Twenty-three years ago, as the Humane Society of the United States launched a campaign to protect captive marine mammals, SeaWorld invited the organization to visit its Orlando theme park. Dr. Naomi Rose, the newly appointed head of the HSUS campaign, and her colleagues went to the park for a behind...

The white Bengal tiger paces back and forth, back and forth in a squat cage on the edge of the show ring. The cage is little longer than the tiger's body. The clock ticks down to the start of three scheduled performances at this fair in Pennsylvania. Potted palms and wooden masks decorate the ring...