• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Should the use of exotic and captive wild animals in traveling animal attractions be banned?

Should the use of exotic and captive wild animals in traveling animal attractions be banned?


  • Total voters
    35

X Factor

Anti-Socialist
Dungeon Master
DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
61,606
Reaction score
32,215
Location
El Paso Strong
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Conservative
Perusing Instagram, I happened upon the story of Nosey, an elephant attraction at a traveling carnival.



https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/nosey-circus-elephant-temporary-sanctuary-tennessee


Now “Nosey’s Law” has been passed in New Jersey and it bans the use animals like Nosey in traveling animal attractions, to include circuses. I could see this being a trend nation wide and personally, I would support it. What do you think?


Attaching poll.

 
[FONT=&][FONT=&]Perusing Instagram, I happened upon the story of Nosey, an elephant attraction at a traveling carnival.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/nosey-circus-elephant-temporary-sanctuary-tennessee[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Now “Nosey’s Law” has been passed in New Jersey and it bans the use animals like Nosey in traveling animal attractions, to include circuses. I could see this being a trend nation wide and personally, I would support it. What do you think? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Attaching poll. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

I agree with the ban and I also think this is the reason why the dumbo movie will fail. No one wants to see animals in pain.
 
Yes, on a side note, we lost a third dolphin here in AZ at Dolphinaris. Who would have thought having dolphins in a tank in the middle of the desert would be a bad idea.

All this animal abuse needs to go away, I know the line is hard to define sometimes but damn if some just seem easy to see.
 
I’m sure somebody could show me a specific set of circumstances in which I would make an exception, but generally speaking I support such a ban.

My parents gave me and my kids tickets to the Shriner Circus a couple months back and I was surprised to see they still had an elephant act. It made me uncomfortable to watch, and I imagine that is an ever increasing reaction.
 
The ban makes sense and as every year goes by, even Zoos start to seem a little inhumane, there are some circumstances in which animal captivity may be necessary, such as if it’s an endangered species and it’s done to protect and help grow the population if possible.

But other than that I think the whole idea is starting to lose appeal to many people.
 
The ban makes sense and as every year goes by, even Zoos start to seem a little inhumane, there are some circumstances in which animal captivity may be necessary, such as if it’s an endangered species and it’s done to protect and help grow the population if possible.

But other than that I think the whole idea is starting to lose appeal to many people.

A well ran zoo is quite a bit different than a traveling animal attraction. In a perfect world, animals would either be allowed to live in their natural environment completely free of human interaction, or in reserves.

However, what zoos accomplish is allowing people to connect with animals and thus be concerned about protecting that animals habitat. For example, if you see an African elephant in a zoo, you will probably be more emotionally invested in ensuring that animal is protected in it's natural environment, than you would be if you just saw them in a documentary.
 
Yes, on a side note, we lost a third dolphin here in AZ at Dolphinaris. Who would have thought having dolphins in a tank in the middle of the desert would be a bad idea.

All this animal abuse needs to go away, I know the line is hard to define sometimes but damn if some just seem easy to see.

I left zoos and other type stationary attractions out of this because I believe there are good zoos. Sadly the zoo in the city I live in is not one of them. We have two Asian elephants living in a much too small enclosure.
 
[FONT=&][FONT=&]Perusing Instagram, I happened upon the story of Nosey, an elephant attraction at a traveling carnival.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/nosey-circus-elephant-temporary-sanctuary-tennessee[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Now “Nosey’s Law” has been passed in New Jersey and it bans the use animals like Nosey in traveling animal attractions, to include circuses. I could see this being a trend nation wide and personally, I would support it. What do you think? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Attaching poll. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

I'm down. Using elephants (in particular) for our entertainment is horrific. Elephants are exceptionally sensitive and intelligent animals. Using them for entertainment or riding (that's a whole 'nother horror show) is atrocious.
 
The traveling circus with exotic animals is a vestige of a bygone era. I hope they disappear forever.
 
I am opposed to animal abuse in whatever form, and we have plenty of examples in how we treat the animals we raise and feed on.

While that has some semblance of justification (mass production to meet a growing population), it does not mean we should generally treat all animals this way.

I much prefer animal preserves to zoos and circuses. Allow the animals to roam in a natural state, or at least as much as is possible without allowing them to eat each other out of existence in a relatively (compared to zoo's) enclosed space.

Then stay in your car, don't get out to pet the nice kitty. ;)
 
Last edited:
I left zoos and other type stationary attractions out of this because I believe there are good zoos. Sadly the zoo in the city I live in is not one of them. We have two Asian elephants living in a much too small enclosure.

I left zoo's out too because I agree. Animal attractions on the side of the road run by a casino, yeah I'm not giving that a pass. That's what Dolphinaris is. I have to admit the butterfly attraction right next to it doesn't anger me the same as the dolphins.
 
The ban makes sense and as every year goes by, even Zoos start to seem a little inhumane, there are some circumstances in which animal captivity may be necessary, such as if it’s an endangered species and it’s done to protect and help grow the population if possible.

But other than that I think the whole idea is starting to lose appeal to many people.

In a generation or two I imagine that zoos in the US will disappear altogether and all that will remain will be large open spaces like the San Diego Safari Park.

Traditional zoos are pure depression fuel.
 
I left zoo's out too because I agree. Animal attractions on the side of the road run by a casino, yeah I'm not giving that a pass. That's what Dolphinaris is. I have to admit the butterfly attraction right next to it doesn't anger me the same as the dolphins.

I hadn’t heard of Dolphinaris but by your description of it, I agree.
 
Absolutely they should be banned. I've yet to see one that treated animals humanely, even though some traveling animal shows probably do their best, the circumstances make the animals' lives unbearable.
 
I’m sure somebody could show me a specific set of circumstances in which I would make an exception, but generally speaking I support such a ban.

My parents gave me and my kids tickets to the Shriner Circus a couple months back and I was surprised to see they still had an elephant act. It made me uncomfortable to watch, and I imagine that is an ever increasing reaction.

Sometimes I think the worst thing for animals is our “love” for and interest in them. There probably aren’t a bunch of elephant haters that just want elephants to suffer, but there are a lot of people that would like a closer interaction with them, so, to satisfy that, baby elephants are removed from their family and herd and put on display and made to do tricks and give people rides on their backs and we think it’s ok because we applaud it and “appreciate” them.
 
[FONT=&][FONT=&]Perusing Instagram, I happened upon the story of Nosey, an elephant attraction at a traveling carnival.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/nosey-circus-elephant-temporary-sanctuary-tennessee[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Now “Nosey’s Law” has been passed in New Jersey and it bans the use animals like Nosey in traveling animal attractions, to include circuses. I could see this being a trend nation wide and personally, I would support it. What do you think? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Attaching poll. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

Yeah. I would support a ban.
 
Animal use should be regulated but not banned. Strict minimum standards of care and companionship/breeding should be drafted by animal care experts for each species and these should be rigorously enforced whether an animal is exotic or run-of-mill plain. With dwindling habitats and rising extinction levels the only way to convince new generations that protecting animals (and plants) from habitat destruction, migration interdiction and eventual extinction is to show kids that these animals are real and vulnerable. Further more animals in captivity can be an important resource for maintaining genetic diversity in dwindling wild populations.

So no, the banning of animal use for "attractions" should not be banned unless a particular attraction is harming the animal(s) in question in the opinion of qualified experts. Attractions like zoos, aquaria, and animal parks are too important to the maintaining of both captive and wild animal populations to shut them down out of a misguided sense of outrage or good intentions.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
Animal use should be regulated but not banned. Strict minimum standards of care and companionship/breeding should be drafted by animal care experts for each species and these should be rigorously enforced whether an animal is exotic or run-of-mill plain. With dwindling habitats and rising extinction levels the only way to convince new generations that protecting animals (and plants) from habitat destruction, migration interdiction and eventual extinction is to show kids that these animals are real and vulnerable. Further more animals in captivity can be an important resource for maintaining genetic diversity in dwindling wild populations.

So no, the banning of animal use for "attractions" should not be banned unless a particular attraction is harming the animal(s) in question in the opinion of qualified experts. Attractions like zoos, aquaria, and animal parks are too important to the maintaining of both captive and wild animal populations to shut them down out of a misguided sense of outrage or good intentions.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

There's no "good" way to use certain animals, such as elephants. And if you're going to keep them in captivity, only giant open parks will do.
 
I found the question too broad so I voted no. many "attractions" involve improper treatment of the animals though
 
In my masters program I was friends with a zoologist for a short while in some of my courses. He said that the zoos doing rehabilitation work for endangered species largely don't know what they're doing. The science behind it is very made up as they go along. A lot of the techniques rely on pharmaceuticals and modern medical interventions that are often detrimental to animals and have high failure rates.

I think until we learn to house animals and take care of them in a very integrated way that is close to nature, it will continue to be a botched operation. We're not as savvy about the natural world as we think we are. The way we view nature through science is still very much a tainted product of natural dominion philosophy and it has skewed the way we perceive the needs of other life forms.
 
Maybe not banned, but strictly "regulated" and monitored with regard to the care standards of the animals. Organizations that haven't the resources to maintain the animals in a suitable habitat setting -- something like the ways zoos do, albeit without the features that make the habitat suited to viewing by the general public -- probably shouldn't have large exotic animals in their acts.

Tiger Habitat:

full


Elephant Habitat
elephanttrails-005.jpg

As a kid, the Ringling Bros. circus was quite entertaining. As an adult, Cirque du Soleil is more to my taste, and my kids liked it too. Then again, all sorts of animal acts I liked as a kid have gone the way of the dodo....

tumblr_ldiving-horse1.jpg


To this day, I have no idea how "Doc" got a horse to high dive into a pool, but lo and behold, he did.



 
Last edited:
[FONT=&][FONT=&]Perusing Instagram, I happened upon the story of Nosey, an elephant attraction at a traveling carnival.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/nosey-circus-elephant-temporary-sanctuary-tennessee[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Now “Nosey’s Law” has been passed in New Jersey and it bans the use animals like Nosey in traveling animal attractions, to include circuses. I could see this being a trend nation wide and personally, I would support it. What do you think? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Attaching poll. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

If the animals aren't mistreated I don't have a problem with it. When the kids were younger we hired these folks to come to our house and put on a show a couple of times.

https://www.thereptilezoo.org/

I thought it was interesting and educational.
 
Some traveling shows are fantastic. We went to Cavalea a couple of years ago in Portland (a traveling horse expo out of Canada). They were incredible. Their horses were well cared for and trained.

Public opinion forced the elephants out of Ringling Bros., Barnum Bailey circus; and now the circus is gone. If you've never read the book "Water for Elephants" it is a good read.

I grew up visiting the San Diego Zoo. So, I do believe good zoos are an important thing, especially since so many animals are disappearing from the earth, due to man.
 
[FONT=&][FONT=&]Perusing Instagram, I happened upon the story of Nosey, an elephant attraction at a traveling carnival.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/nosey-circus-elephant-temporary-sanctuary-tennessee[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Now “Nosey’s Law” has been passed in New Jersey and it bans the use animals like Nosey in traveling animal attractions, to include circuses. I could see this being a trend nation wide and personally, I would support it. What do you think? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&][FONT=&]Attaching poll. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]

Little bit ridiculous unless actual abuse has been happening. Won't be long before liberals will be wanting to ban the ownership of dogs and cats for being held captive by their owners.
 
Back
Top Bottom