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07-05-2015 04:08 PM
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:What do you propose that we do with the whales that were born in captivity, raised in captivity, and Sea World is the only home that they know, and have ever known? It's not like you can realease them back to any old pod. They are use to humans feeding them. So what's the answer?
Haven't you ever watched "Free Willy"?
They can be rehabilitated and sent back into the wild.
07-05-2015 04:08 PM
@cherry wrote:I agree with the fish eating other fish remark. After the Exxon Valdiz spill ,they nursed one seal or porpoise back to health. The cost was excessive. They filmed the release back into the ocean
Unfortunately ,the fish was eaten by a predator ,after all that work ,and the camera's caught the entire episode
Cherry - That was a fake. A joke.
07-05-2015 04:11 PM
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:It's obvious that CNN has an agenda against Sea World, and that agenda is that they hate Sea World, and would love to see them go out of business, puting countless people out of work.
It is interesting that CNN decided to run this.....AGAIN, soon after Sea World came out with their ad, debunking the mockumentary.
There are PLENTY of other animals they can showcase in their parks...
CNN runs this a lot because it's cheaper than doing live programming (especially over holidays) - and because it still gets good ratings.
07-05-2015 04:59 PM
@gardenman wrote:Captivity can actually save some species from extinction. Asian Arowanas are one example. They became nearly extinct in the wild and since they're a symbol of wealth and prosperity in much of the Far East, an industry sprang up to breed them domestically. There are now a number of Arowana farms dedicated to breeding them that churn out tens of thousands of Asian Arowanas each year. The farms are so proficient that there is no longer a demand for wild caught Arowanas and the native population is rebounding. You can see some of the farms on Youtube if you're interested.
People like to say it's a 'dog eat dog' world out there, but anyone who's ever studied fish will tell you it's more of a fish eat fish world. Fish in the wild have a very low survival rate (often less than one percent of fry reach adulthood) while in captivity the number can be 90% or more reaching adulthood.
While it's true that whales aren't fish (they're mammals) their life in the wild isn't always the heaven some assume it to be. Great white sharks have been known to attack them, some have scars indicating run-ins with giant squid, and it's hard to quantify how their life relates to those in captivity. Would a whale prefer to be out in the wild fighting to survive each day or pampered in captvity? I suspect it varies from whale to whale and there is no absolute answer.
@gardenman wrote:Captivity can actually save some species from extinction. Asian Arowanas are one example. They became nearly extinct in the wild and since they're a symbol of wealth and prosperity in much of the Far East, an industry sprang up to breed them domestically. There are now a number of Arowana farms dedicated to breeding them that churn out tens of thousands of Asian Arowanas each year. The farms are so proficient that there is no longer a demand for wild caught Arowanas and the native population is rebounding. You can see some of the farms on Youtube if you're interested.
People like to say it's a 'dog eat dog' world out there, but anyone who's ever studied fish will tell you it's more of a fish eat fish world. Fish in the wild have a very low survival rate (often less than one percent of fry reach adulthood) while in captivity the number can be 90% or more reaching adulthood.
While it's true that whales aren't fish (they're mammals) their life in the wild isn't always the heaven some assume it to be. Great white sharks have been known to attack them, some have scars indicating run-ins with giant squid, and it's hard to quantify how their life relates to those in captivity. Would a whale prefer to be out in the wild fighting to survive each day or pampered in captvity? I suspect it varies from whale to whale and there is no absolute answer.
*********I don't think anyone is saying that their natural life in the wild is heaven. But I'm sure you've heard of "Give me liberty or give me death." And "Live free or die." Who are we as humans to deny these sophisticated creatures their lives as they were meant to live them? The sad part is they are probably doomed to lead an unnatural life if they were born in captivity.
07-05-2015 05:05 PM
If you truly belive in "Live free or die" and "Give me liberty or give me death" then do you recommend the death penalty for every crime that would require someone to lose their freedom? If death is better than a loss of freedom then that would be the only humane option. It would be cruel, by those standards to imprison someone for life with no chance of parole.
07-05-2015 06:22 PM
It takes a LOT of time and $$$$ to have a whale that was born and raised in captivity, go in to the wild.
Keiko, whom the movie was based on, could not adjust to living in the wild.
From Wiki:
The Free Willy-Keiko Foundation and The Humane Society of the United States re-established management of the project at that time until Keiko's death in 2003. Keiko finally departed Icelandic waters with wild whales in early August 2002. However, about three weeks later he showed up in aNorwegian fjord, apparently seeking contact with human beings and allowing children to ride on his back.[11] His caretakers relocated to Norway and continued to conduct boat-follows with Keiko for the next 15 months.[12] He failed to reintegrate with wild whales,[13] but on the basis of girth measurements and blood tests, it was assumed that he fed during his 900 mile journey to Norway from Iceland.[14] Keiko switched between different groups of wild killer whales, often remaining on the periphery, at distances of 100–300 m, with his head pointing toward the closest whales.[15]
Keiko died in Taknes Bay, Norway while swimming in the fjords on December 12, 2003, at about 26 years of age. Pneumonia was determined as his probable cause of death by his veterinarian.
Do you know how long Keiko lived in the wild? Two years. That's it. Just two years. "Well, at least he died free!"
He died of pneumonia. Does that sound like it was "best" for him?
He could never adjust to being in the wild, if they had kept him where the humans that he was use to could take care of him, he might still be alive today. I did not say performing, but keep him in an ocean sanctuary. BIG difference.
So, it isn't realistic for a lot of animals to just be thrown back out in to the wilderness, even after "rehabing" them, when they are born, and raised with human interaction for their whole entire lives.
If someone truly want what is BEST for the animal, then they must also realize that sometimes that the BEST thing to do for them is to keep them with people, because the adjustment for the animal is just too difficult to overcome.
07-05-2015 06:33 PM
@terrier3 wrote:
@cherry wrote:I agree with the fish eating other fish remark. After the Exxon Valdiz spill ,they nursed one seal or porpoise back to health. The cost was excessive. They filmed the release back into the ocean
Unfortunately ,the fish was eaten by a predator ,after all that work ,and the camera's caught the entire episode
Cherry - That was a fake. A joke.
It was an ad for Discovery Channel's Shark Week in 2013. It was about the release of Snuffy the Seal.
Here's the ad:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaKSe584uTM
Then there was a follow up ad for Discovery Channel's Shark Week 2014 where Snuffy the seal lives.
Here's the ad for that.
07-26-2015 06:52 PM
Seriously? I'm not mad or trying to be condencending, but you post a link that originates from a group that is just as bias as you claim the creators of Blackfish to be. Let's talk about what we do know for a fact: The fact is, we know that Orcas are extremely intelligent and social animals. So, even if you believe that the crying was "faked", the fact that the other family members did not swim away when they had the chance should alarm us. Would we leave a family member while he was being abducted from the family? Second, these animals are not being "moved" or "relocated" to protect them from harm. They were being "abducted" and "removed" from their families for the purpose of human entertainment. They did not stop hunting them down because they felt bad or it became illegal. They stopped when they realized they had males and could breed at a fraction of the cost of hunting them.
07-26-2015 06:56 PM
Those tiny tanks are awful. A whale in the wild will swim 100 miles a day. They can barely turn around in there.
02-29-2016 07:10 PM
Blackfish was a very emotional movie that brought me to have negative thoughts toward SeaWorld until I started to read more about the documentary and what SeaWorld’s mission is all about.
Overall, I do not agree with the captivation of whales. Whales are magnificent creatures that dominate the ocean and weigh several tons. When you put such a large animal into a small space it is likely that they will eventually act out. The stress that the whales have with being in such a small space is evident too. In the film, the retired trainers talked about how the animals would beat each other up at night and in the morning the whales would have deep gashes in their sides. http://www.outsideonline.com/1924946/killer-pool?page=all
I also do not believe it is safe for a hundred pound human to be that close to a multi-ton animal. Yes, they can train the animals and have safety procedures but when it ultimately comes down to it, the trainer has no chance against the whales. Sadly this incident happened in real life with Trainer Dawn Brancheau when she was pulled under by Tilikum, who had already killed other people years before. http://www.blackfishmovie.com/about Tilikum had several years of training and the employees did ever safety procedure but ultimately the whale won.
Also, one of the best memories I have is from when I went whale watching in the Atlantic Ocean. I agree that whales are magnificent creatures but it is even more magnificent to see them in their natural habitat. Nothing can compare coming up to a heard of whales swimming in the ocean and blowing water several feet in the air. That’s why I believe if people really want to see whales that they should go on a whale watching tour because it will be way more satisfying seeing a heard of whales in their natural habitat than one whale swimming and jumping in a small pool.
However, after watching the documentary and then doing some research on SeaWorld it is evident that Blackfish only told one side of the story. Yes the footage in the documentary is real and terrifying, however, those are just a few incidents out of the literally millions of times the trainers come in contact with the whales.
SeaWorld does a lot more than just killer whale shows for the public. For decades now, they have been rescuing animals from the ocean and nurturing them back to health. SeaWorld provides top of the line healthcare for these animals that would not have survived in ocean without it. Also, they are using the most advanced breeding techniques to help save endangered animal populations like the killer whales. In addition, SeaWorld sends millions of dollars each year to wildlife conservation programs to continue to help save the oceans and its creatures. http://www.blackfishmovie.com/about
Blackfish was a well-crafted documentary that brought about a lot of changes to help killer whales, however, without SeaWorld many of these whales would have died several years before in the ocean.
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