The Pros And Cons Of Animal Captivity

Any levelheaded person would love to have a soft baby tiger napping on their lap. Although petting a tiger would be a dream come true for many people, are there any physical or mental implications the baby tiger might endure? Is it morally justified for one’s wishes to be granted at the sake of an animal 's welfare? Should animals be used for one’s amusement or should they merely be left to their own device? Animal captivity brings forth its own set of problems even when the desire to conserve is present. Zoos and wildlife sanctuaries are the most common forms of animal captivity. In the episode Morgan See, Morgan Do, from the television show Inside Man, Morgan Spurlock investigates the morality and functionality of differing zoos and sanctuaries. …show more content…
Morgan Spurlock uses pathos to draw out the viewer 's emotions toward captive animals. He carefully does this by displaying pictures of the gorillas from the Detroit Zoo while remarking, “It’s pretty disappointing to hear that they’re suffering from heart disease, an illness they likely wouldn’t have in the wild, and it really makes me question why we would want to keep breeding more animals in captivity that may suffer the same fate.” The application of the video clips of the gorillas makes the viewer connect emotionally to them which results in the viewer paying more attention to their welfare. Spurlock also uses the bold word, “suffer”, to describe the gorillas condition which suggests that he insinuates the animals are miserable. This is his way to invoke pity by making the viewer think deeply about the gorillas physical state which are often overlooked when people visit them at the zoo. Spurlock also includes video of the gorilla’s aggressive and anxious behavior that he thinks may be caused by captivity. The viewer sees this behavior and feels a sense of disturbance. By doing this, Spurlock successfully uses pathos to spark emotions within the viewers that increased their focus on his