The ethical issue I decided to research, I knew I already had an opinion on. However, I wanted to look into this topic a lot closer and analyze both sides before taking a final opinion. I have researched the ethical issue of animal capture and containment for human enjoyment and entertainment. This included zoos, sea world, and circuses.
Often when researching this topic and the pros to this, the argument for keeping animal entertainers was that animals are not harmed in these processes and have lived prosperous lives in captivity. However, I already knew that this was false at least at sea world. In fact, whales at sea world live only up to 30 years whereas whales in the wild can live up to 100 years. After further research, I realized that it was the same for animals zoos, rodeos and circuses. In Zoos and Circuses, elephants can live up to maybe 35 years at best. In the wild however, elephants can live up to 60 years! The short age range in captivity is due to cruel practices and poor diets.
This issue is controversial because it argues the difference of importance between humans and animals. As humans, we have the tendency to be overconfident and believe that our race is more intelligent and therefor superior to all other races. Parading around monkeys in suits or elephants in a small ring, can be considered pleasurable to some people and therefor is often ruled as an okay practice.
It is clear that animals are harmed in these practices and are not given the same opportunities for life as they would in the wild. Because of this, I cannot support these practices and have to decided to take a firm negative stance on these practices of animal captivity.
To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school…it is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically. – Henry David Thoreau
I agree that these practices are completely unethical. We cannot have entertainment at the expense of other creatures. I believe that in certain circumstances where animals are held in captivity, in conditions as close as possible to their natural environments, in order to help preserve a species or rehabilitate an animal can be okay and even necessary but only if thorough research shows that this is the best option for the animals.
ReplyDeleteJoanie, what are your thoughts about keeping animals in captivity, e.g. zoos, if they are endangered in the wild? Do you think this practice would be justified on grounds that they may go extinct without attempting to preserve them in some way? What might be an alternative?
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