While much of the population has come to see having animals perform in circuses as cruel and has moved away from supporting these sorts of ventures, many people do not see zoos in this same light. Zoos are presented as being the kinder, more natural alternative to circuses. Many zoos publicise the high quality of care given to their animals, and the activities that mimic wild behaviours they implement to entertain the animals. The educational opportunities that zoos present by being able to raise awareness of the plight of many different animals are also highlighted.
However, zoos are still far from natural and the environments that they can create, no matter how full they are of stimulating activities for the animals, can not match up to the natural environment of these animals, especially the larger animals such as lions, tigers and elephants. This issue has come to the surface lately due to the production and 2013 release of a documentary by Gabriela Cowperthwaite called Blackfish. The film documents the story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale (or orca) who has been responsible for the deaths of three people during his life and who still currently resides at SeaWorld Orlando. It discusses the consequences of keeping wild animals in captivity, especially ones as intelligent as killer whales.
This is one of the best documentaries that I have seen in a long time, and I was very moved by the film. It perfectly demonstrates the issues associated with zoos, and while I do believe that SeaWorld and other zoos do a lot of great work by rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals, as well as providing education for the public about animals and their associated issues, I think that zoos should not be allowed to keep such large animals as they are far too intelligent to be locked up in small cages for all their lives and as Blackfish shows, this can have a serious impact on their mental health.
Pen & Print 