Whales and dolphins in captivity

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karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 31, 2013 - 10:14am PT

Spread awareness about the captivity of whales and dolphins to eventually lead to the public making the choices that can end this cruelty.

Mission
END THE CAPTIVITY OF WHALES AND DOLPHINS IN ALL PARKS/AQUARIUMS ACROSS THE GLOBE.

The captivity of dolphins and whales is a sad and disturbing practice found across the world. For anyone who takes the time to look, it becomes clear this is an unnecessary and cruel act by people. These highly intelligent animals are taken from their families and forced into a life of servitude. What can you do? Spread the world; help educate people about the truth. Not supporting aquariums and parks that hold marine life is also the most basic thing you can do to help end this. Just like any business, if they don't make money they will fail. Raise your voice for those who have had theirs stolen.

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 10:38am PT

Captive whales and dolphins have been trained to perform tricks, day after day, for food as a reward instead of behaving naturally. When not performing, they are often kept in holding tanks smaller than show pools. Confining animals together that may not get on can result in stress and aggression with no possible escape.

We have no right to put these amazing creatures in captivity. Captive whale and dolphin shows are not education, or conservation; stress and disturbing behaviour is common amongst dolphins displayed in dolphinaria. Captivity is all about making money.

Norton

Social climber

the Wastelands

Dec 31, 2013 - 10:43am PT

But then there's that part about seeing the poor animals stuck in some for sh!t situation NOT of their choosing...

and THAT is the problem with ZOOZ

Norwegian

Trad climber

dancin on the tip of god's middle finger

Dec 31, 2013 - 10:55am PT

i finally broke out of the steel-reinforced-concrete wall
that god had built all around me.
her intent was to cage me within my own fear,
that is what she does best,
but i prevailed with enduring fortitude
and courage and now im
free of her confines but
now i realize she's on the other side of the
wall too, and that the cage is everywhere,
there is no escape, no liberty.
and i must maintain my resistance to her
advances if i'm ever to entertain the
life that i genetically inherrited.

so i will remain steadfast in my
lifelong goal to deny gods any place within my heart.

even if those dolphins and whales be free within the sea,
we have them by the throat, regardless.

thebravecowboy

Social climber

Colorado Plateau

Dec 31, 2013 - 10:57am PT

I am not against the flogging of the dolphin.
Captivity, yes. Flogging, no.

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:16am PT

Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent animals who want and need to live in complex social groups. In captivity they will usually have been separated from their families, often in cruel hunts and some when they are very young.

Wild whales and dolphins can swim up to 100 miles a day, hunting and playing. In captivity they have very little space and cannot behave naturally. A concrete tank can never replace their ocean home.

The mental, emotional and physical stress that a captive whale or dolphin suffers can weaken their immune system and make them prone to disease. Even though captive whales and dolphins are kept in an environment free of predators, pollution and other threats, they die young. The death rate for infant whales and dolphins is also much higher in captivity.

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:26am PT

In some zoo's there is something called a Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program, which aims to manage the breeding of specific endangered species in order to help maintain healthy and self-sustaining populations that are both genetically diverse and demographically stable.

The end goal of many SSPs is the reintroduction of captive-raised endangered species into their native wild habitats. According to the , SSPs and related programs have helped bring black-footed ferrets, California condors, red wolves and several other endangered species back from the brink of extinction over the last three decades. Zoos also use SSPs as research tools to better understand wildlife biology and population dynamics, and to raise awareness and funds to support field projects and habitat protection for specific species.

However
Captivity for whales and dolphins is brutal!

Wild capture of whales and dolphins is awful. Entire pods may be targeted and many animals killed or injured. Only the young and fit are taken. These are the future generations for these already vulnerable wild populations and their loss has a hugely negative impact on group dynamics.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Dec 31, 2013 - 11:33am PT

If Sea World and its ilk wanted to really do the 'educational' thang then
they would throw a few baby seals into the Orca tank every day. I bet that
would bring the crowd to its feet.

nature

climber

Boulder, CO

Dec 31, 2013 - 11:42am PT

Cetaceans in captivity is not an option.

As this is the last day of the year I'm making my non-profit donations.

I'm supporting OPS and my friends Candice and Louie - http://www.opsociety.org/

Next it's off to WildAid, Project Aware, Monterey Bay Aquarium,

I've already been beating this drum BTW around here....
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2215095/Blackfish-the-movie-OT

In May or June of 2014 I'm organizing a trip to the San Juan Islands to visit the Orca's. See them in the only place they should be seen - the wild.

This guy is kicking some ass:

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Dec 31, 2013 - 11:48am PT

Oh, Nature, you really want to go see them on the Valdes Peninsula in
Argentina where they show up for the seal pup sushi fest. It's a jungle out there. ;-)

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:49am PT

I'm with you Nature!

There are many fantastic opportunities to see whales and dolphins in the wild both from land and with a responsible boat operator, so help us end captivity and keep whales and dolphins wild.

check out Stop Seaworld on facebook

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:53am PT

Stop SeaWorld

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Stop SeaWorld
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Stop the exploitation of Orcas and force SeaWorld and other parks to release these intelligent and social mammals from their small prisons back into an ocean sanctuary to live out the rest of their lives in their natural habitats
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karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:05pm PT

The behaviour of whales and dolphins is obviously constricted by life in a tank. Whales and dolphins are ordinarily intelligent, social animals that live in groups in the wild and carry out a myriad of tasks throughout daily life that are simply impossible in captivity. Most of the knowledge gained from carrying out research in the captive environment may not be applicable to the conservation of these animals in the wild.

Wild capture of dolphins and whales is a brutal activity as entire pods are targeted and only the young and fit are removed. These are the future generations of wild populations which may already be subject to other threats and the targeted population may therefore suffer greatly as a result of these captures, particularly in terms of group dynamics.

The orca, or "killer," whale is the largest member of the dolphin family.
Status:
Endangered in Oregon, Washington, and California.

Population: The worldwide population of orcas is unknown.

nature

climber

Boulder, CO

Dec 31, 2013 - 12:06pm PT

locker - go see the movie blackfish and then maybe add your 2 cents.

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:13pm PT

You can see Blackfish on Netflix.
Want to stop the torture of these animals?
Boycott SeaWorld, sign petitions, donate money or time, raise awareness!

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:17pm PT

Most of the knowledge gained from carrying out research in the captive environment may not be applicable to the conservation of these animals in the wild.

I suggest you watch the movie blackfish then do some research.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Dec 31, 2013 - 12:19pm PT

Well, Ron, by studying orcas and dophins in captivity I aver the only ones
who benefit are those doing the studies. Turn 'em all loose and leave 'em
the phuk alone! They don't need us to manage them other than assuring them
of enough salmon and seals to eat which means keeping fisheries stocks healthy.

karen roseme

Mountain climber

san diego

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:21pm PT

The documentary movie Blackfish continues to be a public relations and financial nightmare for SeaWorld, and it’s now creating what people have termed the Blackfish Effect.

Eight out of the 10 musical acts scheduled for SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brews and Barbecue Festival have canceled. Fans had launched online petitions, leading to the festival’s headlining acts – Willie Nelson, Barenaked Ladies, Joan Jett, Trisha Yearwood, .38 Special, Heart, REO Speedwagon and Martina McBride – all canceling their scheduled concert dates.

Many of the musicians have been using their social media pages to educate their fans about SeaWorld’s history of oppression and abuse. For Willie Nelson, the decision wasn’t a difficult one. "I don’t agree with the way they treat their animals," he said. “It wasn’t that hard a deal for me."
Some musicians and bands, including Joan Jett and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, have also asked SeaWorld to stop using their music as a soundtrack to the “Shamu Rocks” show.

Joan Jett, whose outspoken views on the mistreatment of farmed animals got her kicked-off of South Dakota’s float at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, wrote a scathing letter to SeaWorld’s president expressing her displeasure:

"SeaWorld’s reliance on cruelty and captivity for commerce has been widely exposed. I hope you’ll take the respectable path and release the captive orcas to coastal sanctuaries so that they can live out their lives with other orcas in nature. This move would show that your company is truly family-friendly."

SeaWorld’s public relations problems are still growing, and the backlash toward their mistreatment of orcas is moving from the public to the private sector. Following on the heels of the rock stars, a marine science-based high school canceled its annual trip to SeaWorld. Rebecca Johnson, principal of Pt. Dume Marine Science School in Malibu, CA, said:
“My decision was guided by what was the best thing for all my students. I am very proud that the school did the right thing. I hope it’s not just a one-year, knee-jerk reaction. I hope they truly understand how wrong it is that these whales are in captivity, and none of us should be paying money to see that.”

All of this pressure has helped spread the Blackfish Effect to the point that it is now impacting SeaWorld’s commerce. Delaware L.P. Sw, a subsidiary of Blackstone, SeaWorld’s majority stockholder, has sold stock valued at over $500 million dollars.
In an effort to stem the growing tidal wave of negative public relations, SeaWorld took out a full-page ad in several major newspapers across the country. In the ads, they continue to claim that "The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild,” and that “SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild,” as well as saying that “We do not separate killer whale moms and calves.”
However, Blackfish director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, told the Los Angeles Times:
“Unfortunately, their statements range from wildly misleading to patently false. I just wish they would evolve past their 40-year-old spin and resolve to work with us toward a better future.”
Despite SeaWorld’s best efforts, the Blackfish Effect will most likely continue to gain momentum because the documentary has just made its streaming debut on Netflix…and Netflix reportedly has over 31 million subscribers.

Yay!!!