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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgie.
In this programme, we're discussing
a controversial topic
that often produces strong feelings:
should animals be kept in zoos?
What's your opinion
on this debate, Neil?
Oh, it's a
really difficult question, Georgie.
I think there are good scientific
reasons for having animals in zoos,
but also, it seems to me
a little bit sad and cruel
for wild animals to be locked up.
For some, zoos are a good way
to teach people about nature
and save endangered species
from extinction.
Others think separating animals
from their natural habitat is cruel
and unnecessary.
Either way, with
an estimated 700 million visitors
every year, zoos remain popular –
but are they a good thing?
We'll be debating the pros and cons,
as well as learning
some useful new words and phrases.
And remember,
you can find all the vocabulary
for this programme on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
Now, I have a question
for you, Georgie.
In 2022, five animals escaped from
Sydney's Taronga Zoo in Australia,
but were the escaped animals:
a) elephants, b) lions, or c) zebras?
Hmm. I can imagine
zebras running away from the zoo.
OK. We'll find out the answer
at the end of the programme.
Reporter William Lee Adams has
been investigating the arguments for
and against keeping animals in zoos
with BBC World Service programme,
What in the World.
Here he gives two arguments
in favour of zoos:
Education is the primary reason that
zoos give for why they should exist.
The fact is, school children all over
the world are often bussed to zoos.
I remember myself going
to see lowland gorillas
at Zoo Atlanta every single year.
And the point of this was
to introduce us to conservation.
One argument for keeping animals
in zoos is to educate people
about the importance of conservation:
the protection of plants, animals and
the natural world from human damage.
A second point is that zoos
often invest in research programmes
that help endangered animals.
Now as we know, pandas are
notoriously reluctant to mate:
the female pandas have
a narrow window of fertility,
they're solitary creatures
and it takes two to tango
when it comes to reproduction.
But a lot of money
in zoos – it goes to, sort of,
find ways to encourage
these animals to mate.
A second argument is
that zoos protect endangered species
from extinction through breeding.
William mentions pandas,
animals which are reluctant,
meaning slow
and unwilling to reproduce.
Male and female pandas need
a little help to make babies,
and zoos can provide this help.
William uses the idiom,
it takes two to tango,
to describe
an activity which needs two people,
or in this case two pandas, to be
willing to make something a success.
Now, let's turn to some of the arguments
against zoos with Nikita Dhawan,
a 19-year-old animal-rights activist
from India,
who spoke to
BBC World Service programme,
What in the World.
I don't think zoos should exist
for several reasons,
the first one being zoos' detrimental
impact on both the physical
and psychological health of animals.
Many studies and research have shown
that many animals in zoos
and aquariums
display abnormal behaviours like
head-bobbing, pacing, stereotypical
behaviours, signs of mental distress.
The second reason,
I would say, is
that zoos cannot mimic the natural
habitat of animals in the wild.
Nikita argues that being enclosed in
a zoo is so stressful for wild animals
it leads to abnormal behaviour:
behaviour that is different, and worse,
from what would normally be expected.
Examples of this include animals pacing
their cages in circles and rocking,
bar-biting and even self-harm.
And they're so common
in captive animals,
there's a name for it: zoochosis.
Even zoos with large enclosures
cannot fully mimic, or copy,
the natural habitats and open spaces
these animals would enjoy in the wild.
And imagine how a polar bear, evolved
for life in the frozen Arctic,
would feel, trapped in a zoo
in a much warmer country.
Some zoologists have
compared zoochosis to human traumas
like post-traumatic stress disorder
but say it's even more damaging.
For captive animals,
everything – including the air
they breathe – is traumatic.
We've heard a few arguments for
and against keeping animals in zoos.
What do you think, Neil?
Have you changed your opinion at all?
Well, I think there are really
strong arguments on both sides,
so I'm still not sure, Georgie.
Well, we know how some of the animals
at the Sydney Zoo felt about things
because they managed to escape!
But what was the answer
to your question, Neil?
Well, Georgie, I asked you
which animals escaped from a zoo
in Sydney, Australia, in 2022.
Was it a) elephants, b) lions,
or c) zebras?
And I said zebras.
I'm afraid that was the wrong answer.
It was actually lions – how scary!
OK. It's time to recap the vocabulary
we've learned.
Conservation is the protection
of plants, animals,
and the natural world
from human harm.
If you are reluctant to do something,
you don't want to do it,
or you do it very slowly.
The idiom, it takes two to tango, refers
to an activity which needs two people
to willingly and actively take part
for it to succeed.
The adjective, abnormal, means different
from what would normally be expected,
in a bad way.
Zoochosis is a term to describe
the repeated, purposeless behaviour
performed by captive animals
in response to the stress
of being confined, including pacing,
head-bobbing, and swaying.
And finally, if you mimic somebody or
something, you imitate it or copy it.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but don't forget we have a worksheet
and a quiz that you can use to practise
the vocabulary from this episode.
Visit bbclearningenglish.com.
Goodbye for now.
Goodbye.
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15controversial
word
0:13
"causing strong disagreement or public argument."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Explore the debate around keeping animals in captivity and what role zoos play in conservation in this 6 Minute English episode.