Should zoos be banned?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Should zoos be banned?". Your opponent's style: Tejas Subramaniam

Zoos should not be banned because it provides a more humane environment for animals compared to the wildlife, where they can live longer without having to scavenge for food and be gruesomely killed by a predator in the wild, with zoos also being check and balanced by accountability and regulatory measures

You're confusing captivity with kindness. A longer lifespan in a concrete cell isn't a win if the animal loses everything that makes it an animal. Zoos eliminate predation, sure, but they also eliminate purpose, natural behavior, territory, and autonomy. That's not humane, that's sedation. Your "accountability" argument crumbles instantly, too. Regulatory measures exist, yet elephants still develop stereotypic behaviors, big cats pace endlessly, and primates self-harm. Oversight doesn't stop suffering, it just documents it. The real question you're dodging: if we truly believe captivity is better, why don't we apply that logic to humans in prison? Because we recognize confinement as punishment, not charity. Why does it suddenly become compassion when the prisoner can't talk?