We just had yet another in a chain of incidents in which an animal has attacked its trainer. In this latest, a lion attacked a trainer and bit him on the leg.
Recall not that long ago an orca (wrongly called a "killer whale") pulled his trainer into the pool where she drowned. And the news today, reviewing such incidents, reminds us that there was a bear that attacked its trainer, and there was the time that Roy Horn (of Siegfried and Roy) was attacked by the tiger that was part of his act.
In these cases I'm almost rooting for the animals. Not that I want to see humans hurt; I definitely don't. But these are wild animals, basically doing what is part of their nature.
Animals shouldn't have trainers (except for domesticated animals). Why? Because they should not be in captivity. They do not exist for the amusement of humans. These marine-animal shows particularly upset me. They are usually money-making enterprises and they simply exploit their animals for profit. They would have us believe that their animals are well cared for and happy. Well, it is not hard to dispute the second of those claims. Dolphins in captivity sometimes commit suicide—which they can do by not coming up for air, in effect holding their breath until they die.
Also, when dolphins are captured (usually off the coast of Japan), very large number of them are simply slaughtered in the process. The water runs red with their blood. These are intelligent animals and deserve to be treated like the high life forms that they are.
Copyright © 2010 by Richard Stein
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Once again I agree with what you say here Richard. Even though I don't have a pet now I have strong feelings about the treatment of both domestic and wild animals. There is too much disrespect for life and especially where helpless confined animals are concerned. I've been involved in some campaigns with the group PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and recommend anyone who cares get involved with them or other animal rights activist groups. These groups are involved on a regular basis with animal abuse going on and are better suited to combat abuse better than we might as individuals.
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