A captivating world

2016

Contents
I.

Introduction_______________________________ page
3

II.

Methodology______________________________ page
4

III.

Results___________________________________ page 5

IV.

Analysis and conclusion_____________________

page 7

V.
VI.

Appendix_________________________________ page
8
Bibliography______________________________ page
9

Introduction
Do you remember that thrill when you enter a zoo? That hunger to explore all
these wild and unknown animals? Or that feeling of awe and admiration when
you see a dolphin show? I certainly do. It was not until recently that I began to
question the entire concept of zoos and aquaria. I came upon a documentary
called Blackfish. This documentary sketches a great and clear picture of how
unnatural it is to keep whales in captivity and how trainers and the general
public are being misled about the circumstances surrounding whales. We get an
insight in how SeaWorld covers up many incidents in which whales attack
trainers, how mother whales are left heartbroken after their calf is taken away,
how trainers do not realize the bad conditions of the whales and much more.
After learning these horrific facts I had to ask myself: Why do we put animals
on show in zoos and aquariums? Well, I believe the we put animals on show
in zoos and aquariums for a simple reason: to make profit. There are zoos and
aquaria all over the world because these businesses tend to do well. The reason
they do well is because in most countries we do not have these wild animals in
the wild so zoos and aquaria are the only way we can see them and learn about
them. The more visitors a zoo or aquarium attracts, the more profit it makes.
The amount of visitors depends on the reputation of the business. In general I
believe I already have a good idea about the disadvantages of putting animals in
zoos or aquariums, but I am curious to learn about the advantages for animals
and humans. I am also eager to know why we started dominating animals and
how this led to animal captivity. Last but not least I would like to find out how this
is related to different cultures. Overall, I believe the world of animal captivity is
rather captivating.

In my report I would like to answer the following questions (apart from

my research question):
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Why did we start treating ourselves superior opposed to other animals?

How did animals come to be in captivity?
Why do zoos and aquariums still exist today?
What are the darker sides of zoos and aquaria?
Is it a matter of culture?

Methodology
I started my research by deconstruction: as mentioned in the introduction I
deconstructed my research question into five sub-questions. This way it gave me
a clear picture of what I was looking for. Then I started searching for any valuable
and reliable information the internet could provide me with. Luckily, there were
many articles to be found about the advantages and disadvantages of zoos and
aquariums. However, the question of why was more difficult to answer.
Nevertheless I managed to find suitable articles to answer all of my questions.
Once that was accomplished, I focussed on formulation: how to represent my raw
data. I did not want it to be a mere string of facts, but also interesting and
amusing to read. For this, I had to find a balance. After reconstructing, I went
about reflecting. I thought it was interesting to really think about everything I
had found and to put that into words. Lastly, I checked my communication: did I
bring everything across correctly?
For writing this article I watched two documentaries: Terra and Blackfish. Terra is
about the history of life itself and it explains how us humans came to dominate
other animals and why we still do it today. Blackfish is about a whale named
Tilikum and how his captivity led him to kill at least one trainer. It also
emphasises the wrongdoings and cover-ups of SeaWorld.
Furthermore, I decided to use multiple articles. One is from Animalrights.com and
it mentions advantages and disadvantages of zoos and aquariums. It is really
interesting to see the different sides and perspectives on this subject. Other
articles I have used are: Humans are not smarter than animals, just different,
experts say, by the University of Adelaide and a Wikipedia article titled
Captivity.

Results
Imagine yourself 10,000 years ago during the Agricultural Revolution, working
the land on a burning hot day. You wipe away your sweat from your brow and
continue turning over the dirt. Hard and tiring work. So we, us humans, found a
way to make agriculture easier for ourselves by domesticating animals. A
domesticated animal is an animal whose behaviour, life cycle or philosophy has
been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions under human
control for multiple generations. It was at this point that we began feeling
superior to other brothers and sisters of the animal kingdom. This was mostly
because we felt more intelligent than other animals. We could communicate with
each other and live in houses and build tools. The domestication of animals is the
very cause of animal captivity. We had to keep our horses and cows somewhere
on our land because they might run away and then we would be have to do the
work ourselves again. This domestication of animals resulted in the captivity of
wild animal species to survive in the company of, or by the labour of, human
beings. The dog is the earliest known domestic animal. It was domesticated by
hunters and gatherers around 15000 BC. Even then we believed that our
intelligence was greater than theirs. It is amazing really, to realize that once
upon a time there were only wild animals and we were one of them.
Today, we have zoos and aquariums, also known as the modern facilities that
hold captivated animals. Now, we know how animals came to be in captivity and
why we feel superior to them. But why do we continue to captivate animals and
put them on show in zoos and aquariums? They educate the public and foster an
appreciation of the animals, argues Doris Lin, animal rights attorney and Director
of Legal Affairs for the Animal Protection League. She also claims that
zooquariums lets shorten zoos and aquariums to zooquariums to make things
easier protect endangered species by bringing them into a safe environment,
save from for example starvation or loss of habitat. A good example of this is the
Partula Hebe Bella slug, which became extinct in the wild in 1996 but still live in
zoos thanks to a breeding program. So, yes, many zooquariums have breeding
programs, whereas in the wild they could have trouble finding mates.
Zooquariums are a family outing, a tradition you might say. Seeing an animal in
person is a personal experience, one you cannot experience while watching a
documentary for example. Also, some zooquariums help with rehabilitating
wildlife or/and take in unwanted exotic pets. According to the Association of Zoos

and Aquariums: a good zoo or aquarium provides an enriched habitat in which

the animals are never bored, are well cared-for, and have plenty of space.
This is all very nice and tidy, but what about the disadvantages of zooquariums?
Now we shall view the perspective of an animal rights standpoint as opposed to
the previously mentioned zooquarium point of view. According to the A-righters
(the animal rights point of view), we do not have the right to breed, capture and
confine other animals, even if they are endangered. Because even though the
species is endangered, the animal itself still has the right to freedom. The Arighters also claim that: Animals in captivity suffer from stress, boredom and
confinement. Intergenerational bonds are broken when individuals get sold or
traded to other zoos or aquariums, and no pen or even drive-through safari can
compare to the freedom of the wild. Baby animals bring in visitors and money,
but this incentive to breed new baby animals leads to overpopulation. Surplus
animals are sold not only to other zoos or aquariums, but also to circuses,
canned hunting facilities, and even for slaughter. Removing individuals from the
wild will further endanger the wild population because the remaining individuals
will be less genetically diverse and will have more difficulty finding mates. If
people want to see wild animals in real life, they can observe wildlife in the wild
or visit a sanctuary. A true sanctuary does not buy, sell, or breed animals, but
takes in unwanted exotic pets, surplus animals from zoos or injured wildlife that
can no longer survive in the wild. If zoos and aquariums are teaching children
anything, it's that imprisoning animals for our own entertainment is acceptable.
The argument that children will have more compassion animals they can see live
does not hold water. Not one of today's children has ever seen a dinosaur, yet
kids are crazy about them. Another problem they see when viewing
zooquariums, is the fact that animals are not released back into the wild. Overall,
it does not sketch a pretty picture.
The fact is that zooquariums can be found all over the world. They are here to
entertain and educate the public, as they so undoubtedly claim. However, I do
believe that different cultures will treat animals differently. In Europe, for
example, there are strict rules that zooquariums have to uphold, which is
probably why none of the ten worst zoos claimed by Global Post, are to be found
in Europe. All were to be found in mostly Eastern developing countries, with the
exception of Texas. Every culture views animals differently. Take China for
example, they eat dogs and sharks, two animals which you will not easily find on
your plate in Europe. And what about the Islam who prohibits eating pork or
anything else pig-related. The way countries treat animals in the wild and in
captivity is definitely cultural. It depends on which their values and norms and
morals.

Analysis and conclusion

Looking back on what I have written I have to say that I am satisfied. I answered
all the questions that I wanted to answer. I have found more information than I
could have hoped for. I found the articles fairly quickly and was able to see what
information I could use and what information I did not need. As I already
mentioned in my introduction and methodology, I watched the documentaries
Blackfish and Terra. They were my inspiration to dig deeper into this zooquarium
business. In my hypothesis I already drew my own conclusion without really
knowing all the facts. I realize that there are benefits to zooquariums, such as
the preservation of endangered species. Still, the counter arguments of the Arights give very strong counterarguments that cannot be easily refuted. In my
hypothesis I claimed that the main reason for putting animals on show in zoos
and aquariums was profit. I still agree with this. Even though my results have not
once mentioned profit, I still believe that it is what drives and will keep driving
people to open and maintain zooquariums. Why else would you take an animal
out of its natural habitat and put it in captivity? Education just does not seem a
good enough reason. I do not see zooquariums as educational at all because it

this is not how animals are supposed to live. They are supposed to be free of
humans, to live their own lives in peace. I see zooquariums more as
entertainment that has to be paid for. I am more of an A-righter I believe than a
zooquarium fan. Also, I do not tolerate animal abuse and when I saw the truth
behind SeaWorld, how keeping those wales in captivity is an abuse in itself, I felt
guilt. Because only two years earlier had I been to SeaWorld myself. I saw those
wales. I watched the shows. What if I even saw Tilikum without knowing it? No, I
am not in favour of zooquariums at all. However, sanctuaries sound wonderful
and I hope that one day people will realize that if we continue to captivate
animals for any reason: to put them on show, the kill them for their fur or ivory,
to trade them on any illegal market, is not humane. I see humans, but I wonder
where our humanity has gone.

Appendix
This is a list of animals that became extinct only decades ago. I had nowhere to
put this information but wanted to include this list anyway. Because, this is the
time to save the last of so many species that will become extinct if we do
nothing. There already species that no longer exist in the wild, but only in
zooquariums and it breaks my heart. Also, this list reveals some cultural insights
as to why some people kill, mistreat or captivate animals.

I.
II.

Golden Toad, 1989: pollution, global warming, fungal skin infections.

Zanzibar Leopard, 1996: locals believed the leopards were kept by
witches, and aggressively hunted them. The animals were seen as evil
predators that must be exterminated and even the government was in

III.

IV.

V.
VI.

VII.

VIII.
IX.
X.

XI.

on the campaign. In the mid-'90s there was a short-lived conservation

effort but it was deemed too little, too late.
Poouili, 2004: habitat loss, along with disease, predators and a decline in
its food source native tree snails are all seen as reasons for the bird's
demise.
Madeiran Large White, 2007: loss of habitat due to construction as well
as pollution from agricultural fertilizers are two major causes of the
species' decline.
Tecopa Pupfish, 1982: destruction of natural habitat.
Pyrenean Ibex, 2000: hunting of the ibex had caused the animal's
numbers to seriously dwindle and conservationists blame the Spanish
government for failing to act in time to save it.
West African Black Rhinoceros, 2006: poachers hunted the rhino for its
horn, which is believed by some in Yemen and China to possess
aphrodisiacal powers.
Javan Tiger, 1979: loss of habitat and agricultural development led to
severe population decline.
Spix's Macaw, 2004: habitat destruction and illegal trapping and trade
contributed to the macaw's dwindling numbers.
Round Island Burrowing Boa, 1975: the introduction of non-native
species of rabbits and goats to the island destroyed vegetation and upset
the boa's habitat.
Dutch Alcon Blue Butterfly, 1979: increases in farming and building had
a negative impact on the Alcon Blue's habitat and caused it to lose its
main food source

I feel loss when I read all those names but there is one in particular which I feel a
connection with. The last Pyrenean Ibex died in 2000, the same year I was born.
My constellation is a Capricorn, just like the Pyrenean Ibex.

Bibliography
I.
II.
III.
IV.

V.

http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsinentertainment/a/ArgumentsFor-And-Against-Zoos.htm
http://www.globalpost.com/article/5563941/2010/06/29/worlds-worst-zoos
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-humans-smarter-animals-experts.html
http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=how+did+animals+come+in+captivity
%3f&d=4737659725808550&mkt=nl-NL&setlang=en-GB&w=WplMy3sPdxqcE4mvOwiyzDUYQiywAC3
Documentaries: Terra and Blackfish.