Despite the fact that zoos profess to educate and preserve various animal species, they often fall quite short on both counts. Most visitors to zoos spend only a few minutes at each cage, seeking entertainment rather than education. Most zoo enclosures are quite small, and labels provide little more information than the species' name, diet, and natural range. The animals' normal behavior is seldom discussed, much less observed, because their natural needs are seldom met. Birds' wings may be clipped so they cannot fly, aquatic animals often have little water, and the many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are often kept alone or, at most, in pairs. Natural hunting and mating behaviors are virtually eliminated by regulated feeding and breeding regimens. The animals are closely confined, lack privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise, resulting in abnormal and self-destructive behavior, called zoochosis.

     Zoos remain now, as always more a "collection" of interesting items rather than actual havens or simulated habitats. Zoos teach people, and more often than not children, that it is acceptable to keep animals imprisoned, bored, cramped, and lonely and far from their natural homes (PETA).

     Rodeos are promoted as rough and tough exercises of human skill and courage in conquering the fierce, untamed beasts of the Wild West. In reality, rodeos are nothing more than manipulative displays of human domination over animals, thinly disguised as entertainment. What began in the late 1800s as a skill contest among cowboys has become a show motivated by greed and profit.

     Typical rodeo events include calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback horse and bull riding, saddle bronco riding and steer roping. The animals used in rodeos are captive performers. Because of the harsh treatment they receive, they are understandably distrustful of humans. Most rodeo animals are not aggressive by nature, but are provoked into exhibiting "wild" behavior in order to make the cowboys look brave.

     Electric rods, sharp sticks and other tortuous devices are used to enrage and iritate rodeo animals. The "bucking" strap used to make horses and bulls buck is tightly cinched around their abdomens, where there is no rib cage protection. The belt pinches the groin and genitals and causes the animal to buck, which is what rodeo promoters want in order to put on a "good show". The final destination of these animals is often the slaughter house (Free all Animals).

     At best, the term "bullfighting" is a misnomer, as there is usually little competition between the sword of a nimble matador (Spanish for "killer") and a confused, maimed, psychologically tormented, and physically debilitated bull. Supporters justify the act by calling it a tradition. Opponents maintain that no matter what the history, bullfighting is torturous animal mutilation and slaughter.

     Bullfighting is the tradition of “Fiesta Brava” which in translation would be like the party of the brave or something like that. However this tradition is far from a fiesta, since upon entering the ring, the bull is repeatedly stabbed by the matador, two picadors on horses and three men on foot. Once the bull is completely weakened by blood loss, fear and exhaustion the matador tries to make a clean kill with a sword to the heart. Unfortunately for the bull, the matador is rarely successful on the first try and must make several attempts, often missing the bull's heart and piercing his lungs instead. Often a dagger must be used to cut the bull's spinal cord to spare the audience the sight of a defenseless animal in the throes of death.

     People who support this absurd and cruel tradition say that is a way of art that clearly shows that men are better than beast. If this was the truth we have to remind these supporters that the fight is not a fair and equal fight. Bulls are routinely debilitated with tranquilizing drugs and laxatives, have heavy weights hung around their necks for weeks before the fight, endure beatings to the kidneys, have petroleum jelly rubbed into their eyes to blur vision, and are confined to darkness for hours before being released into the bright arena.
Many bulls also have their horns "shaved" before the fight. Shaving a bull's horns involves literally sawing off several inches of the horns so the bull will miss his lunges. Which make the fight notoriously favorable for the matador.

     Additionally, bulls are not the only victims in the ring. Horses used in bullfights are also victimized. Blindfolded so they cannot run away, the horses are used to draw the terrified and confused bull into an attack. Two men on horseback repeatedly spear the bull, while the horse takes the punishment. Although they are wrapped in padding, horses are regularly injured and killed in bullrings (Free the Animals).

     Drug abuse, injuries to horses, race fixing, organized crime, and declining public interest have all become integral to the horse racing industry. The industry's whips and blinders are visible reminders that horse racing is merely another form of animal exploitation.

     Racehorses have a drug problem; many have been turned into junkies by their trainers and even by veterinarians, who frequently provide drugs to keep horses on the track even when they shouldn't be racing. Commonly used drugs such as Lasix (furosemide) and Bute (phenylbutazone) relieve symptoms like pain and bleeding but don't treat the underlying disorders. Horses are forced to race with hairline fractures that would, without drugs, be too painful to run on. As a result, injuries and chronic lameness are common. Horses who fail to bring in winnings are rarely rewarded with an easy retirement; more likely, they will suffer an unceremonious early death, and their flesh will be sold overseas for human consumption or rendered into dog food or glue.
Former racers' journeys from the winner's circle to the killing floor are hardly a bed of roses. Horses may endure up to 36-hour-long trips in double-decker cattle trucks (which are too low for them to stand in without hanging their heads or falling to their knees) with no stops for food, water, or rest. Even horses who are injured on the track face these arduous trips. According to Bob Baker, horse owners and trainers "drug these horses up with Bute, steroids, all this stuff to get them to race when they shouldn't be, but when the horse breaks down, they don't euthanize him because with the price of horsemeat they can get more money if they get him to the slaughterhouse live [a requirement for horsemeat meant for human consumption]. So they'll stick that horse on the trailer with a broken leg, without any painkillers because they're too cheap to give the horse medication.
Very few horses earn high stakes, become famous, and appear to lead glamorous lives. The vast majority lead stressful lives, which all too often involve crippling injuries and premature deaths. Regardless of their success, racehorses commonly end up at the slaughterhouse once their owners can no longer profit from them (PETA).

Every year, hundreds of carriage horses in the United States and around the world are used, abused, and then slaughtered. That is of course, if they are not killed on the streets first. According to the Carriage Horse Action Committee, the average working life of a carriage horse in New York City is less than four years. As much as the operators of horse and carriage operations would like us to believe that their trade is "romantic", it is anything but that in today's crowded cities. Horses are made to work long hours in all types of weather, battle traffic, breathe exhaust fumes from buses, trucks and cars. In general, horses are not adequately watered, since the sight of a horse urinating is "bad for business".

Lameness and hoof deterioration are inevitable consequences of a life spent unnaturally walking and jogging on the asphalt of city streets. In New York City, we enjoy the dubious distinction of having the highest carriage horse accident rate in the country. Carriage horse accidents occur in every city that allows this cruel trade to continue. Weather conditions also play a huge role. In 1994, two horses died within a 16 day period of hot summer weather. Another year, three horses died on the same day, followed by a fourth shortly afterwards.

The good news is that more and more people are refusing to patronize this cruel trade. In fact, pressure from concerned residents has resulted in bans on carriage horses in a number of cities, including Palm Beach, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Las Vegas, Nevada; London; Paris and Toronto (PETA).