Sample essay 41:

We no longer need to have animals kept in zoos, so zoos should be closed. Do you agree or
disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge or experience.

There has long been an argument against maintaining zoos in which animals are kept away
from their natural habitat, and there is strong evidence to suggest that technology has
developed to a point where such institutions are no longer needed, as will now be argued.

Traditionally, the principal argument voiced by those who wish to retain zoos was that it
allowed children and adults to see animals which they more than likely would not have had
a chance to do if this had required visiting the creature's natural environment. Yet there are
now online videos and websites where these animals can be seen in high definition,
therefore no longer needing to go to enclosures to see the animals. This is clearly evident by
the declining number of visitors in recent years.

In addition, there are many cases in which animals held in captivity are not well cared for
and are used solely to exploit them for profit. In some rare cases, the animals can suffer
from neglect or malnutrition, and rather than being kept healthy are simply replaced when
they are no longer of any value.

Granted, there are situations in which endangered species are protected and their numbers
allowed to rebuild by housing them in the security of a zoo. However, in most cases the
same effect is better achieved by using more open plan wildlife parks rather than traditional
caged enclosures.

In sum, the factors which first led to the creation of zoos have been reduced by the ability of
technology, so unless there is some advantage for the species itself, then the use of zoos
should no longer be supported.

(273 words)

IELTS JOURNAL 98