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Animals
in Entertainment
by the Animal
Protection Institute (API)
Cruel Spectacles
Animals are abused and exploited in a variety
of forms of "entertainment." In circuses, elephants,
lions, tigers, and other animals are sentenced to a lifetime
of misery in order to provide a few moments of human amusement.
Animals are also forced into the role of unwilling
performer in other venues, including:
| • |
Marine parks, where captive marine mammals
such as dolphins and orcas are doomed to a life of confinement,
deprived of normal social and environmental interaction.
Animals in marine parks typically show signs of psychological
disturbance are often forced to perform degrading tricks
that run counter to their natural instincts. |
| • |
Roadside zoos and aquariums,
where, under the guise of "conservation" and
the name of "education," animals are too often
treated as disposable specimens. Many animals held in
captivity in these facilities continue to be bored,
cramped, lonely, and unable to perform normal social
behaviors. Too many zoos still sell off older and "surplus"
animals who may end up in roadside menageries, breeding
facilities, circuses, or even as "game" in
canned hunt facilities. |
| • |
Movie and television sets, where animals
are used as involuntary "props" to sell products
and services, and to boost the profits of studios and
production companies. In addition to all the problems
associated with keeping wild animals in captivity, animals
used in filming have been mistreated, injured, or even
killed on set. |
| • |
Other venues: Animals are also exploited
and mistreated for human amusement in horse and greyhound
racing, cockfighting and dog fighting, and in shopping
malls and schools where they are put on public display.
Exotic animals are often used in photo opportunities,
or are shot and killed in canned hunts or on hunting
ranches. Unfortunately, people can be very creative
in finding ways to make a profit off of other animals.
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The Animal Protection Institute (and WRR)
strongly opposes the use of animals in all entertainment venues.
Animals are not novelties; they have their own needs, interests,
and rights — including the right to engage in their
natural behaviors in their natural environment. We are committed
to using every tool at our disposal, from lobbying to lawsuits
to grassroots organizing, to end the cruel exploitation of
animals for human amusement and profit.
Ten Fast Facts about Animals in Entertainment
| 1) |
The use of animals as "entertainers"
removes animals from their natural habitat; deprives
them of the ability to freely engage in instinctual
behaviors; often involves cruel training methods; desensitizes
both children and adults to animal mistreatment; and
does not adequately address the real conservation threats
that face animals in the wild. |
| 2) |
There is minimal state and federal
protection for animals used in entertainment. Many of
the animals used for human amusement are not even covered
by the federal Animal Welfare Act. |
| 3) |
While zoos and aquariums may appear
to be educational and conservation-oriented, most are
designed with the needs and desires of the visitors
in mind, not the needs of the animals. Many animals
in zoos and aquariums exhibit abnormal behavior as a
result of being deprived of their natural environments
and social structures. |
| 4) |
Some zoos and aquariums
do rescue some animals and work to save endangered species,
but most animals in zoos were either captured from the
wild or bred in captivity for the purpose of public
display, not species protection. |
| 5) |
The vast majority of captive-bred
animals will never be returned to the wild. When a facility
breeds too many animals they become "surplus"
and often are sold to laboratories, traveling shows,
canned hunting facilities, or to private individuals
who may be unqualified to care for them. |
| 6) |
Horses and cows used in rodeos are
abused with electrical prods, sharp spurs, and "bucking
straps" that pinch their sensitive flank area.
During bucking events, horses and bulls may suffer broken
legs or run into the sides of the arena, causing serious
injury and even death. |
| 7) |
During calf-roping events in rodeos,
a calf may reach a running speed of 27 miles per hour
before being jerked by the neck to an abrupt stop by
a lasso. This event has resulted in punctured lungs,
internal hemorrhaging, paralysis, and broken necks. |
| 8) |
Once greyhounds begin their racing
careers, they are kept in cages for more than 20 hours
a day. The cages are made of wire and are barely big
enough for the dogs to turn around. Dogs who are considered
too slow to race are often sold to research facilities
or killed About 20,000 are killed each year; very few
are adopted. |
| 9) |
Horses used in racing are bred for
one purpose: to make money. Because of this motive,
horses are often forced to run even when injured. More
racehorses are bred than can prove profitable on the
racetrack. As a result, hundreds of racehorses are sent
to slaughter every year. |
| 10) |
During a typical cockfighting tournament,
one-third to one-half of the birds are killed. Winners
as well as losers suffer severe injuries including broken
wings, punctured lungs, and gouged eyes. |
The above article is reprinted with the
permission of the Animal
Protection Institute (API).
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