No. Animals do not belong in a zoo. As much I like being able to see the animal and as much as it brings wonder & awe in the eyes of children, I do not like animals in zoos. While zoos have put more importance on conservation and humane animal treatment in recent decades, some critics say it is cruel to keep animals in captivity. Critics argue that living in captivity takes away wild animals’ natural behavior and instincts.

I would like to see more safari or game reserves as they mostly known. Game reserves are large swaths of land whose ecosystems and native species are protected. The protections allow animals to live and reproduce at natural rates. Animals are allowed to roam free. While some game reserves allow traditional hunting safaris today, others limit visitors to a “photo safari,” where visitors can shoot photographs, not animals. Animals in all game reserves are protected from illegal hunting, which is a threat to many endangered species. Legal hunts are regulated by the government. Hunters must purchase licenses and are strictly limited to the type and number of animals they can hunt. Poachers, or hunters without licenses, kill animals for valuable body parts. Elephants, for example, are killed by poachers for their ivory tusks.

I assume that when humans start to colonize other planets and we find lush green forests and meadows for our animals, we will have them safely tucked in to their own paradise of land where they can roam and graze and hunt and procreate in safety. No one will hunt them or kill them for food or for fun. This is what I hope will happen.

Prompt from Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students at The New York Times Learning Network