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