Lauren Judy

Research Paper
Composition and Culture
March 13, 2021
Cruelty in Entertainment

For my research paper I am focusing on the cruel reality of using innocent animals for
human entertainment. In doing so I wish to open the eyes of people who are blind to the abuse
animals endure for human enjoyment. For so long animals have been used in Hollywood for
movies, commercials, and television shows. Animals have also played character roles in circuses,
theme parks, and zoos. Animals are not treated fairly and without people who support anti
animal cruelty causes, who will stand up for our sinless creatures? If nothing is done about the
abuse animals endure in the entertainment industries, they will keep taking the insult. The
mistreatment of animals in entertainment has always been around but most do not know the
extent of the abuse. What we as humans have done with these God given creatures is inhumane
and should be halted immediately. Animals truly cannot stand up for themselves and humans
have taken advantage of them due to their smaller minds. So much research has proven that
animals have a larger surviving rate when living in their natural habitats surrounded by their
birth parents. Every time, we take an animal from its mother we are putting it at risk. Animals
should not be used for entertainment purposes because it is inhumane and removes animals from
their natural homes. This is an issue that might not concern as many people as I believe it should,
but I am here to provide the research and knowledge that most people avoid. The truth to this is
hard to hear which is the reason so many would rather stay naive to this sensitive topic.
Hollywood has an extremely well-known reputation for providing their audiences with
movies, television shows, commercials, etc. with animal actors. These animals work long days
and nights with no extra accommodations. The abuse of animals on Hollywood sets has been a
controversial topic for a very long time. “Since 1939, the American Humane Association has
monitored the treatment of animal actors on sets of thousands of films, giving most of them its
famous seal of approval, stating that "No animals were harmed" in the making of the movie”
(Davis, 2017). Hollywood has undermined the credibility of this seal due to many claims of
animal abuse on the set of the movies with said seal. It’s sad to see that this type of news only
surfaces when a tragedy occurs, or a video is leaked. In the making of a movie in 2017, “A Dog’s
Purpose” a video was released by TMZ, showing a frightened dog being forced to enter rushing
water and being submerged before a crew member yelled "Cut!". “A Dog's Purpose” is just one
example of the conditions and boundaries directors, and producers are willing to push. After a
quick search my investigations revealed that the AHA isn’t living up to its promises to protect
these animals. “No matter how well they may be trained or how gently they may be treated, the
fact is that most are torn away from their mothers as infants, and subjected to abusive training
methods – remember, it’s not natural for animals to ‘perform’ and the ‘carrot’ works less
effectively than ‘the stick’. These animals are then forced to spend most of their lives in small,
filthy cages, deprived of everything that is natural and important to them” (Lodhi, 2019). Many
people stick to a mindset that nothing will change, and they cannot do anything about it.
Boycotting movies, shows, etc. with animal actors even with the AHA seal is a small start to
supporting the efforts of animal activists. Another way to put an end to animal suffering is
supporting the movement of computer-animated animals to replace living animals in movies
(Davis, 2017). The little things make a huge difference when it comes to an animal's life.
A life for a circus animal is a scary, depressing, and lonely life. For as long as circuses
have been around so having the cruelty and brutal treatment that each animal goes through on a
daily basis. More than half of a circus animal’s life is spent in cages they barely fit in. “Animals
used in circuses live a dismal life in which they are dominated, imprisoned, and violently trained.
Workers routinely beat, shock, and whip these animals until they learn to perform meaningless,
confusing tricks that have no connection to their natural instincts and behavior” (Peta, 2021).
Most circuses strip a young newborn from their mother so they can grow up learning how to
perform. Removing baby animals from their mother at such a young age causes psychological
trauma for both the mother and child. For example, elephants form extremely close bonds with
their families, and the mothers are intensely maternal and emotional. Trauma occurs as soon as a
mother elephant and her child are separated. Circus animals endure high levels of stressful
situations. When an animal is stressed, it responds with many unhealthy changes that negatively
impacts their mental and psychical health. These effects are the same for all animals, they
include changes in the immune function and increased susceptibility to disease, decreased feed
intake and rumination, inhibition of oxytocin release, and reduced fertility, among animals.
(Serafini, 2018). The first step is to educate yourself on the issue so that you are armed with the
facts about why the circus is such a cruel environment and what horrors the animals have to face
while performing in them. Animals deserve to live a life free from exploitation and fear, and
sadly animals who are made to perform in circuses are routinely beaten and scarred into learning
routines, denying them from any form of natural existence.
Despite their concern for animals, zoos can more accurately be described as “prisons” for
animals rather than homes. Even under the best of circumstances at the fanciest zoos, captivity
cannot replicate the wild. Animals are often prevented from doing most of the things that are
natural and important to them, like running, roaming, climbing, hunting, and being with their
animal families. Zoos can be educational, but they are also teaching people it is okay to keep
animals locked up in captivity far from their natural lives (DPA, 2021). Animals are also very
unpredictable, we as humans can never be fully confident in an animal’s true intentions. Animals
in show business have a bad reputation for lashing out at trainers and guests. A great example of
this behavior comes from SeaWorld. SeaWorld, for those who do not know, is an American
theme park and entertainment organization. SeaWorld provides guests with a “nature mixed with
imagination experience” (SeaWorld Park and Entertainment, 2021). In reality the theme park
captures sea creatures from their natural habitats only to place them in water tanks so that they
may perform in shows multiple times a day. SeaWorld is also known for its countless horror
stories of animal attacks on trainers. These are wild animals with animal instincts there is no way
to completely train or trust said animal. When an animal lashes out due to natural instincts or
high stress levels, the animal is put down. For the sake of animal and trainer safety alike, theme
parks like SeaWorld should be shut down completely. A huge attraction for SeaWorld is their
orca named Shamu. Shamu performed in the first ever Orca show at SeaWorld after she was
kidnapped as a baby and watched a fisherman shoot her mother right in front of her (Peta, 2020).
In 1978, SeaWorld captured two sharks from the ocean and placed them in a small enclosure,
within three days they ran into the wall and sunk to the bottom and died. Another horrific story
involving the park leaked when SeaWorld captured twelve dolphins from the ocean to place on
display, half of them died within six months. These horrible stories are just the beginning and I
hope that one day we will never have to hear about these tragic stories ever again.
Society needs to take a stand for what we all know is right and put an end to all of the
pointless suffering. We use animals as if they are ours to use. They are living breathing creatures
and they deserve better. There are so many alternatives that can be used instead of real animals.
Humans have the technology to create entertainment without using animals. Boycotting animal
entertainment is a huge first step in the fight for animal rights. Movies, shows, and parks using
live animals should not be supported or glorified anymore. Animals suffer when not in their
natural habits and leads to many more mental, social, and physical issues. Animals should not be
used for entertainment purposes because it is inhumane and removes animals from their natural
environments. Animals deserve better lives without human interaction. The only way we will
ever get these pitiful creatures out of entertainment industries is coming to agreements that
animals were not born for our amusement, standing up for creatures that can not stand up for
themselves, and speaking out against the industries that use animals for entertainment purposes.
Spreading the word is a huge step in the right direction, it creates awareness and brings
knowledge to the unaware and naive.
 References

“About Us.” SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, seaworldentertainment.com/about-us/.

Agnew, Robert. “The Causes of Animal Abuse:: A Social-Psychological Analysis ROBERT

“APA PsycNet.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association,

Chere Di BoscioFounder & Editor in Chief at Eluxe Magazine There has always loved writing.
“Animal Abuse in Films: Why Hollywood Is Bad For Animals.” Eluxe Magazine, 30 Aug. 2020,
Benjamin, Kathy. “Messed Up Things That Actually Happened At SeaWorld.” Grunge.com,
Grunge, 12 Oct. 2017,

Scanes, Colin G. “Animals in Entertainment.” Animals and Human Society, Academic Press, 29
Sept. 2017.

Simone Serafini, “Animal Laws and HUman Ethics, The Abuse of Animals for Entertainment”
December 8th, 2018.

Walkden-Brown, Jackson. “Animals and Entertainment.” Bond University Research Portal,