Should zoos still exist in 2025?
As a child I always enjoyed going to the zoo. I love looking at all kinds of animals such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, … I thought it was amazing, but now that I am older I have learned more about animal welfare and biodiversity and I wonder if zoos are really necessary. Animals that are locked up in an enclosure for the rest of their lives do receive very good care, but still, shouldn't an animal be able to go wherever it wants?
On the one hand, there are zoos that take good care of their animals and protect them from poaching or simply from extinction. Through good breeding programs and research, they are able to successfully reintroduce animals back into their old habitat. In addition, zoos have educational value for children, allowing them to learn about which animals exist and where they come from by seeing them in real life rather than just in photos or videos. This can also help increase their awareness and respect for nature.
For me, zoos should definitely continue to exist because they are great for children and really fun for a family trip, but they should evolve into a more wild-themed environment for the animals so that they feel as if they are living in the wild while still being safe. So they can learn to hunt for themselves instead of just being given food by a worker and so they don't feel looked at the whole time.
In short, what we learn from this is that zoos should continue to exist but they must take their responsibility to care for the animals very seriously. In 2025, they can be a place of hope and protection, provided that animal welfare and conservation remain their top priority.
Written by: Yannick De Ryck
Britannica. (2023). Pros and cons of zoos. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/pro-and-con-zoos
McKie, R. (2020, February 2). Is it time to shut down the zoos? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/02/zoos-time-shut-down-conservation-education-wild-animals
GreeneEcoFriend. (n.d.). Should zoos still exist or not? The arguments for & against zoos. https://greenecofriend.co.uk/should-zoos-still-exist/