Have you ever seen animals constantly pacing back and forth, bobbing their heads, or just looking bored? The cause of this is a condition called by many scientists as “zoochosis.” Zoochosis is a condition in which animals experience extreme boredom (Pitiful, Peta.org). When animals have this, viewers can see the animals constantly doing the same activity repetitively, such as licking themselves, biting at bars, twisting necks, and in some extreme cases even self-harm. Many different aspects can lead to zoochosis in an animal. The main reason is the poor living conditions in zoos. Confined spaces such as aviaries prevent the animals from flying naturally, which leads to zoochosis. Small spaces inhibit animals from behaving as normal, such as running, jumping, swinging, and more. One prime example of an animal that can easily get zoochosis is the elephant. In the wild, an elephant can roam with his/her herd over thirty miles per day, stopping at around two waterholes per day to drink. At a standard zoo, they are usually placed with two roommates and a couple of acres of space (Horton, Howstuffworks.com). These examples can support the claim that zoos can be more defined as a collection of exotic animals, rather than a save haven and home for endangered species. Not only are living standards low, they can become even fatal when zoos need to cut
Have you ever seen animals constantly pacing back and forth, bobbing their heads, or just looking bored? The cause of this is a condition called by many scientists as “zoochosis.” Zoochosis is a condition in which animals experience extreme boredom (Pitiful, Peta.org). When animals have this, viewers can see the animals constantly doing the same activity repetitively, such as licking themselves, biting at bars, twisting necks, and in some extreme cases even self-harm. Many different aspects can lead to zoochosis in an animal. The main reason is the poor living conditions in zoos. Confined spaces such as aviaries prevent the animals from flying naturally, which leads to zoochosis. Small spaces inhibit animals from behaving as normal, such as running, jumping, swinging, and more. One prime example of an animal that can easily get zoochosis is the elephant. In the wild, an elephant can roam with his/her herd over thirty miles per day, stopping at around two waterholes per day to drink. At a standard zoo, they are usually placed with two roommates and a couple of acres of space (Horton, Howstuffworks.com). These examples can support the claim that zoos can be more defined as a collection of exotic animals, rather than a save haven and home for endangered species. Not only are living standards low, they can become even fatal when zoos need to cut