Speech Rough Draft:
Wild Animals; captive and caged, with no escape. Good morning fellow classmates and teachers.
Animals should not be held in captivity. My topic relates to the unit sharing the planet. Why do
we need aquariums? Why do we need zoos? Why do we find wild animals held captive in small
spaces so entertaining?
Why is it that we think we have to cage wild animals in order to learn about them? Lots of
wildlife photographers go out into the animal’s natural habitats in order to study animals and
their behavior. For example; Robert Bateman, he goes out into the wild to paint and take pictures
of these amazing creatures. Some people say that aquariums do important research and help
endangered animals. My question is why can’t we do this research without having to hold wild
animals captive. Animal reserves are better but they need to have a bigger area for the animals
that are living in it. The latest advertisement for the Vancouver Aquarium is there’s a new bird in
town. Well, I went to see this new bird and saw 6 penguins from South Africa huddled on a tiny
rock ledge with a very small pool of water to swim in. It made me feel sad.
People say we need aquariums and zoos because the money raised is needed for research
and protection of endangered animals. Why are these animals endangered in the first place? In
many cases it’s because humans have destroyed the habitats belonging to these animals. On the
Born Free Foundation website I learned a lot about whales and dolphins. Whales live in family
groups called pods which can have up to 30 family members. In an aquarium they can be on their
own or with 2 or 3 other whales they are not even related to. In the wild they travel many
kilometers using echolocation to communicate. Can’t do that in any aquarium I know. I watched
a 2009 documentary called The Cove which exposes the truth about the capture and slaughter of
dolphins in Japan. I thought it was depressing but also amazing that the film makers went into
that cove and felt so strongly that they risked their lives to uncover the truth. How many of you
would want to see a poor animal stuck in a cage trying to escape and be free or watch an animal
being slaughtered for their meat. Put your hands straight up. If hands up then say “I wouldn’t” if
not many hands say “see”. Earlier this year I went on a hockey trip to the sunshine coast and I
saw a group of 10 dolphins swimming alongside the boat. It was amazing. For me it was much
more memorable than watching a dolphin perform a trick in an aquarium. We need to be creative
and find other ways to raise the money for animal research and conservation. Let’s keep wild
animals in the wild where they belong.
Thank You!