All wild animals, from the smallest of fish to the largest mammals, suffer immensely in captivity. Pledge to take a stand against zoos, aquariums, and all facilities that hold wild animals captive for entertainment! Wild animals held in captivity for entertainment are deprived of everything they need to thrive, including the ability to roam freely, select mates, form social structures within their natural habitats, and the basic autonomy to make choices for themselves. Many wild animals are callously stolen from their natural habitats.
Others are victims of illegal trafficking. Breeding programs perpetuate the cycle of animal exploitation as they make it easier for zoos to obtain and purchase animals. Captive-bred animals are almost never returned to the wild and are simply kept in captivity for profit.
Wild elephants form strong bonds within their herds and can travel up to 50 miles per day (80 kilometers). Elephants in zoos are trapped in tiny, fabricated enclosures that are just a small fraction of the area they would experience in the wild. They may exist alone or with a few members of their species, and may be forcibly impregnated as part of the facility’s breeding program.
Calves born into captivity may be sold and transferred to other facilities at any time, breaking the close bonds between family members. Making conditions even worse, elephants may be subjected to brutal training methods to learn demeaning tricks to perform at shows. Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent and social animals and experience extreme suffering in aquariums.
They can swim hundreds of miles a day and dive deep below the ocean’s surface, yet are sentenced to dismal lives in tiny concrete tanks. One of the most well-known victims of captivity is an orca whale named Lolita; the oldest living killer whale in captivity in the smallest orca tank in the United States. She has been forced to perform degrading tricks at Miami Seaquarium for over 50 years in a tank so small it has broken her spirit.
As of March 2022, Miami Seaquarium’s new owners have agreed to retire Lolita from performing, yet no plans to relocate her to an accredited sanctuary have been announced. No zoo or aquarium will ever provide animals with the life they would experience in the wild. They are denied everything they need to live healthy, happy lives and some animals lifespans are cut dramatically short in captivity.
If you want to learn more about wild animals, viewing documentaries and visiting accredited sanctuaries are educational, harm-free ways to do so. We have the power to end the use of wild animals for entertainment. The economics are simple: if zoos and aquariums are no longer profitable, they will cease to exist.
Please pledge not to visit a zoo, aquarium, or any facility or attraction that holds wild animals captive for entertainment. Sign the Pledge! Zoos and aquariums hold wild animals captive to entertain humans for profit. No zoo or aquarium, regardless of its size or credentials, will ever provide animals with the life they would have experienced in the wild. For these reasons, I pledge not to visit zoos, aquariums, or any facilities or attractions that hold wild animals captive for entertainment.
