Cross Breeds

What causes wild animals in captivity to have a shorter lifespan?

I've read and heard that wild animals in captivity have shorter lifespans. It seems like the owners take good care of these animals (at least the ones I've seen). So why exactly do they not live as long?

Public Comments

1. In the zoo they live 2-3x longer. I don't know where you get your reading from.
2. Assuming that they aren't in the zoo and are being improperly cared for by some citizen who found the animal or has illegally obtained the creature. There are many factors to why a wild animal in captivity will die sooner. This includes the massive amount of stress that comes along with human interaction. This is especially true for animals who were once free and then were captured and forced into captivity. Also social animals who live in groups and then are forced into singular living as a pet for a human experience stress that can lead to a shortened lifespan. Animals are best left in the wild like how nature intended.
3. Interesting question. Stress ? I had heard that tame rabbits live longer than wild ones, but I believe that cetaceans such as killer whales and orcas live longer in the wild. Maybe animals with a naturally large range go stir-crazy in a small cage. Keeping orcas in a pool has been compared to locking a human in a toilet cubicle.
4. 100% WRONG! Totally completely utterly BACKWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DOUBLE the span as unprotected,fed,vetted wild life!!!
5. The animals in captivity are enslaved that stresses them out and shortens that life also they can big since they cant run allot so its a mix between stress and weight the lessens there life from wild animals