Tuesday, April 5, 2016

The treatment of performing animals has been questioned more frequently in the past few years, and it seems as though the people who own these animals are finally giving in to the demands of animal activists. Sea World recently announced that they would no longer be breeding whales, so there will be no new whales brought up there. The show can only go on as long as the current whales live. The issue of the ethics of keeping whales in captivity has been talked about for quite a while, but a few years ago, a documentary called Blackfish came out, telling the story of a whale at Sea World that killed its trainer, and addressing the cruel treatment of the orcas in general. This was what really sparked the controversy that ultimately lead to Sea World stopping its breeding of whales. People can no longer ignore the cruelty, their eyes have been opened. It’s a victory for animal activists everywhere!

As an animal lover, all I can say is, it's about time! As much as I enjoyed Sea World as a child, I know better now, and I know without a doubt that this change is for the best. Orcas are such beautiful and majestic creatures, and the fact that so many have been abused over the years is nothing short of heartbreaking. Sea World definitely made the right decision.



Dennis, Brady. "Ringling Bros. Elephants Headed for an Early Retirement in Florida." The Washington Post. 11 Jan. 2016. Web.

Orcas aren't the only animal performers being retired. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus will be retiring their famous elephants in May. They will be going to a sanctuary in Florida, where they will without a doubt be happier than they are in the circus. Animal activists have been trying to get the circus to stop using elephants for a while now, and it's finally paid off. While the circus still assures the public that its elephants are treated humanely, many people are not so sure about that. After taking legal action against the circus, the elephants will finally be released from their chains and be given the proper care.

I have similar thoughts on this as I do with the orcas at Sea World. Elephants are highly intelligent creatures that have feelings just like us. They have close bonds with their families, support each other, and even grieve when one of them dies. It's simply not right to make them perform like this, especially with all the suspicion that they are not being treated as well as the circus claims they are. These creatures deserve better lives than the ones they have been living and now they will finally be happy.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/01/06/a-big-win-for-animals-the-fbi-now-tracks-animal-abuse-like-it-tracks-homicides/

Itkowitz, Colby. "A Big Win for Animals: The FBI Now Tracks Animal Abuse like It Tracks Homicides." The Washington Post. 6 Jan. 2016. Web.

Up until recently, police weren't keeping track of animal abuse crimes. This is because these cases didn't fit into a specific category. This year however, animal abuse cases have been given their own separate category. This means that the police will be keeping track of these cases the way they do with other crimes. This data will be helpful for figuring out whether animal cruelty is on the rise or decline.

This is a big victory for animal activists. For the first time, we will be able to get a bigger picture on how often and to what degree animals are being abused. With that information we will be able to figure out if the frequency and degree of animal abuse is increasing or decreasing, and act accordingly. With causes like this, it's important to know the facts, and those are hard to figure out without good data. But keeping track of these cases will definitely help the cause of making the world a safer place for animals.

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