The Miami Herald has published a heartwarming article about a Florida couple who lived modestly but donated lavishly. Among the many things that make this couple appealing was that they gave anonymously, requiring charities to withhold their identities until after they died. You simply cannot read this article and not fall in love with the generous and humble Winnie and Al Sami. But there is a catch.

The Samis loved animals and donated at least $800,000 to help them. Unfortunately, they directed their charitable giving to a zoo, which doesn’t help animals but instead holds them captive for life – unable to do what would come naturally to them in the wild and treated like an exhibit.

I don’t begrudge the Samis for donating to a zoo. They were kind people who simply didn’t know better. Had they been educated about the inherent cruelty of zoos, perhaps they would have directed their millions to liberating animals instead of helping to keep them imprisoned. The lesson for me here is that education will lead to liberation. I believe that million, of well-intended people like the Samis would change their behavior if they had the information. But the burden falls on us to educate the good guys.

Please use this article as an opportunity to submit a letter to the editor of the Miami Herald expressing your point of view about zoos.

Winni & Al Sami (Photo: Zoo Miami)

The Bluffdale rodeo in Utah has cancelled its Barnyard Bonanza in which “little cowboys and cowgirls” chase chickens, kittens, goats, rabbits and other small animals. According to advertisements for the event, “Whatever you catch, you get to take home.” On Facebook, the rodeo chairwoman posted a request for unwanted pets to be donated to the event. Animal rights activists, who “were aghast that small animals that had been pets would find themselves in this terrifying environment,” complained loudly enough that the organizers decided to cancel the animal chasing event and distribute stuffed animals to the children instead.

The rodeo advertisement should have read: “Whoever you catch, you get to take home” instead of “Whatever you catch.”  Of course, the rodeo should have never been scheduled in the first place because chasing terrified farm animals and companion animals for sport is barbaric, as is teaching children that this type of activity is acceptable. Learn more about rodeo cruelty and see how you can help stop them.

Animal rights activists are saying “Thanks, but no tanks” in response to SeaWorld’s announcement that they are expanding the size of their killer whale enclosures. While refusing to admit that the larger tanks are a concession to animal rights activists, SeaWorld said the new habitats will be “not just larger but more dynamic, and with a lot more of the kind of mental and physical stimulation that we know is so important for overall health and well-being.”

Rendition of expanded tank

Why would SeaWorld invest millions of dollars in larger tanks? Based on the plummeting stock price, the public has already decided, thanks in large part to Blackfish, that the killer whales should not be held captive. The whale enclosures will eventually go either because people Boycott SeaWorld or because laws will be passed to outlaw them. To join the fight to free the imprisoned orcas, please see the Blackfish Take Action page.

Horses who pull carriages in the extreme summer heat of Antalya, Turkey, are painted with carcinogenic oil to cover up work-related injuries, such as harness rubs. The Antalya Bar Association’s animal rights council, which has filed a criminal complaint against the carriage operators, says that the 15 horses pull carriages for up to 14 hours/day before returning to “restricted spaces in poor sanitary conditions.”

DHA Photo

When faced with criticism, horse-drawn carriage drivers assert that they have to take care of their horses because their horses earn them a living. That sounds compelling, but it’s simply not true. With an overpopulation of horses (like dogs and cats), disposing of sick and injured horses and replacing them with healthy ones is far less expensive than providing appropriate medical care in the first place. Carriage horses, like circus elephants and captive dolphins, are not companion animals; they are money-making commodities who are exploited until they can no longer turn a profit for their owners. To learn more about why horse-drawn carriages are inherently inhumane and unsafe so that you can speak out against horse-drawn carriages, please see Blinders.

Three animal rights groups in Thailand are petitioning the fisheries department to deny a zoo license to a planned dolphinarium in the beach resort of Phuket. SEEK Phuket, DolphinProject.org, and the Love Wildlife Foundation have hosted several events to condemn the dolphinarium, including a speech by Richard O’Barry from the documentary film, The Cove. In a statement, the head of the Love Wildlife Foundation said, “We’re basically taking these animals from the wild to die in a show for our entertainment.” The Ukrainian company that is building the dolphinarium is already selling tickets for shows starting in October. In 2011, Thai activists protested the opening of a “swim with dolphins” concession in Pattaya.

Pattaya Dolphin World (EPA Photo)

Captive dolphins are kidnapped from their families in ocean during a brutal roundup; trained to perform tricks through food deprivation; confined for life in small enclosures and deprived of the ability to do anything that comes naturally to them. These intelligent mammals who have sophisticated social lives are reduced to photo ops. If “swimming with dolphins” is on your bucket list, please cross it off and help Rick O’Barry bring an end to dolphin zoos.