Zoo animals are kept in a very small areas. Breeding programmes are less successful than zoos claim. Zoo animals are exposed to many diseases and dangers. Primates, big cats and birds are confined in cages where they lack exercise. Many animals develop unnatural habits such as pacing back and forth. Zoo keepers say that they help to conserve animals, but in fact that does not go not very well. Even the world famous panda-breeding programme has been unsuccessful. The zoo is an unnatural environment that exposes animals to numerous dangers. Diseases often spread between species. Zoo animals are often exposed to chemicals and toxic substances. Visitors tease and provoke caged animals. It is not true to say that zoos are educational or they protect endangered species. They teach us how wild animals behave when they are confined in small spaces. Breeding programmes provide zoos with good publicity, but most of them are failures. Zoo animals are more at risk of dying from disease or poisoning. It is time to abolish these institutions.
