According to the study, the damage occurs largely because captive orcas persistently grind their teeth on tank walls, often to the point where the nerves are exposed. These ground-down spots remain as open cavities, highly susceptible to infection even if caretakers regularly flush them out with clean water.
This stress-induced behavior has been documented in scientific research since the late s. Commonly called stereotypies—repetitive patterns of activity that have no obvious function—these behaviors, which often involve self-mutilation, are typical of captive animals that have little or no enrichment and live in too-small enclosures. Orcas have the second largest brain of any animal on the planet.
Like humans, their brains are highly developed in the areas of social intelligence, language and self-awareness. In the wild, orcas live in tight-knit family groups that share a sophisticated, unique culture that is passed down through generations, research has shown. In captivity, orcas are kept in artificial social groups. A few captive orcas, like Lolita, live completely alone.
Captive-born orcas are typically separated from their mothers at ages far younger than in the wild male orcas often stay with their mothers for life , and are often transferred between facilities. Kayla was separated from her mother at 11 months old and moved between SeaWorld properties across the country four different times. In , the documentary film Blackfish laid bare the psychological toll of captivity, through the story of a wild-caught orca named Tilikum who had killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando.
Court records show that SeaWorld had documented, between and , over instances of their orcas being aggressive towards trainers. Eleven of those instances resulted in injury, and one in death. An orca helps herd a school of herring in the deep waters of the Andfjorden in Norway. See more of orcas. The public reaction to Blackfish was swift and furious. Hundreds of thousands of outraged viewers signed petitions calling for SeaWorld to retire their orcas, or to shut down outright.
Read more: How far will the Blackfish effect go? Animal advocacy groups had for years tried to take legal action against the U. Department of Agriculture, tasked with implementing the federal Animal Welfare Act, for failing to properly monitor the welfare of animals kept in captivity for entertainment. Efforts had never been successful says Jared Goodman, deputy general counsel for animal law at the PETA Foundation, who has participated in many of the lawsuits.
But in , things began to change. California made it illegal to breed orcas in the state. Six months earlier, SeaWorld, which has a park in San Diego, announced that it would be ending its captive orca breeding program altogether, saying its current orcas will be the last generation to live at SeaWorld parks.
The AWA establishes only baseline standards of care for licensing exhibitors. These standards set a low bar and are widely considered to be sub-par in protecting animals. For example, the law does not restrict the display or private ownership of captive wild animals or prohibit the use of controversial bullhooks, whips, electrical shock or other devices commonly used in circuses.
For animals in zoos, the AWA sets low requirements as to housing, food and sanitation, and, as is commonly noted, no requirements for mental stimulation of animals other than primates. Another serious problem is that the chronically-understaffed USDA conducts inspections infrequently. A common criticism is that the inspectors are often inadequately trained to look for sign of problems such as abuse and neglect. Some 5, species of animals are covered by the treaty along with 30, species of plants.
CITES does not directly address living conditions for captive animals. The U. This treaty is credited with helping foster international cooperation to protect some endangered and vulnerable species. A criticism is that protections are less robust for species that are economically valuable, and that CITES is not as transparent in its decision-making or enforcement as would be ideal.
The ESA outlines procedures for federal agencies to follow regarding listed species, as well as criminal and civil penalties for violations. In , the Animal Legal Defense Fund successfully brought a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act against a roadside zoo called the Cricket Hollow Animal Park, that was mistreating protected animals. This was the first time that the ESA has successfully been used to protect captive wild animals.
In several cases, animals held in poor conditions at roadside zoos have been transferred to sanctuaries, after the Animal Legal Defense Fund brought lawsuits under the Endangered Species Act. State And Local Laws: Strong state laws and even local laws have historically been a useful way to protect exotic and wild animals.
There is considerable variation from state to state and among cities and counties, as to how much legal protection is offered to captive wild animals. Here are some of the major ways that these jurisdictions are protecting wild captive animals under the law:. Others allow private parties to keep animals like tigers or primates with a permit.
Fewer and fewer states are allowing residents to keep captive wild animals without a permit. There were five such states until , when South Carolina passed a law banning wild and exotic animals to be kept as pets. This law does not affect zoos or circuses. Clearly, zoos are a win for people. But when it comes to the animals, zoos might cause more harm than good. Should zoos exist? How did zoos become a thing? Humans have been capturing and displaying exotic animals for thousands of years.
The earliest known collections date back to BCE in Egypt, where rulers kept hippos, elephants, baboons, and different species of large cats. These early zoos were really just a way for kings to flex on other kings. The longest continuously operating zoo in the world is the Vienna Zoo, which has been going strong for more than years. Ethics guide. Animals for entertainment. On this page Animals in zoos Circuses Page options Print this page.
Animals in zoos Is it morally wrong to keep animals in zoos? The animal rights answer It is wrong if animals have rights because: it treats the animal as a means to achieve some human end it fails to treat animals with the respect they deserve it violates the animal's right to live in freedom The animal welfare answer From the welfare point of view it is wrong to keep an animal in a zoo if the animal has a less pleasant life than it would have outside the zoo.
Reasons why people think keeping animals in zoos is bad for their welfare: the animal is deprived of its natural habitat the animal may not have enough room the animal is deprived of its natural social structure and companionship the animal is forced into close proximity with other species and human beings which may be unnatural for it the animal may become bored, depressed and institutionalised animals bred in zoos may become imprinted on human beings rather than members of their own species - this prevents them fully experiencing their true identity although animals may live longer lives in zoos than in the wild, they may experience a lower quality of life There is more to treating animals in an appropriate way than keeping them healthy: It's possible and used to be common for zoos to keep animals in perfect physical shape, but in conditions that cause the animals to display serious behavioural problems.
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