I am sure you have already heard the news. If you have not, here goes.
Today, a killer whale named Tilikum at Sea World Orlando killed a trainer. Yes. A whale. An animal that has no instinct to kill a human, killed a human, IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE! That was certainly more than the spectators bargained for…
You can read all about it all over the place, try the NY Times article here.
I’ve been thinking about this horrible incident all day.
Because I am a human being I mourn the untimely loss of one of our own.
Because I am a Rabbi I thought about whether zoos have a place in Jewish law.
Because I am a Law Student, and working at the California Court of Appeals, I thought about the potential liabilities involved.
Because I am not a “fan” of zoos or animal exhibits, I continue to wonder “what’s the point?”. And that is what I am going to write about here.
Animals belong in the wild. You want to go see animals? Go visit them in their home town. Don’t bring them to my home town and cage them up so people can gawk at them. Sure, there is educational value in learning about animals, but is that sufficient cause to lock animals up in a place that somewhat resembles their natural habitat?
I know, I know, we need to learn about animals so that we can understand our planet and how we relate to the ecosystem and we need to protect animals that are losing their natural habitats etc. etc. etc…
We can do that all in other ways. We have the resources to study animals in their environment.
Zoos hearken back to a time when Man thought Himself invincible and the world to be at His mercy. I think we know better know. Man is part of an intricate universe. We can’t overstep our bounds.
Who in their right mind thinks that an orca that is accustomed to swimming miles on end day after day is comfortable in a big fish tank? It is a miracle they haven’t revolted yet! I feel terrible for the trainer. Not just because she was killed by a killer whale, but because she probably thought that the animal was her friend. She probably had developed feelings for the animal. Most trainers do. I have heard from many trainers that they “love” their animals. But the thing is, animals don’t love like people do. Animals don’t reason or use logic. They can be trained to suppress their instincts, but they can always revert to their natural behaviors. I feel bad for the trainer because she probably thought the killer whale would never harm her.
Maybe I just don’t enjoy seeing animals in a zoo enough to see the value, but it seems hard to justify in my eyes. The danger to humans is clear and I believe that animals belong in the wild.
In Jewish law, an animal does not have “rights”. However, a human has responsibilities toward animals. We are not permitted to abuse animals. We are not permitted to cause animals any pain or suffering. We are only permitted to hunt for food (by most authorities) and not for sport. In my view, zoos are sport. Caging animals so that we can have fun seems like an abuse of animals. And we have a responsibility to treat animals with respect and care.
I would much prefer to watch the Planet Earth series (which you should DEFINITELY buy, click here) at home, than see animals caged in a zoo.
Just think, another life would have been saved too.
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