California will see lots of changes in regards to animal rights in the upcoming years. The progressive state will ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products starting in 2023, and ban most animals from performing in circuses under bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

In an article by ABC News, Democratic state Sen. Ben Hueso, who authorized the bill, said, “Animals in circuses endure cruel training and near constant environment.” The inhumane practices that are forced onto the animals to entertain are being noticed and changes are starting to be put in place.

California is marking a significant statement by being the first state to outlaw fur trapping and follows bans on sales of fur in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Newsom said In an article by USA Today, “…we are doing more than that. We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze wires or jumping through flames.” 

This is a big win for the animals and animal lovers who have been fighting to spread awareness about the abuse and mistreatment captive animals endure. Animals living in captivity tend to live shorter lives because the amount of stress and depression they go through.

Animals have no voice against the abuse they receive in captivity but they do have ways of showing it. All captive adult male orcas have collapsed dorsal fins, likely because there is no space to swim freely and they are fed an unnatural diet of thawed dead fish. The collapsed fin is a sign of injured or unhealthy orcas.

Blackfish, a popular netflix series created a lot of controversy around Seaworld and the way they treat their animals. Many different shows and videos have come out showing the abuse and mistreatment animals receive in these places. Circuses and Seaworld have been declining in popularity over the years because of the negative exposure they are receiving.

Blackfish caught the attention of many young people as twitter blew up with hashtags to boycott Seaworld. CNN reported, “Blackfish movie has created a social media tale uniting campaigners and celebrities alike.” Twitter has a big impact on the younger generation as a way to spread awareness. There has been many memes and jokes created around people who continue to pay to be entertained by captive animals. Hashtags about Blackfish became very popular; a tweet from a twitter user wrote “My girlfriend wants me to take her on a date to Seaworld, that’s when I knew she ain’t the one. #Blackfish.”

Animals are still being stolen away from their families and homes in the wild and are being brought into captivity or sold for their fur all around the world. Many animals are stolen from their mothers right after birth and taken into captivity, never being able to experience a normal wild life. Humans have seen animals as entertainment for many years which is why it has taken so long for this ban to happen. The research and information that has come out over the years about the unhealthy lives captive animals are living has finally brought light to wild animals and how they should not be used for human entertainment.