SeaWorld-Ethical Question ??

[Deedee]

I personally love seaworld where else would i be able to see and get up close to these gorgeous creatures. After visiting seaworld on one of our first visits i came home and adopted a Manatee until i visited seaworld i have to admit i had never heard of them. There was a documentery on a few years ago about seaworld Orlando and what happens behind the scenes and i must admit they do a fantastic job with these creatures rescuing them and nursing them back to health, they did make a point of saying some of them would never survive in the wild so they have no choice but to keep them in captivity.

 

[tttessa]

Hi - I'm with Deedee -

I think it is nice to get to see the animals up close, and the conservation aspects of what the corporation do are wonderful.

The bit that quite upset us this year was the feeding the dolphins bit - so many people grasping out at animals, it felt like being forced to watch a bullfight type of thing... We walked on by , but still you could hear it....

Never fancied Discovery cove - I am not putting my babies in a tank/pool/whatever with animals with that many teeth!! I saw the bruise on my friends leg after her trip! Her dolphin was apparently "being playful".

Tessa

 

[Edie]

We went on the 'Behind the Scenes' tour at Wild Artic and the staff member who took us on the tour was telling us about taking the walrus out for a walk! She said that the walrus, like the sea lions, are very smart so they try to change their routine when they can and they particularly enjoy rolling around on the grass. She did say that occasionally they don't want to go back to their pool and so the trainers wait with them until they are ready to go back in. By the way this all happens out the back so don't worry about coming face to face with a walrus

I noticed that the dolphins in the feeding pool do get their own back occasionally. One annoying little kid was teasing one of the dolphins by splashing it in the face. Fortunately I stepped back at this point having guessed what was coming. The dolphin turned around and slapped its tail in the water drenching the kid and his family. The kid cried and everyone else laughed Serve the little b*gger right.

Having said all that it's not the perfect environment. I constantly change my mind about it but they do look after them as well as they possibly can.