They’ve been called “despair tests,” and PETA researcher Jeremy Beckham explains why PETA is working to end cruel near-drowning experiments in the latest episode of The PETA Podcast.

It can be tempting to take a breather when you see an interstate billboard advertising opportunities to see wildlife, but at hellish roadside zoos, animals suffer and die. Visitors usually leave these kinds of places distraught after seeing sickly animals pacing, rocking back and forth, gnawing on the bars of their cages, or staring blankly. But by that time, the damage has been done. Every dollar spent at these tawdry outfits helps keep them in business.