Animal Captivity Essay

While training the animals, theme parks and circuses may reward the animals but they also harm them in order for the animals to do tricks. The process of training animals this way has been around for a hundred or more years. There has been a long disagreement about whether holding wild animals captive(like in zoos or theme parks) is bad for the animals or if it’s a way of saving them. Using animals for entertainment and gaming constitutes animal cruelty, even if people don't realize it. Although some may argue that keeping animals in captivity is safe because they are in less danger. Keeping animals captive is cruel, because holding wild animals is dangerous for them and people and animals in captivity are most likely mistreated. Holding

Katie Mettler wrote an article about the retirement of the elephants in the Ringling Bros. circus. In this article she states, “More USDA investigations followed, including a look into the death of 4-year-old elephant Benjamin, who was hit with a bullhook when he refused to exit a pond during a recreational swim between circus performances”(Mettler,2016). This elephant wasn’t even causing any harm, he just wanted to swim a bit longer. He was punished and killed just because he wouldn’t get out of the pool. In an article about whether animals should be kept in captivity or not, Danielle Pucillo claims, “Captive wild animals should not be used for entertainment. Unfortunately, using animals in a theatrical manner is what brings in the crowds and subsequently the profits. While some theme parks may try to incorporate education into the equation in order to justify running these shows, using these majestic animals for laughs and gasps is disrespectful and abusive”(Pucillo,2016). People may try to cover up that they are holding animals captive and that they know it’s wrong, but animals doing tricks and flips helps the parks get by. Using animals that deserve to be in the wild, for entertainment and gaming is inhumane and barbaric. Parks and zoos teaching animals tricks often use things like whips and bullhooks, to make sure that the animals are obedient and do the tricks