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The white tiger who, on Tuesday, killed a 20-year old man who jumped into his enclosure at the New Delhi Zoo should have not been there in the first place. That’s because he, like the others being held against their will, is a wild animal.

In their natural habitat, tigers hunt for prey, raise their cubs, swim long distances, establish territories and forge relationships. In a zoo, they pace back and forth, unable to perform any of the activities that make their lives worth living.

Wild tiger on the hunt

Wild animals are innocent; so why do we put them in jail?  They are also living beings, so why do we display them like exhibits?

Zoos are cruel; exploitive; and unnecessary. They teach children that kidnapping and holding others captive are acceptable behaviors. Future generations will assuredly look at the images of wild animals in captivity with the same disgust that we reserve for images of humans who were held against their will.

Learn more about why holding animals captive in zoos is cruel. And then speak out.

Over 100 of the 3,450 animals at the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia have died due to negligence since last summer. Critics around the world are calling for the zoo’s closure. According to the NY Times, “the pelican enclosure had not become so cramped that the birds started destroying their own eggs,” and a tiger who couldn’t eat due to a tongue injury languished for months before dying from pneumonia.

Pelican show at Surabaya Zoo. NY Times photo

While the NY Times reports on the debate about whether or not to close this particular zoo, it neglects to raise the larger ethical question about existence of zoos anywhere. What right do we have to strip wild animals of their freedom and lock them up in cages and enclosures for our entertainment? Here is a more comprehensive explanation about the inherent cruelty of zoos and the fallacy of the “conservation” arguments used to justify their existence.