Animals Performing Tricks

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Why do people enjoy watching animals forced to perform unnatural activities? For example: elephants standing on their rear legs, tigers jumping through flames or bears dancing.
I understand wanting to observe animals and study their behaviour, and I get activities like playing fetch with your dog, but I don't get the tricks.
Thoughts anyone?

I think It used mainly to elicit a type of incongruent humor for any animal scenario that is unconventional...

Similar reason people often laugh at people exhibiting reciprocal social communication challenge traits of autism..IT is beyond the expected norm...

And people naturally laugh..as IT is a part of human nature..and really one that One does NOT not need to TAKE personally..as offense...

As far as other animals go just..like humans.. they enjoy getting the treats for entertaining others..

People on the Autism Spectrum can enjoy IT IF they understand the true value of entertaining others unintended...as any humor taken to lift another person uP..usually eventually lifts others UP in some shape..form..or fashion...

So in total effect the animals are unwitting entertainers...

http://philosophy.about.com/od/Philosop ... -Humor.htm

Or Whores or Prostitutes..FOR Treats..IT depends on who one asks...

Last edited by aghogday on 22 Oct 2013, 2:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

But I don't find these things humorous.



The only emotions this image sets off for me are embarrassment, pity and guilt.

It's a matter of the trainer getting attention for what the animal is doing and they enjoy having a relationship with the animals. I trained my dog to do all sorts of neat things and he loves to do them. It gives him a sense of self esteem, I think, but he's a dog. He is never happier than when he's rolling over or touching his nose with his paw. He can even sneeze. He is a dog, though, nothing exotic or wild. My dog enjoys the interaction but my cats are totally not into it. It depends entirely on the animal and some of them are treated harshly for not training so well. I don't treat my pets harshly because they don't want to do something except if it's destructive or dangerous, then I make them cease whatever it is, of course.

My dog loves his treats and will do all kinds of cool things to get them but it's just between me and my pet, not to get attention from anyone, just the interaction between us is therapeutic for the dog.

When I was little we used to go to the circus,but none of the animals seemed happy.And the clowns were creepy.
Wild animals shouldn't have to perform for our entertainment.Some domestic animals seems to like it,like others above mentioned,Dogs love to chase balls,frisbees ,etc.You can see they are happy.

WEll I guess It could be a pretty boring life in a zoo for a majestic wild creature...obviously they can't tell us what they think..but it might very well be better than spending all of life behind prison gates..with basically nothing to do..AT ALL except stand there.. do the bathroom thing, drink and eat what is provided..and watch funny looking little human 'ant things'..watching them most all of the time..

I hate to see ay animals caged up..even my house cat that longs to go outside to face all the dangers..he already knows.. as a stint in three years of life of alley catting....

In his before days...