SeaWorld says goodbye to killer whales

[Eoghann]

But there have been studies done that since th rise of public zoo's in the late 1800's that they have done more good than harm. Things do raise consciousness for the better...and most zoos and aquariums bring as much good as bad. It may be a 51/49% split...but still.

Early zoos were very different to something like the National Zoo is now. At that point you were literally talking about keeping tigers in a cage just large enough to pace in. I think with modern zoos the balance is more positive, but that's a recent thing, maybe the last 2 decades.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Early zoos were very different to something like the National Zoo is now. At that point you were literally talking about keeping tigers in a cage just large enough to pace in. I think with modern zoos the balance is more positive, but that's a recent thing, maybe the last 2 decades.

No doubt...they try very hard now but it is so expensive that it's an uphill battle.

At the Philly zoo...they desperately tried to get land/funds for a new elephant area...even if it was just one or two...

It just couldn't come together. They were the first zoo in the country to have them and it was an incredible source of pride. There still signs and memorials to elephants there today even though they've been gone for going on a decade.

The animal care people at sea world are not evil...they have tried to do as much good as they can In a flawed system created by some old bad habits.
Their rescue and research efforts are top notched. Shamu and the ticket booth helps that happen.

 

[JaxDad]

I also wonder how many children were inspired by their visits to SeaWorld parks over the years to become Marine Biologists or serve in other eco-friendly professional capacities...

I'm not suggesting this is an end to justify the means, but, anecdotally, I've worked with several professionals in the ecosystem restoration field who often visited and even worked at SeaWorld when they were younger.

 

[anneboleyn]

I'm not sure I would call the dolphin enclosures wonderful in any way, especially in relation to their intelligence

Oh I wasn't even aware that Disney had dolphins. That is a bummer

 

[JaxDad]

View attachment 156859

Oh I wasn't even aware that Disney had dolphins. That is a bummer

They are in EPCOT (see blue dot) ...

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Welp I'm going to regret posting this but: so glad the extremists at PETA get exactly what they want but yet they still refuse to acknowledge that SeaWorld has done a lot for other animals' well-being and forever they erased SeaWorld's reputation of actually trying to help. God forbid anyone actually knows that PETA euthanizes around 90% of the animals they receive in their shelters, but apparently we should be more worried about SeaWorld getting an abused whale and how it's their fault for the orca's previous actions and how orcas are in general

Sorry I just think this is one of those "Really?' moments. Yes maybe orcas shouldn't be kept in captivity but PETA shouldn't have tried to establish someone who actually cares about ocean welfare as the villain just because of one thing while they've been hiding the fact that it's been proven that they've found random people's pets and euthanized them on the spot. I'm a little bitter towards them

 

[saskdw]

To me, going to SeaWorld is no better than going to a dog fight.

 

[anneboleyn]

 

[mshanson3121]

I don't consider Disney to be bad. I know they have animals, and I wish those animals could be in their natural environment, but Disney has given them wonderful enclosures where they can be with other animals. And to be honest, it's a lot different to have lions and giraffes in captivity than whales and other animals that have a higher intelligence. I'm not saying animals with lower intelligence don't deserve to be free, but they definitely don't suffer the way whales do.

I included a picture that shows the size of SeaWorld's parking lot (outlined in greenish) compared to the whales' tanks (outlined in blue). How anyone can think this is okay is beyond me.

And maybe I am just a *******, but I refuse to let people off the hook for the horrible things they do just because every now and then they do something nice.

^^This. Now, I don't agree with the dolphins at Epcot, and wish they'd do away with them. But as for Animal Kingdom... they have created far better habitats than Sea World. AK is 500 acres, the majority of which is for the animals, the savannah area alone for the safari ride is 100 acres, and that doesn't include the other habitat areas, and the animals are kept in herds, with their natural environment replicated as much as possible. Sea World on the other hand is 200 acres, a tiny mere fraction of which is for the orcas, and they do not keep them in their natural herds or anything remotely close to their natural environment.

I agree they do good conservation work, but I'm still glad to see them doing away with the orcas.

 

[mshanson3121]

Also, as for AK vs. SW. The elephants are given a much proportionately larger area at AK, than the orcas at SW. Elephants in the wild typically do not travel very far in a day, a few miles tops. And often will stay for a long time near a good water source, not traveling at all, or perhaps a mile or so. Elephants can travel up to 50 miles, but that's very rare and only at times when food is scares (which it's not at AK). Compare that to orcas that consistently travel 70+ miles every day. AK is doing a much better job.

 

[DOOM1001]

I'll always have my Sea World/Busch AP,easily one of my favorite parks.As far as the killer whales I'm pretty indifferent,I've never really enjoyed the Shamu show compared to their other shows which are great and if the whales dissapear from the park in 30-40 years I'll be fine with it and is probably for the best.I will say I've seen worse situations for the whales in other parks like Six Flags Discovery Kingdom that did make me feel they shouldn't be held there.As others have said Sea World does a lot more good for marine animals and the park's always been a great source of education for people to learn and appreciate them,oh and they're making a really awesome new coaster opening this year to add to their collection.

 

[Shanti]

The current whales would end up either being euthanized or sold to another park where they were in the same conditions if they stopped the shows.

Hello? Did you read the article? They ARE stopping the shows, but are still going to take care of them until this generation dies off. Bravo to Sea World for making this historic decision!

 

[HollyL]

There are elephant sanctuaries, and sanctuaries for wild cats, etc. Why can't they have sanctuaries for the orcas? There are currently a number of scientists that have spent a lot of time researching this and they have found locations (mostly in the Pacific Northwest) that would be ideal as sanctuaries for retired orcas. They are called sea pens! SeaWorld and other pro-captivity folk claim that the orcas would not survive. I don't see how natural ocean water could be any more harmful than artificial, chlorinated water in the hot sun! The orcas would not be left to fend for themselves, and they would not starve to death. Food would still be provided for them, and there would still be staff to oversee the operation. They could remain as uninvolved as possible, but be there to intervene if necessary. Yes, it would be expensive, but after all of the money these orcas made for SeaWorld, it's the least they can do to give back. If "SeaWorld Entertainment" cares about animals, like they claim to, then they would look into this. People would still be able to go, and pay money to see the orcas in the seapens. I know I would! I would not spend money to go to one of their parks, but if they made this bold move, then I would support them. This is a big chance for SeaWorld to reinvent themselves.

 

[HollyL]

Now, let's take SW off of the table.....Miami SeaQuarium...........poor Lolita. Let's hope that they have to give in to all of this pressure as well, and look into returning Lolita to her family. It is widely known where they are, and she is related to Granny (the orca who is believed to be 103 years old. As intelligent and family oriented as orcas are, they will know it's her. Some very well respected marine biologists have a very well thought out detailed plan for her reintroduction into the wild. If it were to actually work, then SW should do the same for Corky, whose story is very similar.

 

[JaxDad]

I am pretty sure SeaWorld has researched sea pens and maybe they are still doing so. I'm also pretty sure there are many considerations, and it's far from a no-brainer. Although chlorinated water in the hot sun is nothing like the natural environment, it is all these whales know. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure there would be serious concerns with parasites. As bad a rep as SeaWorld has over Blackfish, imagine the merciless bashing if they released 20-30 orcas to sea pens, and they all died within a year!

 

[Shanti]

Why can't they have sanctuaries for the orcas? There are currently a number of scientists that have spent a lot of time researching this and they have found locations (mostly in the Pacific Northwest) that would be ideal as sanctuaries for retired orcas. They are called sea pens! ... This is a big chance for SeaWorld to reinvent themselves.

It seems that Sea World is reinventing itself right now. The orca-human entertainment shows were the backbone of their business from the company's inception until one of its orcas killed a trainer in 2010. They had government regulations placed on them after that, banning shows with humans coming into direct contact with the whales, but Sea World continued doing orca-only entertainment shows.

Now the orca entertainment model is being entirely scrapped, and they won't have orcas at all after this generation dies off. They said they plan to showcase the remaining orcas in a more natural environment: I hope that means a more spacious pen, but there's no way to know in advance.

The fact is that orcas in captivity have such a low quality of life & health (such as their teeth being worn down & therefore drilled open due to the orcas habitually chewing on their bars & scraping paint off the pools with their teeth out of boredom) that there is no way to make things perfect for them. The most important thing in the big picture is that the breeding program has stopped, so these conditions won't be perpetuated indefinitely at Sea World.

 

[rteetz]

There are elephant sanctuaries, and sanctuaries for wild cats, etc. Why can't they have sanctuaries for the orcas? There are currently a number of scientists that have spent a lot of time researching this and they have found locations (mostly in the Pacific Northwest) that would be ideal as sanctuaries for retired orcas. They are called sea pens! SeaWorld and other pro-captivity folk claim that the orcas would not survive. I don't see how natural ocean water could be any more harmful than artificial, chlorinated water in the hot sun! The orcas would not be left to fend for themselves, and they would not starve to death. Food would still be provided for them, and there would still be staff to oversee the operation. They could remain as uninvolved as possible, but be there to intervene if necessary. Yes, it would be expensive, but after all of the money these orcas made for SeaWorld, it's the least they can do to give back. If "SeaWorld Entertainment" cares about animals, like they claim to, then they would look into this. People would still be able to go, and pay money to see the orcas in the seapens. I know I would! I would not spend money to go to one of their parks, but if they made this bold move, then I would support them. This is a big chance for SeaWorld to reinvent themselves.

I would the house that seaworld has looked into sea pens. There are pros and cons to everything. It seems the cons are outwaying the pros right now on sea pens.

 

[mshanson3121]

Hello? Did you read the article? They ARE stopping the shows, but are still going to take care of them until this generation dies off. Bravo to Sea World for making this historic decision!

No, actually they're not stopping them. They're phasing them out. Which won't happen in Orlando until 2019.

 

[Shanti]

No, actually they're not stopping them. They're phasing them out. Which won't happen in Orlando until 2019.

"Phasing them out" means they are putting a stop to the shows. I didn't say it was immediate, but now we know that the orca entertainment shows will all stop within just a few years. That's a huge step for Sea World to take.

The PP had claimed that if SW stopped the shows, the whales would be euthanized or sold, which is false.

SW is stopping the orca entertainment shows, & working with the Humane Society to find a way to display them in a more natural setting for the rest of their lives. Good move for Sea World! I'm glad to see them demonstrating a commitment to the future of the whales.

 

[rteetz]

I'm wondering how this will affect the big blue world project.