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Last Thursday night (March 8), Ric O’Barry (the world-famous dolphin activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary film, The Cove) held an open discussion at Boalt Hall about the problems associated with dolphin captivity. O’Barry strongly believes that the conservation benefit from dolphin captivity is a “myth and a hoax that [he] realized rater late in the game but what eventually motivated [him] to leave the dolphin business.” O’Barry’s presentation forced me to question if the educational merits of aquariums and zoos outweigh the obvious costs of, to name a few, incentivizing illegal wildlife trade, encaging wild animals in inadequate habitats with potentially poor caretakers, and putting animals at risk of stress, depression, and suffering. Despite my happy childhood memories learning about exotic animals through exhibits at zoos and aquariums, the problems associated with animal captivity are far too great.
Growing up, summer vacations to Sea World sparked my love for the ocean and its mysterious sea life. I became particularly passionate about sea turtles. As a kid, I spent hours researching and reading about these adorable shelled creatures that I saw at the aquarium. I quickly developed a strong awareness of the harm humans cause these gentle reptiles. In response, I drafted flyers and newsletters describing the reasons why sea turtles are important and ways people can help ensure their continued survival. I handed this information out to all of my friends and family (they, very rightly, thought I was a very strange child). But, this was not enough. I held my first fundraiser to “save the sea turtles” at age 11 and collected donations (without my parents’ or teacher’s permission) on the playground. My fundraising and activism for sea turtles continues to this day. My question is- would I have developed this strong passion and made such an effort to help the sea turtles if I had not visited the aquarium as a kid?
The answer is, sadly, probably not. The educational element of aquariums and zoos is the largest justification for their continued existence. They teach kids to love animals. But, the paradox is, aquariums and zoos harm the very animals that they inspire passion for. This Tuesday (March 13), for example, a giraffe in Indonesia at the Surabaya Zoo died after years of consuming litter thrown into his cage by visitors. A 40-pound ball of plastic was found in his stomach. Similarly, dolphins and whales held in all aquariums (including Sea World) suffer from severe ulcers caused by heightened stress levels. It is quite obvious that wild animals are not happy when trapped in pens and tanks surrounded by noisy people snapping pictures and dropping trash into their enclosed habitats.
But, how can this paradox be resolved?
According to Ric O’Barry, the answer is simple- animal captivity should not be allowed. Living, breathing, intelligent, and sentient wild animals should not be taken from their natural environments and held in tiny, dirty tanks for public entertainment. Captivity is morally wrong. But, O’Barry does not provide any alternatives for teaching today’s kids (who are more and more isolated from the natural world and its many species) how to appreciate and love nonhuman life.
Dolphins are forced to entertain among loud music and crowds. Severe ulcers from stress are very common among dolphins in captivity.
Perhaps the solution is the growth of local environmental education centers and the concurrent abolition of regional zoos and aquariums. If people can view animals in the wild, close to their own homes, they will feel a stronger sense of attachment to the land they share with birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.
With an increased awareness of wildlife in local environments, the educational goals of teaching kids how to appreciate animals will be achieved, arguably, on a much deeper level. Kids will feel protective of the animals they observe in their own backyards. Additionally, the ability to invoke habitat protection in a small town is quite reasonable and doable for the average person who cares enough to make the slightest effort. If this appreciation of animals in one’s own environment proliferates, great progress will be made for conservation without encaging any wildlife in grimy cages.
Kids should explore their local woods or venture into their own backyards to interact with animals, not visit the zoo and aquarium.
But, some people live far from any natural environment. How can a person view animals if he lives in a city? Urban gardens, parks, weekend camping trips to the country are all possible alternatives. The same effect is achieved. When people in cities take the train (no cars!) and venture into the natural world, they will hopefully appreciate the crisp, fresh air and the solitude absent from city life. A sense of awareness, attachment, and protectiveness of nature is gained by the nearby city-folk as well as the local suburbanites and country dwellers.
If more of an effort is made to visit the local woods instead of the regional zoo, people will become more attached to and aware of their nonhuman neighbors. Aquariums and zoos have proven to be unnatural and cruel. People are isolating themselves from nature and growing distant from the land they share, not dominate, with animals. Perhaps my passion would not have been sea turtles if I visited my local woods instead of Sea World, but the red tail hawk or the chipmunk or even the painted, box, or snapping turtle common to my northeast home.
2 Comments
Wow Hanna….. Great article. I am so proud of you. Aunt Marta
Well said. Especially with all the video footage we have nowadays we don’t need zoos and aquariums for education even of exotic (non-local) wildlife. I bet you could just as easily have been inspired to save the sea turtles by a BBC documentary or other such inspiring exposure.