Debates on Animals Used in Entertainment

When debating about the merits of animals used in entertainment, it is important to first determine what types of entertainment are under scrutiny. There is a difference between bringing well-trained dogs to a nursing home to show residents how they can jump through a hoop or play the piano and participating in greyhound racing. There is also a difference between the guy in Key West who has trained his cats to climb poles and leap onto his shoulders and the elephants used in the circus. There are varying degrees of entertainment and abuses within the industry.

  1. Animals in Circuses

    • Elephants forced to perform tricks for the amusement of people are stressed out, unhealthy and unhappy, charges the Performing Animal Welfare Society.

      By far, some of the biggest abuses of animals in entertainment happen in circuses. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, approximately 27 circus elephants, four of them juveniles, died between 1992 and 2011. A shocking 57 elephants owned by Ringling Circus as of 1990 were captured in the wild. This means that animals once living free on the prairie were taken from their families and habitats to be chained to cement slabs and forced to perform tricks. The advantage to humans is debatable, as circuses charge that children who don't see wild animals will never develop an affinity for them. This argument is voided by the fact that no child living today has ever seen a dinosaur, yet so many kids love the prehistoric creatures. In addition to elephants, lions, stallions and tigers are also abused in the name of circus entertainment.

    Greyhound Racing

    • Only 23 greyhound racing tracks are still in use in the United States.

      The fact that only seven states still allow greyhound racing and 43 states have outlawed it is testament to the fact that dog racing is a cruel and debilitating business. Across the country, thousands of greyhounds are killed in racing accidents, transportation and training every year. Those dogs that are not used for racing are either euthanized or forced into already overcrowded animal shelters. To save space, the dogs are kept in tiny kennels barely big enough for them to turn around. To further reduce costs, substandard 4-D meat (meat that comes from animals that are diseased, dying, dead or disabled) is fed to the dogs, ensuring that their nutritional needs are not met and their teeth are in need of dental care.

    Marine Mammals in Captivity

    • Dolphins and orca in marine mammal acts are kept in small, cement pools where their echolocation is rendered useless, effectively causing them muteness and deafness.

      The whale in "Free Willy" stole the hearts of millions of Americans who took on the cause of performing whales and dolphins for a few years and then promptly forgot about it. In the 1960s, the television show "Flipper" followed the escapades of Ric O'Barry, Flipper's trainer. O'Barry has since apologized for his part in fooling Americans into thinking that dolphins are happy-go-lucky animals who enjoy interacting with people. In actuality, the harvest of live dolphins in the sea is violent and cruel, separating pods of dolphins and killing many in the process.According to In Defense of Animals, "one capture method involves chasing dolphins to the point of exhaustion with high-speed boats. The dolphins are then netted and dragged aboard. Undesirable dolphins (the old, the very young, the weak, injured or sick) are thrown back into the sea, while the young, healthy specimens that meet aquarium specifications are kept for sale and transport."

    The Animals in Entertainment Argument

    • Small calves have their necks broken and suffer devastating injuries during rodeo events.

      The argument against animals in entertainment is deeply rooted in the philosophy that animals are here for their own purposes. The captive animals are far removed from their own habitats, are trained using cruel methods and are not protected by strong statutes. Animal collections may give the appearance of educational motives. The fact is, however, that these places are designed and maintained for the comfort of the visitors, not the animals, which sometimes exhibit stress behaviors. Rodeos are notoriously cruel events where a small calf, running at speeds up to 27 miles per hour, is jerked by the neck, resulting in devastating injuries including "punctured lungs, internal hemorrhaging, paralysis and broken necks," according to Born Free USA, an entertainment industry watchdog group.