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Keeping animals in zoos can stop them becoming extinct in the wild.

Yes because…

While ideally animals should be free to live in the wild, on occasion their survival as a species becomes threatened, either naturally or artificially. Whatever the reason, zoos have been a major method of preventing animal species from becoming extinct. While it may be the case that some species’ extinction has only been delayed by zoos, in others the zoos have been pivotal in breeding new generations and protecting a gene pool while the animal is re-introduced into a more natural environment.

While protecting natural habitat should take precedent over zoos, many of these regions are politically unstable or financially destitute. It is hard to blame someone who values his own families survival over that of an animal. Because many zoos are in wealthy, stable nations, a secure and nurturing environment can be artificially created to help the most endangered animals survive and continue to breed. A “Noahs Ark”, if you will.

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Rebuttal to “Yes” remark.

Some animals can be successfully released into the wild. See the efforts in New Zealand to have the national bird, the Kiwi, living wild in some protected areas and uninhabited islands, both of which have been largely successful. This has also happened/is happening with a number of other native birds on the brink of extinction.

Wild Animals Are Not Domesticated

No because…

Wild animals have not been domesticated by humans. Simply possessing them for the sake of breeding in the case of an endangered specie really solves nothing. Most of these animals are endangered because of severe devastation to their natural habitat. Even if you repopulate them, where will they go? It’s a fools errand. The technology exists to collect genetic information and store embryos and sperm. Breeding them at this point is unfair, unless the intention is to increase zoo’s population. Lastly, many of these exotic endangered species are from developing societies where the alternatives created by wealth simple don’t exist. It’s easy to complain about the destruction of the environment, but most of these people are simply supporting themselves and their families with the only means available to them.