The Tragedy of Wild Animals In Cages

By Rena Dictor LeBlanc

NO MORE CAGES!

You are kidnapped as a baby and placed in a cage, never again to know the warmth and love of your family.

You will never know freedom

You will live as a prisoner the rest of your life even though you are innocent of any wrongdoing.

In the aerial view of SeaWorld, one can see how little room orcas have. Inside the circle is Tilikum, whose nose and tail almost touch the ends of his tank.

In a groundbreaking move for animals, PETA, with the help of three marine-mammal experts and two former orca trainers, will file a landmark lawsuit asking a federal court to declare that five wild-caught orcas forced to perform at SeaWorld are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The 13th Amendment prohibits the condition of slavery, without reference to "person" or any particular class of victims. PETA's general counsel, Jeffrey Kerr, stated, "Slavery does not depend on the species of the slave any more than it depends on gender, race, or religion."

Terry Thompson was the jailer for 56 exotic animals he owned in Zaneville, Ohio. The man who had been charged with animal mistreatment set them loose and then apparently commited suicide, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. Ohio is known for inadequate regulation when it comes to exotic animals, the story said.

Within days 49 animals were killed by reluctant authorities. These included a baboon, six black bears, eight lionesses and 18 rare Bengal tigers. For residents of the town and animal activists nationwide the crises was a tale of inadequate laws, a night of terror, and innocent animals killed.

Ohio should immediately ban ownership of exotic animals.

Elsewhere, Tony is a Siberian-Bengal tiger who has been living on display as a tourist attraction at a truck stop outside Baton Rouge since 2001. In the wild, Tony might roam a territory of one hundred square miles. But for the last decade, he has instead lived in his concrete enclosure, exposed to the noise of diesel engines and the stench of gasoline, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The organization points out that years of living in isolation and confinement have taken their toll on Tony’s health. Day after day, this magnificent cat is taunted and harassed by tourists. Instead of basking in the sun and hunting by night, Tony paces his cage—an indicator of extreme stress. Please join the Animal Legal Defense Fund in urging the state of Louisiana to revoke the permit that allows Tony to be kept at the Tiger Truck Stop—a permit that violates both state and local ordinances designed to protect people and wild animals like Tony. Sign the petition to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries now.

"How many animals must be unnaturally confined and tormented to perform tricks for our pleasure." That was the question asked by Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles. She also said in a letter to the editor in response to the killing of a trainer by a captive killer whale at SeaWorld, ",,,it is immoral to force a killer whale to swim in a tank instead of the ocean..."

Like BP, SeaWorld can never make up for the harm that it has done, according to Jennifer O'Connor, a research specialist with the PETA Foundation. "But, it can immediately stop breeding animals and fund the creation of a coastal sanctuary through which captive orcas can start their journey back home," she said in an editorial.

"The public can help compel SeaWorld to do the right thing simply by refusing to buy a ticket."

An effort is under way in Catalonia Spain to ban bullfighting, a horrific spectacle during which people torment captive animals for entertainment. Backers of the effort say, It's about time Catalonia got rid of a cruel and bloody sport that essentially makes a virtue of the torture and killing of a captive animal.

According to the Humane Society International, just over a week ago, in the town of Medinaceli in the Castilla y León region of Spain, a bull had flaming torches attached to his horns as part of El Toro Jubilo festival, a “fire bull” fiesta.

Late in the evening, the bull was roped to a post in the town square. He was held down whilst flammable materials were attached to his horns and lit.

Then, with flames leaping above his head, the bull dashed about the square tossing his head again and again, turning in one direction then the next, trying to escape the flames above his head. As the fire burned loud firecrackers exploded above the square.

It is simply not acceptable to torment an animal in this way. Please help us put an end to this terrible spectacle.

Animal suffering is never acceptable as a form of entertainment. Join us, and compassionate people from across Spain, in calling for an end to the torment of animals at these fiestas.

Please join us -- sign our letter to Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, at the Ministry of Interior and Justice in Castilla y León, asking him to stop the use of animals at El Toro Jubilo and at other fiestas.

According to Jennifer O'Connor, a staff writer with the PETA Foundation, www.PETA.org , "It's hard to believe that bulls are still being stabbed to death for entertainment... The matador (Spanish for "killer") comes in only when the exhausted bull is already near death. Bulls are often still conscious as their ears and tails are cut of as 'trophies' and as they are dragged from the ring in chains."

"...condemnation of this bloody pastime is growing worldwide, and those few still clinging to this barbaric tradition are finding themselves in nearly empty arenas."

I believe bullfighting should be banned everywhere.

There's a vicious cycle of wildlife in captivity according Tammy Quist, Director of the WildcatSanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota.

According to Tammy and Alicia Ice, "The idea of owning, breeding and selling wild animals has been around for quite some time. The vicious cycle that animals in captivity have to go through can be horrendous and sometimes unbearable.

"The animal may be forced to breed, perform tricks or live in filthy conditions. Often the animals are abused emotionally or physically and little is provided in the form of health or veterinary care.

"Many civilians try to make pets of wild animals without the understanding of how costly it is to house and feed the animals. Some owners turn to breeding their animal(s) in order to turn a profit.

"When the animal is too old to breed or do tricks the animal may be killed."

What can you do to stop the vicious cycle of caging wildlife? According to Tammy, you can:

Lobby politicians for legislation banning wild animals as pets.

My own opinion is NO MORE CAGES! No creature should be placed in a cage. You may call the creature your "pet", but the reality is the creature is your prisoner. Birds were meant to soar, not to be confined in a prison all their lives.

Among the worst examples of captive animal treatment are on exotic game ranches where wild animals are imprisoned specifically for the purpose of being shot by hunters who don't even have to brave the wilds in order to slaughter creatures the easy way just for the "fun" of it.

NO MORE CAGES!

Report violations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

APHIS.Web@aphis.usda.gov

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC20250

Do not patronize zoos, roadside zoos, petting zoos, killer whale shows, and circuses.

Educate your family and friends on the captive animal crises.

For more information go to www.wildcatsanctuary.org

To see the wildcats in the sanctuary go to http://youtube.com/user/WildcatSanctuary

Take action now to help pass the Captive Primate Safety Act!

The House of Representatives has already passed the Captive Primate Safety Act, and now it is up to the Senate to get this bill through and on to the president for his signature. Chimpanzees and other primates belong in the wild, not in our backyards, yet this danger persists due to the legal trade in the animals for use as pets. The Captive Primate Safety Act will prohibit interstate commerce in primates as pets.

Help Save Chimpanzees: Support the Great Ape Protection Act (GAPA)

Please contact your
representative today!

Please take a moment to help the more than 1,000 chimpanzees forced to live in laboratory research settings in the United States. Recently, ABC's Nightline exposed the abuse of hundreds of chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates at the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana. Unfortunately, these individuals are not alone in their suffering.

The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) has just been reintroduced in Congress. This legislation would end invasive research on the chimpanzees remaining in laboratories, release federally owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuaries, and end federal funding for the breeding of federally owned chimpanzees.

Make a brief, polite phone call to urge your U.S. representative to co-sponsor The Great Ape Protection Act. Then, send an automatic e-mail to your representative to follow up.

As a result of their use in experiments, chimpanzees can experience early separation from their mothers, social isolation, prolonged captivity, sensory deprivation, and repeated physical harm.

"People may be shocked to learn that laboratories in the United States are permitted to keep chimpanzees in cages about the size of a kitchen table, sometimes for decades," says PCRM primatologist Debra Durham, Ph.D. “It’s time for us to join the growing list of countries that ban invasive experiments on these amazing animals.”

Visit the online GAPA photo exhibit that was recently on display on Capitol Hill. View photos >

PCRM Legislative Fund
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016 Phone: 202-686-2210
E-mail: info@pcrmlf.org

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily so they can meet their quota of getting FREE FOOD donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (about 15 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals for free'. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site! Please pass it along to people you know. http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/