Informative Essay About Animals In Captivity

Words: 1362
Pages: 6
Open Document
Animals have been in the entertainment industry for as long as we can remember. They span from small petting zoos to big institutions like SeaWorld. These shows/displays might seem fun, lighthearted, and educational in the eyes of the visitors; however, it’s a different story in the eyes of the animals. Throughout their experience in the industry they’ve experienced abuse, neglect, malnourishment, health problems, loss, stress, and the trauma continues on. While in captivity, animals are locked into small enclosures that are completely different from their natural habitats. This can lead to aggressiveness, physical deformities and mental illnesses such as zoochosis. Zoochosis is when animals in captivity start behaving abnormally due to being in a …show more content…
Understanding the situations and emotions the animals experience is another way to create empathy for them. Yes it might be hard to relate to what these animals are going through because the average human doesn’t go through what these animals have to endure, but by educating yourself on the many horrific stories that come out of the numerous “accidents” in the animal entertainment industry, it becomes easier to put yourself in the viewpoint of the animals.
The powerful 2013 documentary, Blackfish, can help humans take the perspective of captivated animals, which will, in turn, help humans empathize with their suffering. The documentary shed light on the abuse and corruption of the animal entertainment industry by telling the story of Tilikum, SeaWorld’s largest orca whale (22 feet long, 12,500 lbs) that has taken the lives of two trainers. Tilikum was captured off the coast of Iceland at two years old in 1983 and has been in captivity ever since. He started out in Sealand, a now closed down aquarium, where he was kept in a, “ small metal-sided pool that was 26 feet in diameter and less than 20 feet deep” (Zimmermann) along with two female orcas. Eric Walters who was a trainer at Sealand states, “The
Show More

Related Documents: Informative Essay About Animals In Captivity

Circus Elephant Analysis

This article written by Mike Jaynes looks at the training of circus elephants, and in particular the abuse they face. He discusses why it is so terrible by comparing their natural habitat with that of the circus. He also goes into detail about the abuse the trainers inflict which is important in order to make a point in how horrible the elephants are treated. This is useful in the section of my paper that exclusively speaks of the abuse. The author is writing an academic journal, but his feelings…

Words 1543 - Pages 7