Caged Or Free?

• Taylor Gutteridge, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2015

This probably comes as a surprise but I strongly believe animals should be caged because they will be safe, they will live in a better environment where their health is monitored and they will live longer.
Animals should be caged because it will keep them safe from harm. Poachers are out to kill animals like elephants for their tusks and tigers for their beautiful coats but they can’t do that if the animals are behind the safe bars of a cage. Cages can protect animals from predators, both animal and human.
Although animals will be taken from their habitat, they will be well-looked after. At a zoo where most animals are held in captivity, the animals are kept clean and provided with food and clean water. They are checked on daily. If injured or sick, a vet is always on hand to look after them.
Animals already in captivity, who know nothing but the environment they are raised in, would not be able to fend for themselves anywhere else. They would always have plenty of food in captivity. With little interference, some animals that go to the zoo to be cared for when they are injured, can be released back into the wild if it is safe to do so.
Caging animals is necessary to keep them safe and well-looked after. If we don’t look after them we may see more and more species become extinct. Don’t you want your children to be able to observe animals down the track?