Around the world, zoos and aquariums are perceived as the symbols of wildlife education while also promising entertainment and a glimpse into the marine world. However, behind the fake shows and facade of a family friendly form of entertainment lies a dark reality. It's time we consider the solution of freeing the animals to roam free and live how they're supposed to.

Zoos and aquariums have been a big source of entertainment for many years but also are cruel and inhumane institutions that prioritize profit over the well being of their animals. First, the captivity of animals for human amusement is unethical. Imagine being taken from your natural habitat, moved to a restricted space, and subjected to the constant gaze of strangers day in and day out. This is the sad reality for many animals living in zoos worldwide. They do not get to live the lives they deserve and are denied freedom. Instead, they are forced to become a source of entertainment for people. The yearly revenue of the zoo and aquarium industry in the US as a whole is over $2 billion.

“I became very critical of zoos and circuses and keeping animals in captivity. I wish it was against the law.”  - Christopher Walker 

Though there are low efforts in helping this issue worldwide, there are some people who are trying to make zoos more ethical. For example, a German exotic animal importer named Carl Hagenbeck changed the way wild animals were exhibited. As stated in the New York Times Magazine, “In his Animal Park, which opened in 1907 in Hamburg, he designed cages that didn’t look like cages, using moats and artfully arranged rock walls to invisibly pen animals. By designing these enclosures so that many animals could be seen at once, without any bars or walls in the visitors’ lines of sight, he created an immersive panorama, in which the fact of captivity was supplanted by the illusion of being in nature.” 

Aquariums are often portrayed as educational institutions dedicated to showing the wonders of marine life. Those tanks may look fancy from the outside, but on the inside, it's just a glorified fishbowl. Large fish that belong in the ocean should not be in glass tanks for peoples amusement. On the other hand, we have sea lions and dolphins. In most common cases, those two sea animals are forced to perform for large groups of people multiple times a day and on a day to day basis. These are wild animals, meant to roam, not strut around a circus ring. But that's exactly what happens in lion shows. They're forced to perform unnatural tricks, like jumping through hoops or balancing on balls, all for human entertainment. 

PETA notes that “Sea Lion Splash has failed to test water quality adequately in the past and that the facility has a long history of failing to provide sea lions with adequate veterinary care. This includes Zoey, who was covered with skin lesions and whose healing could be impeded by stressors such as inappropriate housing, intense confinement, and the unknown quality of the water.” These details are absolutely disgusting to hear. Let's not forget about the message these shows send to the children in the audience. When they see lions performing tricks, they might think it's okay to treat wild animals like circus clowns, rather than respecting them for the smart creatures they are.

 Zoos and aquariums continue to exploit and mistreat these amazing animals and it doesn't seem to be coming to an end. All of these animals deserve better and it's time we put an end to this inhumane form of entertainment and start treating the animals of this planet with the respect they deserve.