- Position‹2 of 2
- No, zoos are good
Captive animals tend to live longer than their wild counterparts.
The argument
The comparison the argument rests on is between a wild life and a captive one, and it finds that most wild animals live longer when kept in zoos. Scientists cited by proponents of this position report exactly that, and the reasons are not mysterious. A wild animal lives with a set of risks that a zoo removes. It can be killed by a predator, and it can starve when prey or forage fails. It meets disease and parasites with no treatment available, and an injury that would be minor under professional care can be fatal without it. None of these apply inside a zoo: the animal is fed reliably, kept in a safe environment, and attended by professionals who detect and treat problems early. Removing the causes of early death is by itself enough to extend a life, and it is what allows an animal in a zoo to live into old age at all — something most species rarely manage in the wild. A second effect works alongside the first. Animals in zoos mature at a slower rate than their wild counterparts, and a slower developmental pace lengthens the life that follows. This is not merely the avoidance of an early death but a change in the trajectory of the life itself, adding to the gain that safety and care already produce. The scale can be considerable. Female lions live over ten years longer in captivity — not a marginal improvement but a substantial extension. Proponents of this position argue that a difference of that size settles the question of whether zoos serve the animals in them: an institution that reliably gives an animal many more years of life is helping its survival rather than harming it, and on that evidence zoos are good.
Premises
Counter-arguments
Some animals live longer in the wild than in zoos. For example, elephants live over twice as long when free. Lack of exercise is the biggest cause of death among elephants in zoos. Elephants travel long distances in the wild; when being held in captivity, they cannot get the proper exercise they need.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] Some animals, like elephants, live longer in the wild.