However, even under the best care possible, animals do not behave the same in captivity as they would in the wild; they’re very unpredictable. Kudewen took a risk when she accepted the position of a zookeeper at Hamilton Zoo and got attacked and killed by an old Sumatran Tiger (Miller 1). Although, working at any zoo can be a very dangerous job and costs a lot of people’s lives trying to care for the animals, zookeepers are a very important to the animals and their health. Another important person that works at the zoo is Dr. Ellen Bronsen. Some examples of what Dr. Ellen goes through on a daily basis is: developing problems of typical old age such as; arthritis, failing eyesight, muscle atrophy, kidney problems, flagging appetite, cancer and bad teeth (Roylance 1). As a result, all animals develop these problems, just like humans do, whether they’re living in captivity or not. Meanwhile, animals in captivity get treatments or medication to help with the pain or their …show more content…
in the wild. Researcher’s work included studying hormones extracted from monkey droppings. In those studies, researchers found out that better husbandry and veterinary care lengthen the lifespan of animal in captivity (Pedicini 1). Animals in captivity have a huge dependence on workers and veterinarians to live longer, without them it could be harder for them to be healthy again when they’re sick or hurting. Another study done by researchers is how long the actually live in captivity. Just as medical science has allowed humans to live longer, the same advances are being applied to animals in captivity, which now live far beyond their life expectancy than in the wild. Animals in captivity typically live 15-20 years and some get better medical attention than many humans (Pedicini 1). Depending on their workers and the amount of medical attention they get depends on how much care they will get and how much longer they will live. Next, workers put out a lot of effort and time into taking care of these animals, but is it worth costing tons of lives to? In addition, people that put out a this effort into caring for these animals may not be worth it if we lose lots of lives, both animals and humans. 62% of zoo veterinarians report at least one major animal- related injury during their careers, with 18% requiring hospitalization, according to a report in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (Ostrowski 1). In