Author Topic: "Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld  (Read 1779 times)

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Offline mellenORL

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"Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld
« on: December 18, 2013, 01:36:28 pm »
I live in Orlando, and I have never and will never visit SeaWorld. Last night, I watched the film "Blackfish" on Netflix (available on Hulu as well). I strongly recommend you watch this film if you can, as it mostly comes straight from the mouths of a group of long term former SeaWorld orca trainers. It is heartbreaking and chilling to watch, as animals suffer and die, and trainers get injured,  nearly killed, and outright killed. There have been numerous deaths from captive orcas, and many, many premature deaths of the orcas from viciously rough capture methods, attack from other captive whales, and many forms of neglect. Both the orcas and the trainers are the victims of corporate lies and denials for the sake of money, only. Now, since the film has been available for a month or so online, millions of people have had the chance to see it. The public backlash unleashed may have set the ball rolling for SeaWorld's and other captive dolphin/whale arenas' eventual demise. SeaWorld is all about profit, so fittingly, I chose a financial site for the article, because it is about the early warning signs that the bottom line is gonna sink into the deep end of the pool for them.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/12/18/blackfish-sink-seaworld-bottom-line/
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgwJUNDBD18" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgwJUNDBD18</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOXKzTYoV4Q" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOXKzTYoV4Q</a>
« Last Edit: December 18, 2013, 03:59:24 pm by mellenORL »
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Offline Barbarella

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Re: "Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2013, 01:24:02 pm »
I'm not crazy about the whole captivity of whales, either. Places like SeaWorld should be revamped as strictly educational places that don't keep large sea critters captive & forced to do stupid tricks. I'd rather see an aquatic-zoo with mainly smaller sea life in huge, very natural tanks rife with all sorts of rocks, plant life, etc. A great place to teach the public about the oceans, lakes, sea life, ecosystems, etc.

Instead of orca shows, they should take the Circe du Soleil approach & have aquatic-themed acrobat theater shows! I think regular circuses should do the same.

When I see stuff like Circe du Soleil or the Lion King stage shows, I go "WHY DO WE NEED CRITTERS?!". People can do it all!

[I use the term 'Critters' to refer to non-human animals. Humans are not separate from animals because they are animals. 'Humans' & 'Critters' are simply designations between two groups of animals.]

Also, you post looked naked & sad without any responses.

Offline SkyTrekTower

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Re: "Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2013, 02:44:19 pm »
I watched part of the film, and it was painful to watch...although not in the way that was intended by the "documentary".  Factually, it had a lot of stretching the truth, cherry picking, or outright lies/deceptive editing.  Yes Sea World wants to make a profit, and yes they have captured orcas(last was 35 years ago), but they also do a lot of good.  The film was just a lot of the same bs spewed by animal rights nutters, and it is a shame that it is getting as much attention that it has. 

Also, the public reaction is not as bad as CNN and those behind the film are making it out to be, especially if the petitions on Change.org are anything to go by.  The petitions to get bands to cancel only get 5-11000 signatures to cancel, and even the petitions to release the dolphins and orcas and to end orca breeding got only 12-14000.  However, while 14000 is 14000, it is nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands of signatures for things like reverting back to the old Youtube comment system or to remove a dye from Kraft Dinner.

Sea World has also released an open letter:
Quote
Inaccurate reports recently have generated questions about SeaWorld and the animals in our care. The truth is in our parks and people, and it’s time to set the record straight.
The men and women of SeaWorld are true animal advocates. We are the 1,500 scientists, researchers, veterinarians, trainers, marine biologists, aquarists, aviculturists, educators and conservationists who have dedicated our lives to the animals in our care as well as those in the wild that are injured, ill or orphaned. Whether it’s a sea lion, manatee, sea turtle or whale, we are on call 24/7.
Here are some important facts about SeaWorld and our work:
SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild. Due to the groundbreaking success of our research in marine mammal reproduction, we haven’t collected a killer whale from the wild in 35 years. In fact, only two of the whales in our care were collected by SeaWorld and they continue to be in our care today. In addition, our research has led to a much greater understanding of whales in the wild, giving researchers important scientific insights surrounding marine mammal reproduction.

We do not separate killer whale moms and calves. SeaWorld recognizes the important bond between mother and calf. On the rare occasion that a mother killer whale cannot care for the calf herself, we have successfully hand raised and reintroduced the calf. Whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure.

SeaWorld invests millions of dollars in the care of our killer whales. In the last three years alone, we have invested $70 million in our killer whale habitats and millions of dollars annually in support of these facilities. Our habitats are among the largest in the world today. They are state-of-the-art, multimillion-gallon environments of cooled and filtered water that allow for the highest and safest standards of care. We give our animals restaurant-quality fish, exercise, veterinary care, mental stimulation, and the company of other members of their species.

SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild. While studies continue to define the average life span of killer whales in the wild, the most recent science suggests that our killer whales’ life spans are comparable — indeed, five of our animals are older than 30, and one of our whales is close to 50.

The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild. We work with universities, governmental agencies and NGOs to increase the body of knowledge about and the understanding of killer whales — from their anatomy and reproductive biology to their auditory abilities. Some populations of wild killer whales have been classified as endangered or threatened, demonstrating the potential critical nature of these research opportunities. This type of controlled research and study is simply not possible in the wild, and has significant real-world benefits to the killer whales that live there.

SeaWorld is a world leader in animal rescue. The millions of people who visit our parks each year make possible SeaWorld’s world-renowned work in rescue, rehabilitation and release. We are constantly innovating when it comes to this care: Our veterinarians have created nursing bottles to hand-feed orphaned whales, prosthetics to save sea turtles, and a wetsuit to help injured manatees stay afloat during rehabilitation. Whether it’s the result of natural or man-made disasters, SeaWorld is always on call and often the first to be contacted. We have rescued more than 23,000 animals with the goal of treating and returning them to the wild.

Naturalist Baba Dioum put it best when he said, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught.”
At SeaWorld, this has been our calling since we first opened our doors 50 years ago. It is a responsibility we do not take lightly. More than 400 million guests have visited SeaWorld. We are proud that their experiences here have a lasting and positive impact on them, and on the world in which we live.
The truth about SeaWorld is right here in our parks and people. Our guests may enter our gates having never given much thought to the remarkable animals in our oceans. When they leave with a greater appreciation for the importance of the sea, educated about the animals that live there and inspired to make a difference, we have done our job.

http://seaworld.com/en/ourcare/Letter
« Last Edit: December 20, 2013, 02:46:12 pm by SkyTrekTower »

Offline Witchyjoshy

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Re: "Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2013, 06:58:45 pm »
When I see stuff like Circe du Soleil or the Lion King stage shows, I go "WHY DO WE NEED CRITTERS?!". People can do it all!

[I use the term 'Critters' to refer to non-human animals. Humans are not separate from animals because they are animals. 'Humans' & 'Critters' are simply designations between two groups of animals.]

That's really clever!  I like it!

As for the topic, I'm afraid I'm not sure what to say about this.  I wish I was.
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Offline mellenORL

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Re: "Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2013, 07:43:07 pm »
SkyTrek,

SeaWorld repeatedly refused to be interviewed for the film, and I wish you had watched it in it's entirety. Including the transcripts from the lawsuit brought by OSHA against them. The number of "trainer error" (always SeaWorld's response) accidents and deaths numbers at least 80 incidents over the years (from their arenas, only) that at least were bad enough or during shows so that they DID get onto the records.

The statement you just pasted of SeaWorld's response is on topics actually addressed in the film. It is a lawyerly statement, spinning details in their favor. They BUY captured whales, they do not directly associate themselves with the capture teams any longer because it became a public relations nightmare for SeaWorld. They wait until the captured orcas are in port and recorded into the collections of other organizations in Europe, Iceland and the far east before paying to get the animals  either on "breeder stock" loan, or "trade" for other marine animals. Those transactions always include large dollar amounts in "facilitation" fees. Calling that not-a-sale is accurate legally, but is a pretty thin veil. The capture of orcas continues, mostly off the coast of Iceland. The demand for captured wild stock is engendered by SeaWorld and other marine animal arenas. CITES is a massive international trade law code, and in re the capture and sale of marine animals, the documentation of the sources of all orcas in arenas is a matter of public record by law. The film shows the documents legibly onscreen.
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Offline chitoryu12

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Re: "Blackfish" documentary may be affecting SeaWorld
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2014, 01:17:07 pm »
I believe this deserves a read and watch from anyone seriously interested in the Blackfish controversy.
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