When people attend Sea World there are absolutely beautiful wild creatures from the sea in tanks and on/in performance stages.
How do they do it?
Why do they do it?
Is it cruel?
A killer whale, an Orca, when pushing her trainer to the surface and into the air is performing a natural behavior. Baby Orca's are born into water and does not know which end of their watery world is the surface. Like any mammal that swims out of a uterus and takes that first breath expelling amniotic fluid from it's lungs an Orca needs to do the same thing. So female adults after giving birth push their young to the surface to take their first breath. It is that 'behavior' that is completely natural and harnessed for entertainment to a crowd that dearly loves them.
Animals do silly things that most humans don't understand and don't care to. In the case of those animals at Sea World they are ambassadors to the sea and in loving them we love our world and want to protect it from harm. No different than animals in zoos. It teaches us compassion beyond the world of humans and that is a good thing. Humans are powerful and our populations out number most species of animals so it is important to have a place for ourselves and leave the natural world to animals.
In training a dog, which is a domestic pet, we use compassionate means to achieve compliance. We start puppies in confined quarters with frequent escapes to the backyard to training them to releave themselves outside of the house. They are welcome family members.
As puppies grow into adults they nearly become human. Seeking pleasure in being with their human families. Some breed of dogs are better than others for pets. Laborador Retrievers are among the best family dogs. They are loyal and intelligent. They are also retrievers.
Why then are some breeds of dogs not good pets? Some are abused but for the most part we know some breeds are aggressive in nature. Many times that natural instinct can be over come as in German Shepards and they make loyal pets. In the case of Pit Bulls their instincts are too strong and they frequently find themselves unable to be good pets. In shelters around the country when Shepards, Chow Chows, Dobermans and Pit Bulls are brought in they are eventually destroyed if their owners are not forthcoming because it is risky to place them with new owners.
I have always owned one of those breeds. I lost my last dog after nine years and he was a Chow Chow. He was playful and enjoyable but he was also a one family dog and no one could get near me if I didn't want them to. He was a great dog. We loved him. He never bit anyone but then he was never encouraged to either. Before Rusty, I had a beautiful Kimbertal Kennel Doberman. She weighted 86 pounds was solid muscle, 31 inches at the shoulder. Gretal was a great dog. She loved our family and we loved her. Intelligent and loyal and without a doubt protective. When company came she would 'station' herself at a vantage point and watch what was going on but never let our family out of her sight. She cared little for attention except from us. She was an excellant watch dog and had a presence people respected. She never bit anyone but then again she was never encouraged to. She died when she was eleven and half years old.
As some breeds of dogs are the best for pets so wild animals brought into captivity do not make for good companions. By companions I mean getting close to an animal that maybe a stranger although reassured by a handler there is nothing to be afraid of. It has never been my experience that an animal was ever anything NOT to be concerned about. For as much as we understand animal behavior there is a side to them that is still instinctual and unpredictable.
I have observed many interactions between animals and humans over the years and it seems no matter the benign relationship there is always a domestic side and a wild side.
A few years back I watched a champion racehorse walk through a covered walkway from the stables to the saddling area. He was a three year old ready to run and was being lead by his trainer when for no apparent reason he reared and knocked the hat off his trainer's head leaving behind a small gash in his scalp. The thoroughbred went on to make a good showing that day and his trainer went on to get stitches. Everyone states 'he was just feeling his oats,' but to me it was more than that. That horse did not want to be at the end of that lead rope and he angry he was. He was a three year old stallion our of a box stall and he wanted more than running that day and race or no race he had other things on his mind. He wanted to be free and running without a saddle or a jockey. His wild side kicked in and needed to be satisfied.
What does a trainer do with a mulit-million dollar syndicated stallion that wants nothing more than to be a mustang?
Well, first you make him do his job and earn his keep by putting him on the track and letting his jockey know he has a lot of horse under him. Then eventually the stallion gets padded from head to hoof and shipped back home to be turned loose in a large paddock with belly deep grass that has been gone over with a fine toothed comb to be sure there is no sticks or unexpected items or holes to cause injury and he gets turned loose to work out his kincks.
The other day I heard Gloria Allred say something that bothered me and I realized people who are compassion and love animals project themselves into their furry friends a little too much and I had to state my point of view.
The monkey issue. I have heard 'this interpretation' and 'that interpretation' and I really don't think I have heard what I believe is the honest interpretion. I probably hadn't heard it because people who should know, either don't or don't want the bad side of exotic animals known to the public.
The Little Chimp that is still a beloved family member got to be too much for the household for whatever reason and he was placed in a facility with other chimps. Chimp behavior is interesting in that they are a bit heirarchical. Not as much as gorillas but from the standpoint of survival. Chimps live in large groups sometimes but smaller groups of males are found independant of females. Those bachelor groups are survivalists and will harass females to 'obtain' them. If you get this picture what you begin to realize is that if 'getting females' is that difficult any other male in the group is either a threat or knows his place.
Chimps are strong and very powerful. Pure muscle. They can swing from trees and travel across tree canopies for miles without walking so it's easy to imagine the strength of a chimp.
I believe in the case of the Davis Family when they entered a 'pen' of chimps to visit Moe on his 39th birthday they entered a 'heirarchy' they didn't understand. The other chimps were younger and Moe was no threat to their social order. The Davis family came bringing food and making noise. Confusing human behavior for chimps not a part of that social order. When the two young males were excluded from that activity they resorted to primitive instincts in understanding behavior of humans unfamiliar and 'crude' in their activities. They became the bachelor chimps protecting each other from others.
Nothing happened in that situation until Mrs. Davis made eye contact with the other two chimps and within seconds they were upon them primarily attacking a large male human they were determined to kill. They used their very powerful hands and feet and teeth to rip at Mr. Davis's body. He is lucky to be alive.
The entire situation was handled poorly buy Keepers that didn't understand how 'instincts' can manifest. Moe should have been removed from the cage and placed in a smaller room where a family might be able to safely spend time doing 'silly' things that they love to do. A place removed from danger where other intelligent animals get confused by actions of unfamiliar humans while reverting to natural instincts when afraid.
Of course the chimps had to be destroyed. Of course all the 'clashes' with animals that occur tragic. But what is more tragic is that people actually project so much of their humanitarian side into these creatures that all the natural instincts of these beautiful animals are DISREGARDED and people are in danger and are maimed for life or worse.
For as much as people would like to continue to believe there are 'good' animals and 'bad' animals as there are humans of the same quality I think that is being generous of spirit and less cautious than we need to be. When all these instances are examined there is usually something that can be done. Rarely is there a 'surprise' injury or death due to an attack by an animal that could not have been handled differently and prevented.
That prevention, regardless the trustworthiness of the wild animal which seems domesticated, is what this brief essay is all about. We need to be prudent when with animals but not fearful of animals. No more foolish mistakes and fool hearty belief in humanizing animals that never lose their instincts.
