Animals in entertainment: aquariums and zoos

oday, Monday, November 14, we see various stories in the major media on the use of animals in entertainment. The travel section of USA Today has a piece headed, "World's largest, 'most unique' aquarium set to open in Atlanta." The Atlanta Journal and Constitution has an opinion piece by HSUS's Naomi Rose headed, "Whales, dolphins don't belong in tanks." And a Washington Post piece asks, "Are Zoos Good Homes for Elephants?"

The USA Today article, "World's largest, 'most unique' aquarium set to open in Atlanta," tells us:
"When the aquarium, bankrolled almost exclusively by a $200 million gift from Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, opens Nov. 23, it will officially become the world's largest by virtually all major standards."

The article discusses the size of the aquarium and then mentions its most controversial occupants:

"Also featured will be five beluga whales, two of them rescued from an amusement park in Mexico, that will take up residence in an 800,000-gallon tank."

There is an interesting section about Bernie Marcus:
"Listed by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of the nation's largest charitable donors, Marcus says his Jewish faith teaches that those who have enjoyed financial fortune should give back to their community.
"'This is a legacy my family can leave to the state,' said Marcus, who initially planned to be the sole sponsor, but eventually took on corporate sponsors to expand the aquarium's offerings even further. Plus, he said: 'This is a lot more meaningful to me than a yacht.'"

And we learn, "Marcus became part of an emotional fight over an Atlanta ordinance banning panhandling in downtown's tourism district when he wrote a letter in support of the plan. Advocates for the homeless called the plan, which was approved in September, discriminatory."

The article opens the door to letters on the cruelty of holding marine mammals captive for human entertainment, an argument Naomi Rose makes beautifully in the piece I will cite below. Further, there are those in the animal protection movement who have pointed to the strong Jewish tradition of kindness to animals, which is spelled out in various parts of the Bible. Those who write on that issue may wish to address it in response to this article which makes much of the Jewish tradition of philanthropy, but ignores the suffering of the whales.

You'll find the full article on line at http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-11-14-atlanta-aquarium_x.htm

USA Today takes letters at http://asp.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback/feedback-online.aspx?type=18 OR http://tinyurl.com/cee7y

Naomi Rose's piece in the Monday, November 14, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, headed, "Whales, dolphins don't belong in tanks"
tells us that two of the beluga whales to be exhibited were originally captured from the wild in Russia. She explains that the Atlanta aquarium is bucking a national trend, as "New aquariums in the United States have rejected proposals for cetacean exhibits since the early 1990s and only two existing facilities have added them. In the same period, at least 10 cetacean exhibits have closed."

In her final paragraphs she challenges the idea that such exhibits are educational, or acceptable:

"That such display is educational has simply been repeated endlessly over the decades, perhaps since P.T. Barnum first put a beluga in a small box filled with water as a side show exhibit. The beluga, of course, died soon after.

"In fact, no one has looked objectively to assess the educational value of marine mammal exhibits. Just as in 'The Emperor's New Clothes,' observers don't examine the 'facts' too closely. Public display facilities ask their visitors if they find wildlife exhibits to be educational, and the visitors, satisfied after an enjoyable day watching animals behind Plexiglas, respond with an enthusiastic 'Yes!' But the pollsters rarely ask, 'So, what did you learn at the aquarium today?'

"The Georgia Aquarium is a state-of-the-art facility, and its belugas and other novel exhibits, like the whale sharks, will get the best care possible in captivity. But the question more people in the world are beginning to ask — and more members of the media should be asking — is: 'Is this best care good enough?'

"Barnum had an excuse for his cruelty — he didn't know any better and he was just out for a buck. This comparison to a 19th-century huckster will undoubtedly offend the Georgia Aquarium, but the fact remains that although the box is definitely bigger and better designed, compared to the ocean and from the perspective of an intelligent mammal, it is still just a box."

You can read the full piece on line at:
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/1105/14edwhale.html

Please send appreciative and supportive letters to the editor at http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html

The Monday, November 14, Washington Post piece, headed "Arthritis Case Adds to Debate: Are Zoos Good Home for Elephants?" (Pg B4)
opens:
"An ailing elephant at the National Zoo is giving a local focus to a growing debate about whether zoos offer a suitable environment for elephants, particularly if the animals are often confined to small spaces.

"Toni, one of four Asian elephants at the animal park, is receiving treatment for arthritis in her legs. The zoo said in September that if the condition worsens, she might have to be euthanized -- a possibility that has prompted two animal rights groups to push to have Toni moved to an elephant sanctuary, where she would have more room to exercise and be on softer ground."

However the Post reports that the zoo's new director, John Berry, said in an interview last week, "We're nowhere near that worst-case scenario. All the discussion and plans now are on her care and keeping her happy and healthy."

We read,
"Toni, 39, came to the National Zoo in 1989 from Scranton, Pa., where she lived alone in a decrepit concrete enclosure and was afraid to step on dirt. She suffered an injury there to her left front leg, causing her to walk stiffly and stand awkwardly. The zoo's staff helped Toni learn to socialize with the other elephants, encouraged her to swim in the elephant yard pool and nursed her through kidney problems in 2001. Barthel said the leg injury caused Toni's arthritis.

"Berry said a sanctuary is not the answer for Toni, who needs constant medical care. He does not want to separate her from the only elephants she has known, and he said experts have told him that Toni probably would not survive being trucked to Tennessee."

"Elephants, who can live into their sixties, typically walk 30 miles a day in the wild in search of food. Captive elephants often develop foot problems and arthritis. There are about 150 Asian elephants and 150 African elephants in zoos in North America, though some zoos, particularly those in colder climates, have been reevaluating whether they should exhibit them because of insufficient exercise space in winter. The Detroit Zoo recently transferred its two elephants to a sanctuary in California.

"Carol Buckley, who co-founded the Tennessee sanctuary in 1995, said she has seen dramatic improvements in arthritic elephants brought to the 2,700-acre complex. The sanctuary, she said, has the equipment to successfully move even ailing elephants long distances. Without the move, she and other advocates for animals said, Toni's condition will worsen and she will face a premature death."

Though one might argue about whether a move for Toni would now be beneficial, there seems little doubt that it would have been far better for her to go from the zoo in Pennsylvania to a sanctuary, and that zoos, which simply cannot provide enough space for elephants, should not be housing them. You'll find more information on that issue, including specific information on Toni, at http://www.SaveZooElephants.com. You can read about Carol Buckley's animal sanctuary at http://www.Elephants.com

The full Washington Post article is on line at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/13/AR2005111301152.html
The Washington Post takes letters at letters [at] washpost.com and advises, "Letters must be exclusive to The Washington Post, and must include the writer's home address and home and business telephone numbers."

Shorter letters to the editor are more likely to be published. Thank you for taking a few minutes to send a letter on behalf of those who cannot.


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