Letter to a Young Dolphin Lover
Last week, we wrote about the latest “accident” at SeaWorld, where a dolphin bit 8-year-old Jillian at the petting/feeding pool. Jillian really cares about dolphins and…
More Dolphins Bite Tourists
The tourists in the dolphin pool were told to stand in a line and splash the two dolphins, who would splash back. But one of the dolphins became aggressive and bit Sabina on her leg. Two others were attacked, too, and one of them ended up in hospital.
The Star that Outshines The Sun
When you’ve had so much bad publicity that people are saying you may not even be able to open your doors to the public again, you’ll…
Elephants and Slavery
The mindset that has permitted atrocities to be inflicted on humans is the same mindset that allows the abuse of animals to occur. Just as my…
Inside the World of Zoo Elephants
Zoos love baby elephants. When baby Packy was born at the Portland Zoo in 1962, people lined up for half a mile to see him. Life magazine devoted an 11-page spread to the event.
But real life for zoo elephants is a whole other story, and it’s told in this remarkable series of stories, videos and photos from the Seattle Times.
Surprise: Hungry Dolphins Bite Children
The latest “accident” at SeaWorld has a dolphin biting an 8-year-old girl on the arm. Young Jillian Thomas’s dream was to be a dolphin trainer, so…
Pope Greets Circus Animals
Here’s Pope Benedict welcoming the circus to town and petting the lion cubs. Does he really not know how terribly wrong it is for circuses to…
Toronto, Edmonton in Elephant Fight
Lucy the elephant at the Edmonton Zoo. The mayor of Edmonton is unhappy. He doesn’t like the fact that the Toronto city council has voted to…
Elephant Abuser Guilty … but Free
Bobby Roberts, owner of the Bobby Roberts Super Circus in the U.K., has been found guilty of causing suffering to the elephant Annie. But the judge…
Hobbit Movie Hobbled by 27 Animal Deaths
And you thought that the words “No animals were harmed during the making of this movie” actually meant something. (It depends on what you mean by the word “making.”)
Marineland Gets a Pass from Zoo Group
In the wake of shocking revelations about the care of the animals at Marineland, Niagara Falls, the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) has given…
Marineland’s Intimidation Tactics
It’s a tactic that’s typical of corporations whose employees start blowing the whistle: Threaten a giant lawsuit. Marineland, the Canadian zoo that’s been the subject of…
Noc, Noc, Who’s There?
There’s lots of talk this week about a “talking” beluga whale who died five years ago at a U.S. Navy facility. And it’s all grist to…
Wildlife Park Owner: ‘Shut Down Zoos!’
Wildlife park owner Damian Aspinall says it’s time to shut down zoos – especially city zoos. And to make his point, he’s preparing to release an entire family of 11 western lowland gorillas from his wildlife park in England to the wild in Africa as part of his charity’s Back to the Wild project.
Call No Elephant Happy Until She Is Free
It’s a terrible irony that Happy, the elephant who demonstrated to scientific researchers how animals of her species are capable of a high level of self-awareness, now languishes all alone in a cage about twice the size of her body. No animal with the kind of cognitive abilities that Happy has demonstrated belongs in a zoo – and, worse, in a cage.
Swimming with Tigers. WTF!
It’s bad enough holding dolphins in captivity so people can pay to swim with them. And it’s bad enough that baby alligators were being brought to…
The Real Sea World
Orca experts visit Puget Sound, off the coast of Seattle, and compare the life of a killer whale in the wild (the real sea world) with…
U.K. Zoos Get Failing Grade – Inspectors, Too
Most British zoos don’t even meet minimal standards of care. One in four zoos don’t even provide basic sufficient food and water to the animals supposedly…
Olivia Munn Pans Groupon Circus Coupons
Actress Olivia Munn is asking her fans to stop using the coupon site Groupon as long as the company makes deals with circuses. Currently, Groupon is…
Protesters Shut Down Dolphin Show
Here’s a video from Sunday’s massive demonstration at Marineland, Niagara Falls. Some of the 500 people at this peaceful but vociferous event gained access to the…