The more and more that we learn about animals, we find out that they are more intelligent than we think. Over the years, we have found studies that animals have very similar emotions to the ones us humans have. They go through happiness and grief just like the human race. It is our deed to take care of these animals and institute a sort of “Bill of Rights”

A study where we saw this become a reality is in Koko the gorilla. Francine Patterson was the lead person in this research on Koko. Koko was born speaking her own language. Francine Patterson, better known as Penny Patterson, taught her how to communicate with us through sign language and was very successful. She called this modified sign language the Gorilla Sign Language (GSL). You see that she has feelings and emotion when you see her laughing with her caretaker. You see she feels love when she holds other animals, especially her cat. Koko showed the world that animals know much more than we imagine and why it is important to give them rights, they teach us more about their characteristics and how intelligent they are. Animals need a sort of “Bill Of Rights” to protect them from anything that could potentially put them in danger.

It is incredible how we can learn so much about an animal's habitat with so little information. By just having the creature in the lab and watching how it acts under different climate or looks better, it gives us an idea of how they live day to day. We learn a lot about them and places around the world. Giving them rights would be the right thing to do because they help us out so much that we should be giving back and protect them.

Gorillas are not the only ones that feel. The movie Blackfish directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite explores how killer whales interact with one another and how cruel captivity can be for them. Throughout the film, you see that killer whales are very close to one another. There is love and you call tell by the way they caress each other. We are shown when these precious creatures are split from their moms. It is truly heartbreaking seeing both the baby and momma whale whistle desperately. John Hardgrove, a former Seaworld trainer, described how this situation felt like they were kidnapping a kid from their mom and this is exactly what was going on.

How do you expect for a wild animal to feel comfortable in a pool when they are used to being out in the wild? Just like a human, when put in a small space for an excessive amount of time we feel trapped and in some cases start to feel crazy, I know it happens to me on occasions. Tilikum the whale was a prime example of an animal gone crazy. Tilikum was a male orca held captive at Seaworld and is known for the death of Dawn Brancheau. Each pack speaks different languages and not being able to communicate with anyone was probably an awful experience.

Kayla L. Patama, who studied science/marine biology, wrote a capstone highlighting the pros and cons of zoological parks. She argues that they should focus less on the entertainment side but rather focus on the education side and I completely agree with her. They should teach kids/adults the history of these animals and tell the truths. For years this industry has benefited from these animals and with poor treatment. It is now our time to step up and fight for what they are not able to do. They deserve rights too. They help us learn and we can help them if we work together.

Times have changed and it is time to respect everything around us. We should be protecting earth itself and everything on this beautiful planet rather than destroying it. A law that protects and gives personhood rights to animals that teach us would be a big step in conserving our planet.

Works Cited

Blackfish. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. CNN, Magnolia Pictures. 2013.

Kluger, Jeffrey. “Koko the Gorilla Wasn't Human, But She Taught Us So Much About Ourselves.” Time. 21 June 2018. Accessed 11 October 2018.

Patama, L. Kayla. “Pros and Cons of Marine Zoological Parks According to Marine Conservations.” Nova Southeastern University. 6 December 2017. Accessed 1 October 2018.

“Watch Koko the Gorilla Use Sign Language in This 1981 Film | National Geographic.” Youtube, Uploaded by National Geographic, 22 June 2018. Accessed 11 October 2018.