Time for Kids - USA (2021-11-12)

BILL O’LEARY—THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES

Happy, an Asian elephant, lives at the Bronx Zoo,

in New York City. But the Nonhuman Rights Project

(NhRP) says the zoo doesn’t provide the space and

socialization that Happy needs. The NhRP is taking

the Bronx Zoo to court. Its case will be heard in 2022.

The case has restarted conversations about whether

or not zoos should still exist. Some say zoos save species

from extinction and teach people about conservation.

Others argue that living in captivity is bad for an animal’s

mental and physical health. Here, TIME for Kids readers

weigh in. —R.M.

We should still have

zoos for a few reasons.

Zoos provide animals

with food and a habitat

that is made to resemble their natural

habitat. Zoos also breed animals to

increase their population.

And most zoos have

educational programs

that help children

learn about different

animals and conservation

efforts.

Animals are kept away

from their homes, where

they have lots of space to

roam, and put in fenced areas

or cages. If it’s a crowded day at the zoo,

some animals might get overwhelmed. When

they’re in zoos, they can also

lose their natural instincts. If

they were released into the

wild, they wouldn’t know how

to survive. An animal’s health

is more important than our

entertainment.

BIG CATS Two lions relax at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, in

Washington, D.C. The zoo is home to six African lions.

DEBATE

SHANE MADRAK, 10

FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA

SUSIE SLAWSKY, 9

PELHAM, NEW YORK

Should the government set screen-time limits? Email your opinion to [email protected] by

THE NEXT DEBATE January 6 for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue.

Get more at timeforkids.com.^7

Many animal species

are saved from extinction

thanks to zoos. This past

summer, I saw the California

condor at the San Diego Zoo and learned

about the breeding program there. Several

decades ago, these vultures

were almost wiped out in

the wild. But the zoo has

taken some of them in

and helped them breed.

Now there are many more

California condors.

We should not have zoos.

In zoos, animals might

not be given proper living

conditions. They might also

be mistreated for entertainment purposes.

Animals can feel stressed by cage restraint,

an unfamiliar environment,

and the presence of humans.

A 2003 study of 35 species

of carnivores found that zoo

enclosures were too small for

some of the animals to carry

out their normal routines.

GRACE HIPP, 8

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

YANNI WARRENSON, 12

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

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