I think that it depends on the animal species. Animals like cats, dogs and even birds are domesticated already, and will prefer food, shelter, medical care and human company to having a freedom to survive in the wild. It's not strange, after all us humans have also traded some of our own freedom for the same deal. To all the people who tell me that I should let my cats be free, I ask them, where is their natural habitat? We should still give our pets some freedom, of course, I wouldn't use this argument to defend a person who keeps his dog chained up all his life, or keeps his bird in a cage all the time, or his fish in a tank that's way too small. Animals that aren't as domesticated probably prefer their freedom at any cost.
