#iscaptivityrightorwrong

[lcruz5252]

What is Wrong with Aquariums?

Doris Lin from ThoughtCo. wrote an article answering the question, “What is wrong with aquariums?” She begins by saying “Animal rights activists oppose aquariums for the same reason they oppose zoos. Fish and other sea creatures, like their land-dwelling relatives, are sentient and have a right to live free from human exploitation.” She justifies that animals are given their rights based on their sentience—their ability to suffer. She points out the difference between giving jellyfish and anemones rights compared to dolphins, elephants, or chimpanzees. These 3 are more intelligent and self-aware than jellyfish so those animals don’t belong in zoos or aquariums since they are sentient according to her deduction. Later in the article, she further indicates that animals don’t belong in aquariums since the animals are kept in confined and relatively small pools where they can get bored at times. Lastly, she presents the argument against aquariums saying that in the wild, a dolphin can swim 40 miles per day while in captivity, they swim half as much and would need to circle their pools hundreds of times a day. She concludes that captivity doesn’t justify the suffering of animals in both aquariums and zoos.

In this article by Doris Lin, describes how sentient creatures shouldn’t belong in zoos or aquariums because they are self-aware, can feel emotions, and also have rights. I agree with that statement because no sentient create should be taken away from their natural habitat but in zoos, most of their animals are bred inside the facilities so there is no reason why they should be released into an environment to which they have never been exposed to nor taught how to survive in. If we wish to have sentient animals in aquariums it is our duty to give them the best welfare we can even if we can’t replicate their natural homes of the ocean.

To sum it up, I agree with Doris Lin; zoos nor aquariums won’t ever be able to replicate the Earth’s natural environment in which these animals originated from. Nature is made up of complex biological structures and ecosystems that interact with one another. To recreate an entire environment that complex and big, it would cost a tremendous amount of money, time, and effort to create just one for a handful of animals living in a zoo. The way that I see it, all of these sentient animals that live within zoos such as dolphins and elephants are provided with the best human care that they can possibly be given. Even though zoos and aquariums aren’t like the real environments of these animals, these places are some of the only places where we can have constant interaction with these animals that would otherwise be difficult to encounter in the wild.  

Lin, Doris. "What's Wrong With Aquariums?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/whats-wrong-with-aquariums-127638

[lcruz5252]

Being a Park Guest

I am someone who enjoys going to zoos and aquariums and when I visit them, I constantly hear other people around me question to themselves the nature of these zoos. I constantly hear park visitors ask the park employees questions concerning the well-being of the animals in their environments. Here is how the day of a regular park visitor goes. Using Seaworld parks as an example, you are most of the time only paying to get to see the external parts of the park; that being the animals themselves, shows and demonstrations, and being able to go on rides that the park offers. When you are visiting an animal’s enclosure, you only get to see them behind a thick glass or fence while listening to educators answer any questions you may ask to the best of their abilities. On your own time, you might see the animals explore their habitat a bit or play with their other companions but that's about it; not too much excitement going around. On rare occasions, you might even see aggression between the animals or any other action that you might think is “abnormal.” These small thoughts eventually lead to people jumping to assumptions before knowing the context of what is actually going on.

Many park visitors assume that the zoo that you are seeing is the only part of it that exists. In reality, when you go to the zoo, you don’t really get to see what goes on behind the scenes. By behind the scenes I mean as to get to watch what an animal’s caretaker does such as prepare feeding or plan out enrichment activities when they aren’t physically there engaging with their animals. Zoo visitors almost never get to see these activities because all of this takes place behind restricted parts of the zoo where normal guests can't enter because it is “employees only”—you have to work there or be a part of a special event to be allowed inside without penalty. The one way you might be able to witness what goes on will be by paying an extra fee at the ticket booth and sign up for one of these special events but since we humans are so greedy with our money, we don’t, and are instead stuck with making assumptions on what we see. 

When someone sees an animal that may look ‘bored,’ they might be right but they might also be wrong to think that this animal is suffering. I have been privileged to be able to go behind the scenes more than once in the Seaworld San Diego zoological park and it is very much different than what a regular park guest sees. During those experiences, you are allowed to see the countless tasks that these caretakers have to do such as health examinations on their animals, prescribing medication, and what seems like almost endless cleaning. I agree where someone may say that these animals might be bored since it is true that zoo and aquarium animals are in these enclosures for almost most of their lives but that is not to say that they are living in a poor environment and suffering. That statement is misrepresented because as a regular park guest, they don’t get to see what animals do with their trainers such as the countless enrichment, training, or feeding sessions in other enclosed areas of the animal’s captive habitat which I explained to from trainers. I was even able to witness this myself on my own free time at Seaworld. This might be the reason why some times you might see the animals present in their habitat during some times of the day but when you return, they are gone-they are simply spending time getting their proper treatment from their trainers/keepers. People make impulsive statements by saying that zoos are “prisons” since animals are ‘seen’ doing nothing all day but if more people knew about everything that goes on behind the scenes, maybe the overall perspective of zoos being “prisons for animals” may be eased. 

Citation: My experience going to any zoo or aquarium.