Some things I have been reading

[VickiVM]

My daughter is a graduating h.s. senior this year and has a passion for studying environmental science in college. In the past year or so, she has become more aware of the bad treatment and illegal pursuit of marine animals (dolphins specifically). She made all of us watch The Cove, and although I don't consider myself particularly concerned like she is, she has made us (her family) aware of many things that are going on in the world that is hard to believe.

But recently, when a story surfaced about multiple deaths occuring at a Portland Aquarium (http://www.kvue.com/news/Owners-of-new-Austin-Aquarium-linked-to-200-plus-animal-deaths-in-Portland-220497591.html), she had this to say about it...and I just can't find any fault in her simple reasoning:

Humans aren't meant to try and take care of marine mammals. Leave them in the wild and they can take care of themselves.

So unless capturing marine life is strictly for the sake of rehabilitating, then releasing them or to care for them because something man-made has interfered with their well-being, then no need to put them on display in public settings.

 

[fabulousfive]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I've seen many documentaries and still feel confident saying that this film isn't nearly as biased or harsh as other films or as some that haven't seen the film think it is. The bottom line is, the truth hurts. The things they are discussing are documented and many have been captured on film. There are many non-employee witnesses. It's very hard to argue that it's not true.

Yes sonnyjane, I agree. At the end of the movie they indicated that they repeatedly asked Sea World for their side of the story & they declined. I also think the film did a good job showing both sides through the eyes of the trainers. We heard their stories of how they love the marine life & why they joined Sea World in the first place. It made you understand the initial appeal of a marine park, but you then quickly realize (as did the trainers) how horrific the whole industry is. Thanks for helping build awareness! If it weren't for this thread, I would have never even seen the film.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I watched The Cove for the first time the day before yesterday(because of this thread). It has made me want to find out more about these things.

It was heartbreaking...

 

[lexandme]

I'm so thrilled and encouraged to read all of your posts! Please keep the conversation going; talk to your families, friends, coworkers, anyone you can. Just one person can reach so many. It is my hope that this will be the last year for the slaughter and capture in Taiji. I think the pressure to end this horrific practice is stronger than ever. The Cove brought awareness into many homes and Blackfish is reinforcing the idea that the captive industry is just cruel.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I'm so thrilled and encouraged to read all of your posts! Please keep the conversation going; talk to your families, friends, coworkers, anyone you can. Just one person can reach so many. It is my hope that this will be the last year for the slaughter and capture in Taiji. I think the pressure to end this horrific practice is stronger than ever. The Cove brought awareness into many homes and Blackfish is reinforcing the idea that the captive industry is just cruel.

I've always been vaguely aware of these things.

I think as I mature I become more interested and am better able to understand things.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Oh and I bought my ticket for Blackfish! Never even heard of it until this thread & now I am attending the theater to see it. Very cool. Thanks everyone! I love Dis!

By the way, wish we could get Disney to stop the dolphin swimming on cruises & Epcot. Anyone tried writing to them about this issue?

You can start a petition on Change.org.

I'm on their list for some reason so I get sent petitions all the time. I never tried to start one so not sure how that works, but I'm pretty sure it is free.

 

[fabulousfive]

You can start a petition on Change.org.

I'm on their list for some reason so I get sent petitions all the time. I never tried to start one so not sure how that works, but I'm pretty sure it is free.

Thank you!

 

[lexandme]

Some good news today!
Roxanne, a Rissos dolphin was just released today! She was tagged and her progress will be monitored.Thank you Riverhead Foundation for Marine Mammal Research and Preservation. This is how it should be done. Good luck to you Roxanne

Also Sea World's stock dropped 6.49%. They are at a 52+ week low. Shares are under $30.00, they want them at a minimum $43.00. Blackfish is being blamed! Conversation, education and compassion can generate change!

 

[fabulousfive]

That's great news! Love hearing something positive!

 

[KBF]

Some good news today!
Roxanne, a Rissos dolphin was just released today! She was tagged and her progress will be monitored.Thank you Riverhead Foundation for Marine Mammal Research and Preservation. This is how it should be done. Good luck to you Roxanne

Also Sea World's stock dropped 6.49%. They are at a 52+ week low. Shares are under $30.00, they want them at a minimum $43.00. Blackfish is being blamed! Conversation, education and compassion can generate change!

http://www.streetinsider.com/Analys...sh+Documentary,+Says+Wells+Fargo/8644135.html



Some other things to think about.... 2nd Quarter Attendance numbers were down, yes. But 2nd Quarter is typically April, May and June. So how is a documentary that is released in July affecting 2nd quarter profit and attendance? And about the $50 ticket. It's my guess that this is a promotion to prepare for next year. Remember, Seaworld celebrates it's 50th anniversary next year. So could the reason behind a $50 ticket be a promotion leading up to the 50th anniversary?

 

[lexandme]

http://www.streetinsider.com/Analys...sh+Documentary,+Says+Wells+Fargo/8644135.html



Some other things to think about.... 2nd Quarter Attendance numbers were down, yes. But 2nd Quarter is typically April, May and June. So how is a documentary that is released in July affecting 2nd quarter profit and attendance? And about the $50 ticket. It's my guess that this is a promotion to prepare for next year. Remember, Seaworld celebrates it's 50th anniversary next year. So could the reason behind a $50 ticket be a promotion leading up to the 50th anniversary?

Boy, I hope you're right. That would mean their third quarter could really tank!

Taiji dolphin slaughter and capture began today. If you go to the dolphin project website you can watch live stream. They currently have a pod in the nets and death is a few hours away. The cove will be red with blood. The pretty ones will be taken to pens where they will be sold ($150,000 each) to dolphinariums, marine parks, swim with dolphin programs, etc. and this will continue until March of 2014. The Japanese government has issued a permit for 2,015 small whales and dolphins to be taken.

 

[KBF]

Boy, I hope you're right. That would mean their third quarter could really tank!

Taiji dolphin slaughter and capture began today. If you go to the dolphin project website you can watch live stream. They currently have a pod in the nets and death is a few hours away. The cove will be red with blood. The pretty ones will be taken to pens where they will be sold ($150,000 each) to dolphinariums, marine parks, swim with dolphin programs, etc. and this will continue until March of 2014. The Japanese government has issued a permit for 2,015 small whales and dolphins to be taken.

Why would anyone want to watch a live stream of this? It's a horrible event. Seaworld doesn't participate in this slaughter anyway.

 

[lexandme]

Why would anyone want to watch a live stream of this? It's a horrible event. Seaworld doesn't participate in this slaughter anyway.

So people can become educated. It is indeed horrible. And if you read and understand what happens to the captives you would know exactly how involved Sea World is. A good place to start is research the captive belugas Sea World tried to purchase from Russia 2 months ago. This proves their direct link to the captive industry.

 

[fabulousfive]

Yes without seeing what's really going on, how can people be disturbed & heartbroken & move into action?

 

[indsun]

Yes without seeing what's really going on, how can people be disturbed & heartbroken & move into action?

I agree. I have thought about going to Seaworld until I saw Blackfish & started researching the topic. My family will not support them.

 

[mrsclark]

DH got back last weekend from our trip to WDW (9 nights at BCV and 2 nights at Loews Royal Pacific at US/IOA). While at WDW we made a spontaneous decision to go on the Wild Africa Trek at AK. It was a great tour!

On the tour, the guides mentioned being AZA accredited, following AZA rules for breeding and the Species Survival Program. While they were talking about this, I leaned over to DH and whispered "yeah, but SeaWorld is AZA accredited too." He looked at me with raised eyebrows. I know all of the best zoos in the country are AZA accredited and I am sure SeaWorld meets a lot of their standards for animal care (ie nutrition, cleanliness, etc.), but my question is why does AZA continue to approve their breeding program? It seems full of potential in-breeding problems to me and they are using a known risk in Tillikum as a sire in a lot of cases. Anyone have my insight or thoughts on this?

 

[CPT Tripss]

DH got back last weekend from our trip to WDW (9 nights at BCV and 2 nights at Loews Royal Pacific at US/IOA). While at WDW we made a spontaneous decision to go on the Wild Africa Trek at AK. It was a great tour!

On the tour, the guides mentioned being AZA accredited, following AZA rules for breeding and the Species Survival Program. While they were talking about this, I leaned over to DH and whispered "yeah, but SeaWorld is AZA accredited too." He looked at me with raised eyebrows. I know all of the best zoos in the country are AZA accredited and I am sure SeaWorld meets a lot of their standards for animal care (ie nutrition, cleanliness, etc.), but my question is why does AZA continue to approve their breeding program? It seems full of potential in-breeding problems to me and they are using a known risk in Tillikum as a sire in a lot of cases. Anyone have my insight or thoughts on this?

Probably because accreditation standards are typically developed by the industry being accredited.

 

[HollyL]

And for those of you that drink the Sea World kool-aid, I encourage you to think critically, be aware of their bias and read about the other side of the issue. Sea World exists to earn billions of dollars yearly and they often hide the truth, distort facts, manipulate and use a host of logically flawed persuasive techniques to take your money. The true tragedy is Sea World achieves this by abusing beautiful intelligent creatures.

This is where I think you are wrong. Have you been to Sea World? The trainers love their jobs, and the animals seem to love what they are doing. I see no problem with SeaWorld, seeing that they stand for conservation of animals, and show the true beauty of these creatures. They do not abuse them.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I am sure all of the animals "love" what they do. Just ask Tilly. He loves his forced job so much, he killed his beloved trainer, as well as being involved in the deaths of 2 other people before that. I have been to marine parks in the PAST. When I was younger, I was actually planning on being a marine mammal trainer and registered at my college as a Marine Biology/zoology major. Once I was mature enough to get past the facade of happy orcas performing circus tricks and was able to see what was really going on, I became anti -captivity for large marine mammals. Since the 60's, when orcas were first displayed, much has been learned about them, and it is safe to say, they do not belong in captivity. It's a tough situation because, yes, you do have many that were born in captivity, and this sad life is all they have known. Another sad truth to that is that many of them were produced by artificial insemination, a good percentage of them from Tilikum, who, face it, Seaworld wanted to "rescue" because he is a prime sperm donor for their AI enterprise, which nets them a lot of money world-wide.
I can go on and on and on, on this topic, as I have followed both sides of the argument for almost my entire life, and I am very passionate about it, but I won't. All I can say is that even my 5 year old son "gets it". He told me that killer whales belong in the ocean, and that the people who capture them and take them away from their families and put them in parks are evil. If he can get it, I don't understand how adults can turn a blind eye to this.
As for a solution for the orcas born in captivity? It's hard to come up with something, but a BUSINESS as big and wealthy as Seaworld can clearly come up with the funds to build a very large tank/sanctuary where they can live out their lives and not have to perform cheesy tricks for food.
Tilikum, Katina, Kasatka, Lolita, and many many more wild orcas deserve to be able to live their lives at least trying to live as they were born. At least move them to seapens in the ocean. Researchers KNOW where their families are, and they can be re-united with them. It is a KNOWN fact that orcas are social animals that stay with their families for life and I'm sure their mothers and siblings would not forget them and would welcome them back to the pod.
AND, if not, then a life in a seapen is still a vast improvement over life in the equivalent of a man-made artificial bath-tub living with other orcas that they don't get along with, and are unable to escape from.
I will get off of my soapbox for now, but if you have not seen "Blackfish", I highly encourage it. Even though most of the information was nothing new to me, just seeing it made me cry throughout the entire documentary. I would also recommend reading "A Killer in the Pool". The average human being needs to be made aware of what is really going on, and I guarentee, you will no longer want to support Seaworld.

 

[HollyL]

Oh, I will! And you are right, I do love whales. I think they are some of the most beautiful animals on earth. And there are so many things about them that make them fascinating.

I remember a movie from years ago, I think back when Jaws came out maybe? The name of the movie was Orca and I guess it was supposed to be scary because of the whale coming after everyone. Anyway, at the beginning they took a whale's mate and maybe the calf. The sad sounds that whale made just made me cry and cry. It funny, I don't remember a lot of the rest of the movie.

If the sad sounds of that whale in a ficticious movie made you cry, honestly, when you hear the true sounds of the mother orcas who have had their BABIES taken away from them and sent away to other parks, you will bawl. I was sitting there in the theater drenching my kleenex from it when I saw "Blackfish". It is the most heart-wrenching sound you will ever hear and it haunts me every day. If Seaworld loves their animals so much, how could they allow this practice? You know why they do it? Because the mother orcas get disctracted by their babies and don't perform up to par - that is just one of the reasons...money is another. Please, do yourself the favor and see the movie or read "Killer in the Pool". You will learn so much.

 

[fabulousfive]

This is where I think you are wrong. Have you been to Sea World? The trainers love their jobs, and the animals seem to love what they are doing. I see no problem with SeaWorld, seeing that they stand for conservation of animals, and show the true beauty of these creatures. They do not abuse them.

Yes, I am sure all of the animals "love" what they do. Just ask Tilly. He loves his forced job so much, he killed his beloved trainer, as well as being involved in the deaths of 2 other people before that. I have been to marine parks in the PAST. When I was younger, I was actually planning on being a marine mammal trainer and registered at my college as a Marine Biology/zoology major. Once I was mature enough to get past the facade of happy orcas performing circus tricks and was able to see what was really going on, I became anti -captivity for large marine mammals. Since the 60's, when orcas were first displayed, much has been learned about them, and it is safe to say, they do not belong in captivity. It's a tough situation because, yes, you do have many that were born in captivity, and this sad life is all they have known. Another sad truth to that is that many of them were produced by artificial insemination, a good percentage of them from Tilikum, who, face it, Seaworld wanted to "rescue" because he is a prime sperm donor for their AI enterprise, which nets them a lot of money world-wide.
I can go on and on and on, on this topic, as I have followed both sides of the argument for almost my entire life, and I am very passionate about it, but I won't. All I can say is that even my 5 year old son "gets it". He told me that killer whales belong in the ocean, and that the people who capture them and take them away from their families and put them in parks are evil. If he can get it, I don't understand how adults can turn a blind eye to this.
As for a solution for the orcas born in captivity? It's hard to come up with something, but a BUSINESS as big and wealthy as Seaworld can clearly come up with the funds to build a very large tank/sanctuary where they can live out their lives and not have to perform cheesy tricks for food.
Tilikum, Katina, Kasatka, Lolita, and many many more wild orcas deserve to be able to live their lives at least trying to live as they were born. At least move them to seapens in the ocean. Researchers KNOW where their families are, and they can be re-united with them. It is a KNOWN fact that orcas are social animals that stay with their families for life and I'm sure their mothers and siblings would not forget them and would welcome them back to the pod.
AND, if not, then a life in a seapen is still a vast improvement over life in the equivalent of a man-made artificial bath-tub living with other orcas that they don't get along with, and are unable to escape from.
I will get off of my soapbox for now, but if you have not seen "Blackfish", I highly encourage it. Even though most of the information was nothing new to me, just seeing it made me cry throughout the entire documentary. I would also recommend reading "A Killer in the Pool". The average human being needs to be made aware of what is really going on, and I guarentee, you will no longer want to support Seaworld.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for a concise description as to what is going on at marine parks. Love how you summed it all up so clearly.