IELTS ideas 01: Zoos

Những đề IELTS Writing về chủ đề Zoos có thể gặp:

1. Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others however believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals. Discuss both opinions and give your own opinion.

2. Many people believe that zoos have no purpose in today’s world and should be closed. What problems do zoos bring? What are the alternatives to zoos if they are closed?

DRAWBACKS OF ZOOS

1. Animal suffering

Animals in captivity often suffer from severe psychological condition. This condition occurs due to deprivation, loneliness, and stress – all caused by captivity. It’s not just land animals that suffer; marine life, especially marine mammals, in public aquariums also show stereotypic (neurotic) behavior, such as repeatedly raising their heads above the surface of the water, spinning around an imaginary object, and frequently turning on one side and rubbing along the floor of the tank.

2. Educational benefits in question

A main argument for supporting the continuation of zoos is that they help educate the public (mainly kids) about animals that can’t be seen without having to leave on a trip to an exotic country. But how educational is the zoo actually? In a study of 3,000 kids, researchers saw that only 38% of the children demonstrated a positive learning outcome (learning actual facts). Worse than that, some of the kids even showed a negative learning outcome – meaning they came out of the zoo with “facts” that were actually fictional. In addition, zoos may even have a negative impact on visitors, showing them that it is okay to hold animals in captivity.

3. Overpopulation of animals in zoos

It’s no surprise that when baby zoo animals are born, zoos want to share the good news (and adorable pictures and/or videos) with the world. April the Giraffe’s birth, which was livestreamed to more than 40 million viewers, is just one of many examples. It is safe to say that people love newborn animals, and seeing them as infants live is always an amusement. Eventually, however, these newborns grow up, and the zoos become overpopulated – resulting in a surplus. Each zoo copes with surplus through different methods. According to BBC, between 3,000-5,000 healthy zoo animals are killed each year due to overpopulation. Some zoos have tried to cover up this killing by making it a learning experience and dissecting the animals for the public to see.

BENEFITS OF ZOOS

1. Fighting Extinction

Modernization has had a huge impact on the planet we live on. Unlike us human beings, wildlife has felt the negative effects of these changes. In the last 100 years alone, humans have been the cause of extinction of nearly 500 different species. Combating this problem has proven difficult, yet zoos have been playing a key role in the fight against extinction. Through captive breeding and species reintroduction programs, zoos have been able to fight off extinction. Zoos are more imperative than ever in keeping endangered and threatened animals safe – and alive.

2. Research purposes

By trying to mimic natural conditions, zoos allow animals to act similarly to the way they would in their normal habitat. In doing so, researchers can learn much about natural phenomena. Research has been done in the fields of animal nutrition, reproduction and behavior in various situations. This allows us to further understand our fellow companions on this planet, and zoos play a crucial role in helping us to attain this knowledge.

3. New positive trends in zoos

Zoos today are trying to shift their focus from keeping customers happy to now keeping the animals happy. They are teaming up with zoo architects in an attempt to change up the way classic displays encage the animals, to give the animals a more natural habitat. Cities like Denmark, Paris and Detroit, among many others, are paving the way to these new, modern zoos that expand enclosures and create habitats that encourage appropriate social animal behavior, or, in other words, that put the animals’ well-being first. The zoo as we know it will be a thing of the past.

Nguồn: The Perspective