Captive Wildlife Advocacy

Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!
S. A. E. N.
"Exposing the truth to wipe out animal experimentation"

Captive Wildlife Issues

The USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service, Animal Care Division is responsible for regulation of all commercial breeders, dealers, exhibitors, handlers and transporters of captive wild animals in this country. This includes zoos, circuses, private individuals engaged in display or breeding of wildlife, land and air transport and entities engaged in public exhibition of wild animals.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for captive endangered species through captive wildlife breeding permits and is responsible for all wildlife in this country including endangered species. They handle all permits for endangered species transported in and out of this country and now through the Lacey Act are responsible for interstate transportation of large cats and primates.

State Wildlife Agencies in many states have authority over captive wildlife and always have authority over wildlife issues.

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is responsible for all transactions concerning endangered or threatened species internationally that may transfer between this country and any others.

Wild animals cannot be tamed, only trained to obey commands. They will always remain wild and dangerous.

Safety of these animals in captivity is a paramount concern as is the issue of public safety when wild animals are displayed or held in neighborhoods or community areas. Animals suffer and die in captivity daily. Trainers die from fatal animal attacks. Members of the public die during performance situations, rides, picture sessions or handling exhibitions. Private individual owners die thinking they can enter cages and interact with these animals. Unsuspecting members of the public die from diseases transferred from captive wildlife to human hosts and visa-versa. Tuberculosis, monkeypox and hepatitis are but a few examples of these.

Animals in captivity suffer from related stress leading to psychological problems such as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and stereotypies. Enclosures are small and barren, containing no reality with fake rocks, fake trees and fake substrates. While visually pleasing, cages and enclosures bear no resemblance to the natural environments these animals rely upon for existence. This artificial environment causes animals to exhibit aberrant behaviors such as swaying and rocking or lethargy from sheer boredom and lack of space.

Training wild animals involves dominance and pain for animals. The animals’ spirits are broken during the training process through deprivation and beatings. They are taught to rely on the trainer to relieve their suffering by following the trainer’s orders and commands. Trainers rarely allow you to speak to or be near the animals in their charge. They want the animals to respond only to them and feel disconnected to members of the public who may wish to help end their suffering. Tools such as an ankus or bullhook are used with elephants on tender areas of skin to inflict pain during training sessions. Dowel rods and chains may be used in combination to break an animal’s spirit. Food and water deprivation and separation from other animals combine to create a torturous atmosphere that makes the animal believe the trainer is the only way to escape pain and suffering.

SAEN is devoted to ending the suffering of these animals and exposing these issues through media and complaints.

No more secrets, no more torture and no more cages!





Wildlife (not captive)


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