This week's tragedy at Sea World is just the latest in a long series of deaths related to man's inappropriate interaction with wild creatures. While zoos can play an important role in education and conservation, the use of wild animals as pets or for human entertainment deludes the public and tempts disaster.
Yet, animal menageries, circuses, stage performances and theme parks continue the practice, claiming to celebrate the magnificence of these creatures while stripping them of their freedom and dignity. Feeding on the human impulse to "tame nature," these shows highlight our limited success. Alas, the repeated tragedies remind us that we cannot control the natural instincts that dwell within these powerful creatures.
Convinced of our divine right to govern this planet, we humans impose our will on "lesser mammals," capturing or killing them for a host of reasons, from trophy hunting to the procurement of aphrodisiacs. Their use for public entertainment is no less abusive and just as dangerous.
