Essay 2.1 Animals In Captivity- torture or for education?

Over the years, I have grown up as a complete animal lover. Like most kids, I was always excited to go to the zoo and watch hundreds of different species of animals in their natural habitats. Little did I know, these are not their natural habitats at all. I’ve begun to rethink whether the zoo, aquarium or circus is a good thing or not. There has been much debate concerning whether or not these places are ethical and in the best interest of the animals.

On February 24th 2010, Tilikum, the great orca whale murdered his second trainer at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. According to an article in Time, Tilikum grabbed his trainer, Brancheau, by her ponytail and dragged her to the bottom of the pool where she drowned (Chua- Eoan). This brings up the question, were these attacks acts of revenge on the trainers? I think it’s shocking that after this whales’ first murder, he was still expected to perform.

These amazingly intelligent animals are captured and put into tanks that would be proportional to a human living in a bathtub. Orca whales swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild and are imprisoned in confining tanks (PETA). Sea World trains whales and dolphins to do tricks such as jumping through hoops, swimming with the trainers and of course, splashing the audience. As a kid, I always left the aquarium in awe of the talent and intelligence of the mammals in these performances. But now I know these tricks and moves are not natural for these animals at all. According to Peta, they are trained by, “withholding food and isolating animals who refuse to perform” (PETA). I don’t think anyone would argue that these tactics are ethical to wild animals.

But, I did learn a lot about animals that I would never actually see in the wild. Zoos, Aquariums and circuses do provide easy access to the public to witness the majestic qualities of these animals. We can learn a lot about their basic behaviors in the wild and sometimes get to interact with them. But, do these benefits outweigh the suffering we are putting many of these animals through?

Visiting many zoos we don’t see natural behaviors or natural interactions, we only see trainers handling and feeding the animals. Zoos and aquariums shouldn’t be applauded for teaching about wild animals, rather, they should only be given credit for showing how some animals are capable of adapting to such a drastic change. Think about the natural habitat of a polar bear; but, there are polar bear exhibits in zoos all over the world, often no where near their natural climate. And I’m sure there aren’t hundreds of people passing by and tapping on the glass in the wild either. Animals in captivity aren’t the same animal they would be in the wild; often these creatures are living a life that nature didn’t intend for them.

The Humane Society of the United States believes that the process of capturing wild animals often causes suffering the moment they are taken. When wild dolphins are taken from the ocean, “they are ripped violently and traumatically from their social units” (Humane Society). Often time’s dolphins are fished and either slaughtered or sold to be in such shows. Animals were made to live in the wild, not wherever humans want them to.

Circuses have one of the worst reputations for animal cruelty. The Humane Society states, “We might like to think the wild animals featured in a circus, movie, TV show or commercial are enjoying themselves. But behind the scenes, the methods used to train these animals are often abusive, and they may be chained or confined for hours on end” (Humane Society). Circuses travel all year round all over the world. Elephants, lions and monkeys are put in small cages and taken from town to town. These animals are often not given proper care and don’t have access to basic necessities while traveling. The animals are only released from their cages in order to perform, and when performing these animals are sometimes leashed and shackled.

Also, the temperatures and climates these animals experience are definitely not what they would experience in a natural setting. According to PETA, “A young lion named Clyde died in a sweltering boxcar as a Ringling Bros. train crossed the Mojave Desert on a day when temperatures exceeded 100°F” (PETA). There have been many other preventable fatalities of circus animals because lack of veterinary care while on the road.

Not only do these animals experience tough travel and living conditions, the process of training them is very disturbing. The most common method of training is physical punishment, often by hitting, electric shock, and whipping. Many shocking videos have been shot showing the pain and suffering these animals are put through. PETA states:

Video footage shot during a PETA undercover investigation of Carson & Barnes Circus revealed Carson & Barnes’ animal care director, Tim Frisco, viciously attacking, yelling, and cursing at and shocking endangered Asian elephants. Frisco instructed other elephant trainers to beat the elephants with a bullhook as hard as they could and to sink the sharp metal bullhook into the animals’ flesh and twist it until they screamed in pain. The videotape also showed a handler using a blowtorch to remove elephants’ hair and chained elephants and caged bears exhibiting stereotypic behaviors caused by mental distress.

Circus animals are exploited and abused on a daily basis and forced to perform tricks that are not natural to them at all.

Even though many animals face unethical circumstances, I see the other side of the argument. Letting wild animals be available for public display is more educational then reading about them in a book. Endangered species are often saved by human intervention. Humans can save these species in captivity by breeding and prolonging lives through medical care. Michael Hutchins, PhD, director and William Conway Chair of the Department of Conservation and Science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association states, “The primary benefits zoos provide to society are education and conservation of species and habitats” (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association). I agree, there are many benefits to these organizations but many don’t meet humane standards. Hutchins says less than 10% of animal exhibitors meet the Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation. The major zoos and aquariums throughout the United States provide safe environments for wild animals with proper care, but many do not.

I don’t think these programs should be done away with, but I think something needs to be done. I don’t think animals such as Tilikum, the Killer Whale, should still be held in captivity. There are other options for him such as sanctuaries where he can live in a normal environment with other whales. I also think there should be more emphasis on the Internet to see videos of wild animals. There are other options to learn about these creatures, technology has come so far. But, overall there needs to be a conscientious effort to help the animals that suffer daily, this could be done by boycotting businesses that exploit animals in order to make a profit. I understand the benefits zoos, aquariums and circus bring but we can’t put the lives of these majestic animals on the line for our selfish pleasures.

Works Cited

Chua-Eoan, Howard. “The Killer-Whale Attack at SeaWorld: How It Happened.” U.S. 25 February 2010. New York Times. Web. 14 March 2010.

Ellis, Richard. “Sea World Killer Whale Attack.” 25 February 2010. Washington Post. Web. 13 March 2010.

The Humane Society. The Humane Soceity of the United States. 2010. Web. 14 March 2010.

PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 2010. Web. 13 March 2010.

Kuehn, Bridget. “Is it ethical to keep animals in zoos?” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. (2002). n. pag. Web. 14 March 2010.