07 DEC 2018: Recently my colleague Jen Savedra called out PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – for its hypocritical business practices and lamented how its positions and pronouncements on some issues are uncritically and “blindly” heeded by others.

And specifically, how that, from a tourism perspective, has unfairly harmed some well-meaning organizations like SeaWorld, which have lost both consumer business and industry connections and support – whether directly or indirectly as consumers make other attraction choices – as a result.

I’m not going to reprise her column, but I would like to expand on one lightly touched point that I think is being lost in the overall controversy of whether it is okay and/or ethical for venues to offer animal viewing, encounters and entertainment.

Let me first state that I too am an animal lover and advocate. I am not a fanatic – I do eat meat (that is raised to be food), for example. But I oppose hunting (except as subsistence), agonize over lost habitat, and am appalled that some people will eat or ingest animal parts for unfounded medical or sexual purposes, and create/buy goods made from endangered species (i.e. ivory or tiger-skin rugs).

I have donated to the World Wildlife Fund and other charities for years, subscribe to National Geographic, and BBC Earth is my go-to TV channel.

I do not approve of entities that treat animals cruelly.

Having said that (and my point, finally): I truly believe that facilities that allow people to see, learn about and interact with animals serve a purpose – a vital one, in fact. Based on the premise of out of sight, out of mind, if humans can’t or don’t see and interact with animals on occasion, we are much less likely to care about what happens to them in their natural habitats.

This point is especially true of children. When younger, my two kids visited countless zoos (and petting zoos) and other animal habitats (as children do), and, yes, SeaWorld, and it is obvious to me that they, as young adults now, are animal rights advocates as a direct result of these experiences.

I challenge anyone who has swum with a dolphin, watched orcas perform amazing acrobatic feats or the hilarious antics of various primates, for example, to not absolutely love and have a personal connection with the creatures. As my kids do.

They will always remember stroking and swimming with “Sasha” the dolphin at Discovery Cove in Orlando, as well as the beluga whales they encountered during a beluga encounter at SeaWorld. And lest you think this is only about SeaWorld (an advertiser on this site it must be acknowledged), this is also about them having marvelled at the polar bears at the Toronto Zoo, “safari-ed” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, been perched upon by falcons and owls in Ireland, and even been delighted by elephants who paint pictures at the local Lion Safari, amongst other things.

Such opportunities and accessibility for millions of kids who otherwise would have little recourse to see such animals, except on TV, has created a generation of animal champions who are and will be increasingly needed to help the planet’s wildlife survive.

Another under-appreciated point is the good work that many organizations do when it comes to rescue, breeding, repopulating, research, etc. I have seen it personally behind the scenes at SeaWorld and it has been happening for years – though the company has only started to (reluctantly) promote its altruistic activities as a necessary means to counter the immense public criticism of the entertainment aspects of its business (which help fund its activism).

Consider the exposure, goodwill and interest in dolphins generated by the rescue of the maimed and now famous Winter, which was fitted with a prosthetic tail by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida – a tall tail tale so inspiring that it led to a book and films about Winter, and her status as main attraction at the facility.

All of which is to say, the issue of animal captivity isn’t black and white. And while there is no excuse for cruelty or inhumane living conditions for any creature, one should ask whether, for example, a well-treated elephant at a zoo that inspires kids (and adults) to a lifetime of devotion and support for its species, or at least takes a potential buyer of ivory goods (that it may well be hunted for) out of the market, isn’t, in fact, a reasonable and welcome endeavour.