This isn't a put-down for people who like it, but I'm against using what should be animals in the wild for entertainment. I got so upset at Seaworld that I thought DS was going to have to slap me across the face when we were standing next to that small tank with the dolphins. I was talking about how they looked so miserable and he kept nudging me to shut up because there were people there who had paid a lot of money trying to enjoy the dolphins and here I'm raining on their parade. (I really wasn't talking very loud, I swear!) The only reason why we went was because our son wanted to go so badly so I gave in and was sorry I didn't just tell them to go without me.

I've always hated circus animal acts but that's partly because I'm afraid of clowns. Yes, I know, I'm a little on the nutty side. I also dislike dog and horse racing, mainly because they are disposable when they aren't winning anymore.

Again, I'm not judging anyone who likes it, just don't include me.

I saw them in Las Vegas, and it was awesome.

Yes I saw them on stage in vegas, front row seats. It was amazing in that I could see *nothing* as hard as I tried to find doors or wires or mirrors or anything else. And yes the tigers did appear magically on stage and seemed to be quite docile.

They were also very healthy and well cared for.

I didn't see the segment but I agree I am in awe of people who can have such a connection. That said, though, I agree with Rita that it does not sit well with me. I have always loved dolphins, but I would never "swim with the dolphins" as I just think it's not right. I feel bad for them. It;s not natural.

Rita I am with you too. though here I sit with a pet cat on my lap.

Frankly having domestic cats ought to inform people as to why it is such a bad idea to play with the big ones. Even the sweetest and most laid back kitty gets the crazies once in a while and does something that in a big cat could do some serious harm. One of mine will up and bite my toes in bed. Ouchy with tiny Bitsy who gets scolded but a tiger would take off your foot.

Hey, I have a dog, I've had pets all my life. I am not a vegan, I don't belong to PETA, I'm not an animal activist. I just don't like seeing animals that are not domesticated put into environments other than what they naturally belong in. I feel that for whatever reason domesticated animals, whether they be food animals or pets, gravitated to humans and their environment for a reason, whether it be for our protection or for easy living, whatever. The marine mammals really are the ones that I can't bear seeing in those small tanks - I don't care how well they are treated or fed, they are supposed to have the entire planet's oceans to roam. To me it's like taking a human baby, sticking it in a closet and keeping it there until it dies.

It's a horrible hangover from when slave holding was permitted and defended. So the animals are healthy? Well cared for? I don't think I'd be grateful to be a healthy slave. I remember going to the zoo as a child, watching the lions pacing pacing pacing, back and forth in their cages. I wondered why they did that. I didn't see that they were only trying to keep from going crazy. So Siegfried & Roy keep their animal slaves occupied so they aren't bored. They feed them. That isn't a life for a tiger.

ritaweeda

This isn't a put-down for people who like it, but I'm against using what should be animals in the wild for entertainment.

~~~

Dear Rita -- you are a kind person to apologise to forum members you don't know. In real life, I do my best to make my case to friends who like that kind of entertainment. I can do it without insulting them. But I think that here, in a forum, you can just come right out and say you don't like it without conditions or apologies.

I saw them years ago in Vegas..,amazing connection between man and beast!

White tigers aren't a species -- they are the result of the meeting of recessive genes. So, any tigers in the wild might produce white tigers.

Annie I honestly believe that there are worse things than death or extinction.

I agree, Rita. Keeping something from extinction for no reason other than human entertainment, is no reason. If an animal can be saved and their habitat has not been destroyed, then saving them to release into the wild might be worth it.

We also saw the act in Vegas. Awesome!

I also saw a show, with the living situation of Siegfried & Roy. They have tiger swimming pools and free range around the house. They meditated next to the tigers and the one tiger closed it's eyes and looked like it was loving the "vibes" and company of their human "companions". The tigers didn't do "tricks"....they just stood next to a human or walked along side when they suddenly appeared. We had company last night.....wish I'd seen 20/20.

My dad saw them in Vegas many years ago, maybe the late 70s or early 80s? He said it was the most expensive show he’d ever seen, about $90, and it was totally worth it. He was astounded by the magic and by the tigers.

I watched it last night and finished today. Great show. I never saw them in person but wish I could have. They are making a movie about their life now. I will be waiting for it.

We saw the show and it was phenomenal.

Sorry, but I do not happen to believe it is better for animals to go extinct than to be saved. These days, zoos are at the forefront of breeding to help save threatened species.

Some species have even managed to be re-introduced into the wild under such breeding programs. Especially valuable is the exchange of animals between zoos to prevent genetic inbreeding, and also the use of artificial insemination.

I agree 100% with the above!! Today, zoos are far more about conservation and protection of endangered species than they are with providing the public with an assortment of wild animals for their viewing pleasure. If it weren't for a few key zoos across the globe, we would already be missing at least 6 species of animal. Unfortunately, the growing human population and loss of habitat (and we can throw in global warming as well) makes releasing some these on-the-brink-of-extinction species back into the wild virtually impossible.

Did anyone see the 60 minutes show a few years back about how zoos will kill perfectly healthy animals because they have no place for them? The show was talking mainly about a healthy male giraffe, his name began with an M. Mattias or something like that. They even fed him to the lions in front of a bunch of school children after killing him. A friend has a daughter who works at a zoo, and this is common practice.

The sad thing is you can typically only preserve a likeness of these animals. Just like humans they learn a lot of what they are from each other and their environment and that is lost.

Siegfried and Roy bred and raised their tigers, I don't know if they still do or not. They do not take animals from the wild. And well cared for tigers live a considerable number of years longer in captivity than those in the wild do. This world would be a pretty dismal place if on one had ever tried to domesticate a wild animal. True, not all "wild" animals in captivity are treated well, but neither are all domestic animals. For that matter, neither are all children.

I thought the show was really good, very interesting, and I hoped others had enjoyed it as much as I did.

Rusty

Siegfried and Roy provided a wonderful environment for their tigers, compared to the miserable existence so many other captive animals suffer. There are horrible "zoos" around the world where big cats and other animals are starved, beaten, kept in horrible conditions, and people don't care. Just look up zoos in china, india, the middle east, etc. It just breaks your heart.

Even exotic animal laws and permits in the USA are much too lax and unregulated in many states and as a result, there are so many privately owned exotics leading miserable lives. Do private citizens really need to own a tiger or lion or other exotic animal they cannot provide for adequately?

I think that some may have read a little more into my feelings about this than they should have. I never said anything about disliking zoos. Of course I dislike any zoo or private concern that keeps wild animals in unsuitable conditions. My big beef is where people use the animals for entertainment or in any way that lines their pockets financially. I doubt that the way these animals are kept live up to the standards of the large zoos where the animals have large habitats similar to where they originated from. We also have private "wildlife sanctuaries" around here who - I'm sorry - they depend on donations for entrance to see the animals and they are not suitable. I think they use these animals as a way to make a living for themselves and nothing else. Well - they might be telling others and themselves that they are doing it "for the sake of the animals" but I don't believe it.

From https://www.2ndchance.info/bigcatdiet.htm:

" Various field studies have estimated that mature wild tigers and lions consume between 10 and 25 pounds of prey a day. This is between 4 and 7% of their body weight. This is only a theoretical average. In the wild tigers and lions will gorge up to one hundred pounds at one sitting and then fast for many days."

That's just for food - not vet care or housing. Multiply that food cost per day times "X" number of years, for however long the big cat lives.

Not a small sum by any calculations.

I have never seen them nor have I wanted to. No particular reason, just not something that interests me. I do love a zoo though. Life for a wild animal IN THE WILD is not frolicking and fun. It is a hard life. They are not traipsing about the oceans or deserts or plains because of a desire for space. They are trying to scrape out an existence. They are chasing food and water and a breeding mate once in a while. Nothing more.

Animals in sanctuaries are unable to be returned to the wild for whatever reason. And they cost money to feed and safely house. That is why zoos charge entrance fees as well. I have never heard of an animal sanctuary making anyone rich. What else is to be done with these animals? Kill them to save them?