Wednesday, July 29, 2009

captivity



joseph shared this video on fb tonight, and it got me wondering about the recent article in the papers about animal activist against Resorts World Sentosa from keeping a whale shark in their supposed aquarium, that might prove to be the biggest in the world. subsequently the overall debate on whether animals should be held in captivity for the 'entertainment' of people.

i understand the concerns of the activists, not too long ago 2 whale sharks died within 5 months of each other at the georgia aquarium. it's really sad to see such magnificent creatures die because they are in captivity. i feel that it could be worse not having had a chance to see how magnificent they are. i dont think God ever planned for animals to be captured and displayed, as they are in zoos and aquariams all across the world. however He never said that we cant do so either.

is it really cruel to keep them in captivity? yes, no freedom to move around and the ecosystems out there are not balanced once one particular organism is removed from the picture. will it not be easier to study these creatures and find ways to prolong their lives when they're in captivity? no doubt in their natural environment is where they thrive, which would be the best place to study them, but some day, the world's natural habitiats will be destroyed, and the only living specimens will be found in captivity, what then?

how about food? sharks' fin for example. what's wrong with consuming sharks' fin soup? God gave us the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, and the animals that walked on land for food. no doubt He didnt say that after we cut off the fins, we throw the body back into the sea, that part i disagree with. and i want to state this first, before i carry on, i'm not some christian extremist that quotes everything from the bible to prove a point. if the said animal is available for consumption, why not? why is it wrong to eat dogs? just because they have been domesticated, and we share a bond between human and dog?

after watching the video, i'm not swayed to think that it's a great idea to have an aquarium and keep a whale shark. in fact, i'm just in awe of the wonders of God's creation, and how sometimes, there are people that are opposed to the things in life that we create, but yet, will never come close to experiencing it anywhere else.

Posted by charles at 12:57 AM