Do zoos make animals suffer from psychological distress?

Answer 1

When you consider the fact that all animals in the zoo, or nearly all, are species that normally only exist in the wild, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that living in a cage is not a normal or natural state to them. Some animals seem to adjust to zoo life, and some never do. I enjoy visiting the zoo, as I get to see many animals that I would otherwise never encounter. But it saddens me a little that they're cooped up in cages and not living the way they were meant to. On the other hand, life in the wild is a dog eat dog sort of existence, and zoo animals often outlive there wild counterparts due to vet care, better diet, and being protected from predators. Some animals would be extinct if there weren't a few in zoos around the world. So, to answer the question, I would hazard a guess that yes, it does cause them stress, for some animals to some degree.

Additional Information;

Zoos not so long ago, yes! Not in Britain, Australia, and most modern developed countries nowadays. As most zoos now are more orientated towards endangered animals, and/or threatened species, and in fact, help that situation. Even take in unwanted exotic animals, etc.

I'm sorry to say, in some shall we say "backwards" countries, zoos are still a form of entertainment only, and yes the animals in those zoos do more often than not suffer a lot of stress, and unhappiness and a terrible quality of life and treatment. Another View: Just my personal opinion and by reading allot about it, I think no matter the situation all confined animals suffer stress to some extent. You take them from their natural habitat and "try" to create one for them. Yes, I'm sure it is stressful. Wild animals are used to having miles upon miles of land to roam. Then you capture one, and put it into a confined space that lets say, at best may be a mile in diameter, its still not what nature had intended for that animal. So I say yes, even if in some cases it is trying to help the animal, I do believe it still creates stress. And in zoos, they have to be handled to some degree, and they have to be fed by man, and ultimately cared for by man. Where normally the two would never come together, yes its stressful. It is an unnatural setting all together.