I'm currently in Orlando for vacation where, a few days ago, I went to the controversial marine mammal park - SeaWorld. 

For many tourists, visiting any theme park is an exiting experience and companies such as Disney and of course, SeaWorld understand this very well and make a shitload amount of profit by promoting "dream experiences", mainly targeted to families. However, upon my arrival at the said park, memories of horrible SeaWorld related stories resurfaced. Notably stories of mistreatment of the animals, which were depicted in the documentary Blackfish. Hence, while entering the park, I instantly felt guilt, not excitment- I didn't want to support such ill-treatment of animals. Quickly enough, I reminded myself that I didn't pay to get in, as a friend of my cousin who works at the park gave us free tickets. Still, that wasn't enough to justify my presence at SeaWorld, as part of me felt as though I should have boycotted by simply not being at the tourist-filled park. Yet, while I did feel disappointed in myself for being on SeaWorlds ground, I absolutely do not regret my visit, for my presence allowed me to reflect on a topic that I have not seen treated much, although that may simply be due to a lack of research from my behalf. 

The topic that I am referring to is the use of animals as a way to entertain us- human beings. In fact, while at SeaWorld, I attended a show, which featured Sea lions and their trainers disguised as actors. The said show is titled Clyde & Seamore's Sea Lion High. I won't get into details, but the plot revolves around a Sea Lion and his friend (the trainer) competing against the school jock in order to obtain a scholarship. For the duration of the show, which the kids enjoyed thoroughly, the Sea lions performed many silly tricks that were followed by loud applauses from the audience and food by the trainers as a form of positive reinforcement.

I sat there, watching the show and fell into deep thought. In fact, I reflected long after I left the park. I asked myself what is it about us humans, where we steal animals out of their habitats only so that they can entertain us? Is it because we have created this delusional distance between us and Wildlife and, in turn, to fill that void, we find ourselves recreating artificial environments, where, in all honesty, these animals are held captives. Not to mention that, in certain context, they are treated poorly. Furthermore, let's factor in that these animals are faced with long training hours, visits from big crowds, are contained in small habitats which limit their movements and in worst cases, experience physical abuse. 

Look, I'm not an animal lover or an animal rights defender per say, but there is no need to be either in order to question this practice. In my humble opinion, it is ethically wrong to force animals into entertainment. They aren't puppets and we should not use them for superficial purposes while making money off of them; that's exploitation. Animals simply weren't intended for a performing arts career. 

With me opening this topic, I would like to invite anyone reading the following blog entry to voice their opinion on this question: Is it acceptable to use animals for entertainment, notably, in these following spaces; zoos, circuses, aquariums, etc.? Leave a comment below.