Persuasive Essay About Animals In Captivity

Many wild animals across the world are removed from their natural habitats and forced into captivity. Many are subject to abuse all for entertainment and profit. Unfortunately, many people who say they “love animals” may actually be contributing to the suffering of these animals because they are unaware of the things going on behind the scenes. Whether it’s simply seeing animals at the zoo, watching the whale shows at SeaWorld, riding elephants, or swimming with dolphins; people see these as fun ways to interact with wild animals. In reality, these animals greatly suffer in captivity and thus should not be used for entertainment. For example, there are many killer whales (orcas) in captivity at SeaWorld. These animals are highly intelligent. Wild whales thrive in the ocean - being able to swim up to 100 miles a day, hunt and play. Captivity causes these orcas both mental and physical abuse. In captivity, they have very little space and cannot behave naturally in such small tanks. These whales can suffer from: separation, isolation, boredom, health problems, aggression between whales, and aggression toward trainers. Tilikum an orca at SeaWorld Orlando has lived in captivity for almost 33
It is memorable to see animals you would never expect to be able to meet, but is it worth the suffering these animals go through? People need to ask themselves, if they would like to live their life in captivity and be used for entertainment. A good exhibit should provide an environment in which the animals are never bored, are well cared-for, and have plenty of space. However, these conditions rarely seem to exist. In March 2016, SeaWorld announced that Tilikum is dying. His health is fading due to a bacterial lung infection. If SeaWorld and other animal exhibits were so amazing this would not be happening to Tilikum and many other animals in captivity. The simple fact is that animals are better off in their natural habitat, in their