Question and Answer Time.

Dear Beautiful People,

I love questions and appreciate the opportunity to answer to the best of my ability. Here are questions from Shea Brennan and my answers follow. If anyone else has questions please feel free to ask away.

Shea Brennan

My name is Shea and your book inspired me to do my eighth grade research project on the controversial topic of “the unethical treatment of animals in entertainment”. These are the questions I would ask you if you would accept an interview with me, either by email or phone.

What do you think constitutes mistreatment of animals?
What do have to say, in general, of the unethical treatment of animals entertainment?
Do you believe that mistreatment is happening in entertainment?
What happened to animals when they are not in use?
What happened to animals while they were used in television, movies, etc.?

Please let me know if you would be willing to help inform me about this issue. Thank you for your consideration.
~Shea

My Response:

Answers are in Bold under your question.

1. What  do you think constitutes mistreatment of animals?

Not loving the animal.

Not understanding an animals natural behavior.

Not being patient with an animal.

Not respecting the animal.

Starving an animal.

Not playing with the animal and getting it out everyday.

Beating the animal.

Breaking it’s spirit.

Yelling at the animal.

Scaring the animal.

Not keeping the animals home clean everyday.

I can go on, but I think this will give you an idea of how I feel.
2. What do have to say, in general, of the unethical treatment of animals entertainment?

First you are assuming here that all animals are treated unethically in the animal entertainment business and that is a huge falsehood. It is organizations like P.E.T.A that spread the lies and have hurt many people and animals and have torn loving families apart. P.E.T.A. has hurt and killed more animals than any trainer in the entertainment community. With that said, why would an animal handler want to hurt their animal? Animals are highly valued.

Yes, as in anything human, there are those horrible individuals who have hurt an animal on purpose and for no reason, and I do believe they should be hung by their genitals.

Just like parents who abuse their children.

Tangent here:

Is what the general public does not understand is the strength ratio of an animal and a human, and that would take a greater conversation to explain. One example, if you see a handler smack an elephant who weighs 4 to 6 tons, the human weighing 185lbs, and the trainer is trying to get the elephant back in line so it doesn’t get hurt walking on a nail, (the trainer may have seen in the last-minute) The general public would just see a human hitting an elephant for no reason and call it abuse! Where really they were trying to save the elephant from getting hurt. A human smack feels like a fly landing on them.

Captive born and bred animals need to keep their brains active, need to have contact with their human parents as children do, or they shrivel up and that is the real abuse, i.e animals in zoo’s that are never let out of their quarters.

Animals raised in captivity raised with “affection training” are proven to be happier and healthier. They have never had the life that animals in the wild have, so one must do everything in their power to give them a great life in captivity, but the animals themselves don’t miss it! More activists have tried to release captive born and bred animals out in to the wild thinking they were doing a good thing, only to see that animal killed within days as it has no idea how to survive. The animal is terrified.

I guess to I would need to see your interpretation of unethical behaviour in order to elaborate more in the specific area of interest you have.

3. Do you believe that mistreatment is happening in entertainment?

I believe that there are some individuals whom have abused animals, but I do not think it is as vast as the animal activists would have the general public believe it is.
4. What happened to animals when they are not in use?

This is a very broad question, if by “in use” you mean working then I can tell you that many trainers retire their animals to their property to live out their life in a happy, relaxed environment. I cannot speak for all but if you want specifics then I need you to please narrow down your spectrum of interest to a more specific point.

5. What happened to animals while they were used in television, movies, etc.?

Again this is a wide open question. Are you interested in knowing the capacity in which the animals worked, lived, mode of transport, training, diet, or possible abuse? In my family abuse was not tolerated nor encouraged, our animals were family to us, and we had and maintained the utmost mutual respect and understanding capable between trainers and animals.

Animals on location live in temporary stationary homes, these vary depending on the animal and its individual needs and the duration of the work. Diet is consistent during work hours as constructed by the trainer to provide the animal with all essential needs. When animals are not working they are kept at home in their preferred, safe, healthy and optimum environment.

I think your questions are good ones, but as I am not an animal abuser nor do I believe in it, my world and the way I was brought up is very different then what you may understand based on information you have heard about or experienced yourself. IF you have more questions based on my answers please send them.

Hope this helps.

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