SeaWorld meltdown

[IanB]

I guess the other side of the argument is that having places like Seaworld, allows people to see these animals in the person, and not require a small fortune to hire a ship, and go looking for them in the wild?

There is also the issue of what do you do with them, if Seaworld decides to stop doing the shows, there is no way the animals could be released back in to the wild, they would not know how to cope, after been looked after/kept in captivity for so long, so they would probably end up getting put down.

I also think that the trainers of these animals/owners of horses love their animals, and while a few might not treat them correctly, most will go out of their way to ensure their animals are treated with love, and live long healthy lives.

I think a lot has changed in the last 30 years with animal care, and things like bear wrestling, where the bear has it's claws removed, or is heavily drugged before hand are long gone(I am sure there are still cases where this has not been stopped). Is there still more that can be done, most likely, but I think a balance needs to be met, because if we did not have zoos or seaworlds, I imagine the harm done to the animals in the natural environments would be just as bad, and it would become an experience only the richest would be able to afford.

Ian

 

[PeteA]

For the price of a SeaWorld Orlando ticket I could go on two trips searching for Orcas in the wild, so its not just a rich persons hobby. Obviously this is not Florida, but in the US Northwest. For a little bit more than a price of a day ticket we did a Norway "Safari", which saw us do a day trip to Tysfjord and see the Orcas

For $35 we went on a Whale Watching trip in Boston this year and spent 3 hours with Minke and Humpback Whales.

In fact you can go and see Cetaceans off the coast of the UK for nothing. We have seen Cetaceans off Scarborough, Cardigan Bay, Moray Firth, Cornwall, Devon, even seen porpoises off of Ingoldmells coast. This is all shore based observations. No Orcas (even though there is a small population around UK waters).

As for the comment saying there is no way animals could be released into the wild. Thats not entirely accurate, there are cetaceans which have been released back into the wild and they have found their families again. This is all SeaWorld propaganda when they say they wont... See the following URL for a perfect example of captive Dolphins living free http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/marine/hisaronu-dolphins/

Blackfish the film is an accurate representation of SeaWorld, their ethics and their propaganda.

I am not going to preach to you all about do this do that, you are all intelligent enough to make up your own minds, but even as a huge theme park fan, I will never set foot inside any park which has Cetaceans. This includes Gardaland which is a Merlin park, even though Merlin have an anti captivity message....

 

[James]

I was going to post about this a while ago, I have refused to watch Blackfish so far as to be honest I just find these things too distressing to watch.

Even though Blackfish is rather distressing (and upsetting at points), I think that's why you should watch it and why anyone should watch it really.

I watched Blackfish last night after being recommended by friends. It gives a very powerful insight into how killer whales are treated at places like SeaWorld, but not just that, it shows the lies SeaWorld feeds its employees and the media. The documentary also provides an insight into how these animals are caught (I found that one of the most upsetting parts of the documentary to be honest) and gives you brief lessons on just how clever killer whales are and how they act.

It really is a well done, well structured documentary - I highly recommend it for those who have not yet watched!

The fact that there are no records of a human being killed from interacting with Orcas in the wild yet there are endless reports of killings and attacks with Orcas in captivity just proves how wrong it is for places like SeaWorld to hold them. It's very sick and I hope it stops in the near future. I hope we look back on this and think of how much of a disgusting time it was.

 

[Wilsy]

I gave up on the documentary when they were criticising the whale/sea world for the death of the drunk who climbed into the tank.

I might climb into the lion cage tonight at Chester zoo and see what happens. If I die though it won't be my fault, it will be the vicious Chester zoo for keeping the lions in a cage.

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[PeteA]

I think the point that the documentary was making re the drunk guy was that SeaWorld stated that the guy was only found in the morning. What about the security guard patrols? CCTV cameras in the backstage areas? Why was this guy only found in the morning?

From a duty of care point of view, this leads to questions about what would happen if an Orca got injured during the night, or stranded on one of the haul out areas that they have? Would they have to wait until the morning for care?

Its also stating that Tillikum has a history of incidents and violence throughout his life and how being locked up in a concrete cell has affected him. How SeaWorld have tried to keep incidents undercover is one of the issues with this.Poor Tillikum has had a history of incidents and hence why no one goes in the water when he performed for his 5 minute slot before being locked back up isolated.

Remember that Orca's use echolocation in the wild to help locate food sources. In a concrete tank their echolocations just rebound off the walls and have been known to contribute to behaviour.

 

[Wilsy]

To me, the blame should be directed to whichever government body which sets the rules for keeping wild animals.

Sea World will work within their guides, so why do people target them when they should go to the people who can force change across all marine parks instead of targeting sea world and letting the other poorer parks get away with it.

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[Sam]

I guess the other side of the argument is that having places like Seaworld, allows people to see these animals in the person, and not require a small fortune to hire a ship, and go looking for them in the wild?

Or maybe people don't have a 'right' to look at Orcas at all? I don't know why humans think they have some sort of god-given right to be able to do what they like. Keeping them in captivity is dangerous and whale watching boats damage the environment. We need to just be happy seeing them on David Attenborough documentaries and accept that that is as close as we'll get to seeing them.

Meanwhile, more bands are feeling the pressure...

Park News - (12/16/13) While the band, .38 Special, has not dropped out of their concert commitment, some shocking comments were posted on Facebook last night as it seems whoever the band has running their official Facebook page has had enough with the online assault where a posting to honor a veteran named Shane Patton had somehow been trashed by the animal activists as a fake diversion to move attention away from their agenda. In case the comment vanished from Facebook, I’ll quote the posting from the .38 Special Facebook page below.
“I am DONE!!!!! You people win. Some of you zealots have now managed to convince a relative of Shane that I and the band have chosen to use him as some kind of ploy or diversion. I posted his picture and story on VETERANS day to honor a TRUE hero and have spent the past few days DEFENDING him from people who have no respect or class and chose HIS post area to fight their battle against Seaworld.
How low can you people get??????? Obviously lower that I ever imagined you could go.
So you win. I have contacted the band and told them that I am done. I hope you are proud of yourselves for what you have done to the memory of Shane Patton.”

(note: Screamscape have a biased pro-captivity view on this affair)

I'd never heard of .38 Special, but from reading Wikipedia they seem to be has-beens, so I doubt this'll have much of an effect.

 

[benvincer]

I watched this documentary yesterday and although feeling like some of it was very much biased on the animal rights side of things, I found the 'risk your life or get out of the way for someone else who will' attitude held by Seaworld rather shocking. In addition to the fact that knowing Tilikum appears to be an aggressive animal (for whatever reason) that Seaworld have continued to breed other orcas from him.

I guess animal rights aside it comes down to the 'managed risk' side of things. Working with some animals is always going to be dangerous, but four (nearly five) human deaths in the lifespan of this orca seems to be quite a risk...

 

[Plastic Person]

To me, the blame should be directed to whichever government body which sets the rules for keeping wild animals.

Sea World will work within their guides, so why do people target them when they should go to the people who can force change across all marine parks instead of targeting sea world and letting the other poorer parks get away with it.

Seaworld are the industry leaders, for all their success, it's a cross they will have to bear.

 

[PeteA]

To me, the blame should be directed to whichever government body which sets the rules for keeping wild animals.

Sea World will work within their guides, so why do people target them when they should go to the people who can force change across all marine parks instead of targeting sea world and letting the other poorer parks get away with it.

Because SeaWorld were the one of the main parties who captured their Orcas in the 60's and 70's.

The US Authority which controls what parks can and cant do is NOAA - National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (this is only with Cetaceans). This comes under the marine Mammal Protection Act which stops the, and I quote

The MMPA prohibits, with certain exceptions, the "take" of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S.

Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 based on the following findings and policies:

• Some marine mammal species or stocks may be in danger of extinction or depletion as a result of human activities;
• These species or stocks must not be permitted to fall below their optimum sustainable population level ("depleted");
• Measures should be taken to replenish these species or stocks;
• There is inadequate knowledge of the ecology and population dynamics; and
• Marine mammals have proven to be resources of great international significance.

This was essentially setup after the captures in Puget Sound which SeaWorld took part in. These captures were especially barbaric as they used dynamite and speed boats. Indeed SeaWorlds permit was revoked.

After this law was passed, SeaWorlds eyes turned to Iceland where there is a population of Orcas there. This is when they captured 2 year old Tillikum who was ripped away from his family group. (Yes orcas spend their lives together as a family unit). Nearly 50 animals were taken in this new round of activity. However when US parks were restricted on being able to import Orca, this essentially stopped.

Therefore SeaWorld have done a lot of damage to two populations of Orca throughout the World.

As a sidenote NOAA and the NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) state that one of the conditions that a facility can house cetaceans, is that they have to have an educational program or conservation program. Hence why SeaWorld do conservation work. They dont do anything for nothing....

People have been putting pressure on NOAA for many years as there is currently a loophole in the MMPA which allows US parks in certain circumstances to obtain permits to import and export Cetaceans and other Marine mammals. So people are trying to get this closed. Its not just SeaWorld who people are against.

 

[Sam]

.38 Special have pulled out

Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary "Blackfish," 38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at Seaworld. We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future.
The band wishes everyone a happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you all again in 2014.

 

[BigAl]

SeaWorld have released an open letter about the way they care for their killer whales in response to the bands which backed out of their festival:

SeaWorld: The Truth Is in Our Parks and People
An Open Letter from SeaWorld’s Animal Advocates

Inaccurate reports recently have generated questions about SeaWorld and the animals in our care. The truth is in our parks and people, and it’s time to set the record straight.
The men and women of SeaWorld are true animal advocates. We are the 1,500 scientists, researchers, veterinarians, trainers, marine biologists, aquarists, aviculturists, educators and conservationists who have dedicated our lives to the animals in our care as well as those in the wild that are injured, ill or orphaned. Whether it’s a sea lion, manatee, sea turtle or whale, we are on call 24/7.
Here are some important facts about SeaWorld and our work:

• SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild. Due to the groundbreaking success of our research in marine mammal reproduction, we haven’t collected a killer whale from the wild in 35 years. In fact, only two of the whales in our care were collected by SeaWorld and they continue to be in our care today. In addition, our research has led to a much greater understanding of whales in the wild, giving researchers important scientific insights surrounding marine mammal reproduction.

• We do not separate killer whale moms and calves. SeaWorld recognizes the important bond between mother and calf. On the rare occasion that a mother killer whale cannot care for the calf herself, we have successfully hand raised and reintroduced the calf. Whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure.

• SeaWorld invests millions of dollars in the care of our killer whales. In the last three years alone, we have invested $70 million in our killer whale habitats and millions of dollars annually in support of these facilities. Our habitats are among the largest in the world today. They are state-of-the-art, multimillion-gallon environments of cooled and filtered water that allow for the highest and safest standards of care. We give our animals restaurant-quality fish, exercise, veterinary care, mental stimulation, and the company of other members of their species.

• SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild. While studies continue to define the average life span of killer whales in the wild, the most recent science suggests that our killer whales’ life spans are comparable — indeed, five of our animals are older than 30, and one of our whales is close to 50.

• The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild. We work with universities, governmental agencies and NGOs to increase the body of knowledge about and the understanding of killer whales — from their anatomy and reproductive biology to their auditory abilities. Some populations of wild killer whales have been classified as endangered or threatened, demonstrating the potential critical nature of these research opportunities. This type of controlled research and study is simply not possible in the wild, and has significant real-world benefits to the killer whales that live there.

• SeaWorld is a world leader in animal rescue. The millions of people who visit our parks each year make possible SeaWorld’s world-renowned work in rescue, rehabilitation and release. We are constantly innovating when it comes to this care: Our veterinarians have created nursing bottles to hand-feed orphaned whales, prosthetics to save sea turtles, and a wetsuit to help injured manatees stay afloat during rehabilitation. Whether it’s the result of natural or man-made disasters, SeaWorld is always on call and often the first to be contacted. We have rescued more than 23,000 animals with the goal of treating and returning them to the wild.
Naturalist Baba Dioum put it best when he said, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught.”
At SeaWorld, this has been our calling since we first opened our doors 50 years ago. It is a responsibility we do not take lightly. More than 400 million guests have visited SeaWorld. We are proud that their experiences here have a lasting and positive impact on them, and on the world in which we live.
The truth about SeaWorld is right here in our parks and people. Our guests may enter our gates having never given much thought to the remarkable animals in our oceans. When they leave with a greater appreciation for the importance of the sea, educated about the animals that live there and inspired to make a difference, we have done our job.

Source.

 

[Sam]

• SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild. While studies continue to define the average life span of killer whales in the wild, the most recent science suggests that our killer whales’ life spans are comparable — indeed, five of our animals are older than 30, and one of our whales is close to 50.

It's a shame Dawn Brancheau's life-span wasn't equivalent to people who aren't employed by SeaWorld...

 

[Dave]

They don't mention anything about making an animal "perform", as said well run zoological institutions that don't take animals from the wild and support conservation and education are great places.... But you don't see animal parks elsewhere getting their elephants to perform a show for the spectators.

That's where SeaWorld gets iffy for me

 

[TheMan]

They don't mention anything about making an animal "perform", as said well run zoological institutions that don't take animals from the wild and support conservation and education are great places.... But you don't see animal parks elsewhere getting their elephants to perform a show for the spectators.

That's where SeaWorld gets iffy for me

Sometimes what isn't said speaks louder than what is.

 

[BigAl]

TPR have just linked to this article on Facebook which was written by Julie Toma, a former SeaWorld Employee:

A Former SeaWorld Employee's Response to "Blackfish"

I've been asked often and recently about my opinions towards this "amazing documentary" that "just came out" on Netflix called "Blackfish". Having worked for SeaWorld for a few years, people are always curious as to what my opinion is.

"Julie, have you seen it? What do you think?"

Yes. I have seen it, multiple times. My opinion of it is this: I completely respect and agree with the underlining message- whales do not belong in captivity... but neither does any other animal (more on that later). I do, however, find the movie's portrayal of SeaWorld to be horribly offensive and misleading. SeaWorld is not a monster.

"But Julie, SeaWorld uses animals for entertainment purposes, isnt this wrong?"

Thank you, PETA. Yes, SeaWorld is an entertainent based industry. People all over the world come to see these marvelous animals up close, eat a churro, and then ride the latest roller coaster.

But before you go all animal activist on me, think about what your saying. Have you ever been to a zoo? Aquarium? Pet store? All of these animals were placed there to entertain, excuse me, educate you. And they dont quite do it to SeaWorld's standards (Ill get to this later).

"But Julie, SeaWorld took these whales out of their natural environment".

False. The majority of the whales at SeaWorld were born in the park. Yes, a few were captured more than 35 years ago, but that is how animals were acquired those days.

And frankly, where do you think the animals at your favorite zoo came from? Contrary to popular belief, these animals are not usually "rescues".

And to be even more frank, how many of you have a home aquarium??? Where do you think these fish came from? That's right. They're captured from their native environment, oftentimes shocked, meanstwhile depleting coral reefs in hopes that these stressed fish might make it to your aquarium, where, lets face it, they usually die.

"But Julie, the tanks the whales are in are like bathtubs"

Ugh. This one gets to me the most. At least use your own wording! Yes, the exhibits the whales are in are no where close to being the size of the ocean. But they are VASTLY larger than the size of most animal enclosures. True, these animals can swim hundreds of miles a day.... but think about other enclosures. Elephants can walk up to 40 miles a day and yet I rarely see an enclosure larger than 2000 ft.

And bird cages? Fish tanks? Why is it that no one is offended by any of this?! It's okay to put a goldfish in a bowl but not okay to have whales in a 60 million gallon environment? An enclosure that SeaWorld has spent over 70 million dollars to improve?

"But Julie, these animals are forced to perform shows. They're slaves."

Inaccurate. The whales at SeaWorld are never forced to do shows. They get an alloted amount of restaurant quality food based off of their fitness level, size, and metabolism. And they are fed regardless of if they do a show.

"But Julie, it's cruel to force these animals to do "tricks".

These "tricks" are actually positively reinforced behaviors that the whales have learned through positive interactions and operant conditioning. Studies have shown that learned behaviors like this actually increase an animals mental health prolonging their fitness and increasing quality of life.


"But whales dont do flips in the wild"

....and your dog doesnt naturally give you his paw when he wants a treat, but he is capable. Training behaviors like this, once again, encourages mental and physical growth. If the whales were incapable, they wouldnt do it.

"Cant they just stop making the whales do shows?"

Sure, but there is no positive reprocussion to that. Without enrichment, whales would resort to common boredom behaviors seen in zoos and institutions around the world. Plus, the interations the whales have with the trainers is a form of bonding for the whales. If they suddenly discontinued, the whales would display depression behaviors. I dont know about you, but I am highly against intentional depression.

"Cant you release them? They'll be happier"

Look up the story of Keiko, the whale from "Free Willy." That's what happens when you release a captive killer whale. They are not equipped to live in the open ocean environment anymore.

"Okay, what about a seapen then? Its bigger and the whales would be interact with their natural environment"

These whales currently thrive in multi-sourced continually filtered water environment. These means they are never exposed to pathogens, parasites, or heavily contaminated water. Putting them in a sea pen would expose them to a variety of potentially killer organisms. Not only that but they would be exposed to countless amounts of new sights, sounds, and vibrantions, causing an immense amount of stress.

"But Julie, there is absolutely no benefit to having these poor creatures at SeaWorld."

SeaWorld has impacted the lives of over 400 million visitors over the timespan they've been in business. That is 400 million people that have been affected by the beauty of not only the killer whales, but of over 6000 species of animals they would not come in contact with on a normal basis.

"SeaWorld is not educational".

Excuse me? The top leading research done on both killer whales and other cetaceans comes from SeaWorld sponsored research. Most of what we know today about these animals has been learned from animals in captivity.

"Cant we learn simply by observing them in the wild?"

Theoretically, sure. But any scientist (or grad student) will tell you how difficult it is to study animals in the wild. You can sit and observe 24 hours a day and only witness about 15 minutes of usable data.

And good luck funding that research. It's an unfortunate fact that people do not support things that do not benefit them directly. SeaWorld contributes millions upon millions of dollars to variety of conservation programs in the wild, including the Marine Mammal protecion act and Sea Turtle conservation. Finding funding from a private, independent source is unlikely and unreliable.

"Okay... well... umm... what about the dorsal fin thing?"

Dorsal fins are made out of cartilage, a flexible structure that makes up your nose and ears. The size of the dorsal fin is cause by a multitude of things, including genetics. Many of our whales come from a similar bloodline (not crossbred) and therefore have larger dorsal fins.

Although not common in the wild, a whale's dorsal fin, especially larger ones, may bend. This may be an effect from more surface exposure combined by genetics. There have been no indications that this affects the animals well-being in any way. It's a fact of life. Sometimes we get droopy body parts too....

"Why can't SeaWorld just go to be all educational? Obviously people would respect it more."

Nature Centers and educational facilities are amazing ideas and do many great things. Unfortunately, not many people go out of their way to visit them and they can go out of business (Chula Vista Nature Center...anyone?). People, unfortunately, are selfish beings. They want to be entertained, not lectured. So although the conservation message is taught at many of these amazing facilities, they are not affecting as many people as you would think.

SeaWorld's message is this: to celebrate, connect, and care for the natural world we share through the power of entertainment. People come into the parks with an expectation and leave with an appreciation of marine life they've never had before. I cannot begin to tell you how many kids Ive heard say that Shamu changed their life. That they want to stop polluting the ocean. That they want to save the sea turtles. SeaWorld is a memory that they will have forever and oftentimes changes their entire outlook on life.

So, before you boycott SeaWorld, realize that you're not boycotting the evil corporation "Blackfish" makes it out to be. You're boycotting Bruce, the 80 year old sea turtle who was rescued not only once, but twice after being shot in the head and left for dead by people who didn't care. You're boycotting Iris, the rescued seal who was found stranded and blind and then rereleased, able to see again. You're boycotting the 650 juvenille sea lions rehabilitated and taught to eat after they were stranded on the Pacific Coast. You're boycotting the baby emperor pengiuns, just hatched, ensuring the future families of penguins to come. You're boycotting the hundreds of dogs adopted from shelters thanks to Pets Rule. You're boycotting the group of high schoolers collecting trash off the shoreline after talking to the veterinary department behind the scenes and seeing the effects of trash in our ocean.

If you need a summary of what SeaWorld is today, I ask you to look at me as a reflection. To look at the 1500 zoological team members that provide the upmost care to these animals. SeaWorld is one of the worlds most respected zoological facilities, setting the bar for husbandry standards today. We are SeaWorld. We are the people who cant drive by a lost dog on the street. We're the people who stay awake overnight, waist deep in frigid water carrying a stranded dolphin that wasn't strong enough to swim. We're the ones that cry the moment a sea turtle swims off into the ocean water after being hit by a boat. We are the ones whose heart rate accelerates the moment a mother gives birth to a beautiful calf. We're the ones whose muscles ache after scrubbing oil off of birds trapped after a spill. We're the ones hand feeding that abandonded baby otter in the wee hours of the night.

So once again, don't believe everything you see and don't assume you know everything because a "documentary" tells you so. Educate yourself. SeaWorld is not the enemy, there are bigger evils in the world. We do not go out of our way to torture and "enslave" animals. We love and know more about those animals than "Blackfish" would ever care to let you know. It is because of SeaWorld, and places like them, thst you even care about these animals in the first place. I am very proud to be a part of the SeaWorld family and always will be.

 

[Dave]

She is hardly unbiased though, she was part of the system she is defending.

 

[Ash]

I call b*llocks/paid off re the above.

Corporations interested in one thing $$$$. She sounds like shes been brainwashed. Worth putting it up, some valid bits in there. The fact she contradicts herself but cant support her own argument says it all.

End of story

 

[Wilsy]

Her opinion is just as valid as the people who made the documentary?

She might not be unbiased but clearly the people behind the documentary aren't unbiased as they have a vendetta against sea world.

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[Plastic Person]

Her opinion is just as valid as the people who made the documentary?

She might not be unbiased but clearly the people behind the documentary aren't unbiased as they have a vendetta against sea world.

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Blackfish is a small, independent film, and it wasn't made by a PETA member or an animal rights activist. It's a documentary piece that sets out to challenge the status quo of a huge, corporate entity, that animals the size of a killer whale shouldn't be held in a relatively tiny pool and forced to do tricks.

The fact that she has to use the old "well, there are bigger evils in the world!" line says it all to me. She contradicts herself and, like Robb Alvey and co, essentially accuses anyone swayed by the film of being a whiner or a do-gooder. Personally, I think Seaworld do commit to some excellent environmental work and research, but that doesn't make the ground covered in Blackfish any less relevant or shocking.

Seaworld are not doing us all a favour. They can be held accountable.