many more.
2. Educate the Masses.
Another pro to animals in captivity is that they are able to educate the masses. There are various captivity centers where people will open the doors to the public and become an educational center. This allows people to learn more about the animals and interact with them in an educational way.
3. See Animals You Otherwise Would Not.
Without the animals in captivity, there are many different species that a person would likely never see otherwise.
4. Prevent Extinction.
Another pro to animals in captivity is that it can help with the breeding. There are many animals that are very close to being on the extinct list and in captivity, the animals are able to find each other and mate. This can help to increase the population and ultimately, be exposed back into the wild where they will be able to breed and grow up in the wild.
What Are the Cons to Animals in Captivity?
1. Inadequate Care for Wildlife.
There are cons involved with animals in captivity as well. Not all centers are looking out for the animals’ well-being and therefore animals can be mistreated within the center. They are not getting the care that they need, and their environment is not what they would experience in the wild. While the general idea would be to release them at one point in time or another, they are not receiving any skills that will allow them to survive. This means that if they were to be released, they would likely die quickly.
2. Lack of Funding.
Many centers are also not receiving the funding that they need, which means that the animals are not receiving the care that they need. The animals are malnourished, sick, and unable to fight disease because they are not able to get the medications that they need.
As with everything, there are plenty of examples of animals in captivity that are thriving as well is barely holding on. There are pros and cons to explore with the captivity, and much of it is going to depend upon the individual venue as well as the type of animal that is in captivity.
