The Animal Athlete!

Many Animals Are involved in Sporting Events...

The animal athlete, in a sense, is a type of working animal.  Many types of sports include human and animal participation in varying degrees.  A few of the sports include: rodeos, dogsledding, horse racing, greyhound racing, agility competitions, elephant polo, dog-fighting, pigeon racing, bear baiting, camel wrestling, hunting, fishing, obedience trials, show jumping, and dressage.

Talking Points:

• Olympic Games
• Highly Trained Animals
• Natural vs Unnatural Activities
• Overworked
• Profit
• Animal Achievments
• Education
• Satisfaction Gained
• Death
• Animals in Peak Condition

Sources:
(a) International Debate Education Association (IDEA)
(b) Library Index

Do you think the animal athlete is well-trained competitor or are humans exploiting these creatures?  Are these legitimate sports or should they be illegal?  WA2S.org wants to know what you think?  Are these topics something that we should focus a lens upon in the coming year?

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--MW

Does Captive Breeding Help or Hinder?

What is your opinion about captive breeding?  

Captive breeding is the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife preserves, zoos and other facilities. Captive populations are established for many reasons, including  conservation, education, exhibit of interesting species, the exotic pet trade and research.

Talking Points:

• Extinction
• Reintroduction to the wild
• Biodiversity and the health of ecosystems
• Inbreeding
• Exotic Pet Trade
• Genetic diversity
• Puppy Mills

Sources:
(a) Wikipedia
(b) Smithsonian National Zoological Park
(c) Born Free USA
(d) National Wildlife Federation
(e) Humane Society of the United States 

Click here for Lesson Plans for Teachers from National Geographic Expeditions

Do you have an interesting story about captive breeding programs?  Do you think this is a topic that WA2S.org should document?   Join WA2S.org in exploring these human + animal interactions to study how our world is evolving.  Share you ideas today.

--MW