A person or an animal finds itself in a situation of captivity when it remains reclusive or deprived of its liberty . In relation to animals, this word is used to refer to savages and not to domestic ones, however, in relation to people, it is used to mention prisoners or hostages who are also called captives.
The author of Don Quixote was captive for five years in Algiers
In late September 1575, Miguel de Cervantes was heading from Italy to Spain in an old vessel, but unexpectedly a fleet of Algerian corsairs attacked his vessel and Cervantes was kidnapped and taken to the city of Algiers, in North Africa, where there were thousands of captives of all nationalities. The kidnapping was intended to request a ransom, only in fact the corsairs asked for such a large sum for Cervantes that his family members were unable to pay initially.
Captivity existed for five years and throughout this period Cervantes tried to escape several times, but without success. Finally, they managed to raise the necessary money and Cervantes was released by the intervention of the Trinitarian priests.
Scholars of Cervantes’ work consider his captivity to be of great importance in his later literary production . We must not forget that in “Don Quixote” one of the most important themes is, fundamentally, freedom.
Animals that live outside their natural habitat suffer all kinds of disturbances.
When a wild animal lives in captivity it will most likely undergo some change. Currently, it is known that this situation causes sadness, inappetence, sexual diseases or eating problems. To face this situation, associations in favor of animal rights were created. In this sense, some groups try to free animals that are part of circuses or other types of spectacle from captivity.
On the other hand, the existence of zoos is also questioned by some groups. Those who oppose captivity consider that animals lose their true essence as living beings. In their own natural habitat, most animal species live in herds, while those that remain in captivity are isolated and subjected to all kinds of abuse.
In recent years, specialized rescue centers have been created so that animals released from captivity can properly rehabilitate themselves and regain their freedom.
