10 Facts about Animals Used for Entertainment

Check out these 10 little facts about animals used for entertainment!


10 Fast Facts About Animals Used for Entertainment

Hunting: Sport or Entertainment?

"Of all the creatures that were made, man is the most detestable......He is the only creature that has pain for sport, knowing it to be pain" -Mark Twain (as quoted in Earthlings)

Hunting. Is it a sport or is it a form of cruel entertainment? I want to first state that hunting for sustenance is not the topic of this post. It's about hunting that is NOT for sustenance but as a sport, hobby, or form of entertainment, which is what is generally practiced in the U.S. today. Unfortunately current hunting methods and reasons can be seen as cruel, unethical and devastating to ecosystems.

Many animals do not die instantly when hunted. Several die long excruciating and painful deaths and sometimes are shot several times before they completely die. Hunting can also disrupt migration patterns of animals and leave some animals injured and wounded if not fully killed.

Do you have any valid arguments for sport hunting? Or is a cruel form of human entertainment?






http://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/why-sport-hunting-is-cruel-and-unnecessary.aspx

EARTHLINGS

One of the most provocating and life changing films I have seen is Earthlings. Earthlings, directed by Shaun Monson, is a documentary film that shows the human use of animals for pets, food, entertainment, clothing, and science. Music by Moby and narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, the film is extremely explicit and I do want to warn anyone before viewing the segment below, that it is very graphic. However, Monson once stated (something along these lines) "These animals have to endure it with their bodies. All you have to do is view it".

In the section on animals used for entertainment,  Part four of this film is specifically on entertainment. I inserted the clip below:

The film shows animals used for entertainment in a variety of ways: circuses, zoos, the running of the bulls, and more. What are your thoughts on this clip? Were you able to watch the whole thing?

http://earthlings.com/

Why should we keep zoos?

Before I get going, let me state: NOT ALL ZOOS HAVE BAD INTENTIONS(But that does not mean that they aren't unethical).

Of course they shouldn't, right? Zoos are suppose to show us compassion towards animals, they are supposed to help educate humans about other animals, and they are suppose to be a great way for us to learn about animals up close and personal. However, not all zoos do this and even if they do, does it make it "right" and/or ethical? 

Animals in zoos are there to entertain. We go to zoos not to learn, but to be entertained by watching animals roam around, sleep, and eat. Unfortunately, not all animals used in zoos are given the best conditions and environment. Many animals in zoos are stripped away from their parents in the wild, right from birth. Many animals are also transferred from zoo to zoo for either money or reproduction. These animals grow up in a world different then what they naturally would exist in. In Dale Jamieson's article, "Against Zoos", he gives four reasons as to why individuals might go to zoos and he then debunks them. 

Jamieson's Arguments: 

1. Amusement- Jamieson explains that the history of many zoos is to provide amusement to humans. However, he questions if amusement of humans is enough to keep an animal held in captivity. 

What do you think about this argument? Human amusement is more important than animals held in captivity? Or vice versa? 

2. Education-Jamieson states that many argue that zoos should exist because they provide education to the public. However, he states that there is little evidence that zoos actually are successful of informing the public about animals. He quotes a paper by Stephan Kellert who explained that “zoo-goers are much less knowledgeable about animals, than backpackers…others who claim an interest in animals”. He also states that many zoo-goers generally have the same prejudices again animals (dislike for spiders, but elephants are highly favorable)

Jamieson also questions, what do zoo-goers really want to get out of zoos that they can’t get from a book or documentary about that specific animal its natural habitat?

I really enjoyed reading this article and first read it in an Environmental Ethics class.

What are your arguments for why zoos should still exist? Are they substantial enough to keep animals in captivity for the rest of their life? 

Sources:

http://faculty.uca.edu/rnovy/Jamieson%20--%20Against%20Zoos.htm

http://www.cereplast.com/are-zoos-cruel-the-pros-and-cons-of-zoos-and-wildlife-parks/

Free Willy: Freeing the real Willy, Keiko

Free Willy was a movie I used to watch over and over as a child. I absolutely loved animals and I absolutely fell in love with Willy, the Orca. For those who don't know, Free Willy was a film made in the 90's about a an Orca that was taken away to an amusement park owned by a greedy marine park owner. The movie follows Jesse who attempts to "free Willy" and help Willy escape to a life of independence in the ocean. However, there is a true and real story of the Orca behind the movie.

Keiko, the Orca who played Willy, was stripped away from the ocean at the tender year of one and put into several different amusement parks and aquariums doing tricks for human entertainment and lived in captivity for the majority of his life. He was sold in 1985 to a marine amusement park in Mexico for $340,000. In 1992, Keiko became the star of Free Willy and after the film the true conditions of Keiko's life were addressed. Acording to an article: "...publicity from the film eventually resulted in a feature in Life (November 1993) about the terrible conditions at Reino Aventura - Keiko was clearly dying, and efforts began to find him a new home..." Many activists pushed for Keiko's return to the ocean. 

After a period of time of training Keiko to hunt and adjust to ocean waters, he was finally released into the ocean. Keiko had a difficult time bonding with other Orcas and because he was so used to human company he ended up finding humans near coast who would feed him. After a year of the wild, Keiko died. 

This story raises up SEVERAL questions. Many about keeping animals in capitivity, not preparing them for a life in the wild,  and so on. I just think it's ironic that the star of Free Willy spent their whole entire life doing tricks for humans in an amusement park. What do you think?

Watch the film about Keiko. It's well done and very informative.The trailer is above. 


Sources: 
http://keiko.com/
  http://members.tripod.com/~keikos_home/keiko.html
 http://www.igreens.org.uk/keiko_the_orca.htm
 

A happy home for animals used for entertainment

Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a non-profit organization that rescues and provides protection and an appropriate environment for animals that were once victims and/or used by the entertainment. These animals are rescues from exploitative cases and industries such as horse racing, circuses, zoos, and television/movies. The group also works on investigating abuses in animal entertainment industry and educating the public about these cruelties. Meet some of their rescued animals below!

Prince: A retired circus elephant from the Ringling Bros. circus, Prince was born in 1987 to the Portland Zoo's "highly touted captive breeding program" (PAWS). He enjoys the pool and challenging trees to matches.

Nelson Redford:Nelson was rescued from a breeder and was found in very poor conditions and was almost starved to death. His cubs were sold to humans as pets. The pregnant tiger that was found with him, died shortly after being rescues.

Ben: One of the newest members, Ben was rescued from a roadside tourist attraction "park"12x22 food cement and chain fence enclosure. He is about ten years old and is happy in his new home at PAWS sanctuary.

Sources:
http://www.pawsweb.org/about_paws_home_page.html

Animals used in Fight Matches: Part II- Cockfighting and Hog-dogging

This is part II in animals that are used in fight matches. I was never truly aware of how prevalent and how severe the injuries are in animal fight matches. Below are two different types of animals used for fighting in the United States and around the world.

Cockfighting:
A little different than dogfights, but just as cruel, participants observe two roosters fight until their death. Birds are equipped with razor sharp blades that they wear around their legs when thrown in the ring. Roosters undergo rigorous and abusive training to make them more aggressive. When not in fights, these birds are usually living in poor conditions chained to a pole and/or in a small wire cage.

Hog-dogging:
I actually never heard of hog-dogging until I was doing some research on dogfighting. Hog-dogging is an event where a pit-bull and a hog get thrown into a "ring" or circle where the aggressively trained dog attacks and attempts to kill the hog. Hogs squeal and cry for their lives as the dog bites their head, snout, and body, sometimes even ripping off their body parts. If you have ever met a pig, you would know that pigs are very social and intelligent creatures, who are very similar to dogs. They have tails that wag and studies have shown that pigs are as smart as a three year old child. I found hog-dogging very disturbing. What are your thoughts on this event?

Sources:
 http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/hogdog_fighting/facts/hog-dog_bloodsport.html
 http://blog.dogsbite.org/2008/09/hog-dog-rodeos-pit-bulls-killing-pigs.html
 http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/cockfighting.aspx
 http://www.care2.com/news/member/876870911/831040

Animals Used in Fight Matches: Part I- Dogfighting

 Fight matches between animals are for the sole purpose of human entertainment. These matches consist of unwilling animals who are forced to fight. Scared and angry, many animals in fight matches, fight until their very own death. Animals in these "sporting" events are often kept chained to poles, starved, and drugged to make them more aggressive during a match.

Dogfighting:
I don't want to say thank you to Michael Vick, but because Michael Vick was such a a famous athlete, his abuse and participation in dogfighting was thrust into the public and because of that, more people became aware of its existence. Dogfighting is a cruel sport where specifically bred fight dogs battle in a one on one match. Most commonly bred fight dogs are pit bulls. Dogs are put into pits as spectators watch for one or two hours until one dog can no longer fight. There are many injuries associated with dog fights such as deep puncture wounds, broken limbs, and some fights end in death. Dog fighting is illegal in the United States, but there are still several participants who practice this "sport" illegally.

There are many several types of animal fight matches that occur throughout the world, such as hog-dogging and cockfighting. Stay posted for the second part of this blog.






Sources:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/dogfighting/facts/dogfighting_fact_sheet.html
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/dogfighting.aspx

Horse Racing: A Dangerous Sport for Horses

Horse racing is a multibillion dollar industry that takes place year long in America. This popular and moneymaking entertainment supports the abuse and exploitation of horses. On average, according to NPR, 24 horses die a week from horse racing related injuries. Many horses are pumped with drugs to improve their "game" and because of this, it is extremely hard for vets to detect injuries and often allow injured horses to race. The New York Times launched a months wide investigation on the horse racing industry and found there is a direct correlation between the increasing drug use and the increasing horse injuries.

With limited oversight and penalties on drug use and animals in the horse race industry, it is very upsetting to find horse injuries so common and unnoticed by the public eye. Some animal rights activists state that horses as young as three years old are forced into racing. Young horses' bones are barely strong enough to support such rigorous and arduous training and racing. I find any animal used in entertainment extremely disturbing, but what I find more disturbing are the individuals who watch and support these cruel practices.

What are your thoughts?


Sources:
http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsinentertainment/a/Horse-Racing-And-Animal-Rights-Whats-Wrong-With-Horse-Racing.htm
http://www.npr.org/2012/05/10/152363564/horse-racing-americas-most-dangerous-game
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/us/death-and-disarray-at-americas-racetracks.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Animals In Rodeos

Yesterday, I spent my Saturday visiting the animals at Farm Sanctuary in Orland, California. Farm Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that rescues and rehabiliates animals from factory farms, slaughterhouses, and other incidents of cruelty. Meeting these rescued animals is a life changing and beautiful experience. Many of them have such different and unique personalities and I feel it is my duty to really show how wonderful nonhuman animals are.

Farm Sanctuary 11/17/12

This is one of the many cows that I was able to meet. Here at the sanctuary, animals are given a life to live freely and happily without the risk of being slaughtered, used, or abuse. I bring this experience up because many animals are used for humans every day.

For example, each year thousands of rodeos take place. Rodeos are dangerous and stressful environments for animals, specifically cattle. Participants rely on harsh methods like electric prods to evoke and anger (and scare) cattle so they can be more aggressive during their shows. Injuries to animals such as bruises, sprains, and broken limbs are very common especially with young calves. Animals are also transported in small trailers and trucks often times with no ventilation and inadequate water and food.

During rodeo shows, "cowboys" engage in activities such as calf-roping and steer wrestling. In calf-roping, "cowboys" chase 4-6month old calves and swing their lassos until they wrap around the neck of the young cattle. As soon as the young cattle is lassoed, the rider will throw the young cattle to the ground. According to the ASPCA, "Since the terrified calf is running at such a high speed when lassoed, the rope often snaps with a force strong enough to yank the calf off his feet and into the air. This action may result in neck injury—at times, death occurs if the neck is broken". This is very common in rodeos and animals often times do not receive proper veterinary care and so they are forced to live in excruciating pain.

 There are many things that we can do to stop the abuse in rodeos. One is to keep educated on the issue. And two is to not support. By attending rodeos you are participating in the abuse of the animals. For more information on how to get invovled in ending the abuse of animals in rodeos please visit http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000349
 



Sources:
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/whats-wrong-with-the-rodeo.aspx
http://www.idausa.org/facts/rodeos.html

Animals in Circuses

I remember attending circuses when I was very young. They were a great family outing. My mom would take the day off work, my dad would buy me and my sisters popcorn and ice cream and we would watch the show, laugh at the clowns, basically enjoy our night out. What I didn't realize then as a child and what I came to realize as an adult, is the hidden truth behind the production of circuses. Circus animals are often abused, neglected, and forced to work and stay in unnatural conditions. Animals are forced to perform and are scared of the repercussions if they don't. Several animal rights group have gone undercover and reported dozens of incidents of circus animals being brutally beaten.

I've attended several circus protests and many people are unaware of what animals in this business undergo. Why is that? Once people have the information, they are able to make a clear and better decision. Though I've never convinced someone who was on their way inside the circus arena to turn around and go home, many of them, adults and children were really concerned and expressed interest to never attend again (especially the kids!). I think it's important to speak up for the animals who live there lives in captivity being forced to perform and entertain JUST for human amusement. What are your thoughts on animals in circuses?

Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/11/circus-animals-abused-and-dangerous/