You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people think that wild animals should not be kept in zoos. Others believe that there are good reasons for having zoos. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.   

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.  Write at least 250 words. 

 There exists a controversy whether or not zoos are needed. While some say wild animals should not be confined, others recommend the existence of zoos. In the present situation, I think the second view has more relevance.

The fundamental reason why the former group opposes zoos is because they consider confining wild animals is an unnatural way. To be clearer, in zoos, animals are made to live in a very different way when compared to their natural habitat. This affects them both physiologically and psychologically. For instance, zoo animals are less active and have repetitive behaviours. Moreover, the expense which a government has to bear to maintain a zoo or a wild life reserve is huge. When hectares of forests are there, it is wiser for governments to protect these forests than spending this exorbitant money.

By contrast, those who support zoos believe that these are places where wild animals can be safe and secure than living in forests. To be precise, unlike the past, the areas in which the forests are spread are reducing its size alarmingly, and this leads to the intrusion of wild animals to places where humans live. A considerable proportion of tigers are killed in Bengal in this way. Illegal poaching, deforestation and wild fires are additional threats. Therefore, the best places where these animals can live safely without the threat of extinction is in zoos or animal parks, where they are monitored, fed and treated if needed.

After analysing both views in detail, it is clear that wild animals are treated in an unnatural way in zoos. However, considering the present situation, the primary motive of any government is to safeguard the life of these animals and prevent them from the verge of extinction.

Word count: 290