Why don t zoos help endangered animals?

Zoos claim to mitigate species decline but, in fact, both contribute to it and distract from the very real threats facing free-living wild animals. Rather than breeding endangered animals for eventual release back into their natural environments, zoo breeding programmes breed animals to stock their public exhibits.



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More than three-quarters of British zoos are failing to meet minimum animal welfare standards, according to a recent study. Elephants in zoos generally live less than half as long as their wild counterparts.

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Efforts to conserve species have resulted in saving at least 48 mammals and birds from extinction since the early 1990s. The rates of extinction would have been three or four times higher if actions like captive breeding hadn't been taken, according to a recent study in Conservation Letters.

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What we do know so far is that evidence suggests wild animals can be as happy in captivity as they are in nature, assuming they are treated well. Confinement alone doesn't mean an animal is automatically worse off.

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Captive animals seldom learn crucial survival skills and often are too habituated to human contact. Lacking a natural fear of humans, they are vulnerable to poachers and ill equipped for life in the wild.

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“Yes, in a lot of cases it is still impossible, especially if the animals have been traumatised or were very young when captured. And you need to be very careful about introducing diseases to a wild population. But for some animals, if we proceed scientifically and thoughtfully, it can be done.”

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Should zoos be banned, we would certainly loose some species. This is particularly important in the case of endangered species. Due to the low density of the population of some animals in their natural ecosystems they struggle to find partners. Some populations in the wild are weakened by endogamy too.

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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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The unwanted adult animals are sometimes sold to “game” farms where hunters pay to kill them; some are killed for their meat and/or hides. Other “surplus” animals may be sold to smaller, more poorly run zoos or, worse, to laboratories for experiments.

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Why Support Animal Sanctuaries? Animal sanctuaries offer a compassionate alternative to zoos that prioritizes animal welfare over profits. They provide a safe haven for animals that have suffered abuse or neglect and work to educate the public on animal rights.

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On average, captive animals (especially mammals) live longer than wild animals. This may be due to the fact that zoos provide refuge against diseases, competition with others of the same species and predators.

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The arguments for zoos Safe as in protected from poachers, predators, habitat loss and even starvation. If a zoo has a breeding programme, this is another way to protect endangered species which may have trouble finding suitable mates in the wild. Zoos have an educational aspect.

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Zoos have contributed animals toward releases of only 14% (40) of all animal species featured in published con- servation translocations, and 25% of translocated species sourced from captive-bred populations, and this propor- tion has not changed significantly over time (r = 0.229; p = 0.135).

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Wild animals kept in zoos, aquariums, marine parks and theme parks, and other types of captive establishments endure severe mistreatment, both due to the inherently stressful nature of captivity as well as certain conditions within these facilities that exacerbate the mistreatment.

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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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Only in very special circumstances do zoos obtain animals from the wild, which is illegal in many nations. Thus, zoos are not in the practice of actively capturing animals in the wild from their natural habitats.

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5 animals that wouldn't exist without zoos
  • Chicken frog. The population has decreased with over 90% the last 10 years which makes it critically endangered. ...
  • Scimitar-horned oryx. Scimitar-horned oryx are extinct in the wild. ...
  • European bison. ...
  • Lesser White-fronted Goose. ...
  • Przewalskis wild horse.


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8 Zoos Helping Animals Edge Out of Extinction
  • Phoenix Zoo: Arabian Oryx. ...
  • National Zoo: Golden Lion Tamarin. ...
  • Lincoln Park Zoo: Puerto Rican Parrot. ...
  • Columbus Zoo: Freshwater Mussels. ...
  • Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: Black-Footed Ferret. ...
  • San Diego Zoo: California Condor. ...
  • Toledo Zoo: Kihansi Spray Toad. ...
  • National Zoo: Przewalski Horse.


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“But we cannot look all around the world every time we have a surplus animal of any kind. Because this happens all the time. It happens every day!” EAZA has estimated that its members cull between three and five thousand animals a year.

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What is the least ethical zoo in the UK? International wildlife charity the Born Free Foundation launched an investigation into South Lakes Safari Zoo, Cumbria, after concerns were raised about the animals.

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