Marineland and Zoos

There's no escaping the fact that putting wild animals in zoos for human entertainment is criminal.  Now we find out that the animals at Marineland are going blind from contaminated water.  We know how cruel it is to keep these animals in small enclosures instead of in their natural habitat but that doesn't stop even the most aware of us paying money to see them, does it?

All we have to do is imagine how any one of us would feel if we were pulled out of our society against our will, locked into cages and subjected to being on display for another species.  No matter how you look at it, it's wrong.

Yes, I've been to Marineland and I've been to zoos.  Each time, my conscience has been bothered right along with the wonder I felt at close-up views of animals I'd never have any other opportunity to see.  It's a catch 22 situation for us humans because we do enjoy the experience but it's misery for the animals.  What we have to do is weigh our transitory enjoyment against the lifelong misery of innocent animals and there can be no question.  We've exploited them and we should stop now.

One of my worst memories of a zoo was probably back in the 1960's when my family went to the Buffalo Zoo.  I remember a large animal, I think it was a bear, in a small cage pacing back and forth over and over again.  The cage might have been about 6" x 12" and the animal paced blindly for as long as we stood to watch.  That heart-wrenching sight has stayed with me all these years.  Today's modern zoos are larger and the animals have a lot of free range to move around in but they are still restricted.  It's still an abnormal habitat for them.  

The huge whales, dolphins, and porpoises at Marineland are confined to tiny pools instead of their natural habitat of the vast oceans.  The pool water they swim in is what is blinding them and causing skin irritations.  It's all about making money and catering to the selfish greed of human beings that spurs us to trap these animals and cage them the way we do.  And it will keep on happening as long as we pay admission at zoos and places like Marineland.