What would be the harm of having a captive animal?
1 Answer
A few thoughts...
Explanation:
It seems to me that keeping an animal in captivity has both benefits and deficits:
Potential benefits
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Since the animal can be observed more closely, its needs (especially health needs) may be more swiftly determined and addressed.
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The animal can be kept safe from natural predators.
Potential harm
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A restricted environment may not provide enough opportunities for healthy exercise.
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An unnatural environment potentially compromises the animal's ability to cope in their natural environment,
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The animal's needs may not be well understood., resulting in unintentional compromises of diet, hygiene, etc.
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Frequent contact with humans may compromise the animal's appropriate fear of man as a predator, making it less safe to release them into the wild.
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Captivity may limit opportunities for relating to other animals of it's own kind and may compromise procreation in other ways.
