6 - Species Exploitation for Entertainment

Summary

Several species are stolen from the wild and forced into tiny cages, small tanks, or other terrible conditions, where they are forced to work or be physically or emotionally abused. This chapter provides examples of animals in captivity, describes how they were captured, and describes their current "living" conditions. Many animals in captivity do not have their basic physiological or psychological needs met. Examples include Tilikum, a male orca, who was captured at the age of 2 and confined to a tiny cell (14 hours a day) with two female orcas who attacked him mercilessly. Tilikum eventually snapped and killed two humans. He died at only 35. Lolita (aka Tokitae), another captive orca, was captured from her family at the age of 4, and has lived in isolation for over 50 years in the smallest orca tank in the US. There are hopes to recuperate and potentially release her back to her family (native to the Pacific Northwest); except, the aquarium where she "lives" will not release her. Two additional examples are the dolphin-capture hunts of Taiji, Japan, and the horrific lives of enslaved, captive, working elephants in Southeast Asia. This chapter advocates to end animal captivity.