Wild animals play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance. A single extinct animal species can lead to the collapse of an ecosystem, with disastrous consequences for the environment. Marco Lambertini, Director General of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International, said that the size of animal populations has already decreased by up to 60% over the last 40 years (WWF 2018). Environmental organizations such as WWF and Greenpeace have already undertaken significant efforts to try to save the remaining populations of the near-extinct animals. Most people support these efforts to conserve wild animals, but are torn between the methods of doing so—keeping them in captivity or in the wild. Although some people advocate the conservation of animals in the wild, keeping animals in captivity is a much better option because their safety from external threats can be guaranteed and repopulation of any conserved species can be achieved much more easily in case they become seriously at risk. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, wild animals are best kept in captivity as their safety from external threats can be guaranteed. One of the main threats that most animals face is the destruction of their habitat, often caused by human activities. For example, the Spix's macaw, better known as the bird from the Disney movie Rio, has been classified as extinct in the wild due to the loss of its natural home in the forests of Brazil due to deforestation. However, the species is not completely extinct as there are still around 60-80 specimens in captivity. Furthermore, wild animals also face threats such as smugglers and poachers. This is especially true for orangutans: in March 2019 alone, one orangutan was found nearly dead, having been stabbed, shot and blinded with her one-month-old baby in her arms, while another was found drugged in a rattan basket after a Russian was caught trying. smuggle it through Bali International Airport (Ives 2019). On the other hand, orangutans in zoos and wildlife centers are cared for by experts and kept in their habitat to ensure that they live longer. Therefore, keeping animals in captivity can protect them from most threats found in nature. Secondly, wild animals are best kept in captivity as they can be repopulated much more easily should they become endangered. As wild animal populations continue to decline, many of them are entering the endangered list. By using zoo animals to help breed and increase the population of endangered animals, the problem can be mitigated. This is the case of the Amur leopard: in July 2018, a new leopard cub born in the Highland Wildlife Park of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will be introduced to the Russian Far East according to a 2015 plan between the Zoological Society of London and the Russian government to once again repopulate the area with Amur leopards (the rare Amur leopard born at Highland Wildlife Park in 2018). Furthermore, animals in captivity for repopulation do not necessarily have to come from a zoo, as in the example of the black soft-shelled turtles, classified as extinct in the wild in 2002. A small population of turtles still resides in captivity in the Hayagriva ponds Madhav. temple in India, where they are cared for by the temple caretaker. A program.