Sea World PR backfires

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Discussion

Matt Harper

6,621 posts

202 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
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Are Sea World's 'performing' marine mammals releasable back into the wild? I suspect they may be 'institutionalised' and if that's the case, what is the alternative to their current incarcerated circumstances? A captive bred Orca would have a pretty tough time if released into the ocean, I would imagine.

Sea World's Manatee rescue program is very worthwhile, in that they rehabilitate and reintroduce to nature - and give a wonderful insight to these lovely, peaceful and social animals.

bexVN

14,682 posts

212 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
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They take supplies from the wild and institutionalise. Rescue programmes have been able to rehabilitate wild caught dolphins and whales back to the wild.

Matt Harper

6,621 posts

202 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
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What about the captive bred ones - which most of Sea World's Orcas are?

BlackVanDyke

9,932 posts

212 months

Saturday 4th April 2015
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Matt Harper said:
What about the captive bred ones - which most of Sea World's Orcas are?
Possible (see the story of JJ the neonate grey whale who was successfully hand-reared and released to the wild as a young adult) but difficult. But if they can't be totally released they need to be living in HUGE sea pens, nowhere else. They need tens of thousands of cubic metres of water - you can't do that in a 'collection' setting of any kind.

Matt Harper

6,621 posts

202 months

Sunday 5th April 2015
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What do the anti-Sea World activists want then? Genuine question - I have no affection for their circus acts either, but if they shut down Shamu Stadium and all of the performing imprisoned marine mammal shows, what would happen to those animals? I'm pretty certain that reintroducing them to the ocean is not an option for those bred in captivity in Orlando and San Diego.

bexVN

14,682 posts

212 months

Sunday 5th April 2015
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Stop restocking when they pass on and invest in sea pens for those to live out their days or tbh put them down better than the miserly existence they lead.

The really sad thing is as appalling as Seaworld is it is high standard compared to most around the world so just imagine the complete utter hopelessness of those creatures.

BlackVanDyke

9,932 posts

212 months

Sunday 5th April 2015
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bexVN said:
Stop restocking when they pass on and invest in sea pens for those to live out their days or tbh put them down better than the miserly existence they lead.

The really sad thing is as appalling as Seaworld is it is high standard compared to most around the world so just imagine the complete utter hopelessness of those creatures.
Yup that. Rehab whatever can be rehabilitated, reserve-type accommodation, sea pens like Bex said for for everything else, euthanasia for anything they cannot genuinely offer a decent quality of life to.

The bloody stupid thing is that I'm sure people would still pay a fortune to visit a marine reserve and support such work.

Newbey

46 posts

180 months

Sunday 5th April 2015
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What I don't understand is all the trainers. Surely all of the employees study marine life or some sort of zoology subject, so they must be interested in the animals and learn how cruel it is to keep them captive. So why then work for a company that goes against everything they believe in?

shoebag

1,137 posts

253 months

Sunday 12th April 2015
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SeaWorld needs to stop masturbating the Orcas and artificially inseminating them to end their sick whale circus. SeaWorld have earnt millions from inflicting an unnatural, imprisoned life onto the Orcas. They should pay for sea-pens where the Orcas are retired to - still supervised but more freedom.
Orca Lolita was captured in 1970 off the coast of Washington State. She is kept in a tiny pool at Miami Seaquarium as a solitary Orca. She still recognises the sound of her own Pod and her Mother 'Ocean Sun' is still alive in the wild. Lolita is an ideal candidate for rehab and release. There is a detailed plan in place by www.orcanetwork.org for her rehab to a sea-pen in her home waters. Miami Seaquarium refuse to let her go.