Arguments Against Animal Captivity

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite in the documentary, Blackfish (2013), argues that captivity triggers aggression in killer whales. Cowperthwaite supports her argument by demonstrating shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these animals in captivity and for human entertainment. The author’s purpose is to show the problems that are caused by captivity in order to aware the audience that keeping killer whales in captivity affects their behavior mentally and physically. The author writes in resentful tone to Sea World, the people who visited Sea World, and those who were present during the killer whale incident. Gabriela Cowperthwaite argues that keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld affects their mentality due to how they are being treated. She makes this argument by applying pathos, ethos, and logos.

Scientists, zoologists, and the staff at zoos all agree that by keeping species in captivity, the species is benefiting from it. For some species, captivity is the only reason why their species is surviving. For example, the amount of tigers that are owned by private individuals

Zoos, SeaWorld, and circuses are places for families to enjoy entertainment. However, most people do not realize how the animals in each of these establishments are handled. Yes, they all bring in revenue and present the tricks these animals can do, yet these places preform detrimental acts to the animals. For example, the killer whales at SeaWorld are sometimes starved if they do not perform the way the trainer wants them to. In comparison, circuses torture lions and tigers until they are submissive to how the show-people want them to act. Zoos do not necessarily torture their animals, but it is proven the animals live much shorter lives in captivity. “Lives of animals in the wild versus captivity are literally worlds apart, and even the best captive facilities can’t recreate the conditions of the wild — not exactly. Most don’t even try, leaving animals in tiny enclosures with no socialization, enrichment or joy. Captivity is unnatural and unhealthy” (Sentenac). People are starting to recognize the danger of continuing these practices, but there’s a long way to go.Furthermore, animals in all of these places have suffered many traumatizing and even deadly events. There was a recent report that two circus lions, whom had severe head injuries, were killed by poachers who snuck into the sanctuary. “Last year poachers bypassed an advanced security system at a lodge near the town of Tzaneen in the Limpopo province, killing two lions by feeding them poisoned meat” (Graham).

Speaker Credibility: After countless research, I’ve come across many stories about the ethics and morality of animal captivity in order to share with you facts and information about this topic.

Throughout the years, we have been made to believe that wildlife in the entertainment industry is captivating. Even though these animals may seem to be happy and healthy, the truth is the majority of these animals suffer a great amount of abuse. SeaWorld and the Circus have made a name for themselves, by claiming that he/she provides a safe a friendly environment. However, what is not shown during these performance acts is the abuse these animals suffer, or the amount of stress and anxiety the animals are under. Wildlife in captivity for exotic animals can cause a serious amount of stress along with abuse, anxiety which can lead to a fatal result for the animals and the people who take care of them.

Not many people think about how immoral it is for us humans to take animals from the wild and hold them captive for entertainment. Captive animals are often deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, and they experience captivity-related health problems as a result.

“Can you imagine being in a small concrete enclosure for your life when you’re used to swimming 100 miles a day?” This is how captive dolphins live everyday, their natural habitat is swimming miles and miles in the ocean. When they get captured their lives change for the worse. In the past decade Seaworld and captive animals has been a controversial subject. Many people believe the keeping orca whales captive is damaging to the animal and affects them in a negative way. Others believe Seaworld is used to rescue animals and save them. The treatment of animals in captivity is cruel and should be stopped. Keeping animals captive is an appalling punishment.

Animal captivity acts as a broad way for the public to view and enjoy wild species. However, “it transforms helpless, harmless animals into aggressive, agitated monsters” (4). “Wild animals should never be kept in captivity- especially not at SeaWorld Parks” (7), and little did you know that kept Animals in captivity are deprived of their loved ones, their freedom, and their personal will to carry on, which lead to them becoming highly aggressive. The conditions in captivity are horrifying and disgusting. The animals have to have a better place to live in so that they will have the capability of striving. Why do you think so many species are in danger of going extinct? Many believe that SeaWorld is a family-friendly incorporation and an

The topic at hand is the captivity of orcas in institutions like SeaWorld. This issue

This article discuses the documentary film “Blackfish”, and exposes the dangers of having animals in captivity. The documentary unfolds the tragic story of Tilikum, a stress-induced whale who lived in captivity at SeaWorld since 1983. The 23-foot long bull orca drowned SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010. The thesis in this article is “A comparison of their natural behavior patterns, as opposed to the lives they must endure in aquariums and amusement parks, reveal the answer” (Cronin. para. 4). The author Aisling Cronin, poses the question; Why do animals consistently demonstrate greater levels of aggression in captivity, than they do in the wild? The author makes comparisons of their natural behavioral patterns, as opposed to lives in

We tend to love our pets; we also love the zoos, aquariums and SeaWorld parks around the world. For many years the population has chosen to believe that the research and educational purposes of these outlets outweigh any of the negatives involved in keeping wild animals in captivity. Filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite shows us in her documentary Black Fish that we are overdue for an eye opening revelation that brings up the cruel and vicious tactics involved with the capture and training of wild animals for entertainment purposes. She uses facts, emotions, and ethics to inform the audience about the unknown secrets of SeaWorld’s biggest asset, Tilikum.

Since the early 1960’s, SeaWorld has been a popular North American phenomenon. Having the power to have animals that weigh over a thousand pounds in captivity was unheard of and ultimately fascinating. Hundreds of people are invited daily to crowd these animals and watch them swim, interact with trainers, and learn facts about these mammals. Creating a mix of fear and wonder within the audience, SeaWorld became the biggest attraction known to cities all over the world. Little do the audience realize, every penny spent on attending this attraction feeds a franchise of unethical practice towards marine life that creates a life of torture from a whale’s birth until their death.

In SeaWorld parks everywhere today, SeaWorld has marine animals in tanks and aquariums, people like PETA believed that the animals are in captivity and only used for entertainment but people, like SeaWorld supporters also say they are in a healthy environment and safe. Throughout this essay, facts will show both sides of the argument, if either SeaWorld is really ‘sea jail’ or if it’s a safe place for marine animals. SeaWorld has marine animals in tanks and aquariums and has dolphin and whale shows for the entertainment. SeaWorld is said to be very fun and entertaining and the whales look happy from their supporters but

While some may argue, that animals should be kept captive because they receive the medicine they need, it is true that animals without medicine in the wild are healthier than the ones that receive medicine. Some evidence to prove this reason is (Animal Equality) it states “Animals that are in the wild tend to live longer than the ones that are behind bars”

With nearly millions of animals dying each year from being captive, or endangered species being hunted down and killed, we need to discover a new way of displaying that our world is full of beautiful animals and wildlife. Wild animals are suffering both physically and mentally from the lack of freedom that confinement imposes. These harmful environments are preventing animals from having the opportunity to live in, and be exposed to their natural habitats. Keeping animals imprisoned in cages and small enclosures just for the sake of human observation causes stress and frustration, which is risking animals overall health and well being. These morally unacceptable and cruel actions of retaining wild animals in captivity is certainly wrong.