When I was younger, I think I was 13 or 14 years of age, I loved to pick my nose and my mom would say to me, "Why do you behave like an animal? This is because animals can do abnormal things.
Do you really think animals should be kept in the zoo?" Actually... no. Animals should be treated humanely; they have freedom of movement which they get in the wild.
The only reason why I feel that they should be kept in a cage is to serve the purpose of research and care. Any other reason is invalid. Tourist attraction can be done in game reserves where these animals have the freedom to do whatever they like.
Where I come from, we barely - and I mean barely - have animals in the zoo. The last time I checked, we have birds and some snakes. Lions are dead, elephant is not available, and also the gorilla statue was being displayed.
Okay, that is not all. Do we have the finance to feed and take care of these animals considering low patronage and zero research funding? My answer is no... Then why keep an animal in the zoo?
Recently, a lion killed a zookeeper and that same lion was gunned down in Ibadan, Nigeria. Come on... Animals would always be animals... No matter the training, no matter the feeding, no matter how beautiful it is... Then why did you keep it in the zoo?
Considering the number of zoos, zoology is no longer considered a useful course to study right here in Nigeria. How many zoos do we have? How many...? Guys, just keep the animals in their homes. Period.
Many would say animals are scared of humans or wild animals can be kept in the room. What if an earthquake or any other disaster happens leading to the escape of these animals? What do you want to say?
An animal will always be an animal - no matter the care, no matter the love, no matter the sacrifices. The zookeeper that has been keeping it for a long time was never loved by the lion; instead, it killed its keeper.
I hope with these few points of mine, I have been a blessing to convince and not to confuse you about the living place of these animals, especially the wild ones.