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Madeline Bungert

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

2/14/19

Topic Proposal: The True Beasts of Animal Entertainment

Introduction/Overview

My topic will examine the disadvantages of keeping animals in captivity. Zoos, circuses,

and aquariums are commonly known to be home to some of the most exotic, talented, and

profitable species of animals. A wildlife show is an incredible thing to witness. Shows and

enclosures offer something that can only be read about in books or seen on television. The

feeling of seeing how large an elephant really is or how loud a lion’s roar can be is something

that cannot be supplemented by television or books.

Through an article from Wikipedia, called “Captivity,” I searched for some background

on the history of containing animals. All through history, there is evidence that animals have

been kept in homes, domesticated or not. In older times, and even still today, having an exotic

pet is a sign of wealth. Early aristocrats and kings collected animals for purposes such as

trophies of wealth or for defense.

I completed a lot of research on my sources before choosing a side on this topic. I

scrolled through the Wikipedia pages on captivity, zoos, and domestication for general

background. I also looked for keywords or phrases I could use to find more specific research.

One thing I did was try to find statistics that could help my argument. I found The International
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Zoo Yearbook, a publication updated and released every year that includes statistics on declining

populations of animals and the number in captivity.

Some argue that establishments like zoos and aquariums are vital for keeping animal

populations alive. Many zoos have programs to help rehabilitate hurt animals. As well as

conservation programs to help recover declining populations. Zoos also offer education for

visitors and allow up-close encounters with real animals.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

How are wild/exotic animals affected by captivity? In what ways can zoos, aquariums, or

circuses be beneficial? How are animal populations affected?

My Interest in this Topic

I take interest in this topic because I watched the film “Blackfish” on Netflix, and I was

really blown away by the mistreatment of the animals. I want to understand both sides of the

controversy over captive animals. I remember being young and going to a zoo and finding

everything so fascinating. How could something I enjoy so much be so bad for the residents of

the zoo? I already know of many attacks and cases of animals going insane. However, I want to

know how something like this can be fixed.

Next Steps

My next steps are to further my research. I have looked into a few of the organizations

that house exotic animals, and almost every website has some sort of conservation or

rehabilitation program. For example, I saw that Barnum and Bailey Circus has an elephant

conservation area. In researching this I found that the elephants were simply recovered from the
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circus shows when they couldn’t perform anymore. The elephants had acres of land to roam but

were still forced to stay in barns. Research like this will help me to figure out if all these

programs are actually genuine or simply trying to cover the animal abuse tracks. I am also

interested in looking at cases of people falling or jumping into enclosures. A lot of times animals

end up getting shot for a human’s mistakes. I want to understand why there are no other options

for keepers. I also need to focus more on the many points of view. Statistics I find on Peta are

going to be more negative than those I find on a zoos website. So it will be important for me to

be able to find realistic statistics from another possibly neutral party.