Mission Dream
To support the rescue and retirement of entertainment animals from their chained prisons.
The use of animals for entertainment is one of the most heated debates in the fields of animal welfare and conservation. Humans love up-close-and-personal experiences with exotic animals, zoologists are given opportunities to study animal behavior and physiology without actually traveling into wild habitat, commercialism continually benefits from humorous encounters with animals, and what would a Civil War film be without a stampede of decorated military horses?
| “There are more tigers kept in captivity than there are tigers left in the wild. More of a reason conservation needs to take place within countries of origin more so than it does behind bars.” |
There is both money and heartache in this business; not only for people but for animals.
One of the most popular tag lines used by entertainment institutions today is that use of animals in captive environments fulfills an “education and conservation purpose”.
Barnum and Bailey states that their captive reproductive studies help “enhance genetic diversity and ensure a healthy Asian population throughout the world”, the American Zoological Association states their institutions “serve as conservation centers that are concerned about ecosystem health, take responsibility for species survival, contribute to research, conservation, and education…”, and Sea World states “many guests are inspired to help protect the animals they encounter and get involved with wildlife conservation”.
First and foremost, any institution that uses animals in entertainment has a goal to make a profit. Captive animal management decisions are weighed against a potential for profit. And by decisions I mean, whether or not the animal will propagate, whether or not the animal should be traded with another institution and whether or not the animal should be stuffed into an inappropriate sized cage and displayed at a roadside zoo.
As convincing as the “education and conservation” argument can be, there are still many animals that suffer from rigorous training, depression, captive associated illnesses and unnecessary pain.
If an interest in animal welfare was placed before an interest in profit, all entertainment institutions would stop breeding exotic animals in captivity. The American Zoological Association (AZA) oversees the management of all animals within AZA accredited zoos, aquariums, circuses and wild animal parks. Some would argue that such diligent management allows for the availability of diverse gene pools and sustainable populations of endangered species, and therefore a responsible number of animals in captivity to ensure for species conservation.
While the AZA and other accredited institutions make a good argument for a necessity to breed exotic animals in captivity, the number of animals in captivity is far from “responsible”. The Performing Animal Welfare Society conducted on the shocking number of surplus animals in the United States called “Surplus Animals: The Cycle of Hell”.
The goal of MISSION Dream is to not go up against the entertainment industry. Our goal is to help animals confined in inhumane conditions, forced to perform against their will and left to suffer long painful deaths, find a new home where they can receive care and live out the rest of their lives. Meanwhile we will assist federal and state initiatives to better animal welfare regulations for animals that continue to be used in entertainment.
