Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture.They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a mean of entertainment,or as an escape from the cement and busy life of a city.Yet,throughout the years the role of zoos have changed,though once used for amusement,are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species.One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them,have changed throughout history.
The concepts of zoos have been around for centuries throughout the world.The earliest known zoo of the pre-modern past was that of Queen Htshepsut of the Eighteen dynasty in Egypt in 1400 BC
(Graetz).According to the Encyclopedia of world zoos,most zoos were started by kings and emperors instead of queens,during this age,an abundance of exotic animals were viewed as a collectables and a sign of wealth and power.Though to the Greeks,they used their public zoos as means to teach students about animals and plants.
In the film,Madagascar,zoos are depicted as a sanctuary in which all the exotic animals are kept safe and are open for the public to view.But many would argue that zoos are inhumane,the caging of animals for our personal entertainment is unjustifiable.Those who believe that zoos are an important part of our lives are scientific and zoologist.This debate has gone on for generations and average folk are stuck in the middle,not knowing which side to stand on.The animals being kept in captivity could not be interviewed,their side of the story will be based on interpretation on their movement and interaction with animals in the zoo and in the wild.Are animals better suited to live in the harsh conditions of the wild or are they better suited to live their lives safely in captivity?
As a children I can remember when I misbehaved the absolute worst punishment my parents could inflict.I would be banished to my bedroom,the length of time depending on the seriousness of the "crime."It seemed that every possible want and desire I had while being punished was related to an activity just outside the confines of that bedroom.The hours seemed like days and the time spent "locked" in my room was unbearable.When I look back on those "torturous" days of my childhood.I can't believe what the big deal was.If I hadn't been punished.most likely I probably would have spent my free time in my bedroom anyway.Who was I kidding,locked in a room with a TV set,all of my toys and comic books,who could possibly consider being confined to this "habitat" as punishment?
Family strolling,children squealing with glee, and adults gazing with interest;A typical day at the zoo.Animal-lovers rush throughout zoos in search of their favorite feline or lizard,while children smack on popcorn as they tap on glass enclosures.For hundreds of years people have gone to zoos in seek of entertainment.The zoo provides a fun and educational time for families,but the joy of seeing adorable creatures blind spectators from seeing the pain zoo animals live with.People do not realize the harm zoos do to animals.Unethical practices should be banned in the zoos throughout the world;they cause animals mental distress.
Cheetahs in captivity should be left there,not released into the wild, and on the same note cheetahs in the wild should be left there,not brought into captivity.A cheetah in a zoo that is released into the wild may not know what to do,having been cared for by people in an enclosed environment for a number of years and then suddenly thrust out into the wild and on its own may have adverse effect son the cat's psyche,making it manic or exhibit unpredictable behaviors and endangering the wildlife already there.
Cheetahs living in captivity generally live a great deal longer than those in the wild,the life span of wild cheetahs is about 8 to 10 years,as opposed to 12 to 17 years for those in captivity according to the National Zoological Park,a sure fire sign of a healthy life.Cheetahs are also relatively easy to tame,in comparison to other large cats, and very hard to assimilate into the wild once they've become accustom to human contact (NZP),which makes one wonder if they even want to be released in the first place.
While cheetahs do live longer in captivity,they do not breed as often;Steven Hunt states that up until recently cheetahs living in captivity would only have one and occasionally two littles in their lifetime,whereas cheetahs in the wild may have up to five.In recent years,however,breeding programs in zoos have become more successful,allowing for a more robust captive population and much hope for the future of the species.By maintaining the integrity of the population,a strong gene pool can be assured while keeping hold of the prospect of future release of younger cheetahs.Since these cubs may not have been tamed and may still adapt to life in the wild with relative ease.
Another problem with releasing captive cheetahs into the wild is space.According to the Cheetah Spot,the cheetah's native habitats have been cut down to less than a quarter of what they were ten years ago.This makes release of captive cheetahs not only difficult,but possibly hazardous to cheetahs already in the wild.Do to the fact that they are mostly solitary animals,females live alone unless raising cubs and males roam with,at mos,four other males(NZP).Introducing more cheetahs into an already small area may very well upset the social system of cheetahs by putting then in too much contact with each other.
Imagine being taken from your home and put into jail unjustly.All of your needs would be met,three meals a day,clothing and bathrooms are all provided for you,but you can't see the world outside,your room has no windows, and you don't know why you are there.Such a situation will wear at your mind and soul.The same can be true for cheetahs brought into captivity from the wild,they will become listless,or sometimes neurotic (TCS).In either case the sudden enclosure of a creature that is used to wide open spaces will wreak havoc on its mental and physical well being.
Releasing captive cheetahs into the wild will end up complicating things far more than it should.Zoos are constantly attempting to expand the population through breeding programs and trying to perfect these programs.Increasing the cheetah population in zoos will only hinder these efforts, an upset the natural balance in the will,as would capturing cheetahs from the wild to tame them.
Imagine an earth where every animal lives within an enclosed area where all humankind can see them.Yet,within these enclosures are the only places humans can see these animals alive.Why?It is because the animals' habitats have been damage and completely destroyed for the needs an usage of human kind.These enclose areas are called Cloned Zoos;The Final Stronghold of the World's Biodiversity.These cloned zoos are fulled of cloned animals that have been brought back from the dead or from the edge of extinction.Humankind has come to a point where all life on earth is controlled by human hands and where without the help of humans no animals will survive.
Can you imagine a world where this instance has become reality?Could humankind allow this atrocity to happen?Will they allow this atrocity to happen?Well,some scientists are trying to avert this tragedy from occurring by using cloning to preserve those animals that are endangered or rapidly approaching the brink of extinction.The technology for cloning is improving and some scientists are turning to this technology as a way to preserve the genes of species faced with extinction due to weak reproductive abilities or a population,which is split and unable to reach another population.A member of an endangered species can be cloned and reintroduced into the original or a distant and unreachable population.Another option is the member being cloned can be brought back to life after it has died in order that its genes are still part of the gene pool.
An estimated one hundred species go extinct each and every day,which means that approximately 36,500 species would go extinct every year (British Broadcasting Corporation,2003).This extinction trend could come to an end one day by the use of cloning technology to preserve and protect endangered species from dying out.Yet cloning is not the final solution because other problems exist and would not be solved by this technology.Therefore,cloning endangered species will not be the entire answer for saving them from extinction but only a possible solution to save those who are endangered today.It is not a complete solution because other factors are involved in the protection of a species.
Cloning is a very expensive and time-consuming process that is done in a laboratory.The process also has a very low success rate and requires many eggs and trials to get several live births.John Rennie,the editor for Scientific American magazine,says that "Cloning depends on merging DNA from a body cell stripped of its own DNA,then implanting this composite into a female for gestation,"(2000, p. 1).Today scientists are using two different methods for cloning,the nuclear transfer process and a newer technique called "handmade" cloning.
The nuclear transfer process is the standard technique that has been used by scientists for the majority of cloning procedures.First, the eggs are placed in a culture where they mature.Secondly,a needle is placed into the egg and removes the polar body and genetic material of the egg leaving behind only cytoplasm.Next, the skin cells of the endangered species are grown in a culture.A single skin cell is then pulled up into the needle and inserted in between the zona pellucida and the egg wall.Then,a small electrical shock is administered to the egg and the skin cell and then fuse together to form a new egg from two different species.Finally,within a few hours after fusion is complete cell division begins.This technique produces an egg that is only half the size of the original egg because some of its cytoplasm was removed along with the polar body and nucleus at the beginning of the process.
The other method that is beginning to be used for the cloning process is called handmade cloning because it is much easier to do,less expensive, and more successful.Handmade cloning is done by first cutting the egg in half and removing the half that contains the genetic material.Then the other half,called a cytoplast is fused with this egg to produce a cloned egg of the same proportions as a natural egg.
These two processes for cloning differ in several ways,one being the size of the resulting egg is different.Additionally,the second method is cheaper and faster than the first method.
Through the research I have done on this subject I have realized cloning is playing with things humans do not fully understand or ever will.I believe God created this intricate world and we,as humans,will never completely understand it.I think humans are trying to work beyond the limits we were given by God when He created us.These limits are the ability to selectively breed plants and animals to get a desired result but not be able to take genetic material and create with it what we will.I see cloning as presenting us with a choice of using it either for good or for evil.I think that Richard T. Wright expresses this well in his book Biology:
Through the Eyes of Faith when he says:"We are managers,but not owners.We may put God's property to use.But not misuse.As stewards,we are managers of God's household "for the welfare of the creation and the glory of God," as Earth keeping records it.So we are to serve the creation and care for it."
