Treatment Of Animals In Captivity

Animal Cruelty is becoming a very large problem that needs to be taken care of. Animal Cruelty is largely in certain “activities”, such as circuses, dog shows, dog fighting, and even zoos. Although people find this to be entertaining, interesting, and something out of the ordinary, it is still something that is causing harm to these animals and needs to be stopped. These “wild” animals are still animals, animals that have feelings, ones that don’t deserve to be tortured. How would you feel if someone locked you in a cage for the rest of your life, forced you to perform in front of crowds, whacked you when you weren’t doing what you were supposed to, hit you when you messed up?

The mistreatment of animals is a serious problem within our society for a variety of reasons. While current laws and conditions are improving, there is still a

The issue on whether or not to keep animals in captivity has been debated heavily for a long time. With species such as the panda on the verge of extinction to mistreatment of marine mammals in theme parks such as Sea World, keeping wild animals under the care of humans has been a struggle and a highly controversial topic. Even though many people believe that animals should not be kept in captivity because humans are incapable of fully understanding and providing specific needs for wild animals, certain animals can be kept happy and healthy in captivity, and these animals are an important educational tool for teaching people of all ages about biology, biodiversity, and the ecosystems of the world.

It is hard to imagine a life without the childhood trips to the zoo, the circus, and other animal based attractions. It is even harder to imagine a daily life without digging in to a hamburger and washing it down with a cold glass of milk. It is almost impossible to imagine a life where one does nothing wrong, but it subject to abuse and torture for selfish purposes of another species. Animal exploitation is a common yet overlooked practice all around the world. Helpless animals are poked, prodded, and slaughtered without acknowledgement due to the satisfaction it brings to the human race. However, if it was known what happens behind the scenes of the making of your dinner or the production of your favorite show at SeaWorld, the lives of tortured animals could change forever.

“Before the early twentieth century, zoos would separate humans from the animals by using a series of moats. In the early 1900s, however, zoos “began displaying animals in realistic exhibits that mimicked actual habitats” (Gioielli, 2016, p. 1). Coupled with the more natural habitat is advancing care for the animals in captivity. More hospitals are being built for animals and better medicine is being created constantly. As a result of healthier and happier animals in increased popularity of animals in captivity. According to Carey (2016), “More than 10,000 zoos are now in operation worldwide . . . the central missions of zoos [are] not only to serve as attractions for recreation and amusement, but also to educate people and promote conservation . . .” (p. 2). Most people do not go to see animals in captivity for the sole purpose of entertainment, they also go to learn about the animals themselves. Both children and adults can learn about how to help protect endangered animals and their habitats. As a result, zoos and aquariums are continually gaining popularity. According to Gazert (2017), “Zoos and aquariums draw 181 million visitors per year in the United States--that’s over half the country’s population, and more visitors than the annual attendance of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games combined” (p. 2). Unfortunately, some zoos and aquariums have been known to abuse their animals. While this is not true of all zoos, but the reports of abuse have increased leading to more controversy. Because of this the idea of keeping animals in captive is harder to accept. Still, the sad truth is that animals may have to be in captivity in order to save their species. “A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund warned that without swift and substantial human intervention, over two-thirds of the world’s wildlife could be gone by the end of the decade” (Ganzert, 2017, p. 1). Predictions

The idea of animal rights has been around for centuries. Even decades ago, people were taking action for the welfare of animals. Marc Bekoff and Ned Hettinger share this idea all the way back in 1994 when they said that there is evidence that scientist are concerned with animal welfare by acknowledge that they use the guidelines in place to protect animals during research, in order to have their work published (Bekoff 219). Guidelines are the basis for the moral and ethical treatment of animals. Each person may have his or her own standard, but having a standard among the entire population ensures the welfare of the animals. Unfortunately, these standards are not at a level to where the animals are being protected. Many animals in captivity are treated in ways that would shock the average person. Orcas for example, are starved until they do the desired task (Cowperthwaite). This form of operant condition can lead to success, but often leads to resentment and hostility towards the trainers.

Freedom is everything to people, and animals alike. But animals in captivity are stripped from this. In SeaWorld and circuses, the animals are living their lives entertaining people and living their lives in cages or small enclosed pens. By keeping animals to remain in captivity people are taking away their freedom, forcing them to be used for entertainment, and not providing animals with the proper care.

The world stripped of human intervention was created by God to be a magnificent place, which glorified God. We, as beings made in the image of God, were given dominion over the earth. However, where does our rule become unjust? Where do we overstep our boundaries? Throughout history, humans have strived to gain ultimate control of a planet they did not create. Some aspects in nature should be left to its own devices to be beautiful and glorify God, their intended purpose of creation. Humans have no right to captivate orcas because we cannot provide for their needs and we force them into a world they did not want. We force orcas into tanks not nearly large enough, we force them to mix with orcas not from their social pods, and we force them to perform for our entertainment.

Do you think that animals should be kept in captivity there whole life's. When people put animals in zoos or captivity that keeps the animal safe. Although keeping animals in captivity is bad because they don’t get to be themselves, they should keep animals in zoos or captivity because it helps them not go extinct, it brings happiness to families that go the zoo, and zoos bring in enough money to build better animal enclosures.

Over the centuries, animals have suffered from cruelty from humans. In the United States, animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Animals have been inflicted with pain from humans for reasons other than self-defense. They have been slaughtered for their food and fur for personal gain in profit. In a majority of cases they have even been abused for someone’s own personal amusement or out of rage filled impulses. In some cases animals are found and rescued. They are given the second chance in life to experience what life should be like compared to what they once had.

Each year billions of animals are being tortured, blinded, scaled and used. Humans create these devastating events that occur. Animals experience pain and confusion throughout their life. There is great entertainment seeing animals in circuses and zoos but, there is a very dark side on how the animal performs. An elephant is beaten and trained until they are stripped from their spirit. Breeders are breeding large amount of animals, and shelters are becoming increasingly crowded. Animals are even sharing breathing space. The ignorance of our society is convincing that breeding animals are honorable. In reality, society is not just using animals for entertainment and breeding, but mass production of food. People are killing these animals

Animals are a big part of many people’s lives. They provide companionship; they provide daily assistance to those that have deficits and are having difficulty functioning in their daily life; they provide security and help keep a watchful eye on things, plus so much more. And yet, with all that animals do for us, there are those that are treated with such little regard, care, and cruelty. They are unable to speak for themselves and therefore, they need a voice to speak for them.

Each year, the most extreme cases of animal abuse receive media attention. Yet, the animal cruelty problem is more widespread than is reported in the media. Animal abuse and neglect is a nationwide issue, affecting thousands of animals nationwide. Cruelty to animals is defined as the infliction of physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, beyond what is necessary. There is a need to stop abusers from acting in such a horrific manner–preventing the neglect and suffering of the animals. What causes animal abusers to act in such a cruel way towards animals? How are cases of animal abuse being managed, and how should cases be handled? Finally, does the status of animals in society contribute to the rate of their abuse?

Over the year’s researchers have discovered different affects that captivity has on animal behavior. Before 2010 captivity was seen as causing changes in the behavior of wild animals. An early study done in 2004, focused on the long-term effects that captivity has on a group

Humans have always had a complicated relationship with non-human animals. This relationship has always benefitted the needs of humans, with little consideration for animals’ needs. Some animals are tortured for entertainment, some are butchered for food and others are taken from their habitat and family, and forced to be pets for humans. These are all examples of the ways humans have exploited animals for their own satisfaction. Hal Herzog’s essay “Animals Like Us” describes the complicated relationship that humans and animals have, and how difficult it is to determine what is ethical when dealing with animals. Jonathan Safran Foer makes a similar observation in his essay “The Fruits of Family Trees” of the ethical issues in the