Do you think it's inhumane in any way?

Question

In our local zoo, All the lionesses, lions, cheetahs, indian and black tigers are gathered in a hall surrounded by their cages multiple times of the day. That is, when they're not out in their simulating environment with the trees and hills. They're accommodated quite well when it comes to that.

But the thing is, when you visit them in that hall, you'll realise that any sound they make is multiplied and echoed in a terrifying manner. The zoo keeper who gives you the meat and shows you how to feed them from behind bars, brags that he can make them all roar continuously all together.

Thinking it can be a thrilling experience, and also a challenge to the guy's allegations, you tip him and ask him to show you what he can do.

The guy proudly demonstrates: He yells something outloud to all the beasts, then bangs a little with the metal stick on the also metal internal fence, then whispers some mumble to one of the lions then starts raising his voice "AHHHH" and the lion starts to respond..

Answer 1

Well the fact that hes banging on their cages

kind of annoys me.  To get to piont its only inhumane if he does it constantly !@#%$^

Answer 2

The zookeeper is a moron.  It is just such behavior that might have caused that tiger to go on a killing spree on in California.  You need to report his treatment of those big cats to zoo officials.  Immediately.  You may actually be saving someones life.

You now know why I feel that zookeepers are nothing more than prison guards.  This guy obviously should not be associating with any animal, especially not a large potentially dangerous predators.

Answer 3

All zoos are cruel.The animals will never be happy there.

And "i dont think any animals except alligators should be put in zoos (and the alligators only because i hate them)!"

Just because YOU dislike something,doesn't mean it should live somewhere that it will be unhappy!

Alligators may not be that cute or cuddly,but they are still animals and should have their feelings thought about.

Answer 4

Other than a fish, I can't recall seeing any animals that seemed happy in a zoo. Inhumane? I don't want to get into that argument, but seeing animals in their natural environment beats the h**l out of seeing them in a zoo.

Answer 5

No, it's fine.  The strong shall ever dominate the weak and the clever shall ever dominate the strong.  People are smarter than animals so we have the luxury of getting them to do neat things like this for our amusement.  All in all, they are treated well; they are fed and given more medical attention than many humans in the world, and it makes our days brighter when we see them do neat things like this.  They're serving a purpose to our society, more than you can say for some people.  

93,

--DH

Answer 6

It's hard to say what the animals think, seeing as how we can't ask them.  If lions, tiger, and cheetahs are anything like dogs, though (yes, I know they're cats, but I'm talking psychologically), they'll appreciate the chance to show off.  They get to learn a cool trick from their trainer, act all big and dominant in front of the visitors, and probably get free meat whenever they do well.

Answer 7

Generally speaking, I am strongly in favour of zoos. They are vital for education and conservation. Without captive breeding, many endangered species would now be extinct - for example, the golden lion tamarin, red wolf and Przewalski's horse. I am not for a moment suggesting that we should stop trying to protect animals' natural habitats, but if endangered species were to become extinct in the wild (which sadly seems quite likely in the near future), zoos will have preserved them for future generations, with enough genetic diversity that the possibility for reintroduction to the wild exists. In my opinion it would be unforgivable to allow tigers, pandas and so on to become extinct because they were wiped out in the wild due to hunting, habitat loss, etc., and people did not want to see them in captivity. Would you like to explain to your children or grandchildren that they will never see a tiger except in pictures, because you disagreed with zoos?

It's true that captive conditions in the past were often cruel, the animals being kept in cramped cages and so on, but today all good zoos are carefully regulated - the animals are kept in conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat, with plenty of space, good diets and immediate medical care if they need it. Everything possible is done to ensure that they don't get bored - environmental enrichment is found in all good zoos. The animals will have scenery in their enclosure, things to play with if they're a playful species, and problems to solve in order to get their food, rather than it just being dropped in front of them. The behaviour of the zookeeper in this zoo you mention is outrageous - a respectable zoo would never allow such treatment of its animals for public entertainment.

It's important to remember that animals in zoos are captive-bred - they have not been taken from the wild and 'locked up in cages'. They were born in captivity and have known nothing else. They do not miss the wild, since they have no idea such a thing exists, and are certainly not unhappy - if they were, zoos would not achieve the breeding success they do (unhappy or unhealthy animals do not breed). One might even argue that they are better off in captivity, since they do not have to contend with the constant dangers of the wild - disease, injury, predation, starvation, etc.

Answer 8

I think zoos are a cruel and inhumane place to keep animals.  But we need to study them and learn about them to safely manage and care for them in the wild.  If there were any other way, I would be for it.  But we do not need all the zoos there are.  And many zoos do not properly care for the animals.  But if you look at the other answers, you see the problem.  Many people see no problem with caging animals in this way.

Answer 9

i dont think any animals except alligators should be put in zoos (and the alligators only because i hate them)

its horrible what they do to theese animals, take them out of their habitat and its like putting them in jail, but they havent even done anything wrong.