Sea World

[landrews]

Peeps aren't using their critical thinking skills. Sea World is the largest research, conservation, and rehabilitation facility for marine mammals in the world. Captive-born whales can not be "returned" to the wild.

:doesn'tunderstandpeepswhotakeonesourceatfacevalue:

Comments

[megfuzzle]

Have you read 'Death at Sea World'? I had ZERO knowledge on the subject before reading it, but boy does it sound like a complicated process. I do think there may be hope for rehabilitating some of them though. Given the right amount of time, money, and public awareness. But no.... 'Free Willy' doesn't really work cold turkey in any fashion.

[landrews]

I haven't read that book, but I do know the issues and have a long-term interest in and pretty deep knowledge of the biology, science, behavioral issues and methods used to keep and work around marine mammals, as well as a pretty solid handle on the business and politics. I'm also trained in land animal wildlife rescue and am knowledgable about marine rescue of mammals and turtles. Keeping any healthy wild animal for any reason, including research, is an extremely complex issue. What peeps jumping on the bandwagon based on one facet of doing so don't seem to realize is the domino effect of consequences that they don't even know will be affected by the demands they are making

[megfuzzle]

I respect that you have a well informed viewpoint! Thanks for sharing!

[landrews]

And actually Keiko, of Free Willy fame was released in good weight and healthy, but died 18 months later in the wild from pneumonia. You probably already know that :-) Exposure to pathogens we're unaware of and they've never developed immunities to, at whatever the required age would be to do so, would be another big hurdle for captive-born whales if they were successfully taught to hunt and managed to fit into the social matrix of wild whales. Even Keiko, who was wild caught, couldn't do that. He was back under the care of his human group within six weeks of his release until his death

[perpetual]

Not sure what sparked this post, but the timing was perfect for me because I'd just watched Blackfish and haven't stopped thinking about it since. That movie certainly stirs up some feelings - I'm sure it got a lot of people, myself included, fuming at everything Sea World

[landrews]

See- that's what I don't get- what the protester said. Sea World is definitely not anything circus-like. Their entertainment is the roller coasters and a 'arctic helicopter' ride. And the helicopter ride is built to space the guests out for visiting their arctic exhibit. Yes- they do a dolphin/seal show and the orcas have a show, but they have evolved from acts to being more education-oriented. Especially the whale act- they used to do silly stuff with costumes and brushing their teeth (though that does play off of needing them to open their mouths and allow things to be inserted for vet care), but for years now, it's been an educational show geared towards conservation and respect for our natural world. The 'entertainment' portion is what makes the money to support all the rescue, rehab, and conservation they do. It benefits all the marine animals living in the wild. But as the knowledge of about large marine mammals have grown, so has the respect with which they are handled AND the facilities in which they are kept

[perpetual]

Well, I've only been to Sea World once, and it was as a child. I'm sure the circus atmosphere has diminished a lot, and I understand the need to put on a good show to fund the rest of the operation. But what I don't know is whether they're still catching wild whales, and, if they are, if there's anything that could justify that.

If that practice is still going on and it's for no reason beyond replacing an animal for a performance, and let me emphasize that I have no idea whether this is the case, then I think it's worth it to put some pressure on the parks. I'm not in support of releasing the whales that are already in captivity, or leaving them without stimulation. I just think that if an old whale in a tank leaves this world, there's no need to replace him with a young whale from the ocean.

[landrews]

No. The US outlawed live capture in 1972? I think 1972. The only catching of wild whales now is by a couple of different countries that have tried unsuccessfully to establish their own population (Japan and Russia) and Iceland, which finally has at least limited the number of live captures now - Keiko was an Icelandic capture). The captive breeding population cannot sustain itself at this point, but might in the future with new techniques. That's why public access to captive whales will end on its own over time- catching wild whales is no longer acceptable (to Americans and parts of the rest of the world) and the captive population is dying faster than they are being born. It will be too bad that so many people in the future will never see an orca in person.

Sea World has changed A LOT even over the last ten years. They are hugely oriented towards education.