Six Flags to Purchase SEAS?

[MakoMania]

Financial reasons as to why this seems simply unaffordable for Six Flags:
https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/...seaworld-1-rea.aspx?__twitter_impression=true

In reply to @Sauron97, you can't simply just "get rid" of the Orcas. There is nowhere for them to go. No Killer Whale sea cages/sea pens (whatever you want to call them) exist and for good reason. They would be extremely risky for the health of these animals (I will go into more biological detail upon request ) , would cost millions of dollars and would likely never get planning consent. They would also not have the support of the majority of experts in this field.

SeaWorld is where the Orcas are, there is nowhere else that has the knowledge, money or desire to take them. If Six Flags were to bizzarely acquire SeaWorld, they would be making a commitment to care for these Orcas for decades to come.

 

[Sauron97]

I'm not claiming to be in the know of anything marine biology related, you know far better than me on it, so I won't even pretend that I'm an expert on it. But it doesn't really take any awareness of marine biology or animal psychology to understand that it's wrong to keep an old practice of essentially keeping incredibly intelligent, self aware and curious animals in what are essentially large fish tanks. You know this. If they cannot be phased out of enclosures and in to pens which simulate the sea more than their current residence, then they must stick to their commitment of never breeding Orca ever again. That point needs to be heard, and it needs to be repeated.

As for the takeover, yes, I agree with the article. It does seem a little far fetched for such a large purchase when they are quite a bit in debt, makes sense.

 

[DiogoJ42]

you can't simply just "get rid" of the Orcas.

Depends who you know. My mate at work has a seriously powerfull wood chipper, and a double size wheely bin...

 

[MakoMania]

I'm not claiming to be in the know of anything marine biology related, you know far better than me on it, so I won't even pretend that I'm an expert on it. But it doesn't really take any awareness of marine biology or animal psychology to understand that it's wrong to keep an old practice of essentially keeping incredibly intelligent, self aware and curious animals in what are essentially large fish tanks. You know this. If they cannot be phased out of enclosures and in to pens which simulate the sea more

They are indeed incredibly intelligent, self aware, emotional and curious. It is not easy to take care of them well in an aquarium setting, but it is possible.

I've never seen a fish tank that allows for environmental enrichment, different social groupings etc.

The Orcas are content. In the same way that you know if your dog is happy, the trainers that spend practially 365 days per year with these animals may not know exactly what they are thinking, but they do know that they are mentally and physically well. Unhappy animals do not breed, that is a widely accepted truth. Before 2016, SeaWorld had the most successful killer whale breeding system in the world and the vast majority of pregnancies were conceived naturally.

I stand by the statement that the best place for an Orca born in the wild is certainly the wild, but to place an Orca born in a man-made facility into the wild would be extremely inhumane, just as leaving your hand raised dog in the middle of a forest would be inhumane

 

[Rob]

Please can we not turn this into yet another what shall we do with Shamu thread? I know any discussion involving SeaWorld is always going to come back to this but let's keep it to the more relevant threads. And anyway, we all know that Six Flags would turn Shamu in to burgers!

But anyway, the more I think about the possibility of Six Flags purchasing SEAS the more I think it just will not happen.