A few months ago, who would’ve thought that a microscopic virus will force the entire human race to stay at home? Nature surely works in mysterious ways, no matter how hard we try to subjugate its power, it will always hit us hard in the face. After the first engine came into existence during the 1800s, humanity’s thirst for power knew no bounds. A drastic development in science and technology made our lives better and easier- but at what cost?
Nothing ever comes for free, and the cost of our development is always paid by the voiceless- Animals. To understand our body functions, we use animals, to know how a drug works, we use animals, for genetic research, we use animals. It is now mandatory that any potential medicines before using in clinical trials should be tested in mammals, owing to the fact that humans share 90% of genes with any other mammal, and we have the same organs. Surely, human lives matter more than animal lives.
Even after all of this, humans are not satisfied and use animals for pleasure, entertainment, and amusements. We created zoos and circuses. We have held animals captive, caged them, and denied their fundamental right- freedom. Here comes the part where most people argue that Zoos are not just for amusements; they are meant for education, scientific purposes, captive breeding, and also important for tourism.
Let’s get one thing straight- the first zoos created nothing but a menagerie, where exotic animals were kept by the influential people, mainly royals for display. Large animals like big cats were kept primarily to showcase their power and for staged fights. Then came the travelling menagerie where exotic animals visited towns and cities and performed shows alongside showmen and animal handlers.
Then, later, they eventually became a part of the circus. What means enjoyment for most of the people is a living hell for animals. The animal circus is nothing but a profit-driven business, and people walking into such traps can observe animal cruelty. There is a clear distinction between the training of domestic animals, like dogs and wild ones. Most animal trainers believe that they must demonstrate physical superiority over their ‘subjects’ and beat the animals into submission.
Five conventional methods used for this are- bull-hooks for elephants, whips for big cats, chains, electric prods, and even starvation. Theoretically, these methods are used to teach animals to associate certain behaviours like disobedience, aggression, etc. with punishment and discourage them from acting out negatively.
The concept of the zoological park is not new. However, the modern zoo concept was born in the 18th century when people had an urge to research on animal behaviour and anatomy.
With the advancement in science and technology came a wave of habitat destruction and fragmentation. Deforestation, overhunting, and loss of natural habitat of animals led to the extinction of species like Dodo and a wide range of human-wildlife conflict. So, animals destroy crops and kill humans and their pets, and humans retaliate by killing these animals. We forget that we have invaded their space and home.
Are Zoos Comfortable For Animals? Are We Taking Away Their Freedom?
This isn’t some political issue; this is a battle of survival for these animals. It is a cycle- the human population is increasing, forest covers are shrinking, humans and wildlife are competing for the same limited resources. Here comes another role of zoos- these animals are later sent to be kept under captivity. We take their homes and later, their freedom.
Surely animals like tigers are bred in a zoo under captivity, but there have been no successful cases of these animals being reintroduced and further thrive in the wild. An exception is California Condor, which initially started decimating due to human activities like habitat destruction. Isn’t it time for humanity to take account of their actions?
In India, zoos follow the guidelines given by the Central Zoo Authority; however, I have personally been to zoos and seen them violating the guidelines. Animals are kept in a small enclosure where they can’t even move properly, most of them lie in their piss for days, water served is not hygienic. There is no proper maintenance of the enclosure. Some animals are kept in an unsuitable environment they are not accustomed to.
Visitors tease them, and there is no such sort of ‘education’ being provided to students visiting these zoos in India. This, however, may not be true for many zoos in Europe and America. But let’s agree to the fact that captivity and cages are not meant for wild animals. Animals like big cats, chimps, and other mammals, once they start living in captivity, exhibit signs of unusual behaviour and disturbed mental health.
They have problems in reproduction, disrupted sleeping patterns, unusual foraging activities. They are not able to hunt or live in groups, and therefore they die in the wild. The species extinction rate is higher in the current epoch, and at the current rate, 20-50% of Earth’s species will become extinct in the next decade. Zoos do help to save genetic material from total extinction.
There are some species found only in the zoo but not in the wild like New Guinea Singing Dog. This raises another issue: Is it essential to have some individuals of a species still existing somewhere rather than go extinct completely?
To answer this, we need to understand the evolutionary history of Earth. We need to understand how the extinction of a species will pave a way to the evolution of the next superior one, Which is a topic for some other day. Of course, with humans in the background, the extinction today is clearly due to human activities.
Can we think of anything worse? The animals lose their physical and mental health.
New calves and cubs have split away from mothers and spent their lifetime in cages. They are born in a cage, and they die there alone. Recently, I saw a video of a circus where a tiger killed during the performance due to a seizure he had after jumping from the ring of fire. Animals show stereotypical behaviour as a means of coping up with the captivity.
No living organism can feel things like humans. With animal rights activists working day and night to stop such inhumane activities, most circuses have now been banned from using animals. Many still do use animals, but we can hope that in the future, people will boycott any circuses where animals are displayed.
Many national parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are open for common people for tourism, educational, recreational purposes, and scientific research. Animals in captivity and animal in wild show very different behaviour, captive animals are aggressive and depressed. So isn’t it justified to study animals in their natural environment?
Every creature on Earth was born free and had the right to freedom. Humanity has been too cruel towards animals since time immemorial, but today’s lockdown has forced most of us to think whether the cage is an appropriate place for a wild animal. We have been forced into lockdown by a virus, we think about our mental issues in such difficult times, but how can we forget that animals too feel emotions like us. We blatantly ignore such aspects.
Let’s raise a voice for the voiceless and step forward to forever end Animal Cruelty.