This issue was put in front of the public with the story of Keiko, a killer whale that was badly abused in a Mexican facility. Eventually, Keiko was moved to a better aquarium in Oregon, but activists insisted that Keiko should be released to live in the wild (Staff writers, 1997). In fact, people have worked for animal rights since the 1860's when the first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established in the 1860's (Unti & Rowan, 2001), but until recently, most people did not consider holding captive animals in well-designed and well-maintained zoos as inhumane or cruel. Because of the attention Keiko received, including the animal being represented as the lead character in two "Free Willy" films, Keiko was eventually released. This action demonstrated the difficulty of returning captive animals to the wild. Although Keiko had begun life as a wild animal, he did not do well in the while and repeatedly sought out human companionship. Keiko's plight resulted in heightened awareness among those who visit zoos that even in the best-designed habitat, the animal is still caged against its will (Paulson, 2004). The cumulative effect of all these criticisms has resulted in significant actions by some zoos. People are more aware that animals have highly specialized needs, and that those needs are not only physical but psychological as well, and most people find any form of abuse, however subtle, as unacceptable. The Detroit Zoo looked at all these issues, and then at their population of Asian elephants. They realized that they did not have a suitable environment for their animals. They needed more space than they could provide, and more elephants for companionship than they could provide adequate space for. In addition, Detroit's
Big Brother Watches America When Orson Wells wrote his famous novel about government surveillance taken to the extreme, the world he described seemed very unrealistic. However, at the turn of the new millenium, the world that he describes is not so different and it seems as if we are just one step away from the "thought police" knocking on the door. For some this gives them an extra-added element of
In another instance, scientist and primate researcher Anne Engh collected fecal samples from baboons in the African country of Botswana; Engh gathered those fecal samples following the killing of a baboon by a predator (Moss, p. 2). Those samples were tested for "…increased levels of glucocorticoid (GC) stress markers" and Engh discovered that the stress in those baboons was elevated for nearly a month after the one baboon had been
Museum Methods museum is usually a non-profit organization with intent to provide education and enlightenment by the organized collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibit of items deemed to be of interest to the public or community. Historically, museums have evolved as collaborative projects to house collected works gathered for the appreciation of the current and future generations in our society. However, such definitions cannot be regarded as the last word on
Brady makes are based on her personal and professional needs, a few of the arguments Brady makes in her desire to have a wife seem to be from the heart. She wants a wife who will "sympathize with my pain" -- that seems from the heart -- and she also wants a wife to help pay for her schooling so she can not only become independent but also "support
country has been experiencing a religious "war of words" for several decades now. Some Democrats were caught completely off guard by it when most of the swing voters voted for Bush instead of Kerry, giving Bush the Presidency. Surveys and polls done afterwards revealed that those voters, the ones who won the election for Bush, were opposed to the Iraq war, but saw Bush as representing the one thing
The director stays with a friend for awhile and alerts the police and FBI, gives them the tape of threats. They agreed that a bodyguard and 24-hour watch over the house was in order. After a few days the police apprehend two teenagers who are "wanna-be" artists, skulking around the house with cans of gasoline and matches and find that they had also been making crank calls, capitalizing on
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now