Circuses, Rodeos, and Zoos

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Does anyone else cringe during rodeos and circuses, and feel sad at zoos? I can't help but feel sad for the animals. Rodeos, and circuses are the worst. Rodeos, are cruel IMO. Circuses seem oppressive as they make the animals act in a very unnatural way, and live unnaturally, too. I get a knot in my stomach while looking at animals at the zoo in little cages. The primates are the worst, since I guess that I know that they know they're being oppressed. It's just so sad, and wrong to me for humans to treat animals like they're here solely for our entertainment. No one else that I know seems to understand what I'm talking about when I express my opinion on this subject.

I agree that circuses and rodeos are pretty horrible.. But the zoos i've been to seem to treat the animals pretty well, so maybe it depends on the zoo. As long as they give them things to do to keep their minds stimulated, i think being in a zoo where you get handed food, protected from predators, and can't get caught by poachers or have your habitat destroyed, is a pretty cool life.

On a matter of principle, I don't like circuses. Furthermore, they do "creep me out". Clowns aren't funny to me, and forcing elephants to do things unnatural, is upsetting. Rodeos are loud, dusty and crude, so I avoid those too. In Mexican rodeos, I don't like the way the cattle and horses are trained or treated. In Western rodeos, that's not as much of an issue as the noise, crowds, and dirt. Unfortunately, I live next door to a rodeo arena which hosts mainly Mexican rodeos.

Zoos are neutral to me, but I can't see myself ever going to the zoo, paying and going in alone. Someone would have to ask me to take them; such as an out-of-town guest with kids. Wait a minute: I live in a zoo. 9 dogs, 13 cats, 4 horses, and thousands of rats, bats, mice, snakes, rabbits, gophers, voles, and moles. (OUTside)

Charles

I dislike circuses and rodeos, but for zoos, it really depends on how well they are run.

I have seen lovely zoos with well kept, happy animals, but also really horrible ones (Belgrade zoo is awful- wolves and other large animals alone in concrete floored cages barely 2 by 1 metres...I nearly cried. The smaller animals are quite well accomodated though (perches and greenery etc), so I wonder if it's a cultural dislike of wolves, or the fact that there simply isn't room in the small castle ruins for larger cages.).

They also make me feel uneasy. Those animals should be happy, and free.

It's been years since I have been to a circus and as I'm in Europe rodeos are a bit thin on the ground. Zoos are however another matter and the zoo here in Budapest is a good one. You can tell if a zoo is good by their breeding program, unhappy animals do not breed all that well.

Finally, I hope that the zoo in Antwerp has improved since 1996 since I was there. That was not a happy place.

Vanilla_Slice


P.S. Without the zoo network the tiger would be extinct by now.

I find most things that involve having animals do tricks unpleasant. The exceptions are things like flyball where they're clearly having fun, but circuses put me on edge. Zoos... I dunno. I look at the birds in our garden and they're looking around, flicking their heads left-right-up-down, half the time they're in fear of their lives in the wonderful world of nature. At least the zebras in a zoo don't have to worry that they're the lions' next meal, and the 'rangutans don't have to worry that some bugger's chopped down their home for palm oil.

Yes. Circus and rodeo is cruelty to animals, and a lot of zoos treat them badly (too crammed and/or unnatural). In addition zoos make me sick because very often they announce the "happy" birth of a baby animal, and during the active seaseon the baby is a main attraction. Come end of autumn and the baby is killed having done its service to mammon.

In which zoos have you seen that happen? I can't say I've come across it.

It's not an uncommon practice. The last time I heard about it it was Vassfaret Bjørnepark, a norwegian bear park. Before that it was a zoo in Sweden whose name I can't recall. You can red more about it here:

http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/co ... imals.html


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123689895056312923.html

I hate circuses for a bariety of reasons, including the treatment of their animals and the bright lights. I've never been to a rodeo, but I don't like the idea.

I don't like zoo's either. Animals are not here for our amusement. They certainly shouldn't be in cages.

I dislike going to any zoo or rodeo because it is alot of walking and dealing with people when I would have been just as happy watching a video of the animal at home. I'm sure the animals would also prefer to stay home. I could understand if we were going to domesticate an animal and turn it into a pet, but wild animals should not be cooped up.

I wouldn't have so much of a problem with zoos if they would let me touch the animals. How come zoos are allowed to keep meerkats but I cannot? Rodeos are how hicks with small "man parts" fell macho. I want to beat the crap out of my brother and sister-in-law for liking rodeos and teaching their children that is is okay to bully animals. I never cared much for people and always liked animals better but I just keep seeing reminders of why I hate people.

And why is a garden shop (selling plants and garden furniture) allowed to have small number of turtles in a display pond in a corner while I'm not allowed to have a turtle or two as pet/s?

There's been some good points made about zoos. I'm still on the fence about how I feel about them. I just hate to see any living thing have it's freedom taken away through no fault of it's own. Just because we have to power to do something, that doesn't make it right. People gasp in horror when a captive whale bites it's trainer in half, when the real horror was the fact that the whale never should've been in that position to do that in the first place.

I've been to one circus in my life when I was a little kid. I don't remember seeing any animals, so I'm not sure that there were any/many there. I just remember being really uncomfortable due to the clowns there.

I appreciate zoos because they do serve some good purposes. Most have some sort of wildlife rehabilitation center on campus which is good. They can serve as homes to endangered animals. And they are a good way to educate the public about animals in general.

As a former rodeo participant, I understand that there is cruelty in (some) rodeos. But I don't think rodeos are 100% bad. I competed in rodeos for several years...I'm not 'retired' or anything, I just don't currently compete. I would say the abuse is the minority. I think you have to become immersed in it to fully understand it. There are many people who absolutely fawn over their horses and just pour all their time into their competition. It seems like everyone is so passionate about it. Most people don't understand that there is abuse in all equine disciplines, not just rodeo. Really, it's apparent in all pet ownership, just not in every household.

OP-you didn't happen to be reading a book called Thanking The Monkey did you? It's about animal rights and there is a section about circuses, zoos and rodeos somewhere in it.