Community Chat

[JJsMom]

How do you feel about this? Is SeaWorld any worse than a zoo?

A California lawmaker has proposed a measure that would prohibit SeaWorld San Diego from using orcas in its shows.

Richard Bloom, a Santa Monica Democrat, says the documentary Blackfish, which examines the 2010 death of a SeaWorld trainer who was killed by a captive orca, inspired him to push the bill.

Blackfish, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, also highlights other incidents in which trainers were either hurt or had close calls with orcas, also known as killer whales. The filmmakers detail what they say are cramped living conditions for the marine mammals, the centerpiece of SeaWorld's acrobatic shows.

"There is no justification for the continued captive display of orcas for entertainment purposes," Bloom said Friday. "These beautiful creatures are much too large and far too intelligent to be confined in small, concrete tanks for their entire lives."

SeaWorld Entertainment, the parent company that also runs parks in Orlando, Fla., and San Antonio, Texas, has called Blackfish "propaganda," saying "the film conveys falsehoods, manipulates viewers emotionally and relies on questionable filmmaking techniques to create 'facts' that support its point of view."

The company says Blackfish gives the false impression that conditions at the parks are harmful to whales and trainers, and also that SeaWorld has covered up information related to fatal 2010 training mishaps.

The New York Times reported last month that:

"Blackfish has become a rallying point for those who oppose the use of killer whales for entertainment in the SeaWorld parks, and it has drawn large audiences in theaters and on TV. But SeaWorld has defended its practices, mounting an aggressive pushback against the film.

"The company continued its counterattack with a complaint delivered ... to the Labor Department. It accuses the official examining an orca's 2010 fatal attack on a SeaWorld trainer of ethical violations, including leaking confidential documents to the makers of Blackfish."

On Monday, The Associated Press said the film's director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, issued a statement to the news agency denying the Labor Department investigator ever provided information related to the investigation.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/07/287330868/lawmaker-wants-to-ban-orcas-at-san-diegos-...

[mgm2]

""Free Willy""!

[NoelSeven]

Good. It's a terrible thing to do to the wales.

[terrier3]

Blackfish was one of the most chilling documentaries I have ever seen.

Whales belong in the ocean...this is torture for them.

I took my son to a local aquarium, Marineland in Niagara Falls, and thought he would enjoy the orca show. He was about 5.

He started crying and I had to take him out...he said "that whale was in jail, I don't want to watch mommy!"

I thought he was being overly sensitive back then...now 25 years later, he was right all along!

[JJsMom]

I agree they belong in the ocean, but what about the gorillas and elephants trapped at the zoo? Is it really any different? This ban would effectively shut down SeaWorld. That show is their biggest draw.

[Puzzle Piece]

I would like the Orcas to be set free - up north near Washington State. They belong to the vastness of the oceans.

[terrier3]

On 3/11/2014 JJsMom said:

I agree they belong in the ocean, but what about the gorillas and elephants trapped at the zoo? Is it really any different? This ban would effectively shut down SeaWorld. That show is their biggest draw.

A lot of zoos are losing their animals because the conditions aren't humane.

If they can't care for the animals properly, they need to go someplace better.

Sea World has a lot of rides now...I'm sure they can figure out a way to survive.

[Irshgrl31201]

I have never gone to Sea World or the circus but I have gone to zoos.

Here is my thought on zoos. I don't want them to go out and get these animals out of the wild but to the animals that can't be re-released into the wild or born in captivity and have no knowledge of how to live in the wild, what else do we do with them? They should be taken care of.

I would be very happy if one day none of these places existed. The sooner the better.

To me, Blackfish was probably one of the most traumatic things I have ever watched. I don't know how people could watch this and still want to visit SeaWorld. I know I could not be friends with someone who was ok with it. I try not to judge people because everyone is different but there is a limit to that and people who mistreat animals or are ok with mistreatment of animals is just too much for me.

[chrystaltree]

I hope that measure passes and I hope other states follow suit. It's time we ended the practice of imprisoning and torturing those magnificent animals. We have to begin somewhere, we can't just say "well, what about the elephants". It's a process, Orcas today. Elephants and large apes tomorrow. It's 2014, it's time. Sea World is business, they can reinvent themselves. Or go out of business.

[Irshgrl31201]

To answer your question though, no I don't think zoos are that much different. They take animals that travel hundreds of miles and put them in little cages. While we may not think of them as cages they are to them because most of these animals travel a lot of distance compared to their enclosures.