Are Some Traditional Forms of Entertainment Cruel to Animals?

We must take a serious look at things like circuses, zoos, aquariums, and more to see how these performances exploit animals, and whether they should exist at all.

Why Traditional Entertainment is Cruel for Animals

Animals have been used for our entertainment for hundreds of years that we have woven these experiences into our traditions.

It is hard to reconcile what we considered amusing in the past is now cruel and wrong. But recognizing and acknowledging what animals have endured is a good step toward improving their lives today.

Imagine you are taken from your home and forced to live on the other side of the world in a small room. You may see other people occasionally, but mostly you live alone. This is only a fraction of the inhumane treatment we inflict on animals.

Animals feel the cruel consequences of having to leave their natural environments. Whether it is acting out behaviorally, suffering from illnesses, or dying too early, animals suffer greatly when taken away from their natural habitats.

Examples of Traditional Entertainment That Are Cruel to Animals

Whether it is a ten-minute petting session or an expensive all-inclusive safari, certain forms of entertainment are considered cruel to animals.

They include:

A deeper dive into a few of these traditional forms of entertainment may help us understand why these would be considered animal cruelty.

Zoos

People have been collecting and displaying animals for personal use for hundreds of years, but allowing public viewing of animals began with Queen Elizabeth in the 16th century. Today, there are around 2,400 facilities licensed to exhibit animals, but only 212 are members of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).

Zoos are primarily designed with our convenience in mind. We can walk through the zoo gates with our paid ticket and see many animals from all over the world in one place. Zoos enable us to skip world travel and see each animal person.

Zoos take animals out of their natural habitats and place them in enclosures designed to mimic their natural living environments. The physical displacement of an animal can lead to extreme stress, and being forced to leave set social structures in the wild can cause new and troublesome behaviors.

There is even a term given to the emotional distress that zoo animals go through called zoochosis. If you’re interested in learning more, we tell you exactly why zoos are cruel and why they are still convenient for animal rehabilitation here: Are Zoos Cruel to Animals?

How Zoos Are Changing

Many zoos now promote themselves as research or conservation facilities and shy away from the issues of confinement and unnatural living conditions. However, these types of zoos are a small percentage of the total licensed facilities. The zoos that are moving to better practices are helping animals in multiple ways such as:

This new perspective on zoos can be troublesome, especially if you enjoyed visiting zoos as a child. But, acknowledging the harm that many animals experience and doing your part to make changes can offer a more lasting and rewarding experience than a quick laugh.

Circuses and Performance-Based Travelling Shows

Just thinking about the movie Dumbo will bring tears to anyone’s eyes. It’s been known for many years that circuses treat their animals in a violent and cruel way.

But, due to decades of public pressure and protests, many circuses, such as the Ringling Bros, have been forced to discontinue their live animal shows – particularly elephant shows.

Several cities have also stepped up and have passed local bans on live animal performances and the use of cruel training devices.

This is due to the possible endangerment of animals. Some ways that circuses and other traveling entertainment shows can be harmful to animals include:

Aquariums and marine parks are also a form of entertainment that puts ocean and sea-based creatures at risk.

Usually, aquatic animals like orcas and dolphins swim in vast ocean environments and naturally have complex and sophisticated social structures. An enclosure with a smaller living space just doesn’t match up to their real-world environments.

Did you know that orcas are one of the only animals in captivity that are known to commit suicide? These highly evolved animals have a level of emotional intelligence that competes with humans – so why strip them of their lives to perform tricks?

You can find out everything you need to know here: Are Aquariums Cruel to Animals?

Bullfighting

The sport of bullfighting is controversial because its roots stem from religion, not sport or cruelty. In Mesopotamia, when one of the first bullfights occurred, bulls were sacred and had religious significance. Bullfighting has since evolved into a sport and is mainly performed in Spain and Portugal.

In Spain, bullfighting is part of the culture, considered by many as a sport or art form. The shows begin with the bullfighter’s dance and performance but always ends in suffering and death for the bull. The unnecessary suffering and death of an animal for entertainment purposes is cruel.

Bullfighting also takes bulls out of their natural environments and confines them to smaller living quarters not normal to them, which stresses the bull. Additionally, the pressure to perform may also lead the bull handlers to mistreat or abuse the bull.

Once again, these animals are treated very poorly and die a traumatic death at the hands of their matador. Find out why here: Is Bullfighting Cruel?

Fishing and Hunting

Hunting and fishing in the United States is a treasured form of entertainment. These industries' combined revenue amounts to almost $150 billion a year, and stores and catalogs across the US are dedicated to selling products focused on these sports.

The hobbies of hunting and fishing are socially accepted on a global scale . There are even several for-profit exotic animal hunting parks where trophy hunting takes place.

Many people consider killing animals as a pastime wrong. There are many reasons hunting and fishing would be deemed cruel to animals, such as:

Effects on Animals We May Not See

Removing an animal out of its natural habitat is the first sign that a form of entertainment would be considered cruel or unnatural. Sometimes the effects are apparent, but often we do not see the impact on animals in these professions.

Here are some specific examples of adverse consequences to particular animals entertaining.

Animals Hurt by Entertainment

People get the “wow factor” when watching animals in a contained environment that they would never be able to see in the wild. The top animals in entertainment are some of the hardest to acquire and suffer the most consequences.

Here are a few animals that suffer from traditional forms of entertainment.

Elephants

Elephants are social animals that travel in packs, they walk an average of 15 miles a day, but are known to trek up to 121 miles in one day.

When elephants live in small closures, like in zoos or trains for traveling shows, they suffer because of the unnatural, isolated, and confined lives. This can lead to severe consequences, including a shorter life expectancy.

The illegal acquisition of elephants for entertainment is a reality. Wild elephants are often stolen and then sold illegally for entertainment purposes and harmed in the process of their capture and transport. Sometimes these elephants do not get the care and attention they need to live healthy, happy lives.

Paid elephant, donkey, horse, and camel rides are also considered cruel by many. The animals may be forced to carry excessive weight or work for long hours in harsh weather conditions. Their handlers may abuse the animals in their push to keep them working.

Marine Life

A man made pool at an aquarium or marine show just doesn’t match up to the natural wild ocean environment that dolphins and orcas are native to. The drastic move from the ocean to the aquarium is stressful for animals. Especially because there is a range of consequences that may occur as a result of this move.

A man made pool at an aquarium or marine show just doesn’t match up to the natural wild ocean environment that dolphins and orcas are native to. The drastic move from the ocean to the aquarium is stressful for animals. Especially because there is a range of consequences that may occur as a result of this move.

Dogs

Though illegal in the U.S., dog fighting still exists. Dogfights result in dogs dying and complications for dogs who may survive.

Dogs that survive illegal dogfights often end up in animal shelters but may struggle to get rehomed because of behavioral issues from their former life that can lead to their eventual euthanization.

Dog racing is still legal in a few states, but most of the remaining states will be making it illegal soon. Dog racing forces dogs to run at high levels in all races, taxing their bodies on each race.

Dogs are often mistreated and malnourished, so they appear as a breed that performs well for the sport. Some ways racing dogs are mistreated include:

What Can We Do?

People have been using animals for entertainment purposes for centuries, but it might be the right time to recognize the cruelty of these performances.

Although we may not be able to change the circumstances for animals today, we can consider a few things when looking at future entertainment options involving animals.

Acknowledge and Take Accountability

If animals are not in their natural habitat and are forced to do unnatural things, it might be worth considering that they are being mistreated. It is often hard to give up the things you grew up loving, but acknowledging how you benefit from cruel practices may help lower the future profit gains of these operations and facilities.