What do you think of animal entertainment?

[cynatnite]

We're going to Orlando for our vacation this summer. We're hitting Disneyworld, Universal and I considered getting us tickets for Arabian Nights, too. It features horse tricks and other such entertainment. I don't know about that now.

I watched Blackfish.

SeaWorld is NOT on the list. No way will I set foot in that slaughterhouse. That whole thing has made me question the entire animal entertainment industry. Zoos, swimming with dolphins, etc. I told husband that I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on the Disney Safari.

I'm questioning all of it because I don't want to put any of our money towards something that is potentially abusive to innocent animals.

I love seeing exotic animals. I'm curious about them and I want them protected.

Opinions and suggestions would be appreciated.

[CFLDem]

1. I would stay away from all the animal exhibits.

They're all harmful to animals in many ways.

[Nye Bevan]

2. The Jungle Cruise in Disneyland is acceptable (nt)

[Brother Buzz]

11. Hell of a day excursion, Disneyland is still in California

[Vattel]

13. I don't know about that. It seems kind of cruel to the guys climbing the tree to escape the rhino.

[Cleita]

3. I think it's fine if the animals are animated in cartoons.

Otherwise I don't care for it especially in circus like venues where there is an arena surrounded by noisy spectators.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

4. It's perfectly possible to do it ethically, but unfortunately it sometimes isn't done.

It's possible to give animals a perfectly good standard of living in captivity, and even to give them a perfectly good standard of living while training them and having them perform for audiences, and many people do this.

The problem is that it's probably cheaper and easier to cut corners and keep them in poor conditions, and many people do that, too.

So I think you have to make judgements on a case-by-case basis - is a particular outfit treating their animals well, or not?

[HERVEPA]

7. Nope! The animals are in captivity and shouldn't be.

Find another way to be amused.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

18. I'm afraid there's not much more I can say to that than "no, you're wrong".

You haven't provided any reasons why it's wrong to keep animals in captivity, just an ipse dixit assertion, which makes it impossible for me to provide a more detailed refutation.

If this is something to do with "it's not natural" or "animals just *belong* in the wild, not in cages", your mistake is to assume that "natural" has anything whatsoever to do with "good". Smallpox is natural, and antibiotics aren't.

[HERVEPA]

22. Thanks so much for pointing out my mistake.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

5. It can be a really tough call.

As someone who grew up in a City, our zoo was something that connected me to animals and gave me a lifelong love of all creatures.

For me, I have decided to experience animals who are rescues/retired, live in sanctuaries and are now educational ambassadors.

If you are conflicted, look at each situation and evaluate it -- are the animals free to roam as they would in nature? Are they engaging in/allowed to engage in natural behavior? What about their living conditions -- are they species appropriate and do they address the animals' intelligence? Do they have the free will to engage visitors or not as they wish? Just some things to consider.

If you do some research, there have got to be some rescue/rehab facilities that allow visitors, or nature tours where you can enjoy the amazing local wildlife.

Thank you for being aware and for trying to make a difference with your entertainment dollars.

Just a few I dug up -

http://www.btn-wildlife.org/

http://www.foreverflorida.com/

http://www.greenorlandotours.com/

http://www.grandelakes.com/Eco-Tours-115.html

[Demo_Chris]

6. I am fine with animal entertainment. nt

[CFLDem]

8. Why?

Didn't you see Blackfish!?

[Demo_Chris]

17. Not yet, but they can carve Killer Whales into sushi for all I care.

Animals are animals. An animal in a show is valuable, and a hell of a lot better off than an animal on someone's plate. I am not saying it's wrong to care about them, but we all have our pet causes that really get our dander up, and animal "rights" are not one of mine. Not even close. My main things are kids and poverty and equal rights.

[CFLDem]

21. SMH

...

Nah just kidding. SeaWorld season pass holder, omnivore, and animal lover here.

Saw blackfish. Nothing controversial about mammal eating whale eating mammals.

Plus SeaWorld puts on a fanfreakingtastic Christmas light show!

[a la izquierda]

23. ...

Do you feel this way about bees and bats? You know animals without which humanity can't survive?

What a selfish, shitty post.

[Demo_Chris]

24. I prefer to leave those issues in your enthusiastic hands. nt

[a la izquierda]

26. Um...okay then.

[Spirochete]

9. I'll pass

I don't really have time to entertain animals, anyhow...

[Shandris]

10. My animal is the Giant Panda.

Watching the panda, visiting the panda, all these types of things gave me something that I can't (and won't try to) put into words at a time in my life where I really needed it. I can honestly say without equivocation that I probably would not be alive without the existence of the Pandacam at the National Zoo in Washington DC, or the one at the Wolong Panda Reserve in China.

The money collected by visitors to the National Zoo helps to fund the Giant Panda research teams in Wolong, the largest native habitat for Giant Pandas in the world. There are conservation organizations (the WWE specifically) that you can join while at the National Zoo, also, who further fund the research as do any of the panda souvenirs and panda-motif foods that you buy. This is also true at the Memphis Zoo, and probably at others (although those two are the only ones I have been to personally to attest to). The pandas are kept safe from humans behind large glass panels in a small observation hut, and in multiple chain-seperated areas to a play habitat. The money of visitors has literally saved the Giant Panda from extinction, and the myriads of articles you can see about the pandas on sites like Buzzfeed are a direct result of the work at Wolong and other panda research facilities.

My point? My point is simply this: there are ways to honor the animals, even when they are an 'exhibit'. And there are ways to do it wrong (like SeaWorld). I think you have to do your research and find the best alternatives you can, but being able to observe these beautiful creatures (and others like them; as I said, the panda and I have a special bond in my heart) is a good thing, so long as we as humans choose to make it a good thing.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

20. I don't think "honor" is the thing.

I don't think it matters whether we honor animals or not - they don't care about it, so why should we.

What *does* matter is the standard of living animals have, because that's what *they* care about.

I have no qualms whatsoever about people training animals to do things that people would find it humiliating to do, but the animals don't mind. I *do* have qualms about people doing things to animals that the animals mind - sometimes it's justifiable, but it should only be done when there's a significant justification.

[99Forever]

12. The Puppy Bowl ...

... is awesome!

[Butterbean]

14. I was gonna say LOLcats. ;) n/t

[grantcart]

15. I have to admit I watch either one of these once a day.

and no matter how depressed I might be I find the world to be a great place.

[Vattel]

16. It is a complicated issue.

Animals in captivity are often well-fed and they have a health care plan that puts Obamacare to shame: regular check-ups, no co-pay, etc. On the other hand certain kinds of animals (e.g., big cats and wolves) can be bored or otherwise unhappy in captivity. It all depends on the species and the conditions of captivity.

ETA: I'm afraid I don't know anything about the horses that you are concerned about. My guess is that their conditions would be pretty good. Horses do well in captivity if they are well-cared for.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

27. Horses are domesticated.

They love being around people and being taken care of. They also love to have job.

[Vattel]

28. Exactly. That's why my guess was that these horses would be pretty well-off.

But that guess could be wrong. It depends on the specifics of how they are treated.

[Beringia]

19. I would investigate each one if you really care

There are lots and lots of information blogs on different animal entertainment. I have read dolphin shows are very bad, it is stressful for the animals to be close to humans. They do not like it.

An article by Ric O'Barry, the trainer of Flipper, now dolphin activist. Many dolphins die while being captured and also many are bought from Japan, during their drive fisheries, where they kill dolphins for food. They have no sensory stimulation in pools, as you know if you watched Blackfish.

http://www.upmagazine.com/blog/dont-swim-captive-dolphins


Also found this, that the Arabian Nights shows has been canceled.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/blogs/theme-park-rangers/os-arabian-nights-dinner-show-closing-20131129,0,1129586.post

Also use your own feeling senses. Would you like to be in a cage with nothing to do and nowhere to go?



From Animal Rights NOAH
NOAH is an organisation that always promotes the animals’ case and is never satisfied with compromises at their expense.

We see that animals want to live, and believe that they should not therefore be killed. We see that animals want to develop, and believe that they therefore need freedom. We see that animals seek out happiness, and believe that they therefore need to be allowed to live and develop in accordance with their nature. Animals do not exist for human use. They exist to live their own lives. This is why NOAH works against all exploitation of animals.

http://www.dyrsrettigheter.no/noah/noah-for-animal-rights/

[Whisp]

25. That's pretty well where I'm at now.

The thought of a beautiful animal sacrificing so much just so I can oogle.... ugh.

[Orrex]

29. I think that animals are every bit as entitled to entertainment as we are

[Cleita]

31. I'm agreeing with you. Very strange.

But if I wander into their home territory uninvited, I need to understand that they might be annoyed. Oh, I know they are very entertained by my presence in their homeland. They have ways of showing it.

[csziggy]

30. Arabian Nights closed

Arabian Nights, longtime dinner show, closing Dec. 31
By Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel

Arabian Nights, the Kissimmee dinner show with performing horses and a royal story line, will close at the end of December after 25 years of entertaining tourists and residents, owner Mark Miller announced Friday.

Miller said the attraction’s revenue could no longer support the kind of show he wanted to present. “Unfortunately, we have reached a point where the marketplace demands a cheaper product than we can provide,” he said.

Over the years, the attraction, which opened in 1988, has presented 10,000 performances for 10 million visitors, Miller said. The final performance will be on New Year's Eve.

Set in a horseshoe-shaped arena with a dirt floor, the Arabian Nights show spotlights Al-Marah Arabian horses with acrobatic riders. Customers, who pay $66.99 for general admission, eat dinner in stands surrounding the action. The show was freshened with new acts and narrative during the summer and dubbed “The Royal Celebration,” a story about a romantic merger of two Bedouin kingdoms.

More: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/blogs/theme-park-rangers/os-arabian-nights-dinner-show-closing-20131129,0,1129586.post

Here is a review of the show from a horse person:
http://www.equitrekking.com/articles/entry/an-evening-with-arabian-nights-in-Orlando/

[TheKentuckian]

32. Ohh...I clicked thinking catnip mice, bone ropes, bird mirrors and such?

Who is sour on that stuff?

I find even the zoo to be a kind of a bummer but I also feel I get something out of it so I think maybe a reserve tour would be alright. Of course I have companions so I guess I only have so much room to get too snotty about captivity.