Ancillary #1: The Capture and Containment of Wild Animals for Human Entertainment

For centuries, humans have been fascinated by wild, exotic animals, and–more controversially–have wanted to control them. Often, ancient rulers would collect these animals as a display of wealth and power. Today, wild animals are commonly used for entertainment, from simple exhibits at zoos to trained performances in circuses to being leashed and ridden. Several debates surround the capture and containment of wild animals for human pleasure, including the degree of humanity with which the animals are treated, plans of action following fatalities, and the impacts these extractions have on ecosystems.

There is a fine line between what is considered a zoo and a sanctuary for animals. Contrary to zoos, wildlife sanctuaries are committed to rehabilitating and protecting animals that have suffered abuse or injury, or are considered an endangered species. However, similar to zoos, some sanctuaries still hold their animals in captivity and allow public viewing. This raises concerns about whether certain sanctuaries are simply zoos under the guise of being “humane” in order to attract more visitors.

Inhumane treatment can and has led to several deaths–both animal and human. The most infamous examples of such occur in SeaWorld, an animal theme park that hosts extravagant shows of marine animals doing tricks and interacting with human trainers. However, there have been several instances in which mistreated orcas have both died and killed their trainers as a result of poor living conditions. Following these incidents was immense public outrage towards SeaWorld and the animal entertainment industry as a whole. Why, then, are SeaWorld and similar companies continuing to operate and generate revenue today?

Humans experience this conflict when their morals and desires clash. As much as people want to save the animals, people also wouldn’t mind seeing some orcas doing backflips for just seventy bucks. The outcome of which wins–morals or desires–lies on the public to make a collective decision.

In this case, it would make sense to address the issue of the capture and containment of wild animals for human entertainment locally or nationally. The most immediate and effective option would be to place state or federal restrictions on animal-based entertainment companies.

However, global solutions may be optimal when addressing how the removal of animals from the wild can offset ecosystems. Sometimes, the extraction of particular animals from the wild is intended to produce positive change–to restore endangered populations. Other times, imbalances in local ecosystems produce consequences for the global environment.

This issue also becomes a global concern when animals are traded across borders. Because every species is not available in every country, animal entertainment industries acquire their animals internationally–that is what makes seeing such exotic, inaccessible creatures so exciting for people. The controversies surrounding the capture and containment of wild animals for human entertainment involve various groups and individuals, and encourage solutions that must be addressed both domestically and globally.