Elephant Recognition Test Essay

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Key to understanding the deontological logic of keeping elephants out of the entertainment industry is an acceptance that they are conscious. While no one can be absolutely assured of any man or creature’s consciousness without becoming it, some animal behavior tests strongly support the idea that elephants experience many of conscious experiences as humans. The mirror recognition test serves as an example of measured awareness and has been conducted on elephants on several occasions (Plotnik). The experiment involves placing elephants around an elephant-sized mirror and recording reactions that suggest the elephant recognized itself such as examining it’s body in the mirror, or using the mirror to remove an applied chalk mark. Elephants tested consistently show self-recognition and understanding. From this information, one could reasonably conclude that the elephant holds awareness of its situation—what it is and what it wants.
This understanding influences how we ought to think of keeping of these animals in captivity. They do understand self and emotion like humans. An article written by the Captive Animals …show more content…

Capture of a large social animal like the elephant could only be accepted as moral on the basis that the elephant cannot express desire to remain in the wild or distress with life in captivity. A universal maxim could theoretically be applied, which would allow morally the capture and use for show of other intelligent, but voiceless beings. This wouldn’t just include other animals, but would technically include human babies, or incapacitated human adults. While human captivity for show will not happen as a result of circus elephant keeping, we must consider the universal application of accepting that independent and sentient beings currently, for our own entertainment, may be forced to live in conditions that do not fit their natural surroundings or

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