Category: Animals in Entertainment

Issues surrounding use of animal in entertainment

Longleat criticised for importing koalas for money-making.

Visitors to animal attractions should not be fooled by all the conservation hype.

Longleat Safari Park came under intense criticism in October 2018 by the Born Free Foundation for importing five southern Koala bears half-way round the world from eastern Australia to stock their new “Koala Creek” attraction. Although Longleat strongly refuted the suggestion that the attraction was a “money-making” venture and insisted it was a vital conservation and research project it is strange that two wombats were also obtained along with some Pottoroos to form the new “Koala Creek” located next to the Giant Otters and Crocodiles. Whether scientific or money making it did wonders in increasing footfall and publicity for the park. 

One has already died unnecessarily in the name of conservation.

There was so much wrong with this enterprise including the timing of its opening on the 29th. March just as the school Easter holidays were approaching which cannot have been a coincidence. Longleat were also quick to point out and promote the attraction as the only place in the UK to see Koalas.  It is so similar to the Chinese hiring out Giant pandas for zoos to increase their income.

One female Koala tragically died  soon after arrival from kidney failure.  Luckily it wasn’t Dennis the only male of the five otherwise the ‘breeding programme’ would have been a non-starter. Apparently Dennis was found to be too young to breed anyway so this necessitated another “rare” male 12 year old Koala named Burke, a proven breeder, travelling 10,000 miles from a zoo in Japan. So far it would appear that neither Dennis or Burke are making much headway in saving the world’s koala species. 

There is also the question of how “vulnerable” Koala numbers are, as Australian authorities have in the past allegedly killed at least 700 koalas in euthanasia culls in coastal bushland areas near Melbourne because of overpopulation and “for their own good”. Koala  populations are “strong” in southern Australia according to many sources and there are dozens of sanctuaries, zoos, wildlife parks and attractions throughout Australia that have them in captivity. 

The Koalas have not been but from a pseudo wildlife park called Cleland Park which is one of the few in Australia where you can manhandle and cuddle these shy, sedate and easily stressed animals for an extra fee to have your photograph taken. This behaviour is finally being phased out by most other similar enterprises.

male tiger in zoo

Lions and Tigers killed at Longleat.

It is not the first time that Longleat has come under scrutiny as in 2014 The Mail on Sunday newspaper alleged that they had a lion breeding programme to ensure there are always cubs on show and that they had killed adults and cubs in the past. In February 2019 a female tiger named Amur was killed in a fight with two other tigers and two other female tigers died an early death, one from cancer and the other from a heart attack brought on by a routine medical operation. These were part of another breeding programme which produced two cubs in 2019, but obviously not doing much to increase the endangered tiger population with all the deaths.

Zoo conservation programmes are often not what they seem and the animals often suffer the consequences of the research. Zoos like to hide behind their conservation and educational credentials rather than admit that they are predominately part of the entertainment industry and for this reason it is not surprising that some people may approach such projects cynically and view them unethical. I hope that everyone who visits such attractions should not be fooled by all the conservation hype and appreciate what animals have gone through to provide a day’s entertainment.

Tourists abroad risking life and limb.
What is Zoonasia?

Abusing animals for entertainment is pure showmanship

Entertainment, Education or unnnecessary invasion of their space.

There is definitely a fine line between presenting an educational wildlife show or documentary and using such a programme or film as a vehicle to becoming a showman or celebrity. The late Steve Irwin alias the Crocodile Hunter achieved celebrity status and famously died under tragic circumstances.

Although much adored and respected his actions could be viewed as no different than a circus entertainer, just a showman whose antics publicised his zoo and gave totally the wrong impression on how animals should be treated and acted around. But this didn’t stop the media labeling him as a wildlife expert, conservationist, TV personality and all round good guy.

Provoking animals makes good television

He appeared to show little empathy towards animals but went out of his way to dominate them by provoking, taunting and aggravating them to get a reaction on the pretext of demonstrating their natural behaviour and this obviously made entertaining television rather than the animal just sitting and contemplating its surroundings.

Presenter, conservationist or pure showman.

Unfortunately for Steve Irwin he goaded or invaded the space of one animal too many and it took its revenge, or was it just reacting naturally to a threat. It was a needless tragedy brought about by unnecessary wish to show off and entertain. Such behaviour no doubt inspires other would be “showmen” or “he-men” to produce TV programmes and even encourage other people to act in the same way towards animals.

He-man of natural history.

In the UK the Radio Times described Steve Backshall as the ‘he-man of natural history’ due to his ‘how close can I get and still walk away’ doctrine of approaching potentially lethal creatures in many of his TV series. His modus operandi involved tormenting and aggravating and goading them into a reaction.

There are many reality and pseudo-wildlife programs fronted by celebrities and heroic presenters which involve killing animals or stressing them and we even have extreme fishing whereby poor fish that have taken decades to grow to an enormous size are depicted as “monsters”, hunted down, caught and killed just for perverse entertainment.

Killing a caiman on Bear Grylls TV entertainment programme The Island. Channel 4.

Such programs have unfortunately become very popular because we seem drawn to these personalities treating them almost as heroes and we do not question whether their actions and methods are benefiting the animals they are ‘presenting’.

David Attenborough critical of killing animals for entertainment.

David Attenborough recently criticised Bear Grylls for killing animals for entertainment on his reality shows. So-called celebrities were encouraged to unnecessarily kill animals to “survive” in the name of charity to prove some inane survival point. David Attenborough was quoted as stating “we’ve never killed an animal [in a film]. Bear Grylls will have to answer for himself”.

The presenter also came under fire in 2016 when a so-called reality star killed a crocodile by stabbing it in the neck. Animal rights supporters argued that the crocodile was not killed humanely and that it was done purely for ‘entertainment’, was unnecessary, and sent out the wrong message about the status and use of animals. More recently he was accused of exploiting animals for greed by opening a shark attraction and criticised for promoting the use of snares in his Bear Grylls Survival Guide which was withdrawn from sale.

It may all be good television, as reptiles and fish are notoriously difficult to encourage to put on a good show, but surely it is unnecessary and only promotes the doctrine that it is OK to view animals as objects to dominate and subjugate, tease and provoke and even kill without compunction – not really the ideal impression to give young people.

Those involved argue that it is educational  in trying to prove their natural behaviour and animals are not “harmed”, but most wildlife documentaries seem able to do this without such unnatural interference. Now that we have the technology to produce such wonderful wildlife and nature documentaries such as the Blue Planet is it not time for such archaic television presenting to be consigned to history?

Born Free ditches Martin Clunes – an opportunity missed.
Invading their space – animal encounters.
The lure of ‘get up close’ animal attractions