Whether it be for a school trip or for pure enjoyment, many people are familiar with zoos. Many zoos have the connotation of being a fun place to observe animals that you might never see otherwise.

What people don’t realize is that by taking these animals from their habitat and putting them in captivity, these animals are suffering, immensely.

Zoos should not exist.

There are multiple health concerns that are caused by animals being kept in captivity. For one, In the Scarborough Sea Life Center, many of the penguins are administered anti-depressant daily.

The health risks can also be seen in the zoo animals’ life expectancies. According to  Freedom for Animals, “African elephants in the wild live more than three times as long as those kept in zoos.”

Many of the problems animals face occur because zoos do not provide the necessary space for animals to move around let alone grow and thrive. The majority of animals seen in zoos are captured from foreign countries and shipped to the zoos with a habitat very different from their own.

“Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild,” said Freedom for Animals.

Large animals who roam in long distances in their natural habitat cannot perform the freedom that they would normally have at a zoo where there is only limited space for them.

“It is not uncommon to see tigers and lions pacing up and down, over and over again at the window of their enclosure. Or elephants swaying their heads from side to side as they stand rooted to the spot. These ‘stereotypic behaviours’ are a sign of mental distress, brought on by captivity,” said Freedom for Animals.

These small enclosures and limited spaces have a large impact on the state of mind and health of many of the animals. Some animals even experience a condition known as “zoochosis”, where animals act unusually and even hurt themselves due to boredom and frustration.

Sign the Pledge to Never Go to a Zoo or contact local or state representatives to make this change and voice your thoughts on the danger of zoos.