Animals in entertainment: The suffering behind the show

Memories of one's childhood hold a special type of warmth, one cultivated by time and embellished by emotion. A common memory from our youth is the typical trip to the zoo, an event that promised to hold laughter, excitement, and, if you're lucky, an ice cream cone at the end.

However, our memory tends to not lend itself to the torture, hiding it just behind the surface. Our laughter tends to drown out the cries of the animals trapped behind metal bars. Our pictures tend to not capture the pain behind the eyes of the creatures too helpless to fight for their freedom. Instead, we unknowingly support an industry that benefits from the capture and torture of the vulnerable.

The exhilaration that arrives from witnessing these animals in their natural state is almost irreplaceable. Yet, we forget that these minuscule enclosures are not their natural habitat. Animals born for miles and miles of African savannahs are limited to metres of concrete covered with artificial grass. How can we justify this blatant disregard for their biological needs? These animals are placed in a concrete prison, resulting in the rapid deterioration of their mental and physical health.

The creatures we watch performing tricks harbour their own mental conditions that place them in a self-destructive and dangerous position. This mental disease, referred to as 'zoochosis', is a direct result of their captivity and makes them a risk to themselves and those around them. A commonly known example is of Tilikum, the orca whose captivity transformed him into an animal incapable of controlling his emotions, leading to the death of a trainer. The damage captivity does to animals rightfully belonging to nature is irreversible. We, as the captors, have made them dependent on us, stripped of their ability to survive in the wild. Yet, we claim that by doing so, we are helping them.

The torture of these animals in the entertainment industry is not limited to the confinement of zoos and water parks. It extends to multiple aspects of our culture, including the lucrative business of horse racing. At the core of this industry lies an ambition of greed, which infiltrates every motive made by those on top. Rather than taking actions towards the health and prosperity of these animals, every decision is made with money as the top priority. These animals are no longer living, breathing organisms, but money-making machines. They become vehicles for success and are pumped up with drugs to improve their performance. The horses become addicted to and reliant on these steroids, which do nothing but injure their bodies in the long run. To add to this forced addiction, these horses are trained brutally to create machines that are unnatural and are incapable of sustaining proper life. This results in a majority of the horses either dying earlier than expected or being euthanised for not producing the desired results. The lives of these creatures should not be measured by the amount of money they can earn for us. When did we decide to play God and choose when another animal should die?

The entertainment industry has been transformed into a unique mixture of fun and torture. Its ability to capitalise the sweat and pain of creatures on incapable of protecting themselves makes it especially dangerous, and it forces us to make the hard decision to see beyond the disguise. The only way to truly combat an industry so embedded in our culture and lifestyle is to make the active decision to choose. Our ability to choose is our only weapon in fighting injustice. Make the choice to place the long-term betterment of these animals before the short-term entertainment of these activities. The choice will always be in your hands. Choose wisely.