Being American, it is easy to take our freedom for granted. For animals, it is a different story. Zoos are being shown as businesses, not educational services, nor animal rehabilitation centers, while zoos are focused on the money income and not the educational outcome. They are not worried about the maintenance nor the struggles that animals endure but what benefits them most. The harsh conditions of zoos are resulting in endangered animals being confined, which contributes greatly to a myriad of issues for at-risk species. Most teachers and parents believe that captivity of wildlife in zoos teaches educational values that aren’t found anywhere else. Despite their professed concern for animals, zoos can more accurately be described as “collections” of interesting animals than considered actual havens or homes. Yes, children and students will see animals they do not usually see and learn some vague facts about that unique animal, but it is also showing them it is okay to treat animals the way they are being shown. As a veterinarian, Dr. Henry Cooper responded to reporters after he had visited a zoo saying, “it didn’t matter what was on display people [were] treating the exhibits like wallpaper.” With this insight many people have come across the fact that animals are being taken advantage of. They are not getting cared for, nor that they are wild. “Officials should stop kidding themselves about the tremendous educational value of showing an animal behind a glass wall,” concluded animal specialist, Darrin Parks. Visiting the zoo is about learning the backgrounds of animals, and to look at entertainment? While animals are being locked up in an exhibit, they cannot grow to the expectation of their species. When asking a zoo how they have so many animals, the response is usually along the line, they are endangered or won’t be able to survive in their habitat because of medical issues. The Lifespan of an African elephant in a zoo was 16.9 years, whereas African elephants on a nature preserve died of natural causes