Sixty-six million years ago, scientists claimed that the earth had moved into its next geological era. The Cenozoic Era or otherwise known for by its popular name, The Age of Mammals is the current time period human beings have existed and still exist in today. The interesting aspect about the time period is that no other living organism on the planet has dominated the earth like humans. Having no major predators, far more intelligent brain and mobile skills, and the ability to communicate, educated, and invent the human race controls planet earth and all other species within it. Power and domination are a dangerous combination, especially when put into the hands of an intelligent species. I believe one of the most concerning aspects is that
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This particular visit was exciting because I knew the baby beluga whale had been born last spring. As we arrived at the aquarium, I rushed towards the beluga exhibit anxiously awaiting to see the baby and her mom swimming together in their tank. As we walked up the stairs to the exhibit, black curtains fell over the glass walls, and a Georgia Aquarium worker was standing in front the exhibit. Confused, I walked over to her and asked, “Why is the beluga whale tank shut down, and where is the baby whale?”. Her tired eyes lit up when I said the word baby whale, and she looked startled, she than said, “We have two new whales from the Chicago Aquarium adjusting to their new environment, the exhibit will be reopened in a week.”, she then paused and reluctantly said, “As for the baby and her mom, they both died”. These two innocent belugas are just a few out of hundreds of deaths in animal institutions across the globe. Animal captivity institutions in the United States are not providing adequate animal treatment and welfare to the majority of animals contained in zoos and aquariums. A solution to improving animal containment standards is to revise animal care manuals to ensure institutions have certain requirements met for their housed animals. Another solution would be to install laws around keeping certain species that are highly intelligent, require social daily interactions, and need environments impossible to replicate in captivity
This particular visit was exciting because I knew the baby beluga whale had been born last spring. As we arrived at the aquarium, I rushed towards the beluga exhibit anxiously awaiting to see the baby and her mom swimming together in their tank. As we walked up the stairs to the exhibit, black curtains fell over the glass walls, and a Georgia Aquarium worker was standing in front the exhibit. Confused, I walked over to her and asked, “Why is the beluga whale tank shut down, and where is the baby whale?”. Her tired eyes lit up when I said the word baby whale, and she looked startled, she than said, “We have two new whales from the Chicago Aquarium adjusting to their new environment, the exhibit will be reopened in a week.”, she then paused and reluctantly said, “As for the baby and her mom, they both died”. These two innocent belugas are just a few out of hundreds of deaths in animal institutions across the globe. Animal captivity institutions in the United States are not providing adequate animal treatment and welfare to the majority of animals contained in zoos and aquariums. A solution to improving animal containment standards is to revise animal care manuals to ensure institutions have certain requirements met for their housed animals. Another solution would be to install laws around keeping certain species that are highly intelligent, require social daily interactions, and need environments impossible to replicate in captivity