# FILE NAME: 00000176.soc
# TITLE: Is it right to keep animals in zoos? [b70cfec47735d23a0e52fa0df9427619]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 5
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - In general, we do not think it is right to keep healthy animals in zoos. However, if a zoo is able to prove that they are looking after the animals well, have a strict breeding program and are working towards the welfare of the animals, then they are acting ethically. The issue is often not in the animal's welfare, but in the ethics of the zoo's operations.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - In principle, we do not believe that it is right to keep animals in zoos, however it is acceptable to keep them in zoos as part of a selective breeding program for endangered species, with an aim of releasing them back into the wild in future.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - The practice of keeping animals in zoos can be beneficial to both the animals and the people. The people can gain a great deal of knowledge from seeing these animals in their natural environment and hopefully can learn how they can help to conserve the species, while the animals themselves can be kept in safe and controlled environments which is necessary for their welfare. However, animal rights activists and environmentalists have argued that it is not morally right to keep animals in zoos. Their argument being that these animals are meant to live in the wild, so by keeping them in zoos, their natural way of life is compromised.  A zoo cannot give a species the same sense of freedom and security that they would have in the wild. Even though they are being taken care of, it is not the same as living in their natural habitat. The animals can be harmed by being kept in unnatural environments such as zoos. Also, zoos do not only restrict animals, but humans as well. We are restricted in the way we see the animals. For example, we see them through a fence, and not in their natural environment. Also, by viewing the animals through glass windows, we do not see the true essence of the animal, but an
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - Animals should not be kept in zoos.  Zoos have the potential to be used for important research, education and conservation but this is not always the case and often, there are more effective ways of undertaking these tasks without harming animals.
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