A giraffe named Marius lived in the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark. Marius was raised as a baby in that zoo. But when he became an adult, he was killed because the zoo did not think he was worth keeping anymore.
What do you think of when you think of zoos? Nice habitats and spacious enclosures? A vacation for the creatures? Well, many animals who live in zoos never return to their wild homes. Zoos are violent, directly and indirectly. They play a predatory role in animals' lives for three main reasons: zoos breed animals inhumanely, they do not achieve their claims of rehabilitation and they provide only scarce resources for the animals in their care.
One compelling reason why zoos should be banned is that zoos source their animals inhumanely. Most zoo animals are bred with ancestry that traces back to a wild animal. All of the animals have been raised without a glimpse of their wild home. When zoos have too many animals, the "extra" animals are simply killed. This happened in 2014 at the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark. That year, a giraffe named Marius was shot despite the public's outcry, because the zoo didn't think his genes were useful. The Copenhagen zoo had other male giraffes. Also, baby animals attract more visitors. Killing an adult animal opens up space and resources to bring in a younger animal that could draw bigger crowds and more money. The real reason Marius was killed was that profits went down as he grew up.
What is the author’s attitude toward the actions of the Copenhagen Zoo? How do you know?
Are both authors critical of the giraffe’s killing? How do you know?
Would both authors agree that zoos should be banned?
