TERM PAPER
Outline
Should animals be kept in zoos?
Rebecka Goldberg
ACBS 160D section 2
Rosa Luna
1 October 2017
1) Introduction
a) Introductory sentence – The fascination of zoos dates back to 1250 BC when Henry III moved his royal menagerie to the Tower of London for public viewing.
b) Short summary of topic
i) Define the topic – Exploring whether or not keeping animals in zoos or using animals for entertainment purposes is ethical.
ii) What is the issue at hand? – The health of the animals could be potentially at risk.
iii) What are the PRO and CON positions?
(1) PRO- Animals should be kept in zoos.
(2) CON- Animals should not be kept in zoos.
iv) What are the 2-3 different perspectives you will take on the PRO position?
(1) The animals kept in captivity have strict guidelines for health and safety.
(2) Zoos provide education and are economically beneficial for the general public.
v) What are the 2-3 different perspectives you will take on the CON position?
(1) Zoochosis
(2) “Desensitizes both children and adults to animal mistreatment.”
c) Thesis statement – In this paper I will argue for an against keeping animals in zoos, considering the perspectives of both humans and animals.
2) PRO Position: Perspectives/Proponents in Favor
a) Introduce perspective/proponent #1
i) Explain perspective thoroughly – Health benefits to animals in captivity.
ii) Supporting evidence
(1) Piece of Evidence [1] – Zoos ensure the health of their animals.
(a) Introduce – Five Domains Model of Animal Welfare.
(b) Paraphrase – Physical and Mental Domains: nutrition, environment, physical health, and behavior, and mental.
(c) In-text citation – “Maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare is a key priority for keepers, curators and zoo veterinarians, and zoo animal welfare science has advanced considerably in recent years.”
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – Animals are well taken care of because there are set guidelines that zoos follow.
(2) Piece of Evidence [2] – http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/hsg219.pdfIt
(a) Introduce – Zoos must have a health and safety policy.
(b) Paraphrase – There is a law that zoos must have a health and safety policy.
(c) In-text citation – “It is a legal requirement that employers have health and safety policy. Zoos with five or more employees must also have a written statement that includes safe operating procedures and an action plan to deal with emergencies, eg fire or the escape of animals. Its length and complexity will vary according to the circumstances of the particular zoo.”
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – It is required by law that zoos maintain safety measures.
iii) Summarize perspective #1 argument/evidence – It is not animal cruelty to keep animals in captivity in zoos. They are well taken care of because of laws that require safety measures. Not only do zoos benefit the animals, but they also benefit the general public by educating and contributing to the economy.
b) Introduce perspective/proponents #2
i) Explain perspective thoroughly – Zoos provide education for the public and benefits the economy.
ii) Supporting evidence
(1) Piece of evidence [1] – Zoos provide education.
(a) Introduce – Provide education for students and general public.
(b) Paraphrase – Trained teachers, further interest in science and animals.
(c) In-text citation – 2009 National Research Council
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – “Abundant evidence that these programs and settings, contribute to people’s knowledge and interest in science” and that they can “significantly improve outcomes for individuals from groups that are historically under-represented in science.”
(2) Piece of evidence [2] – Zoos are economically beneficial.
(a) Introduce – Provides a lot for the economy and general public.
(b) Paraphrase – Enhances economies.
(c) In-text citation – 2008 National Public Opinion Survey
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – “79 percent of Americans believe that zoos and aquariums are good for their local economy, and an impressive 80 percent believe that zoos and aquariums are important enough to local communities to be supported by government funding.”
iii) Summarize perspective of #2 argument/evidence – Set guidelines for health and animals; educational and economically beneficial to the public.
c) Concluding statement summarizing PRO Position and perspectives – Zoos provide more than just entertainment for human enjoyment. There are recommended guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all animals and they are beneficial to humans and the economy.
3) CON Position: Proponents/Perspectives Against
a) Introduce perspective/proponent #1
i) Explain perspective thoroughly – Keeping animals in captivity could be considered a form of animal cruelty.
ii) Supporting evidence – Animal’s health in danger.
(1) Piece of evidence [1]
(a) Introduce – Zoochosis
(b) Paraphrase – Zoochosis is a term coined by Bill Travers to describe the “immense mental suffering” animals face in captivity.
(c) In-text citation – “To describe this obsessive, repetitive behavior” such as pacing, self-harm, biting, licking, etc.”
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – Animals are showing signs of mental distress and therefore are not in a healthy state or safe environment.
(2) Piece of evidence [2] https://www.leviathanproject.us/zoos-2
(a) Introduce – Leviathan Project
(b) Paraphrase – An animal protection project; Study by Oxford University
(c) In-text citation – “A study by Oxford University found that 40% of elephants in zoos display repetitive behaviors.”
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – Elephants live naturally long lives (into 50s), however in captivity it is rare to make it to 20 years old. In the wild they can walk up to 50 miles per day, and in captivity they are left to a small space to pace back and forth and stand on hard surfaces.
iii) Summarize perspective #1 argument/evidence – Not only is physical health at risk when keeping animals in captivity, but mental health as well.
b) Introduce perspective/proponent #2
i) Explain perspective thoroughly – Breeding in captivity causes a lot of distress for the animals.
ii) Supporting evidence
(1) Piece of evidence [1] https://wp.natsci.colostate.edu/findingporpoise/captive-breeding-programs-the-pros-and-cons-to-building-an-arc/
(a) Introduce – Captive breeding programs cause problems for the animals.
(b) Paraphrase – There often times is not an adequate amount of space or support (financial) to properly sustain the animals
(c) In-text citation – “Another major con to captive breeding programs comes in on the animal behavior side. Even though care takers try their very best to make captive enclosures as natural and stimulating as possible, they fall short of a wild/natural environment. So with this change in environment comes a change in these animals behavior.”
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – Breeding in captivity disrupts an animals natural ability to sustain themselves in a natural environment.
Piece of evidence [2] conservationmagazine.org/…/the-little-known-downsides-to-captive-breeding-progra…
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(2)
(a) Introduce – There is a lack of standards for captive breeding in zoos.
(b) Paraphrase – There are numerous risks involved with captive breeding that significantly increase without proper standards set.
(c) In-text citation – “Many captive breeding programs take place in facilities that call themselves “zoos”, but that are really farms, circuses, or entertainment parks, without any contribution to conservation. The lack of international standards for zoos makes this distinction difficult, and undermines the contributions of legitimate zoos to conservation.”
(d) Explanation or analysis of evidence – Zoos do not have set safety measures for breeding new animals.
iii) Summarize perspective #2 argument/evidence – Zoos cannot adequately handle even the production of more animals, let alone the ones they already have.
c) Concluding statement summarizing CON Position and perspectives – Zoos are a cold case for animal cruelty and therefore should not be allowed.
4) Conclusion
a) Restate your thesis statement to remind the reader the purpose of your paper – The purpose of this paper is to argue for and against keeping animals in captivity in zoos.
b) Compare and contrast the major arguments on both the PRO and CON side of the issue – Zoos provide education and economic benefits for humans, however, they are detrimental to the physical and mental health of the animals.
c) Discuss which position is more persuasive and why – The CON position is more persuasive because there is more evidence for the detriments to animals’ health.
d) Concluding sentence justifying which position (or combination of the position) is supported best – The CON position because there is more evidence proving animal cruelty.
5) References
a) Cite peer-reviewed source for PRO – Borrows, M. (2017) Welfare Assessment in Zoo Animals. Veterinary Record 181, 141-142
b) Cite peer-reviewed source for CON – Harward, Kathleen. “SiOWfa14 Science in Our World: Certainty and Cont.” SiOWfa14 Science in Our World: Certainty and Cont., 12 Oct. 2014, https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa14/2014/10/12/do-zoos-drive-animals-insane-2/