Chimpanzee's: Better Captive or Free

Chimpanzee’s represent many different things to many different people. They may be revered as sacred symbols or considered pests that steal crops. Some treat them as surrogate children like in zoos, and others use them to further biomedical research to find out a little more about the human body. Increasingly, many fill their cooking pots with primates, while conservationists attempt to preserve remaining populations and their habitat. Many live in captivity and a few percentages live in the wild. As a blessing and curse, chimpanzee’s shares close similarities with human beings. There characteristics can both attract and repel, leading to the remarkable range of ways in which humans perceive our closest evolutionary relatives. The big question that is being asked here is, “Which is better for a chimpanzee, Captivity or Freedom?”

There are many different theories about captivity of chimpanzees in the world by many different scientists and experts. Scientist has found that chimpanzees in captivity aren’t a bad thing because there is no threat to their survival among many other reasons. For example, in a book called “Primates in Question”, Robert W. Shumaker and Benjamin B. Beck discuss their theory about chimpanzees in captivity. They state that, “Species living in captivity are self-sustaining and reproduce very successfully, resulting in stable populations that are at no risk of decline” (Shumaker 161). They do state though that

Threats to the welfare of captive chimpanzees do not exist at the species or population level but are certainly present for individuals. For some people, captivity for any chimpanzee is offensive and considered inappropriate. For most others, the welfare of individuals is defined by their particular circumstance and treatment. Considering the spectrum of conditions that exist in captivity, primates living in well-regulated zoos and sanctuaries generally have the highest standards of care and the lowest incidence of inhumane treatment. (Shumaker 161-162)

Sadly, we also have situations that exploit chimpanzees for commercial gain with little regard for their quality of life but there are many organizations that exist that are working to eliminate these horrific conditions.

In the beginning, zoos were strictly about keeping things sterile and they didn’t really worry about the life style of the animals, just that things were staying sterile. Over the course of time though, zoos have been changing things to accommodate their animals so that their habitats are reenactments of real wild life. This way, animals feel like they would in the wild without actually having the danger that they would have in the wild. In “Science News” there was an article called “Zoos: Changing Their Spots” by Janet L. Hopson, and it was all about how zoos are remodeling to more fit animal life styles. The part that we are focusing on though is the chimpanzees section and one National zoo director says “We know that some of our old buildings and cages are so sterile they look like the men’s room at Grand Central Station” (Hopson 107). Since they looked this way, it really wasn’t promoting healthy living conditions for the chimpanzees, so they remodeled and in the article it says that they rebuilt the cages, giving them 16 times more space and exercise. It is stated, “Even though the chimpanzees can hind, chase, climb and play, there will still be a certain amount of boredom. We often throw a handful of wheat, rice or even crickets into the straw and the chimpanzees will pick at it happily all day” (Hopson 108). Even though people are against chimpanzees in zoos, it’s not going to stop zoos from having chimpanzees, so all zoos can do, is try and make the habitat as close to wildlife as possible.

“Chimpanzees who have been imprisoned and experimented on for biomedical research deserve to live out the remainder of their lives with dignity and peace. Sadly, they can never be truly free again” (Yerkes 337). As Professor Robert M. Yerkes talks about in his article that he writes called “Laboratory Chimpanzees”, he states that as chimpanzees grow, they are accustomed to a certain living style. So this means that chimpanzees that live in captivity most of their lives don’t have to basic instincts in how to survive in the wild or any of the basic skills that chimpanzees in the wild would have. Also, it’s the other way around as well, chimpanzees that grow up in the wild aren’t able to survive very well in captivity because they aren’t challenged enough with day to day activity and they don’t have as much space to run around and play (336-337).

Captive chimpanzees cannot be reintroduced safely into the wild. Sanctuaries – where they live in large enclosures with free access to outdoor