Keeping Animals In Zoos Is Cruel

I personaly do NOT think that it is cruel. Try to prove me wrong!

My dog would be very sad if he had to be kept in a zoo. He would miss me a lot, And I would miss him. Sure, I could visit him, But he would whine all night long because I couldn't stay after closing hours. It would be very cruel to keep him in the zoo and not let him live at home with me, As I'm sure it would be for many others' pets.

I am not saying that is wouldn't be cruel to take people's dogs away.
I started this debate because I know some people DO think that to keep lions and cheetahs and animals like that is cruel and i wanted people who think that to see why it isn't cruel.

It's odd that you're arguing that my dog is not an animal. I can tell you, When he plays with the terrier down the road, Especially after a rain when it's all muddy, They most certainly act like animals!

But, Going with your choice of animals, It would be cruel to keep lions and cheetahs and animals like that in zoos. I mean, I get the need to constrain animals to their natural habitats to ensure they don't become invasive species. The harm some animals have done by being introduced to foreign lands is huge. But a zoo is no animal's natural habitat. And without lions and cheetahs, The savanna would be completely changed forever. Prey animals like gazelle and zebras would grow unchecked, And would eventually get to a population size that would completely decimate all the vegetation in the land. Then would come battles for territory and mass starvation as the ever increasing herd sizes could not find enough food to eat. Further, With the vegetation gone, The land would lose the ability to hold any moisture, And deserts would spread. This cycle would continue until there was nothing but desert and carcasses of dead animals.

In summary, Keeping the hunters such as lions and cheetahs in zoos would completely uproot the balance of their natural ecosystem, Resulting in mass plant loss and death. That would certainly be cruel.

sillydebater forfeited this round.

sillydebater four-fitted this round.

As Pro has failed to show up, It looks like I'm debating K_Michael_Tolman then. . .
K_Michael_Tolman stated in the comments:
"" The savanna would be completely changed forever. Prey animals like gazelle and zebras would grow unchecked, And would eventually get to a population size that would completely decimate all the vegetation in the land. Then would come battles for territory and mass starvation as the ever increasing herd sizes could not find enough food to eat. Further, With the vegetation gone, The land would lose the ability to hold any moisture, And deserts would spread. This cycle would continue until there was nothing but desert and carcasses of dead animals. "
@sillydebater

While this is a valid concern, It doesn't actually relate to the argument. You have to prove that "keeping animals in zoos is cruel. " This argument is unrelated to the topic. "

I disagree. My argument absolutely addresses the statement of debate.

Removing all animals from their natural habitats and keeping them in zoos would result in the collapse of all ecosystems on the planet. Spaces outside of zoos, Devoid of animals, Would crumble, As plants depend on animals. An easy example of this is if we kept bees locked away in zoos. Sure, The plants in the zoos would get pollinated, But all the plants outside the zoos wouldn't and would never make any more fruit or seeds.

Also, We humans depend a large amount on animals for our food. The fisheries and farms would go bankrupt as all the animals they base their livelihood on would be sequestered in zoos. Our primary source of protein would immediately disappear, Forcing millions to starve, As people fight over accessibility to plant-based proteins.

Finally, It would be cruel to all of the animals, Crushed together inside our zoos. There are an estimated 20 quintillion animals on the planet (https://animals. Mom. Me/number-animals-earth-3994. Html). The land area of our zoos is nowhere close to being able to handle all those creatures. All the zoos in the world could not even hold the entire population of blue whales on the planet. And can you image what life would be like for the animals if all the ants and mosquitoes were forced to share the same space as all the other animals? Finally, Feeding and tending to all those animals in zoos would be impossible, Resulting in mass starvation and illnesses.

Luckily for us, Pro's thought-scenario is impossible to achieve. There is no way we could round up all the animals and force them into zoos. The effort of that would take way more time and energy than all the humans on earth have. Furthermore, Even if we could put all animals in zoos, There's no way we could keep them there. Insects would crawl out, Birds would fly out, Cages bursting at the seams would be broken and animals would escape. Containing mother nature to small plots of land is an impossible feat, So we don't have to worry about animals being kept to just the boundaries of zoos anytime soon.

In summary, If we could restrict animals to zoos, It would be very cruel indeed. Cruel to the animals, Cruel to humans and cruel to all life on earth. Why pro would even want to consider such a thing is beyond me. Let's stick to just caring for and showcasing a few animals in zoos, The way we are doing now, And let the vast majority run free.