Using animals to entertain is cruel

Thank you for your April 28 editorial, “The average bear may outsmart some humans.”

People need to understand that using wild animals such as bears, tigers and primates in entertainment is as inherently dangerous as it is cruel. Those who do not attack, maul and kill people, and serve their purpose without incident, are frequently killed, neglected or sold off to research institutions or roadside zoos when they are no longer useful in making people money.

Chimpanzees, for instance, are torn from their mothers as infants, endure horrific training methods, “perform” for a few years, and then are tossed away like garbage when they become too big and too strong to safely use around people. If they’re not bringing in cash, what’s the use in keeping them around?

Studies have proven that the use of such animals in entertainment does nothing to educate people about their true behavior, their status in the wild, or the issues their habitats are facing. The fact is that wildlife is simply spectacular as it is — wild.

Zibby Wilder