Dear Mr. or Mrs. president

First of all congrats on winning the election I know it was probably hard. There is a social issue that is very dear to me and it is animal captivity. It is a real problem and it needs to be stopped. It pains me to know that many marine and land animals lose their lives, homes,and families just so we can have entertainment.

In the wild orcas can live up to 100 years and yet when they are in captivity they can only live up to 25 years. This in my opinion this is just not acceptable. When animals are captured all of their freedom is taken away and they are put in an environment that is very different from their natural habitat. Wild orcas swim about 100 miles a day in vast oceans. In captivity for them it is like living in a bathtub and they are reduced to swimming in endless circles. Since 1961 150 orcas have been taken into captivity and out of this number 127 of them are dead, and only 20 of them are alive today. Even the numbers prove that being in captivity for an animal is just not healthy. One hundred percent of male orcas have suffered from dorsal fin collapse. This happens because they are spending so much time on the surface and gravity has a greater affect on their fin causing it to collapse. This does not happen in the wild. Some people may say that this is the only way that little kids would know what these exotic animals look like and that is true but still it is not right to cage these animals for our entertainment.

In the same way this issue affects land animals too whether they are held in zoos or circuses. In circuses animals travel from place to place performing stunts and tricks as the crowd goes wild and it all seems like fun and games but behind the scenes what happens will shock you. During training sessions the animal’s trainer abuses the animal with tight collars, muzzles, whips, and other forms of mistreatment. Some animals try to run away from this terrible life. On more than one occasion elephants have snapped and tried to run away. The animals are confined to a small space to live in and some of the time not receiving the necessities they need like food and water. When arriving at a venue the animals are stilled confined to their small cell until show time or training sessions. This is just so cruel to animals and as the next president you can change this.

In zoos animals are confined to a dismal inclosure where even the best imitated habitats don't even come close to their natural habitat. Some animals are abused in zoos and have many feelings of loneliness and depression. This can result in a condition called Zoochosis. This can lead to the side effects of the animal constantly pacing back and forth, some even resort to ripping out their fur of feathers. This is a very bad condition and sadly it happens to many animals held in captivity. We can change what is happening by just creating more sanctuaries and releasing some of these animals back to the wild and care for them not abuse them. Their natural lives are beautiful and they deserve to be free. Or else we may run all of the beautiful animals we love right into extinction. It has happened before to many other species of animals and some species are just hanging on by a thread.

This is a very serious issue. Animals should not be suffering just to give us a bit of entertainment. It is very sad to think that animals are being torn from their families, dying, and suffering each day. These are just a few examples of ways animals are used for wrong. There are many others like dog fighting, horse racing, wild life parks, the list could go on and on. It is your job as president to take charge and put an end to this awful practice. I am not saying that all the zoos, aquariums, and circuses could be gone in a week but in time we could stop this problem. By closing down zoos and aquariums and allowing circuses to have non animal performances. We could rehab the animals in captivity and release as many as possible. I am aware that some of these animals have been in captivity so long that the have lost their wild instincts and we can not release them. This may be the case for many animals and it is a sad thought. By doing all of this we could guarantee a safer future for some of the animals we know are suffering.

Sincerely Kami D. 

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/zoos-pitiful-prisons/

http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/fate-of-captive-orcas