Why do animals become aggressive in zoos?

However, although aggression is normal in wild animals to an extent, this heightened level of aggression is not. It is a result of these wild animals being kept in captivity, exposed to human visitors, and deprived of the behaviors and environments that are natural to them.



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In captivity, wild animals are not able to perform their natural behaviors and many lash out in frustration from psychological and physical deprivation.

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A Change In Behavior As an animal's brain changes, so too do their behaviors. The primary change is that animals lose their some of their natural behaviors including food-finding, avoiding predators, and rearing young, and replace them with stereotypic, destructive behaviors brought on by chronic stress and boredom.

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MYTH 4: Animals in Zoos are happy. Animals in captivity across the globe have been documented displaying signs of anxiety and depression. In fact, psychological distress in zoo animals is so common that it has its own name: Zoochosis.

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Do zoos help or harm animals? While some suggest that zoos exploit captive animals and that wild animals should be wild, these facilities also present wildlife conservation attempts and learning opportunities as well. Zoos may introduce trauma to animals, but they are also taken care of in zoos.

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Animals in captivity exhibit unnatural behaviours such as apathy, aggression, and stalled maturation (prolonged infantile behaviour). They also carry out a wide spectrum of stress behaviours, ranging from pacing to self-mutilation and beyond. These are not behaviours noted in the wild.

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We have no evidence whatsoever that wild animals are, in any way, happier than domesticated ones which are treated well. One of the consequences of domestication is a decrease in stress across the board.

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Captivity suppresses the natural instincts of wild animals. Animals suffer permanent frustration because they have no freedom of choice and cannot behave as they would do in their natural environment. This leads to a tendency toward genetic, physical and behavioural degeneration.

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Considering the questionable management practices and the poor or absent conservation and educational benefits, even in zoos considered to provide the best conditions, confining a wild animal to a lifetime of captivity in a zoo is, in our view, clearly unethical.

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That captivity can be REALLY bad for both physical AND psychological health. And while zoos have been really helpful is saving endangered animals, it doesn't work out for certain species. For example, most large carnivores like lions and tigers that are bred in captivity die when released into the wild.

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The vast majority of the animals held captive inside their compounds are depressed. They live in perpetual captivity and lack access to all of the things that make life interesting and enjoyable. And, often, they die far earlier than they would if they lived in nature. As it turns out, zoos do far more harm than good.

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What Are Some Pros and Cons of Zoos?
  • Animals Often Only Have Quite Limited Space. ...
  • Zoos Are Crowded. ...
  • Animals Are Trapped in Unnatural Environments. ...
  • Confinement May Alter the Behavior of Animals. ...
  • 'Surplus' Animals Can Be Killed. ...
  • Animals Are Often Mistreated. ...
  • Animals Don't Like Being Visited. ...
  • Animals Struggle to Form Connections.


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In some cases, animals are put under stress — they're moved to a new facility or gain a new companion in their enclosure — and need a dose of medication to calm them down or break them of bad behaviors. A single dose of haloperidol is often given to dogs and cats to relax them so they can be prepared for surgery.

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AZA and AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums frequently partner with other organizations, including government agencies, to protect endangered species and their environments. Zoos and aquariums are an essential part of the recovery program for many endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

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Animals brought from the wild into captivity, on the other hand, may suffer from chronic stress even if their basic physical needs are met. In part, this may be because wild animals perceive captive environments as threatening in and of themselves.

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Many captive gorillas accept cooked or raw meat in their diets and there is some evidence that feral gorillas may also occasionally consume matter of animal origin.

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