What are the pros and cons of protecting endangered species?

Should we allow animals to be put in zoos?

• Pros: Zoos can actually help protect endangered species by giving them a safe place to live and by helping find means for them to procreate and move off of endangered lists. Zoos tend to focus on education about animals and ways to protect them. Cons: That zoos are not overly helpful in protecting endangered species because they do not have enough variety to defend against inbreeding. Animals are confined in spaces that are usually smaller than their natural habitat and they can sometimes be prevented from doing natural things, such as birds having their wings clipped so they cannot fly away.

• Answer:

  I believe we do need animals in zoos but I wish it were not the case. Wild animals are meant to live free and the more active and intelligent the species, the greater the challenge of providing that animal with something close to a fulfilling life in captivity. The unfortunate reality however is that the greatest threat to many species is human indifference. While some of us may be intrinsically motivated to protect rare species in far flung locations, the vast majority of people are not. Responsible, accredited zoos serve an invaluable role in forging connections between humans and animals, building empathy and educating people about ways to help. In this way, the animals in zoos serve as ambassadors for their species. The good news for them is that the animal staff at most accredited zoos have biology degrees and put their animals' well-being above anything else. Engaging animal enrichment activities designed to stimulate animals minds are fast becoming the norm at accredited zoos. While I cannot attest to the conservation work being done at all zoos, I can say with complete confidence that many zoos across the United States are doing groundbreaking, impactful conservation work: From the Lincoln Park Zoo's epidemiology work in the Serengeti -http://www.lpzoo.org/cs_projects_serengeti.php to the Point Defiance Zoos Red Wolf Recovery Program - http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife.aspx to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/sorac.aspx and Seafood Watch Program - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx to Oregon Zoo's work with the Western Pond Turtle - http://www.oregonzoo.org/Conservation/westernpondturtle.htm to the Wildlife Conservation Society's (Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, NY Aquarium) work all over the world - http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife.aspx This conservation work is funded by tickets sales and donations from zoo supporters.