Voice 4 Animals - animals in entertainment

Rodeos

v4aeditor — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 21:25:19 -0400

Rodeo History

Rodeos have been around since the 1500’s. They began as small competitions cow hands held during their roundups. Small groups of cow camps and ranches would hold local contest to show off their skills at roping and horse handling. Rodeo is the only “sport” that grew out of an occupation and a way of life. Modern rodeos, however, have taken on a life of their own. Farming and ranch life has changed considerably since the 1500’s and today’s rodeos are purely an entertainment circuit. Horses and Bulls are bred to buck and a professional cowboy contestant competes for money and fame. A successful year for a professional cowboy can earn him upwards of $200,000.

Today’s largest organization of cowboys is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The PRCA has over 11,000 members in the U.S and Canada. There are many other rodeo organizations but the PRCA rules and regulations are pretty much standard. Through a partnership with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) they allow Canadian competitors to qualify for championship events in the United States.

The Events

There are two categories of events at rodeos, and within these two categories are seven standard events. These events are sanctioned by the PRCA.

1. The Roughstock events:

These are bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding. Each is a judged event and each requires the riders to stay on a bucking horse or bull for eight seconds. In these events the rider and the animal are both being judged. It is definitely in the best interest of the cowboy to ride a horse or a bull that bucks as wildly as possible, by increasing the difficulty of the ride he increases his overall points and a chance at a good sized paycheck.

Flank straps are used to “encourage” the animals to buck. These straps are cinched around the flanks of the animal. These animals are “bred” to buck but most rodeos will also use the flank strap as well. All flank straps have a quick release that a cowboy can pull to release the strap. Flank straps used on broncs are lined with sheepskin.

The main issue with roughstock events is the need to madden or rile up these animals. The Cowboys will say that these animals have been specially picked because they are more inclined to buck and that this is just their natural temperament. The truth is that sometimes these animals get added encouragement from their rodeo handlers. There are many people crowded around the chutes. The cowboy himself usually has a helper or two, but there is also the Stock Contractor and/or the Chute boss. The stock contractor is the provider of all roughstock at the rodeo. He and his personnel know exactly what to do if an animal is too docile. Although not all stock contractors will resort to abuse, there have been documented cases of abuse that occurs right in the chute. Before an animal is about to perform, he or she could be subjected to tail-twisting, tail pulling, punching and even shocking. With all of the people and activity surrounding the chute it is easy to hide a hand held Hot-Shot and quickly deliver a jolt of 5000 volts to the face, neck, and body of an animal, and no one would notice it being slipped back into a pocket.

All stock contractors will say that their animals are quite used to the crowd, noise and travel that they endure when competing in rodeos. They will say that they do everything they can to minimize the stress when leading them through chutes or loading and unloading for transport. Yet when cowboys talk of the rodeo circuit they speak of the hardship, the constant travel, the injuries and length of time spent away from home.

2. Timed events:

Calf-roping, steer wrestling, team roping, and ladies barrel racing. These are races for the best time.

The calf-roping event is now called tie-down roping. A three to four month old calf runs terrified across the arena, only to get chased by a cowboy on horseback, clostheslined, wrestled and tied up. In the rules the calf is supposed to be standing when the roper reaches it, but since they are generally flung in the air sometimes they don’t end up on their feet. The cowboy then has to pick up the calf high enough so that a judge can see daylight between its hooves and the ground. This is called "daylighting". This is why you will usually see a cowboy hoist a calf up and slam him back down on the ground. Three of the legs must be tied to keep him from standing and running away. This event is just plain cruel for obvious reasons.

Steer busting is the same thing as calf-roping but using a steer is used instead. Even though a steer has horns and weighs around 500 – 600 pounds, he is still easily tossed around in the arena by the Cowboy on horseback. Keep in mind these animals are running at top speed and then cruelly roped and jerked off their feet in one quick and violent strike.

Steer wrestling involves a hazer (to help force the steer to run a straight line down the arena) and a steer wrestler, also known as the bulldogger. Together they chase a steer and the bulldogger will jump off his horse and wrestle the steer to the ground. The steer has to be in a "Dog-Fall" position.

Team roping involves two riders (The Header and The Heeler) on horseback chasing a steer. The aim of the header is to lasso the head of the animal, and the heeler to lasso the rear feet. In this event the steer actually gets to wear horn wraps to protect his horns.

A History of Protest

Voice for Animals Humane Society is committed to bringing the cruel Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) to an end. In November of each year, V4A stands as a reminder to those participating in the rodeo that the event is cruel and absolutely unnecessary in every way. Currently, our campaign consists of protest and public education. We invite to stand with us all those who believe that the CFR must fade away into history.

For more information on the rodeo, please visit the group Show Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK).

Zoo elephants - Trouble at the Valley Zoo

v4aeditor — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:09:29 -0400

Background:

The Valley Zoo has two elephants, an Asian elephant, Lucy and an African elephant, Samantha. Their elephant house has concrete floors; their outdoor enclosure, with a sand substrate, measures approximately one-quarter acre only.

In the wild, elephants live in family groups or herds of 6 to 20 females. They are usually led by the oldest or most experienced female in the herd, the matriarch. The other members consist of the matriarch’s family members, her offspring, and sometimes her sisters and their offspring. Asian and African elephants would never live together in the wild.

Lucy's Story

Born in Sri Lanka around 1975, Lucy was "found as an orphan". According to the Asian elephant studbook, Lucy, aka Skanik, was at the Colombo zoo until she was transferred to the Valley Zoo in 1976. Then she was shuffled back and forth from Edmonton to Calgary until 1988.

Lucy has arthritis and chronic foot infections, both caused by lack of exercise, the cold winters, and the hard substrate of her living quarters. Arthritis and foot infections lead to the premature deaths of captive elephants. Elephants in the wild are not subject to either of these afflictions.

Samantha's Story

On June 11, 2007, Samantha was moved to the North Carolina Zoo on a breeding loan. Plans are for her to stay there for at least 5 years. While we would have preferred to see Samantha go to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, the North Caroline Zoo is a big improvement over the Edmonton Valley Zoo. Although her new enclosure is seven acres, this is a far cry from the 2,700 acres of forest, grassland, lakes and streams at the Elephant Sanctuary. Samantha will have four female companions as well as two males at the North Carolina Zoo.

Our Approach:

V4A has mounted a campaign to have Lucy and Samantha retired to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. We are currently raising public awareness about the plight of these elephants and building support for their eventual move.

We have opened a dialogs with Valley Zoo management, who are reluctant to see these zoo icons leave. V4A is preparing a presentation to the Community Services Committee of City Council.

Read the Zoocheck report by Winnie Kiiru.

Voice your support:

We encourage everyone who is concerned about the welfare of Lucy and Samantha to voice their support for their retirement to the mayor, city council, and the Valley Zoo Development Society.

Mail a letter wherever possible but a fax or email will work in a pinch.

Contact the Mayor & City Councillors
Contact the Zoo Society
Write to the media

Contact the Mayor & City Council - Please take this opportunity to send separate letters or faxes of support to the Edmonton Mayor and City Council members.

Mayor Stephen Mandel
2nd Floor, City Hall 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7
Phone: (780) 496-8100 Fax: (780) 496-8292
E-mail: Online comment form

Office of the Councillors
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7
Phone: (780) 496- 8110 Fax: (780) 496-8113
E-mail: City Councillors (Entire Group)

Contact the Valley Zoo Development Society - Write, email, or call the Valley Zoo Development Society to ask for Lucy and Samantha's release to The Elephant Sanctuary

Valley Zoo Development Society
Norman Grimes, President
Box 2359
Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7
Phone: 780 496-6924 Fax: 780 944-7529
E-mail: vzds@telusplanet.net

Write to the media
And don't forget to voice your support in print.

Edmonton Journal - Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 2421
Edmonton, AB T5J 2S6
Fax: 780-498-5677
E-mail: letters@thejournal.canwest.com
Online: www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/letters.html

Edmonton Sun - Letters to the Editor
250-4990 92 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
T6B 2V4
Fax: 780-468-0139
E-mail: mailbag@edmsun.com

Calgary Herald - Letters to the Editor
PO Box 2400, Stn. M
Calgary, AB T2P 0W8
Fax: 403-235-7379
E-mail: letters@theherald.canwest.com
Online: www.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html

Calgary Sun - Letters to the Editor
2615 12 Street NE
Calgary, AB T2E 7W9
Fax: 403-250-4180
E-mail: callet@calgarysun.com

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City and Roadside Zoos - The Valley Zoo and Guzoo

v4aeditor — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:00:29 -0400

The Valley Zoo - Overview:

The Valley Zoo is in disrepair because City Hall has not been able to raise enough money to bring the zoo up to acceptable standards. How then will the City finance the expansion from 300 animals to 400 animals, as is the goal of The Valley Zoo?

This proposed expansion plan focuses on acquiring exotic animals. As Scott McKeen of the Edmonton Journal writes, "The plan is more grandiose makeover than modernization. More and more, exotic animal displays are being judged as dubious, in ethical, educational, and conservation terms."

Voice for Animals takes the position that The Valley Zoo should find sanctuaries for all of the exotic animals they now have, and end the practice of keeping exotic animals in the future.

The Alternative for The Valley Zoo:

The Valley Zoo could become a rehabilitation centre for injured and orphaned wildlife, and a sanctuary for those animals unfit to be rehabilitated.

The Valley Zoo could also display domesticated animals such as chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, and rabbits. Being in contact with domesticated animals is more educational than viewing exotic animals in unnatural conditions. As well, interacting with animals would teach children compassion and respect for animals.

Providing a natural habitat for exotic animals is both very expensive and, in most cases, impossible. A domestic animal farm is feasible, humane, and much less expensive.

Elephants at The Valley Zoo:

Lucy and Samantha, are Asian and African elephants, respectively. The Elephants are of particular concern to Voice for Animals. Both elephants have already started exhibiting stereotypic behaviour (performing a movement repetitively) - a sign of stress. Also, Lucy, at the young age of 30, already has arthritis which she must be treated regularly for.

In the wild, elephants roam as much as 48 kilometres a day, snacking on lush foliage, bathing in water holes, and interacting socially with other elephants in large groups. Lucy and Samantha, like all elephants in city zoos, lacks the type of space and mental stimulation that elephants in the wild have. Movement and mental stimulation aids in blood circulation which in turn prevents infections and arthritis.

Edmonton's cold climate is another issue. Elephants are temperate climate animals, and therefore prefer a climate which remains warm year around. Because Edmonton gets so cold in the fall and winter, and even into the spring, Lucy and Samantha must spend a great deal of time indoors (up to nine months).

Finally, Lucy and Samantha are different species of elephants. The two are quite different temperamentally and do not make good companions for one another.

Since the year 2000, 47 elephants have died prematurely in American zoos. This figure does not include the deaths of elephants under the age of 2.

As of 2006, The Tennessee Sanctuary, an elephant sanctuary in US, has expressed a great deal of interest in taking on both Samantha and Lucy, where they will be able to exhibit natural elephant behaviour, and to also be with members of their own particular species.

Voice for Animals is seeking to put pressure on the municipal government to seek to change the focus of the Valley Zoo.

History of Action with The Valley Zoo:

In 1997, V4A submitted a report to the City of Edmonton called A New Direction for the Valley Zoo”. The City’s new management plan called for severe funding cuts to the Valley Zoo and we felt it was time for a radical shift in the nature of the zoo. The Zoo had been under funded for years and needed tens of millions of dollars to bring it up to modern standards. We, therefore, felt that the zoo should divest itself of the exotic animals and instead focus on native wildlife. The Calgary Zoo, a modern and well funded zoo, could be Alberta’s exotic animal zoo.

To view images comparing the Valley Zoo to the Calgary Zoo click the links below:

In 2006, Voice for Animals has been dealing with The Tennessee Sanctuary to try and get Lucy and Samantha out of their dire situation. With the development of Lucy's arthritis, and now with Samantha's injury, and rumours that The Valley Zoo may be planning to breed Samantha, we are desperate to get these beautiful wild-caught elephants to a home where they can exhibit natural elephant behaviour.

Voice for Animals continually monitors The Valley Zoo, and remains in contact with staff in order to put pressure on them to change the overall focus of the zoo. There have been several table events, protests, and recently Voice for Animals was co-host with Zoocheck for a visit from Winnie Kiiru, a Kenyian conservationalist, who spoke to the plight of elephants in captivity. Unfortunatly, even though the Edmonton Councillors' and Mayor's offices were contacted, they declined to come and hear Winnie speak.

Visit the Gallery for recent pictures taken at The Valley Zoo.

Guzoo:

Guzoo has been described as "the worst roadside zoo in Canada" by Zoocheck.

These pictures illustrate some of the unbelievable conditions found at this zoo. The government of Alberta refuses to take action against the squalid and unacceptable conditions found here.

Marilyn Cole, a respected zoo professional, inspecting this zoo for a Zoocheck report in 2000 stated:

"By all rights this zoo should be closed. In addition to the numerous animal welfare concerns, there are many public health and safety concerns as well."

Some of the severe problems that warrant shutting this zoo down are:

Animal welfare concerns.

Filthy cages, animals often encrusted in feces
Inadequate or no shelters
Sick animals
Dirty and often no water
All animals appear to be in poor condition

Public encouraged to feed animal.

The zoo has donated white bread, which is often mouldy, for this purpose
Possibility of disease transmission between species
Complete neglect of animal’s psychological needs
Safety concerns

No supervision of the facility.

Easy access to dangerous animals
Children are encouraged to handle young animals such as tigers and lions with no staff supervision
Cages not securely locked

Public health concerns.

Filthy water and feces spilling onto visitor pathways
Children are encouraged to enter filthy cages to pet animals

Education.

No signs with information about the animals and their natural habitat.
Signs identifying animals often wrong.

For more information on the Guzoo roadside zoo, visit the Guzoo Animal Farm activist site.

Read a recent account by a visitor to Guzoo.

Our Beliefs with Regards to Zoos:

V4A is fundamentally opposed to zoos. Without a doubt, all zoos exist as entertainment for the public. True, there is a tremendous variation in the quality of zoos. They range from appalling private roadside menageries to state of the art publicly funded zoos with research facilities and serious attempts to educate the public. Some zoos take part in the "Species Survival Plan", a breeding program for endangered species. Although this is commendable, only an extremely small number of zoos have the financial resources to take part.

We have to ask if the tremendous amount of suffering caused by the captivity of an estimated 5 million individual animals can be justified by zoos’ claims to entertain, educate and conserve.

Visit the Petitions page for more information on what you can do to help with regards to both The Valley Zoo and Guzoo.

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Performing Animals

v4aeditor — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:25:49 -0400

History:

In 1995, AETA, which later became Voice for Animals, lost a bid to get a bylaw passed banning performing wild and exotic animals in the City of Edmonton. In the process we did manage to raise the level of public awareness to a new level.

In 1996, however, we were successful in virtually stopping the distribution of Shrine Circus vouchers to school children.

The Edmonton Public School Board and Edmonton Catholic Schools were presented with pictures, videos and information about the plight of performing animals. This resulted in the EPSB enacting a policy which stated:

Ticket vouchers would no longer be handed out to all children, only on the request of the parents.

The Edmonton Catholic Schools have to a large extent stopped receiving the vouchers in their schools. This was on the recommendation of their Science/Environmental Literacy Consultant.

This resulted in a drop in attendance of more than 50% and the decline continues.

Our Approach:

Raising public awareness - Through protests, distributing information and the media, the suffering of performing animals is reaching the general public.

Recommending alternatives - There are many highly successful animal-free circuses. As well, lotteries, sporting and cultural events have proved to work well for many charities.

Legislation - Local municipalities can best protect performing animals by enacting bylaws that prohibit wild and exotic animal acts. In Canada alone, 30 municipalities have passed such legislation.

Events that use wild and exotic animals in the City of Edmonton:

Shrine Circus

This is an annual event sponsored by the local Al Shamal Shriners. The circuses that the Shriners have contracted with have often used the US based Hawthorn Corporation. This supplier of animals is considered one of the worst, having accumulated hundreds of citation for improper care of the animals from the United States Department of Agriculture. They have had their licence revoked and been fined thousands of dollars. Although the circus has a long history in the Shrine organization, the money raised does not go to the Shrine Hospitals or other charities. In an exchange between Councillor Allan Bolstad and the Shriners in a City Council Committee Meeting, the president of the Al Shamal Shriners admitted that the money from the Shrine Circus is used for administration - not charitable causes.

Read the PETA Fact Sheet on The Shrine Circus.

Visit circuses.com for more information.

Tigers arriving at the Shrine Circus. The travel cages, known as "beast wagons" are also the permanent living quarters for these animals.

Elephant chained and standing in its own waste. Such conditions are typical during travel.

Klondike Days

Many different animal acts have been brought in for this annual event. The most memorable was The Great Elephant Roundup; featuring 14 elephants brought to Edmonton by the notorious Hawthorn Corporation.

The Great Elephant Roundup at Klondike Days. These 4 beaten and bruised elephants were pointed out as being their "problem elephants". Tyke, later killed in Hawaii is second from the right.

Tyke, after killing her trainer, rampaged through the streets of Honolulu. She was shot almost 100 times and took over 2 hours to die.

Moscow Circus on Ice

This circus featured bears wearing skates and playing hockey. It is difficult to imagine what the trainers must have done to these animals to make them perform this act. While in Alberta the bears were housed at Doug’s Exotic Zoo in Red Deer in individual cages so small that most of the animals were unable to turn around or stand up to their full height.

The Moscow Circus on Ice. These brown bears are forced to wear skates and play a "hockey game".

Our Position in Regards to Performing Animals:

We believe in two important concepts for dealing with captive wild animals. One is the distinction between wild and domesticated animals the other is the requirement of the "Five Freedoms".

The circus industry often refers to performing animals, such as elephants and tigers, as being domesticated because they were born in captivity or tolerate human handling. This is a mistaken idea; the following is a scientific definition of domestication.

A domesticated animal is defined as an animal selectively bred in captivity, and thereby modified from its wild ancestors, for use by humans who control the animal’s breeding and food supply. There have been no significant additions of animals deemed domesticated since 2500 B.C.

Animals in circuses are tame, not domesticated and this is a very important distinction when considering animal welfare and public safety.

"The Five Freedoms" which are essential to the wellbeing of an animal are listed here.

Animals should be free from:

hunger, thirst and malnutrition
discomfort
fear and distress
pain, injury and disease
be able to express normal behaviours
experience normal social groupings

These can be used as a checklist to determine if an animal’s physical and psychological needs are being met.

The Suffering of Performing Wild and Exotic Animals.

Acquisition of Animals:

Animals used in circus performances originate from the wild, zoos and private exotic animal markets with almost none being born in the circus. Most elephants are captured from the wild which raises serious ethical concerns. The entertainment industry almost exclusively wants very young animals because of the ease of handling and training. However, at the desirable age of approximately two these babies are unlikely to be weaned and in the wild females stay with their mothers for life, males until they are 12-15 years old. Due to the protectiveness of the mother and other females in the group, entire herds have been killed to acquire one baby.

There are indications of direct links between circuses and the illegal wild life trade. Legally traded wild life within the circus industry is actually the exception. The effect of this illegal trade on wild life populations is devastating. It is estimated that 80% of the animals handled die either in the capture process, in transit or within the first few days of captivity.

Travel and Living Conditions:

Animals suffer terribly during travel. Lions, tigers, bears and other animals travel and indeed spend their entire lives in small barren transportation cages know in the industry as beast wagons. These cages are so small (approximately 4’-5’ wide by 8’-10’ long) that some of the animals are unable to turn around. By nature fastidious, they have no choice but to eat, sleep, defecate and urinate in this small space. Their lives are devoid of stimulation and none are able to engage in their normal repertoire of behaviours.

Elephants are always chained except for the few minutes a day they perform. They are tethered by one front leg and the opposite hind leg; the chains often only long enough to allow the elephant to take one step forward and one step back. In the wild, elephants are far ranging often walking dozens of kilometers a day. As captive performers, the extent of their chains is often their only exercise.

During travel elephants are crammed into boxcars or trailers and chained standing in their urine and feces for days. These transport facilities are windowless, poorly ventilated and without temperature regulation. In the summer the animals swelter, in the winter they freeze. Food and water is often withheld to cut down on the mess for the convenience of circus personnel.

Training Methods:

There is urgency in getting an animal trained to perform, until an animal is trained and on the road they are a financial drain to the owners. The only sure way to get a wild animal to perform unnatural tricks (such as bears riding bicycles and tigers jumping through flaming hoops) in a hurry and to keep them under control is through fear. Tools used in the training of animals include electric prods, the ankus (wooden handle with a sharp point and hook at one end), whips, clubs and muzzles. Circus animal trainers claim that the animals are trained with love. These, however, are not implements of caring but of domination and control.

For decades there have been accusations of harsh training methods. For example, Pat Derby, former Hollywood animal trainer has witnessed "elephants being beaten and electro shocked in the vagina, ears, mouth and anus; bears’ noses broken and their feet burned, and big cats being struck with wooden bats"

Witnesses to Cruelty:

There is a long history of accusations of cruel and sadistic treatment of circus animals. These have come mostly from former trainers and circus crewmen but also from accidental witnessing by the public. In a testimonial by former Ringling Brother’s crewmember, Doc Ewell, he says, "when they hit one of the baby elephants, all of the adult elephants get frantic"

The claims of routine beatings and cruelty, often dismissed as coming from "disgruntled former employees", is now being verified through the popularity of personal videos. Circus insiders as well as patrons are now coming forward with images of animals being beaten and abused. A recent behind the scenes undercover video shot at Carson and Barnes Circus shows director Tim Frisco, teaching would-be trainers, beating and electro-shocking elephants. He can be heard screaming:

"Don’t touch ‘em - hurt ‘em. Don’t touch ‘em - make ‘em scream - Tear that foot off! Sink it in the foot! Tear it off! Make ‘em scream!"

This video was aired during a news broadcast on a Los Angeles T.V. station. It is becoming clear that circus trainers’ claims that the animals are treated with love and trained through positive reinforcement are self-serving lies.

Abnormal Behaviour:

The constant traveling and confinement, harsh training methods, sterile cages, the monotony and lack of stimulation take a terrible toll on circus animals. In addition, the disregard of social structures and the frustration of natural instincts lead to the mental breakdown of these animals. The results can be seen in their abnormal behaviour such as stereotypical movements that include head bobbing, swaying, rocking from side to side, pacing and self-mutilation.

Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.
Dr. Albert Schweitzer

In 2002, Voice for Animals made another attempt to a have bylaw passed to prohibit performing wild animals in the City of Edmonton. Councillor Allan Bolstad supported us in this attempt, by tabling an inquiry to the Community Services Committee. Presentations were made to the committee by interested parties and in March of 2003, Councillor Bolstad put a motion before Council.

Again, public awareness was raised as the Inquiry made its way through the committee process at City Hall. There was media attention, both positive and negative, from all the major media outlets in Edmonton. Although the motion to pass a bylaw was defeated, we felt we had made some headway and will make another attempt in the near future.

Two very positive things resulted from this process: the Shriners admitted that the circus money is not used for charitable purposes; they also admitted that the company they rented their elephant act from mistreated their animals and switched to another supplier.

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West Edmonton Mall Sea Lions

v4aeditor — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:01:23 -0400

Background:

After the deaths of three adult dolphins and all five calves, born in captivity, at WEM, and the subsequent release of the sole remaining dolphin, Howard, to a facility in Florida, the tanks at WEM remained empty for a few months. Instead of exhibiting sea mammals, WEM began hosting a popular diving show.

But the reprieve was short-lived. In October of 2004, WEM imported three California sea lions from Scotland–Pablo, Clara, and Kelpie–to take the place of the dolphins.

V4A later discovered that WEM had acquired four sea lions, but one had died enroute. We went public with this information much to the embarrassment of WEM. Despite the spin mall management tried to put on this incident, it became clear to all that shipping these animals around the world puts their lives in grave danger.

Our Approach:

V4A has mounted a concerted effort to have the sea lions released to a better facility and to encourage WEM to become animal-free. You can help by condemning the sea lion display and any future animals exhibits at WEM.

Contact:

Gary Hanson, General Manager
West Edmonton Mall

#2472, 8882-170 St.
Edmonton, AB T5T 4M2
800-661-8890 (North America)
780-444-5200
780-444-5232 (fax)
gm@westedmontonmall.com

Letters Editor
Edmonton Journal

10006-101 St.
Edmonton, AB T5J 2S6
780-498-5567 (fax)
letters@thejournal.canwest.com

Why we oppose the captivity of sea lions:

The captivity of sea lions is as deeply objectionable as the captivity of dolphins.

1. In physical terms, the captive environment of sea lions is profoundly limited and impoverished.

Although sea lions tend to be relatively sedentary on land, they have evolved to make annual journeys of hundreds, if not thousands, of miles through the oceans.
The coastal environment of sea lions is rich in biodiversity. Public display facilities provide a sterile environment.

2. In social terms, too, the captive environment is impoverished and artificial.

California sea lions congregate in groups of dozens of animals when on land, occasionally achieving aggregations of hundreds of individuals. When in the water, they float together in large "rafts" to thermo-regulate.
In captivity, these gregarious animals are forced to exist in small groups, of sometimes no more than 2 to 3 individuals.
Rebuttal to statements used to justify the captivity of sea lions:

Justification #1: Sea lions bred in captivity cannot be released into the wild.

Fact: Although at present there are few rehabilitation facilities for captive-born animals, statement #1 ignores the root of the problem. Because baby sea lions are popular with zoo and aquarium visitors, baby sea lions continue to be born. Sadly, when these animals reach adulthood, many of them are shunted into holding facilities or sold off, replaced by a seemingly endless stream of new babies that appeal more to the public. Unfortunately, there are currently more captive-bred sea lions than there are places to adequately house them. As long as baby sea lions attract the public, there will be more sea lions bred, perpetuating the problem. (Zoocheck Canada)

Justification #2: The sea lions are well-cared for in public facilities.

Fact: Sea lions are not domesticated animals, meaning that they have not been bred for hundreds or thousands of generations for characteristics that make them amenable to living in human environments. They maintain their natural instincts, which include the need for large social groupings, the need to hunt fish, the need to vacate stressful situations by water. To deny these animals their innate biological and behavioral needs is to cause suffering. (Zoocheck Canada)

Justification #3: The sea lion is not an endangered species.

Fact: The fact that the sea lion is not an endangered species does not justify its captivity. Sea lions suffer in captivity because they cannot engage in their natural behaviors. Their captive environment is impoverished and limited.

Justification #4: The sea lion is responsible for shrinking fish stocks.

Fact: The sea lion has been made a scapegoat by the fishing industry. "There are no data to support the contention that sea lions are responsible for the decline of fisheries." (Dr. Toni Frohoff, behavioral biologist and noted marine mammal expert)

Justification #5: The sea lion is protected in captivity, whereas its natural environment could be dangerous to its survival.

Fact: To use the rigours of the wild as a justification for the conditions of captivity is misleading and disingenuous. This argument implies that the natural environment is an evil to be avoided and that the captive environment is the preferred state. The suggestion is that the animals must be protected from the very environment that sustains them. To suggest that the lives of these animals are better because they have been spared-or in truth, prevented-from having to do exactly what evolution shaped them to do is absurd. (Humane Society of the United States)

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