If I could turn back time after knowing what I know now, I would refuse to go (If you have not seen Blackfish, you need to). I regret going and I regret enjoying the dolphins and orcas perform. Now I'm not just against SeaWorld, I'm against all marine parks that keep dolphins and orcas captive. They are used purely for entertainment. There is no educational value to the animals because if there was, they wouldn't even be in captivity.
Now I'm not saying all animals should be free and zoos are evil, every animal is different, some are fine in captivity. Orcas and dolphins aren't. They are an animal that needs an ocean to fulfill their needs, not a tiny chlorinated pool.
Dr. Naomi Rose recently did a Ted Talk about orcas that is heartbreaking. Did you know orca pods have their own language/cultures? That they are very family oriented and never leave their pods? That if left in the wild, Orcas can live up to 50 years old, even 100? Yet in captivity, they hardly make it to 30.
You can watch her presentation here:
So if captivity is so bad, why are they still in captivity, well that would be the consumer's fault. You purchase a ticket to go to SeaWorld to see Shamu. You pay to swim with dolphins. Businesses don't care about the animals, they care about the money. The only way to end this abuse is to educate consumers so they stop going to these places. Boycott SeaWorld. Instead of swimming with dolphins, go on a boat and watch them ride the waves.
If the circus can stop using elephants due to public pressure, then so can SeaWorld and other Marine Parks. It's up to us as the consumers to show them that we don't approve of how they treat animals and refuse to go until dolphins and orcas are no longer forced to live in tiny pools.
It's also up to parents to educate their children that seeing dolphins and orcas in captivity is not right. Instead, take them out to sea to see them in the natural habitat. In some rare cases, you can watch orcas from the shore!
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3 Comments
Interesting piece... Not sure about other animals being ok w/captivity.
ReplyDeleteFor years I visit the local zoo (as a child and later in life with my nieces), now I feel ashamed of that.. Animals don't belong in a cage.. They belong in sanctuaries, big open parks or their natural habitat....
I kind of agree and disagree. There are good and bad zoos. Good zoos are great since it's educational and the animals have plenty of space. The problem with Orcas, dolphins, and whales is that they are big animals and not being given enough space and even with enough space it can't mimic the ocean and there's no way you can keep them together in their pod/families. Those are animals that don't do well in captivity, so they shouldn't be kept captive. Here is an article about why zoos are good: http://www.theguardian.com/science/lost-worlds/2014/aug/19/why-zoos-are-good
DeleteWow! I did not know this about Seaworld and I didn't know anything about swimming with dolphins could be bad. I will look more into this but this sounds horrible. I have actually never been to SeaWorld but I've always wanted to go because I love dolphins. However, now I have changed my mind. You're right though - it worked for the elephants now we have to fight for the sea animals!
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