Sea World Profits Soar by 300%

[Borishack]

Darren Hayes (Savage Garden) would their music pulled from SeaWorld also.

Good heavens, stop the presses and active the emergency alert system! A one hit wonder group who people can't even name a member of have announced they aren't going to lip sync a performance of their one known number at a theme park!

 

[North of Mouse]

Driving by Sea World during their recent "protest"..... there were more people waiting to get into Sea World than protesters. The "protest" barely lasted an hour. The letter posted sounds more like yet another attempt by so called "activists" to make a name for themselves. Clearly Sea World is not experiencing "falling" attendance.

We've always loved Sea World and will continue to go - some other people need to get a life and quit letting activist trouble makers 'think' for them.

Good heavens, stop the presses and active the emergency alert system! A one hit wonder group who people can't even name a member have announced they aren't going to lip sync a performance of their one known number at a theme park!

 

[surferdave]

Good heavens, stop the presses and active the emergency alert system! A one hit wonder group who people can't even name a member have announced they aren't going to lip sync a performance of their one known number at a theme park!

I actually believe I would have more sympathy for the cause if the rally point these days weren't a bunch of D-list musical acts fleeing away from bad publicity like a herd of zebra running from a lion.

 

[Borishack]

I actually believe I would have more sympathy for the cause if the rally point these days weren't a bunch of D-list musical acts fleeing away from bad publicity like a herd of zebra running from a lion.

You hit the nail on the head. The "celebrity" boycott spin from the Peta apologists is actually hurting, not helping their cause.

 

[Nettle]

I'm the furthest thing away from a PETA sympathetic, and I find the imprisonment of orcas unforgivable.

If you can watch Blackfish, or even just do any research on orca family societies or at the very least see how much the giant apex predator SWIMS per day.. You should feel ashamed for supporting Sea World.

I'm all for Sea World as a park, I think they do some great work for wildlife, but until they finish keeping killer whales there, I absolutely will not support them, and will keep telling others how abusive those practices really are.

 

[Borishack]

I'm the furthest thing away from a PETA sympathetic, and I find the imprisonment of orcas unforgivable.

Actually, by employing the term "imprisonment" in reference to an animal, you are (unwittingly?) using a talking point straight from the playbook of the entity (PETA) you say your are not in concert with. They used that concept in a failed attempt to get a court to grant animals constitutional rights:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/peta-seaworld-slavery-_n_1265014.html

 

[Borishack]

So people are not okay with dolphin captivity anywhere

What about all the "people" who still go to SeaWorld? Or the Living Seas at Epcot? Or do dolphin swims via DCL? Or Marineland Parks?

It appears you don't speak for them.

 

[nugov2]

What about all the "people" who still go to SeaWorld? Or the Living Seas at Epcot? Or do dolphin swims via DCL? Or Marineland Parks?

It appears you don't speak for them.

This is the problem I have with all of the SW backlash. I would bet 40% of the people making the most noise have no problem watching a dolphin show at a zoo or aquarium. Going to epcot or swimming with dolphins while on their DCL vacation. Just as cruel IMO.

I watched Blackfish and it didn't make me look at SW any differently. It was clearly a one sided film. The biggest problem was how they talked about Orca interaction with humans being gentle. We don't know that. How many people truly interact with Orcas in the wild. I do not think it is very common. The capture they showed was awful and broke my heart, but it happened years ago. I would guess most places handling animals back then were doing it in a way that we wouldn't consider good today. That is ignorance, not necessarily cruelty. I do not like that any animal is in captivity, but I do believe that most places offer a lot of good. I wonder what are the risks of releasing the Orcas back into the ocean? Would being put into that environment really be good(in the pen).

I agree with pp who said the "celebrities" canceling are jumping on some bandwagon they probably know very little about any of it and are doing it for their own selfish reasons. In a perfect world all animals would be left to live their lives the way nature intended. I do not love going to any place/park that keeps animals in captivity, but am a hypocrite and will go. I have no problems with the people who boycott across the board, but it is the ones who still go to Epcot, AK, the local zoo/aquarium. Orcas(IMO) are no more deserving to be free in the wild than a giraffe or Lion. Just b/c it has a Disney stamp on it doesn't make the dolphin captivity any better than what SW is doing or the animals at AK any less free. Obviously good comes from the captivity, but is it worth it for the species? I really don't know(unless endangered).

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This is the problem I have with all of the SW backlash. I would bet 40% of the people making the most noise have no problem watching a dolphin show at a zoo or aquarium. Going to epcot or swimming with dolphins while on their DCL vacation. Just as cruel IMO.

I watched Blackfish and it didn't make me look at SW any differently. It was clearly a one sided film. The biggest problem was how they talked about Orca interaction with humans being gentle. We don't know that. How many people truly interact with Orcas in the wild. I do not think it is very common. The capture they showed was awful and broke my heart, but it happened years ago. I would guess most places handling animals back then were doing it in a way that we wouldn't consider good today. That is ignorance, not necessarily cruelty. I do not like that any animal is in captivity, but I do believe that most places offer a lot of good. I wonder what are the risks of releasing the Orcas back into the ocean? Would being put into that environment really be good(in the pen).

I agree with pp who said the "celebrities" canceling are jumping on some bandwagon they probably know very little about any of it and are doing it for their own selfish reasons. In a perfect world all animals would be left to live their lives the way nature intended. I do not love going to any place/park that keeps animals in captivity, but am a hypocrite and will go. I have no problems with the people who boycott across the board, but it is the ones who still go to Epcot, AK, the local zoo/aquarium. Orcas(IMO) are no more deserving to be free in the wild than a giraffe or Lion. Just b/c it has a Disney stamp on it doesn't make the dolphin captivity any better than what SW is doing or the animals at AK any less free. Obviously good comes from the captivity, but is it worth it for the species? I really don't know(unless endangered).

The main problem is that orcas don't belong in concrete pools...or doing tricks with humans for fish.
They can't realistically release what they have... But shouldn't breed/capture more.
While they do have orcas...my opinion is they will do more for research/conservation as they probably have over the whole of the program than the negative effects to the rather small group of whales affected.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

You hit the nail on the head. The "celebrity" boycott spin from the Peta apologists is actually hurting, not helping their cause.

Exactly. I especially love the celebrities who admit that they haven't watched the film but yet want their music removed from Sea World, won't play at the D-list (great description!) rock show, etc.

The Blackfish documentary came off as a bunch of PETA activists doing their thing stirring the pot with no actual solution to offer to the stirred-up public...and making bank doing it.

At this point, Sea World seems to be doing better than ever. Blackfish is the epitome of "any publicity is good publicity" IMHO.

 

[nugov2]

The main problem is that orcas don't belong in concrete pools...or doing tricks with humans for fish.
They can't realistically release what they have... But shouldn't breed/capture more.
While they do have orcas...my opinion is they will do more for research/conservation as they probably have over the whole of the program than the negative effects to the rather small group of whales affected.

I agree. I hope SW makes some major adjustments(breeding/capture). Obviously there are things they need to readjust, but honestly dolphins, beluga whales, sea lions etc don't belong in the pools doing tricks with humans for dead fish either(not talking about just SW), but I agree with the benefits of these places. Like I said before, I don't really agree with animal captivity in general. I understand why it is done and I do hope in the long run it is for the greater good of the species. I would never boycott one without boycotting all though. I just don't see the difference between Orcas vs Dolphins or Lions, Giraffes. I'm sure if a movie was made about the harmful effects of Giraffe captivity people would jump on that bandwagon too.

 

[Borishack]

I'm sure if a movie was made about the harmful effects of Giraffe captivity people would jump on that bandwagon too.

Not here, because that would force them to attack the whole savanna element at Disney's AKL. What one sees again and again in these discussions are people making endless excuses for Disney holding animals "captive" while attacking competitors for doing the same thing.

 

[nugov2]

Not here, because that would force them to attack the whole savanna element at Disney's AKL. What one sees again and again in these discussions are people making endless excuses for Disney holding animals "captive" while attacking competitors for doing the same thing.

True. I mean I never see people post how many animals were killed in AK by Disney mistakes before they even opened. Like I said I respect your view when you boycott across the board, but when you boycott one but not the other when they have made just as many harmful mistakes(b/c I don't think either park is harming animals out of true neglect) I just shake my head. Animals died at AK from ingesting toxic chemicals due to negligence. If you look up the old article here is WDW official response:

``The number of these deaths is still very small compared to the number of animals in the park and mortality in the wild,'' said Disney spokeswoman Diane Ledder. Ummm, OK there's are great reason.

 

[Nettle]

Actually, by employing the term "imprisonment" in reference to an animal, you are (unwittingly?) using a talking point straight from the playbook of the entity (PETA) you say your are not in concert with. They used that concept in a failed attempt to get a court to grant animals constitutional rights: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/peta-seaworld-slavery-_n_1265014.html

Uh
Ok.

That's what word I choose to describe it as. It happened to coincide with what they said. Wow. Maybe I'm the leader if PETA now because we use the same words!

I eat meat. I wear fur. I raise beef for slaughter. I think keeping an animal that swims over a 100 miles a day in average in a bathtub forced to swim in nothing but circles is imprisonment.

 

[ArmchairDetective]

Even the Koi fish get more room to swim than Orca whales at SeaWorld. Check it out on Google Maps. The point is that SeaWorld does not just use these animals for research and education. Many biologists study whales in the wild and the whale does not have to become captive for the research to take place. SeaWorld uses these animals for entertainment purposes. They are made to do tricks so people will pay money to go to the parks to see them.

These whales don't belong in a bathtub in the middle of Florida forced to continuously breed for our entertainment. It's barbaric and disgusting.

I welcome the complete downfall of SeaWorld's captivity program and hope the reports are true about releasing whales to the wild, even if it's one by one.

You can always go see whales and dolphins in the wild. Animals are far more interesting in their natural habitats.

 

[nugov2]

. SeaWorld uses these animals for entertainment purposes. They are made to do tricks so people will pay money to go to the parks to see them.



These whales don't belong in a bathtub in the middle of Florida forced to continuously breed for our entertainment. It's barbaric and disgusting.

I welcome the complete downfall of SeaWorld's captivity program and hope the reports are true about releasing whales to the wild, even if it's one by one.

True, but so do lots of other places. Zoos/Aquariums/WDW you should be asking all of them to make changes then. I assume you want to see the downfall Epcot/AK/Castaway Cay and lots of other places too.



You can always go see whales and dolphins in the wild. Animals are far more interesting in their natural habitats.

Isn't that the truth for all animals though? I am seriously curious if you feel that way b/c I see it so much where people are very upset by a very select species being kept in captivity but all other ones being in captivity is fine. Or one park being bad and others are just fine. It is this idea that I have a hard time understanding. I get the across the board boycott, but this selective boycott is hard for me to understand

 

[ArmchairDetective]

Isn't that the truth for all animals though? I am seriously curious if you feel that way b/c I see it so much where people are very upset by a very select species being kept in captivity but all other ones being in captivity is fine. Or one park being bad and others are just fine. It is this idea that I have a hard time understanding. I get the across the board boycott, but this selective boycott is hard for me to understand

I didn't mention the treatment of animals at other parks or zoos as this is a thread about SeaWorld. I've never been to Animal Kingdom and know 0% about it. I've also never been to Epcot but am going for the first time in March. My 11yo, who is as disgusted as I am, will likely be very vocal at Epcot if she sees a dolphin in a tank. I never asked for a boycott. I just mentioned some basic facts and where one could see whales and dolphins in their natural state.

Does that make me a vigilante PETA ocean hippie? Alrighty.

I would suggest that anyone feeling strongly about the treatment of animals write a stern note to SeaWorld, the Disney company, or your local zoo.

I'm pro-choice in this matter.

Are you aware of Disney aggressively breeding and inbreeding animals? Does your local zoo? SeaWorld does. If one chooses to support SeaWorld, with that knowledge, and attend the park and shows that's your prerogative.

 

[nugov2]

I didn't mention the treatment of animals at other parks or zoos as this is a thread about SeaWorld. I've never been to Animal Kingdom and know 0% about it. I've also never been to Epcot but am going for the first time in March. My 11yo, who is as disgusted as I am, will likely be very vocal at Epcot if she sees a dolphin in a tank. I never asked for a boycott. I just mentioned some basic facts and where one could see whales and dolphins in their natural state.

Does that make me a vigilante PETA ocean hippie? Alrighty.

I would suggest that anyone feeling strongly about the treatment of animals write a stern note to SeaWorld, the Disney company, or your local zoo.

I never said you were a hippie, I also don't have any issue with a person deciding these parks/places are against their values. I don't think it makes you a tree hugger/PETA activist etc. I was asking you that question in all seriousness, not to argue. I just don't see many people against other parks and that just seems strange(I get the point about this this thread being SW specific though). I again ask this b/c I am just curious, but why even support a park like Epcot that not only keeps dolphins in captivity but forces them to interact with humans or to perform. I would think if you would boycott SW you would boycott Epcot as well. Just b/c they don't have the volume of animals in captivity/performing, they still do it. It like boycotting tuna companies that harm dolphins while catching tuna, but not boycotting a company that claims to only harm them 30% of the time. Just seems like neither one would sit right and again I am just trying to understand this rationale not criticizing you for it.

Information about Epcot Dolphins:
Four male dolphins are currently being held at Disney World’s Epcot Park. They live in a pool surrounded by observation windows lined with people, screaming children, loud music, amplified voices and other stressful sounds.
They are literally treated as a ‘side-show’, and there is little to no information released publicly about them.
Disney claims that these dolphins are involved in ‘research programs’ at their park, but by simply visiting Epcot, it quickly becomes clear that there is no educational or conservational outcome.
These dolphins do NOT belong at a noisy, crowed theme park- living in an artificial indoor facility with little to no exposure to natural sunlight- they belong in their natural habitat- THE OCEAN

 

[nugov2]

I didn't mention the treatment of animals at other parks or zoos as this is a thread about SeaWorld. I've never been to Animal Kingdom and know 0% about it. I've also never been to Epcot but am going for the first time in March. My 11yo, who is as disgusted as I am, will likely be very vocal at Epcot if she sees a dolphin in a tank. I never asked for a boycott. I just mentioned some basic facts and where one could see whales and dolphins in their natural state.

Does that make me a vigilante PETA ocean hippie? Alrighty.

I would suggest that anyone feeling strongly about the treatment of animals write a stern note to SeaWorld, the Disney company, or your local zoo.

I'm pro-choice in this matter.

Are you aware of Disney aggressively breeding and inbreeding animals? Does your local zoo? SeaWorld does. If one chooses to support SeaWorld, with that knowledge, and attend the park and shows that's your prerogative.

I am aware that Yes they do breed/inbreed(b/c with limited number of species that is usually the only option) at WDW. The freely admit to it. Of course zoos do too. Of course they aren't under the scrutiny that SW is so every unethical practice isn't be thrown out there. I hope SW learns from their mistake and stops doing this. Just like I hope the staff at AK learned to better care for the species they have there than they did in the past. Time teaches us things and sometimes this necessary change comes from bad practices being exposed. I also believe it is ignorance in most of the cases. I do not think the staff at AK purposely planted poisonous plants for the animals to ingest or purposely ran animals over. It was ignorance and human error. I think this plays a part in the SW problems too. I think all for profit parks have suits making decisions with the bottom line in mind first and the staff has to follow along. I think all places have for the most part caring/loving people working with the animals, doing what they can. Yes there are parks in awful condition who fall outside of this, but for the most part I believe that good intentions were at the root of the idea.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Good point brought up...

Zoos have never been kind to the animals. That's not to say that the people and keepers don't love them... And haven't tried their best. And The habitats are obviously much better than the "bears in cages" of a century ago...
But it's never been as good as the wild.

Now, poached animals...such as rhino...may be much better off standing in the Bronx, San Diego, and Philly than being chased with a chainsaw...

But...zoos are an informational tool... And I still think we need them. With 7 billion of one particular annoying, destructive species on earth...zoos may be more important than ever.

Aquariums and and aquatic parks...in most cases...probably serve an important function. With stipulations