Captive Breeding: Noah's Ark or Human Transparency?

Captive Breeding: Noah's Ark or Titanic of Destruction?

Humans have been breeding animals for thousands of years, whether for food, entertainment, or wool. However, the art of breeding animals to save endangered species is a relatively new art that humans have still not perfected. We are currently facing a global extinction crisis, with more and more animals slipping away every day due to habitat destruction, poaching, pollution, and other factors that humans have wrought in expanding our land. Today we'll be focusing on breeding wildlife and how it may or may not be beneficial.

First of all, let's start out with zoos. Zoos had evolved to their current form where their missions are to promote recreation, conservation, research, and education. And one facet of their enormous system is breeding of animals. Hundreds of elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, polar bears, red pandas, zebras, and other animals are bred in zoos every year. But what is the value of these captive breeding programs? There is some validity in the Species Survival Plans, the official AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) coordinated plans to breed endangered species. The more than 500 SSPs cover mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates exhibited in zoos. The programs shuffle animals around American zoos to promote genetic diversity. While critics of the SSPs argue that the animals are simply being bred for a life of captivity, there is another side. The SSPs provide a stable reservoir of thousands of animals, which could prove valuable in the future if the species go extinct in the wild. Learning how care for animals is something that zoos must learn fast, lest they must save a species from extinction.

Some zoos tout reintroduction programs as the reason for breeding animals. Zoos are the leaders of their field in reintroducing animals into the wild, succeeding in rejuvenating life into the California condor, Arabian oryx, Przewalski's horse, golden lion tamarin, and whooping crane. But taking a hard look at the zoo reintroduction programs show that the successes are not as much as they potentially could be. Zoos must look after their resident animals before and therefore cannot devote tons of resources into breeding animals for reintroduction. Most animals in zoos will never be reintroduced into the wild. The question is, is it worth it?

Zoos aren't the only organizations breeding animals. Hundreds of breeders cater to America's hunger for exotic animals. Popular among these breeders are small wild cats (servals, ocelots, bobcats), monkeys, reptiles, antelope, and other rarities like kinkajous and capybaras. America is also home to an incalculable amount of tigers, lions, bears, chimpanzees, and alligators who are held in captivity by thousands of exotic pet owners. Rarer animals, such as elephants, rhinos, red pandas, snow leopards, and gorillas have been kept out of the pet trade for the most part, due to a coordinated effort by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to keep those endangered species only in respectable institutions. Breeders serve to replenish the trade. Owners prefer young and cute animals, so breeders churn the babies out to keep profits up.

Sanctuaries fall under a gray area in the art of captive breeding. The definition of "animal sanctuary" is muddled since there is not governing body of sanctuaries. So-called sanctuaries can declare themselves the rescuers of animals while breeding tiger cubs for visitors to pet or bear cubs to be placed in petting zoos. As a general rule, true sanctuaries do not breed their animals, so keep in mind the next time you visit a "respected facility" that they're adding to the problem.

To be blunt, zoos must breed their animals in order to keep their businesses alive. With no tigers, elephants, or polar bears to attract audiences, it's unlikely that the zoo business will survive. Without zoos, less endangered species will be saved. Current zoos are not perfect, but they do a lot of good in the areas of conservation, research, and education. Without zoos at the forefront, it is likely that the extinction level will proceed even faster. And there are reasons for why zoos breed animal besides profit and conservation. Some animals do better in a family unit, so zoos breed those animals to provide social interactions. Some zoos have taken to breeding amphibians and reptiles in behind-the-scenes rooms for future release. That's good. But what about the lady who breeds tigers to satisfy her desire to care for the massive cats? Do we interfere with her right to own an animal? It is a complicated messy issue that will not be easily solved as there is often a reason for breeding an animal. And those reasons are often controversial in the animal world.

Author's Note: Captive breeding in zoos will, for the most part, proceed as usual for the next several decades. Attendance at zoos have skyrocketed for the past few decades. But at the same time, a harsher light has been shined on the zoo animal trade and zoos must be more careful in their breeding of their animals, less they devalue the genetic stock or breed purely for profit, igniting a wave of anger from the public. Already, SeaWorld has stopped the captive breeding of their killer whales. Will elephants or dolphins be next?  I can't predict where the captive animal industry will turn next, but it is clear that people are paying more attention to animal welfare than ever before. Zoos and other breeders must evolve to keep up in the next century. 

Dangerous Games for Dangerous Animals

Dangerous Games for Dangerous Animals

How Humans Have and Still Use Animals in Entertainment

Humans have long placed animals in different arenas for our own amusement. The Romans built the Coliseum to kill thousands of elephants, lions, tigers, bears, and hippos. The rulers of India used cheetahs to hunt deer. The art of racing or fighting animals have long fascinated the human race and still continues today. People still race horses, fight chickens, and test themselves against a massive alligator, although many of these practices are illegal and quickly going out of fashion despite years of traditional sport. This blog post is a quick run down of some of the lethal games that man still uses with animals and where they are on the extinction list. 

Cockfighting

The art of placing two roosters in a ring and watching them fight to the death sounds grisly...because it should. The ancient art of fighting chickens have lasted 6,000 years and still goes on to this very day. In some cases, professional cockfighters will tie sharp metal spurs to the rooster's legs to maximize damage. Fighting cocks are generally unable to be rehabilitated as most are bred for battle and have to be euthanized once recovered.The United States has outlawed cockfighting in every state and the District of Columbia. Noticeably dragging their feet to illegalize this practice was the state of Louisiana where the Cajun culture and powerful Louisiana lobbyists delayed the ban on cockfighting. While for several years, cockfighters would only be slapped with a small fine, President Barack Obama signed a bill that would threaten cockfighters with jail time, severely halting the messy practice. 

Dog fighting

Much as you'd expect, dog fighting is the art of placing two dogs in a ring and watching them fight to the death, or at least when one is unable to fight any longer. Even messier than cockfighting and with the added bias of human affection toward dogs, and you can see why dog fighting is pretty much a cruel practice. Dog fighting has gone even more out of fashion than cockfighting, although it still happens in Third World countries where the revenue is generated on which dog will come up the least bloody. 

Cricket fighting

The blood sport that involves fighting two large insects actually isn't that bloody. The goal is to have one of the crickets flip the other on it's back. If a cricket loses, the owner will generally toss aside the insect in frustration instead of killing them. A popular past time in China for thousands of years, the sport lost popularity during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, but is enjoying a small revival among the generations that respect the Chinese traditional sport. 

Horse racing

The art of horse racing is the most popular sport of the listed games above, especially in the state of Kentucky, home to the famous Kentucky Derby. Racing, betting on, and watching horse races is still a large part of American culture, although animal rights activists have recently been lobbying for the end of horse racing, claiming that prize race horses are viewed as commodities and tossed aside once they are unable to 

Greyhound racing

The sleek and impressive greyhound was noted for its' speed in the 1920s and quickly became a sport of who's dog could become the fastest on the track. Today, the United States allows greyhound racing in several states, including Alabama, Florida, and West Virginia. A well-funded movement has arisen to adopt retired racing dogs, allowing the greyhound racing business to survive for the time being as long as the ex-racing dogs find good homes after their racing days (generally from 4-6 years of age). 

Bullfighting

The well-known Spanish sport of "tricking" the bull with a red cape and killing it with a sword has attracted much controversy in recent years over purposely angering a bull and killing the animal in an essentially rigged game. Bull fighting is still legal in much of Spain; however, the city of Barcelona outlawed bull fighting in 2006. Bloodless bull fighting has also sprung up in some parts of the United States for people with the balls to anger a bull. 

Alligator wrestling

Another man vs. wild sport, the art of bending a massive prehistoric reptile to your will provides obvious risks to the human involved. The human involved, usually a big, beefy man, generally wades into the pool and thrashes about with the alligator, usually trapping the animal's powerful jaws to prevent any fatal bites. While reaching its' peak in the 1960s and 1970s, the sport still exists in Florida and Louisiana. Dangerous? Yes. Fun? Depends on your point of view. 

Games with animals still flourish in many capacities, but it is clear that in a world with shifting views on how we treat animals, that games that harm animals for our own amusement are quickly going out of fashion. Even as we eat more meat and fish, continue to flock to zoos, and drive animals to the endangered species list, there are small steps to make. One of them could be to ban or at the very least, show your distaste for sports that seek to exploit animals for who they are. Who knows? Maybe these sports will be gone one day, maybe they'll thrive. At the end of the day, you must ask yourself: is it worth it? 

Stripes of Death: Dangers of the Biggest Cat

Stripes of Death: Dangers of the Captive Cats

Today we're discussing the dangers of big cats in captivity in the wake of the unfortunate death of Stacey Konwiser of the Palm Beach Zoo reported a few weeks ago. The issue is huge, a lot bigger than you think. You'd think there aren't that many pet tigers roaming around the country, but there is an estimated 5000-10000 captive tigers scattered across the United States (there is no official census, so we are left with only estimates). That's more than the entire Asian wild population put together. Of those, only a small percentage is in the hands of AZA (American Association of Zoos & Aquariums) accredited zoos, the majority being in the possession of private owners. For simplicity's sake, we'll be focusing on the dangerous aspects of tigers in captivity and how problematic it can be to have the largest cat in captivity, in both accredited zoos and private ownership. Pet tiger legislation and the actual ownership of tigers will be focused in later posts.

So, what's so bad about having a tiger as a pet? We have cats in captivity and surely tigers can't be that dangerous? If you have a shred of sense in your body, you should realize that tigers are some of the most formidable creatures that walk the earth. With great strength, speed, and agility and armed with sharp teeth and claws, tigers are the largest cats in the world and not animals you should ever mess with (then again, it's usually not smart to mess with tigers). While tigers are certainly dangerous , if handled effectively and safely, they pose little risk to their caretakers.

Tigers have been in captivity for only a few centuries (compared to lion training which has dated back thousands of years) and the art of keeping tigers in captivity is still being slowly figured out, although accredited zoos have had some success in keeping tigers in captivity. There are three groups that tigers fall in when kept in captivity: zoos & sanctuaries, private owners, and circuses. Most respectable institutions, like accredited zoos and sanctuaries, ban all free contact with the tigers. That means the keepers are never in the exhibit with the tiger and are trained with a strong wall separating the two. The only reason for the keepers to be close would be a veterinary checkup where the cats are generally put under anaesthetics and monitored closely.

Some private owners follow the same precautions as accredited zoos, but the Internet is proof that many private tiger owners cuddle, play, and swim with their striped "pussy cats" as if they were simple house cats. Some even share their homes with their tigers and treat them like part of the family. This is incredibly dangerous. Some private owners believe that their relationship with their tiger will keep them from harm, but this is simply not the case. Friendship or not, it is impossible to breed the wild instinct from the tiger.

Circuses fall in the gray area of tigers in captivity. As part of the act, the trainers go into the ring with the tigers (often accompanied by lions) and it takes an enormous amount of training and respect for a trainer to share a space with ten tigers without being ripped apart. Most professional circuses (like Ringling Brothers) employ many safety measures and protocols after receiving a bad reputation and while life on the road isn't ideal for tigers, they are certainly treated better than some "pet" tigers.

Stacey Konwiser was an experienced tiger keeper. She was recently killed by a male Malayan tiger at the Florida zoo where she worked at. While she certainly had a great love for the cats that she dedicated her life to, it was by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) reported that she went into the enclosure without following protocol. The tiger almost instantly delivered a fatal neck injury. Zoo personnel were able to tranquilize the tiger, citing that if they shot the tiger, they could've harmed Konwiser who's condition was unknown at the time.

Konwiser isn't the only one to fall victim to the captive tiger. Most notable is the death of a teenager at the claws of a female Siberian tiger named Tatiana. Tatiana resided at the San Francisco Zoo for several years where she also rose to recognition for grabbing a zookeeper's arm that came too close. Three teenagers visited the zoo on Christmas Day of 2008 and taunted the tiger by throwing items into her exhibit and hanging their leg off the rail. Reports show that the trio had alcohol and signs of marijuana in their systems. Enraged at the teasing, Tatiana leapt from her exhibit (the exhibit's moat was five feet less than the AZA-recommended standards) and mauled the three teenagers. She managed to kill one, with the other two fleeing from the maddened tiger. This marks the first death of a visitor in the history of the AZA-accredited zoos. Tatiana was later killed by the police that rushed onto the scene.

Tigers are very dangerous animals that should not be taken lightly. Sometimes we get so caught up in their beauty and grace, we forget that these animals are much more lethal than we'd like them to be. Our portrayals of tigers in the media, whether it's Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, Tony the Tiger, or even the tiger that was slowly trained in Life of Pi, makes us believe that tigers are just animals that can coexist with us with a lot of love and respect. Tigers do not make good pets and even for professional zoo keepers they can be quite powerful. This is an issue that should not be taken lightly. Maybe your state has no laws banning the private ownership of tigers or maybe you have seen a zoo tiger attacking it's meal. Whatever your beliefs, know that in the wrong hands, tigers in captivity can be one's last decision.

Author's Note: Tigers in captivity have always fascinated me due to their prevalence in the United States and popularity among exotic pet owners. I also extensively researched the San Francisco Zoo tiger attacks (I even passed the zoo on my way to Christmas dinner during the attack) and it's a illuminating case study of a professional zoo that without the right protocols, can be more harmful than they appear. Private tiger ownership is not a huge concern for many because it has no long term harmful effects on humans, but definitely is not good for the tigers. Is it responsible for us as the dominant species to hold these majestic animals in small cages for our own personal amusement? More tiger ownership will be discussed in later posts.

Sea World: Only Time "Whale" Tell

Sea World: Only Time "Whale" Tell If it's Latest Gambit Will Pay

I apologize for waiting for three months to post a new article, but I was busy with some endeavors. But since the hiatus a lot has happened in the zoological world. For today, we're taking another in-depth look at everyone's favorite zoological punching bag: Sea World. The controversial entertainment corporation that runs three marine theme parks in the United States (San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio) made the decision to end orca breeding effective immediately. In the next few decades, there will be no more killer whales in captivity. Thoughts? There's a lot of them and it's safe to say that some are happy and some are not. 

Sea World has put in hot water for the past six years. With the death of senior trainer Dawn Brancheau by resident killer whale Tilikum, a massive leviathan responsible for the deaths of two other humans and the release of the documentary Blackfish, Sea World's attendance and profits have plunged from their once great peak. And the aggressive expansion of the theme park business by Disney and Universal has brought the competition to a higher level, with Disney playing it's profitable Star Wars and Marvel cards and Universal banking on the "universal" appeal of Harry Potter. And what has Sea World rolled out in the past years? Save for a penguin ride that was met with lukewarm reviews, Sea World's aging attractions have relied on it's live animal shows for far too long to keep the turnstiles turning and it's clear that Sea World cannot rely on their profitable black-and-white mammals to sustain their parks (anyone realize that black-and-white animals tend to be the most profitable for zoos? Pandas? 

Sea World fought the critics hard in the past three years. They initiated an aggressive marketing campaign to convince their customers that Sea World was simply a misunderstood zoological facility that was only doing the best for their killer whales. They agreed to restrictions regarding the killer whale trainers' contact with the orcas and even rolled out a new expansion plan entitled Blue World. But that ambitious plan fizzled out when the California Coastal Commission approved the expansion with one addition: stop breeding the killer whales or forget Blue World. To invest in a multimillion dollar project for a temporary exhibit is extremely risky at best and Sea World had to weigh their options. While attendance and profits had more or less stabilized, the marine park company faced a ton of headaches from animal rights activists and a decreasing customer pool. In the end, Sea World decided to stop breeding their controversial icons once and for all. 

If you take a closer look, you get more of the juicier bits to this story. For one, Sea World, in an effort to win back support from animal lovers, partnered with the Humane Society to announce the end of killer whale breeding. This wasn't surprising to the common eye, the Humane Society is the number one animal protection organization in the country. But the Humane Society has hidden motives up their crisp sleeves and they're not the most honest organization in the world. In fact, they tried to sue Ringling Bros. in a coalition of animal rights organizations for Ringling's treatment of circus elephants, while paying off a key witness. 

If you're super worried about the future of Sea World, don't fear too much. Killer whales can live anywhere from 25-60 years (depending on their health, gender, and subspecies). In captivity, it tends to be a little shorter, but many of Sea World's killer whales are young and Sea World Orlando's dominant female Takara is also pregnant. The killer whale shows will end within the next couple years so never fear, there's still at least four decades before killer whales go extinct in captivity (taking into account if the youngest killer whale survives to around 40).

Whatever the motives of Sea World (it's safe to assume that they ended orca breeding to increase profits and regain it's image), the age of the orca is over. It's odd to think that less than a decade ago, trainers exploded from the water aloft killer whales' snout and crowds packed the grandstands to get the chance to be splashed from one of the world's top predators. So much has changed in so little time. Is it for the better? Certainly Sea World will never be the same. It's the equivalent if Disneyland decided to remove Pirates of the Caribbean or Universal Studios took out their studio tour. It probably won't hurt business in the long run, but Sea World has essentially lost their most iconic attraction. And despite widespread applause from many critics who fought bitterly for the killer whales' "release", there are others complaining about how Sea World "gave up".
As someone who supports Sea World (not for the entertainment value, but for it's potential to teach millions about marine life), it was hard to accept that decision. But if you look at it, Sea World has been fighting tooth and nail for their beloved Shamus for more than three years and things haven't turned for the better. Their stock increased 10% after the announcement, although I was surprised to see the negative comments on Facebook and Twitter about the decision. Mostly I've been seeing "Die Sea World!" or "Sea World sucks!" or "Free the killer whales!"


In a society where we value our independence and freedom the most (if you don't believe me, watch the LEGO Movie or the Hunger Games), Sea World had become a symbol of captivity where majestic marine mammals were forced to live in tiny conditions while being withheld to food to perform circus tricks. Sea World was desperate to shed this image, although they seem to have dug in their heels with certain lines. For example, while the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have repeatedly called Sea World to release their killer whales into open-water sanctuaries, this scenario doesn't seem likely. There are many difficulties in constructing these (including costs for maintenance and labor) open-water sanctuaries, not to mention that it's never been done before and Sea World doesn't seem interested on spending millions of dollars on something that will run it's course in the next couple decades.

I've written three articles about Sea World, debating on what they should do to convince the public that they're run legitimately. Honestly, Sea World is a bit like Hillary Clinton. They're both painted as these evil, untrustworthy figures while in real life, they're probably just normal, neither good nor bad. I think Sea World gets a lot of unwarranted hate for being the poster boy of captive animals. Sure, some of their practices can be improved and I'd wager that soon enough, the public will want dolphins out of captivity. What will Sea World do? Evolve, like they always have. PETA has long predicted that Sea World was just a desperate sinking ship just waiting to fail after relentless hammering from animal rights activists and concerned citizens alike. But Sea World surprised people with this move and we'll have to wait and see if faith will be restored in Sea World. Who knows? There are some consequences. Already some marine mammal researchers are complaining that since Sea World is ending their killer whaler program, they cannot conduct their research (conducting research on wild orca populations is risky, expensive, and unpredictable) effectively. Some dissatisfied customers are boycotting Sea World. Still others are unhappy that Sea World hasn't taken their killer whales out completely. Sea World compromised at the end and you know what they say about compromises: everyone leaves just a little bit angry.

Author's Note: Sea World has become a polarizing figure in recent years, the butt of the joke for many and the target for others. It didn't help that Sea World's initial attempts to quell the public backfired and got even more people enraged. I am not a hater of Sea World, but neither do I outright support them. They are like any other zoological facility, some of their efforts are good and others can be improved. This is the end of an era for Sea World. They banked on their killer whales to get them to the top and the massive marine mammals propelled them center stage. Now it's up to them to find a new way to enthrall children and adults alike with the majesty and beauty of marine life.