In the last 20 years my family has been to Sea World every year at three different parks. We will never go again after watching the documentary Blackfish. These incredibly intelligent animals are suffering at the hands of their captors. The generations born in captivity may not know what it means to be wild but they are still prisoners in a concrete pond that is unnatural and cruel. I’m ashamed that my family supported this organization with our money.for the record I do not go to the circus or zoos either.
You obviously didn’t read the letter, Sea World does not capture the whales. They haven’t since the 70’s. The whales at the parks were born there, they know no other lifestyle and almost certainty would not survive if released.
“Tilikum was captured in Berufjörður off the east coast of Iceland on November 9, 1983 at about two years of age, along with two other orcas named “Nandu” and “Samoa”. As of 2013 he performs at Seaworld Orlando, following a year-long hiatus after the death of Dawn Brancheau in 2010.” – wikipedia
Why Lie about everything in court then? Explain that big guy. I agree that these animals most likely can never be released. It’s not the people that take care of the animals that I HATE, it’s the Name SEA WORLD that i hate. These bastards lie in the courts so they can continue to make their millions. Sea world is just like any other large organization. They only care about the dollar signs at the front gate. There is no excuse for lying about a death. Funny how there is multiple video proof of these bastards lying and no video proof of the good that they do. It is a money hungry corporation that is willing to do whatever any other corporation does. The only difference is that this corporation is affecting defenseless animals. Pretty damn pathetic.
You obviously didn’t see the documentary. Out of fairness I saw it AND read their response, which is wiser thing to do than to do one and not the other before coming to your own conclusion. Their response is responding inaccurately to what the film was saying on several points and still does not account for many of the things they have done wrong there.
Sea World’s response twists the issues. Is it “we do not separate killer whale moms and calves” or “whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure”. Who makes that determination? Is there a custody hearing?
It says that they don’t but yet they said they collected 2 whales recently. It’s basically another way of saying that they have captured whales. Not only that, they are currently paying others to capture 19 Beluga whales that are within the Russian area.
You obviously didn’t understand what you read. Having captured the whales 35 years ago does not mean they didn’t commit the inhumane task in the first place.
do you think everything they say if TRUE? theres so much PROOF against them. you’re making yourself look bad by just agreeing with what they’re saying.
How anyone can still cite Blackfish as the number one reason why they don’t visit Sea World parks after all the evidence that has come out showing the documentary to be a hack job is beyond me. When people who were IN the interview come forward and say that their comments were edited, shown of context, or manipulated to a point where it no longer represented what they actually said should be cause enough to at least find other sources.
I guess if it’s on TV or in a theater, that’s all the evidence anyone needs lol.
Can you site where the interviewees said that? I’m not arguing. Actually, I am interested in reading/watching that for myself. I want to have many opinions and sides to go on before I make a clear-cut decision. I found Blackfish to be insightful and based on my own research afterwards, many of the points made were true. But, having practically grown up at Sea World San Antonio as a kid, I was greatly affected by it. It put me on the path I am on today, so I can’t be so quick to disregard the Sea World parks. Thanks!
i agree. this movie was so one sided. they only focus on what seaworld used to do. and the focus is on the one whale which was one of the only wild ones left. they also didn’t even mention the fact that the park is used to support there rescue program.
I guess they did their jobs. You talk about generations, what generations? There have been only about 70 whales in captivity for the ENTIRE time whales have been in captivity. Only 70. There were millions of human slaves. Thousands of smaller animal and other cretures in captivity. But sure let’s pay attention to just one biased documentary. Sure there are questionable practises going on here, but not as bad and as sensasionalized as the doc puts it.
No the problem is you have no emotion. Before Blackfish even came out you should have realized that sea world is a joke. MONEY MONEY MONEY. Lets end your story and lock you up in a small area. I bet you change your mind real quick.
If you were to release those orcas into the wild they would die. The trainers and veterinarians at seaworld deserve so much more respect than they are getting. They dedicate their lives to caring for these animals. I am not disagreeing that these animals should not have been taken in the 70’s. However, that was not an uncommon practice at the time and since then SeaWorld had changed how they operate because they saw the fault in what they were doing. These animals are treated with the utmost respect in large environments with multiple experts workin only for their benefits. They are not forced to do anything. When they are used in shows, only positive reinforcement is enforced. This means that if an orca or dolphin doesn’t want to or refuses to do a command, they allow it to go back behind the scenes again. There they are not punished in anyway, they are simply not rewarded. The animals choose to do this because they want the rewards that the trainers will give them. And you say that these are like concrete prisons, yet I’m sure you don’t have a problem with dogs or cats being crates, cats forced to be indoors all the time, and horses being confined in wooden stalls or enclosed fields. It’s the same thing. If you abandoned a house pet because it was more natural for it to be outside, it would die because they aren’t capable of fending for themselves. These whales are the same way.
Clearly, the problem is not the trainers, veterinarians, and the like. I am sure they genuinely care, however misdirected love is not an excuse for imprisonment and slavery. The problem is only about one thing…a giant corporation that is motivated by greed. These comments defending Sea World are embarrassing and angering. Comparing domesticated animals like house cat and dog to a wild sentient being with brains that surpass those capabilities of humans is simply demonstrative of the ignorance and sheep like behavior of so many in our society that perpetuate tortuous barbaric acts like these. Sea World, if you care about educating people about whales, use your billions to rehabilitate the injured return them to their natural habitat, and create a way in which people can observe these wonderful souls in their undisturbed environment utilizing the Ethologic principals rather than turning them into circus acts. It begins with one…please follow. God bless.
You underestimate the intelligence of orcas. They are not the same as cats and dogs. Their intelligence excels that of any domesticated animal, their brains being far more complex. How can you compare this incredible animal to a house pet? In the wild, instinct kicks in and the only foreseeable problem would be finding a pod that accepts the released whale. They hunt in groups and considering how deeply social these creatures are, not being accepted into a pod could mean the difference between life and death by starvation or other whales asserting dominance. In my opinion, after watching this documentary, reading this letter from SeaWorld, and having myself gone to the Orlando park since I was a little kid, I think the bottom line is yes, SeaWorld does more good than harm considering how much they have contributed to marine research, rescue and rehabilitation. However, at the end of the day this highly evolved animal is being kept in a concrete swimming pool which no matter how large you make it, still will never deliver the stimulating environment of open-ocean. When it comes to the rescue/rehabilitation part, the SeaWorld facilities are perfect but to continue to keep these animals for the rest of their lives in an environment where they’re basically circus attractions is not only unethical but a danger to the people who interact closely with the whales. These animals do love to interact with humans and we love to interact with them, that’s not a bad thing. But at the end of the day, these animals are not our pets; just because they can perform certain behaviors at the sound of whistle doesn’t mean they see us as the masters of their universe because we’re not. This is the problem, losing focus on what is best in the long run for an animal this size and who possesses a vast intelligence that is comparable to that of humans. SeaWorld may still be focused on helping marine life, but at the end of the day, money talks. Yes, SeaWorld may invest a lot of money into the care of marine animals, but whatever is left over (which is billions of dollars) is partially distributed (in very small doses) to the employees who work for SeaWorld and the vast majority goes right into the pockets of the chief executives of the company, who will do whatever it takes to ensure their economic empire doesn’t collapse, diminishing their vast wealth (that private jet and yacht aren’t gonna buy themselves ya know!). Of course SeaWorld will do whatever it takes to defend the way they do things! Why retire your star money makers? At the end of the day, the researchers care, the trainers care, everyone BUT the top dogs care about these animals. I think it’s wonderful that all of this information about the way SeaWorld treats their animals and the debate it has sparked is out because it is time to reevaluate the welfare and safety of not only the whales being held in captivity but also the people who work closely with them.
Okay so Im going to make you do tricks so you can get fead. I put a million down that you don’t do any tricks for food. I guess you will no longer be rewarded. Oh and a dog is not 5 tons. Also If my dog killed someone I would not tell the court and the public that it was because she had a pony tail. Once again this backs why I can’t stand the humanity these days. We have become a bunch of dumb idiots.
The film made it clear that the employees of SeaWorld are brainwashed halfwits, “trained” to believe that what they are doing is compassionate care. The lie they propagate about “30% whales in the wild” having a collapsed dorsal fin, for example – is just pure, evil, lying whitewashing of an obvious sign of animal distress to lull the public. The captive breeding program is not done for any magnanimous purpose – it’s all about increasing the slave labor force. The corporate cover-up of the deaths of trainers- for that, the assets of the company should be distributed to the surviving family members, and the rest devoted to ACTUAL whale welfare – rehabbing these animals for return to the wild. Tilly, however… his long life of suffering, torture, slavery and isolation… there is no happy ending for him. He’s an orca outcast now; I only wish he could pull down the CEO of SeaWorld into the drowning pool and bite off his genitals. Enjoying the display at SeaWorld is like attending a bearbaiting or a cockfight – sure, it’s entertaining to an audience who enjoys gladiator fight-to-the-deaths and public hangings. That is the element that SeaWOrld appeals to.
How would you feel if it was you and all of these people posted on message boards like you’re doing now but did nothing to free you because in the long run, they can’t be bothered to actually do something….like you. I know, you want to say “I donate money” but you probably don’t do that and if you do it doesn’t go to free the whales of sea world.
Your words are meaningless because you have no action to back them. You’re just as guilty as the people you condemn
No SeaWorld! I am not ignorant I am twelve yet you can somehow say they are happy in those swimming pools with strangers, sunburns, dead fish, and injuries along with mental trauma? You are probably a Trump supporter and white person who thinks you are better than everyone else.
Great job Sea World. The ignorance of people blows me away. I’ve also lost a lot of respect for the bands who have withdrawn from the 2014 concert season at Sea World.
I mean you no disrespect whatsoever, however I must ask: Have you researched the goings on? I too saw this as ignorance, however upon inspection I learned that Seaworld have, and will continue to spend millions on research as they mentioned. What they don’t say is that a vast majority of that money is going towards studies in fertilization and reproduction which equate to more orcas trapped in environments severely depressing to their mental health. As Seaworld mentions above, they haven’t captured any new orcas since the 70’s. Instead they are using those million dollar fertilization techniques to force incestual inbreeding upon those few they did capture. They gain billions in profit yearly which pales when compared to those millions spent. Simply put, why should we support them when we can support far more ethical entertainment companies that are just as fun.
Because the fertilization research they are so quick to cite as profiteering is a focal point of all captive programs. It’s not because it gains them more captive animals or an increased profit margin but because it is the most basic knowledge necessary for population size recovery. That’s why the previous comment is moronic… additionally the company wasn’t hiding the previous injuries caused by killer whales. It’s not their responsibility. Are employees at McDonald’s told about every burn caused by their friers? All of that data is publicly available for anyone looking. I won’t say seaworld didn’t do anything wrong, but Blackfish is just ridiculous
Chris,
I do not know which statement is more moronic: comparing SeaWorld to McDonalds or comparing fatalities to burns. With that analogy you just accomplished not only establishing SeaWorld as a business, but to me further discredited them. How many franchises exist of McDonalds compared to the lineage of Tillicum’s relatives? Their not remotely close. I send you back to the drawing board when it comes to your analysis and support for SeaWorld.
Hey Matt we can meet up and I’ll create a concert for you. Do you have children? If so let’s take your children from you and lock them up away from their family. The only reason you suport Sea World is because it doesnt affect you. The only thing that it will affect is somewhere that you can’t take your children to pass time anymore. Ignorance is in the mirror every morning you wake up. I would love to meet people like you in person.
I have never been to Seaworld, but I have been to marine parks elsewhere, and I always questioned the ethics of having animals perform for entertainment.
However, without the experience of seeing these animals in captivity I, and I’m pretty sure most people, would not care as much about them as many people probably won’t encounter them in the wild.
The statement made at the end of the letter is very true, without seaworld and places like it, no one would care about these animals.
Just like zoo’s, having some animals in captivity benefits their wild counterparts, as many people don’t want to donate to conservation efforts for something they haven’t had an experience with, which is what places like zoo’s and Seaworld provides.
Although I am a conservationist first, I adore animals and hate to see them suffer, but in some cases its a small sacrifice for the greater good of worldwide populations of animals that we are quickly depleting.
SeaWorld does not provide the humane minimum for Orca care – they need intact pods, full family units, to maintain mental health. And to confine them in the the thimble bathtub containers they are in – it’s so cruelthat any sentient being has to cry. Films like Blackfish and even Free Willy do more for orca welfare than the orchestrated misrepresentation for corporate profits that SeaWorld represents. Close it down; it’s an abomination. Profit is what it’s all about – don’t kid yourself.
Look im 13 and my family and I go to seaworld every year thes people do a wonderful job sharing Gods creations by caring for them!! Some people are idiots
SeaWorld maybe should have spoken out before, but as is often the lesser of 2 evils they tried to rise above cheap shots and name calling. If your interested enough go and see and learn for yourself and make an informed decision not one based on rumour and personal opinions that are not based on facts!
Doing a little investigation is a good idea – just remember that the information about Orcas that SeaWorld divulges is often inaccurate. For example, “30% of orcas in the wild have a collapsed dorsal fin” – it’s completely wrong. They disseminate false info like that to mislead the public – which can clearly see there’s something wrong there. So, as a source of information, SeaWorld can not be trusted. It’s all skewed to make what they do palatable to a public who wants to be entertained. The reality of what’s going on there is so disturbing that the public would not be entertained. This is no “super-dogs” folks – this is social pathology, extreme cruelty, and corporate greed.
The truth is simple..Keeping wild animals for the use of entertainment is wrong..humans need to understand they are no better than any other species on this planet…CLOSE ALL SEAWORLDS
You do realize that you watch movies where wild animals are used for entertainment and sometimes die? Animals are used for entertainment in Hollywood, in music videos, in theme parks, in zoos, circuses, etc. SeaWorld at least uses the animals in their care to benefit other animals in the wild.
The argument that other industries mistreat and abuse animals so SeaWorld can too, is entirely specious. There is no benefit to orcas in the wild by allowing SeaWorld to confine and torture a few specimens for profit. Actual marine biologists with no profit motive are conducting research in intact ecosystems on orca culture; the “abnormal pyschology” experiments that SeaWorld conducts are more similar to the experiments in conducted on human subjects in Indian Reservation Schools, prisons, and concentration camps. Sure, sure, valuable knowledge useful to medical science is gained (ahem), that may benefit someone, somewhere, someday… but the cost is unacceptable, and the ethics of it entirely bankrupt. Don’t apologize for the monstrousity which is SeaWorld, and don’t delude yourself as to their motives. It’s profit. Period.
seaworld is more than just a park. sure they are there to gain profit but you know were that profit goes, to fund there rescue program. and ps. have you seen how happy those orcas are as they are with there trainers
Actually, only positive reinforcement is used at all SeaWorld locations. This means that if an animal refuses to do something or doesn’t want to perform, the trainers allow it to go back to behind the scenes. There is no punishment for doing this. The trainers just don’t give them a reward for performing in the show. If any trainer as caught mistreated an animal they would be immediately suspended and fired.
Withholding food, in a tank devoid of all emotional and cultural stimulation, stripped of one’s familial and social constructs… so that food becomes the ONLY worthwhile thing in one’s life? I don’t see that as “positive reinforcement” – but some brainwashed employees do, I get that. I see it as the kind of psychological manipulation that causes prisoners to breakdown, confess to things they haven’t done, inculpate the innocent, and have false memories. The “good cop” technique, the “look I want to help you out of this situation” is extremely effective. Positive reinforcement? Seriously? Primary reinforcers like food – let’s see how positive it would be in schools if you we told the students “Okay Johnny, if you don’t want to do that math problem, you don’t have to. No lunch today, though.” Izzy, you sound like a corporate plant.
This is a complex issue, and we should all be able to discuss it in a courteous and respectful way without resorting to name calling. Or, so I would hope.
Presonally, I find myself somewhat mixed on the SeaWorld/Blackfish controversy. I think the Blackfish documentary was done very well, and it brought some new information to light on SeaWorld, but I also realize it was very one-side, so the story isn’t exactly complete and accurate. I understand SW was given the opportunity to respond and be a part of the film, but declined, and I don’t blame them for doing so, as I probably would do the same given the circumstances.
On the otherhand, SW’s comments have addressed most of the issues from the film, and I do think they are good and sincere in what they do with regards to helping care for animals, much like any zoo. However, I also realize, they are “caging” animals that would otherwise be free in the wild. I also realize that SW is a business/corporation with investors who expect to see profits, so their statements regarding caring for the wellbeing of these animals is over-shadowed by the financial markets and the business world demands of making money, which may jeopardize their care for these animals at times. I don’t disagree that there work is beneficial to helping those in the wild as well as bringing a better understanding, but I’m not altogether certain that it’s necessary to keep them contained in order to learn about them, the same goes for zoos too.
I really think that in 50 years or less, we’re going to look back on ourselves (humanity in general) in a shameful way with regards to how we’ve captured and contained wild animals for our own “edutainment”. Mind you, I enjoy the zoo and SW and even Disney and seeing these animals up close, but I know that deep down they shouldn’t be there and its not fair to keep them. I’m not going out and actively protesting because I don’t feel THAT passionate about it, and I think there are already enough people clanging that bell. So, until such time as they do become banished, I will likely continue to visit (about once a year) the zoo, SW, Disney and see them, when given that opportunity then just deal with it in my own way.
One of my jobs between HS and college was volunteering down at a wolf sanctuary, taking care of some of the endangered caged wolves at the visitor’s center while the more “hands-off” ones were being readied to be reintroduced to the wild.
So I’m not 100% unsympathetic to the issue of zoo vs. free, but I am aware that they’d been around humans too long; you couldn’t just dump them back in the wild. It’s very hard to get a wolf close enough to a human to see what they’re like, and it’s likely I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. (If you think throwing fish to an orca is a perilous job that looks fun, try giving meat scraps to a grey wolf personally by hand–The human-raised ones were polite about it, but we were warned not to wear leather gloves, as one curiously liked to “collect” them.)
At the time of the SW incident, it was suspected some of Tilly’s violent behavior was more that it was too close to the humans to understand its relationship to them, and that seems more like the perils of zoo-animal training, than “torturing” a poor intelligent animal-rights-martyr mammal into a “psychotic break”. 9_9
BTW: The picture for this posting is weird. I’m guessing it’s supposed to be an Orca, but that’s not quite what I’m seeing. It’s almost creepy looking.
Honestly I was with Blackfish after watching the movie. I sweated never to go to Seaworld again, but after going one more time for the heck of it, I realized Blackfish was a wrong movie, I failed to mention the good thing SW has done. The movie was propaganda to make SW look all evil, when in general, SW had helped with conservation and caring for animals. And PETA has no defense with them buying different SW stocks. Blackfish is just an excuse for CNN and that director to make money and Ruin SW. There is still good at Seaworld and it shouldn’t be ruined by one movie.
If you ask me to side with evil theme parks or evil propagandic documentarians, I know which is the more plausible evil:
After the Tillikum incident, I suspect the Blackfish producers were trying a little TOO hard to steal The Cove’s dolphin-rights thunder, and The Cove’s trainer was already a little too emotionally involved with “Flipper” to be interested in present a fair constructive bias.
(As sympathetic as I am with dolphins, geez, I wanted to punch the Cove guy at the end: I kept expecting it would end with some real message-statement gut-punch to the whaling meeting, like his hacking into the projection equipment and showing it on the bigscreen behind the Japanese representative…But no, he just barges into the meeting like any other paint-throwing animal activist, making -himself- the story and taking his anger out on the poor bystanders, and gets thrown out like any other paint-throwing animal activist.)
It is true that sea mammals at parks have to be put through their paces every day audience or not (because they’re not actors, don’t understand the Show Must Go On, and would become undisciplined if they skipped a day), but I’m not ready to accept the demonizing of Sea World as an evil-incarnate animal-abusing Wal-Mart. Any cheaper park, yes, but they’ve been around long enough to know their area of study.
I’ll raise any OTHER complaint about Sea World Orlando, and plenty of ’em ;), but not that one.
They are keeping incredibly intelligent animals confined to essentially the human equivalent of a swimming pool, likely causing a kind of psychosis. You think the documentary is an excuse to make money—like Sea World isn’t? There’s money on both sides, but why let the orcas get caught in the crossfire? Whales are not an animal that was meant to be domesticated. Spend some time in the REAL Ocean, learn to surf or something, and maybe you’d understand that marine mammals should not be kept in amusement parks to entertain humans.
The whales attacked and killed people and each other, PERIOD. That should be enough to stop the status quo with the current services, care, shows, interaction, etc. with the animals. Things need to change. What is that change? I’m not sure. But to continue as if the whales don’t attack each other or their trainers is foolish. Until I see that change? I will not be attending the park and would encourage others to do the same.
Animals attack other animals all the time they are called predators. It is very natural for them to do. They even will fight there own species for rights to territory or food supplies. Males of almost every species fight one another for the ability to breed. People seem to think life out in the wild is care free and life at a captive facility is prison. Life in the wild is hard. I often hear people say that whales and dolphins can swim over one hundred miles a day out in the wild and in pools they swim in circles. The average person can travel 36 miles a day. Do any of us? Probably not, however when we were hunter gathers it may have been necessary to travel these distances. So just because an animal has the ability to do something does not mean that they want to. They are forces to travel so far because they have to because life in the wild is hard
In the wild, animals have options to run and hide from predators. Would you want to run from a lion in a small cage or have a bigger chance in a forest. Just because threat exist, handing the “predator” it’s prey on a silver platter is supposed to prove what exactly? At least life on the wild is NATURAL. It is hard, but neither you or I has the right to segregate, pull, breed, etc any species that is not designed to be held captive in pathetic man made enclosures to give this falsehood of a better life. We are not talking rocket science here. Any mammal or animal that is used to having an entire ocean or land to their disposal should not have to be reduced to a pool or enclosure to entertain. SeaWorlds successful breeding program might have prevented many of their “farmed” born orcas to not know anything but captivity. However, this to me only gives them a chance to prove their worth and introduce,
accumulate, develop these orcas to the wild. They should have a chance to be more that performers for the public.
seaworld does a fantastic job, how would we get to see these animals if it was not for great places like seaworld, all the animals were treated to the highest standards that i have seen, and the staff are caring and very knowledgeable about the animals in there care, fecking tree huggers and hippys all jumping on the latest band wagon…we all keep dogs and cats etc whats the difference,
A domesticated animal is a wild animal that we captured and bred to our enjoyment years and years ago. I think I’ll go let my mom’s pomeranian loose and see how he does.
Don’t be a moron, moron. Whales will never be domesticated. Domestication is where the animals is genetically altered over time by selective breeding to benefit mankind. These people who use the argument that capturing and exhibiting whales is no different than what we have done to domesticate an animal are just self-delusional nitwits.
I will admit that I didn’t see this documentary; however, many people are saying that these animals are meant to be in the ocean. How many of you have pets in your homes? Do any of you have birds in cages, dogs in crates at least part of the day, or cats who are never allowed to go outside? In my opinion, it is no different; except the people with pets in their homes aren’t “studying” their pets for the greater good of the species. Sea World is, and while I’m sure that all of SW’s practices are not totally ethical, I also feel that they are learning from these animals and that benefits the species as a whole.
Domesticated animals like cats, dogs, and horses have gone hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years of domestication. The oldest whale they have is 50 years old, and I’m probably pretty safe in the assumption that that whale was captured from the wild. It’s fairly easy to say that these animals should very much be in the wild instead — however, unfortunately, it’s much too late for all of them. None of them would be able to survive after living out their entire lives in captivity.
Going forward, however, I sincerely hope that we make some serious changes and stop breeding these animals for entertainment.
If you’re keeping your dog or cat in a crate, that’s another problem. But whales are NOT like dogs and cats! Whales and dolphins, etc, are incredibly EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL creatures with complex social organization and intense bonds. Dogs & cats, while also emotional creatures, do not possess an ETIRE EXTRA LOBE OF THE BRAIN that not even humans have! The trainers at Sea World are not to blame. I think they really do develop deep relationships with these whales. but not deep enough to overlook the complete moral wrongness of Seaworld’s actions at ANY point in their history, or the fact that orcas are NOT well suited to captivity on the whole.
I HAD been buying the propaganda that Sea world had shelled out for years. I have visited the parks more than I can count, and was happy to share that experience with my children. I have been fortunate to see them in the wild, and once doing so, it has never been the same to see them in a tank. Although I love to see them, I am now feeling selfish for doing so. Sea World does a lot of good work for rehabilitation, but it does not make up for the harm they have caused. They have disseminated incorrect information, have not informed their own staff( trainers) about the dangers some of the whales have posed in the past. They have seperated whales from their mothers at a young age, have shipped them around the country. They have taken whales from other waters, once they were forbidden to do so in the US and Canada. They have not been forthcoming about trainer incidents where they have been hurt. Although I am sure that the trainers and many of the staff members care deeply about the animals in their care, the public relations and administrators continue to hide the truth about what has occurred in the Seaworld parks, how they acquired their animals, and there has been no transparency on their part as far as safety around the animals, trainer injuries sustained, and their agreements with other parks where the whales are sometimes exchanged. I am very disillussioned by the truths that are coming out. Its time for them to be released into seapens and for us to see them that way, not in a tank, no matter how large.
Haven’t seen the movie and have never been to seaworld, yet I still think animals shouldn’t be kept in captivity, not like that anyway, it’s just like a circus. Forced to do tricks. I get zoos great way to learn about them, IDK how a show like the ones at sea world (which i’ve researched as well as the other side of the story) showcase what whales do in the wild and how it teaches people about them “Yes they jump that high and throw people into the air with flashy costumes”. This is my opinion, I wouldn’t force anyone to NOT go to the theme park but I wouldn’t go myself, and people have asked me why, some people have taken the same stance and sided by me in not going, others have not.
Shut yourself in a closet for 25 years and see how you like it.
These highly intelligent mammals (look up the characteristics, people,) have NO business being held captive, regardless of any documentary.
At this point, SeaWorld needs to turn over the whales and dolphins that they have inprisoned to establishments that rescue these animals and provide open ocean environments, without bribing them to perform for humans. Zoos need to do the same.
It doesn’t matter how many professional trainers and biologists they have. The fact that they keep an animal of that magnitude is morally wrong. They tell us they’re doing their best. But seaworlds best isn’t enough for our fellow mammals. If they really wanted the best thing for their animals they would release them back in The wild. Orcas are very friendly and curious in the wild with humans. It’s just as easy to study an orcas ecology and breeding habbits in the wild as it is in captivity. These whales are deprived of their families and vast swimming space. I believe the former trainers were falsely informed and many are disgusted with what they did. Seaworld will be fine with out there mammals. They have plenty of revenue coming in without the morally wrong and heartbreaking shows. No one would want to repeat the same show everyday for the rest of their life and live in a small cage approximately the size of a small closet to human.
I will never visit Sea World, I already disagreed with the concept but Blackfish confirmed my view. Those talking of ‘jumping on bandwagons’ should realise most people already disagreed with the concept of animals being used for entertainment, the documentary has merely confirmed that view.
So you won’t go there…..I’m sure the tiny piece of your money will cripple them. Good job, you’re against it, you won’t spend money, but won’t do anything to free them.
So, you’re doing the same thing anyways, you’re just keeping your money. Lazy
SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild.
I don’t argue that SeaWorld does not capture whales in the wild and I am sure part of the reason is because of their ‘groundbreaking’ success in marine mammal reproduction. Another part of it is that for the most part it is now illegal in the US (following the marine mammal protection act) and in most economically accessible habitats to capture whales in the wild and in addition the publicity fall-out from environmental monitoring organizations render it impractical. So of course SeaWorld is going to take the ‘high road’ on this point. I think the film made the point that SeaWorld at one time played a part in the capture of Killer Whales that resulted in the deaths of other whales and sea mammals. I think that it is hard to dispute that the new ‘caring’ SeaWorld got its start with the brutal capture of whales in the wild for the sole purpose of entertainment.
our research has led to a much greater understanding of whales in the wild, giving researchers important scientific insights surrounding marine mammal reproduction.
I think it is arguable that SW research has led to a ‘much greater’ understanding of whales in the wild – since all of their ‘research’ is on captive animals. Granted SW does support and fund research organizations – however I personally don’t think this justifies the use of whales for entertainment and the way SW maintains and trains the animals. I think one could argue that the funding of research is a cover for their entertainment operations that are the profit center of their business.
We do not separate killer whale moms and calves.
That is like Obama saying we do not spy on our friends. Once caught in the act what else are they going to say going forward. It is only recently that SW ‘recognizes the important bond between mother and calf’, and in fact this statement is a big lie. It doesn’t take much of an effort to find countless descriptions on the web detailing incidents of SeaWorld separating whales.
We give our animals restaurant-quality fish, exercise, veterinary care, mental stimulation, and the company of other members of their species.
It is nice to hear that SW provides restaurant quality fish, lol. Yet SW fails to answers questions about whale behavior in captivity not seen in the wild – such as dorsal fin flop and attacks on other whales. It is hard to look at the film showing bleeding whales in captivity due to the inability of whales (such as Tilikum) to escape attacks from other whales that are not part of a normal whale social community. Why would a ‘science & research oriented’ organization like SW allow this? Maybe because their main interest in entertainment and not the care and well being of the whales they hold captive other than to protect their investment.
SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild.
Again – this is a lie. SW numbers are statistically small based on the numbers they hold in captivity. Most research indicates life spans in the wild are longer than those in captivity. A cursory web search will show you that. I think the ONLY people making this claim are SW.
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.
And if you believe that then there is not much I can say other than you are an idiot who would believe anything that supports your own selfish interest. Do you think SW has ‘seen the light’ because that’s just the kind of organization they are??? Historically they captured whales resulting in the deaths of other whales and sea mammals. Historically they separated whales from their social pods and mothers from calf’s. Historically they have maintained whales in unnatural and confining habitats.
I guess the bottom line is do you think it is morally and ethically ok to maintain large sea mammals in an unnatural and captive environment in order to profit SW shareholders and provide entertainment (and ‘public education’, lol). If you do then there is not much that is going to dissuade you.
Why do all the SeaWorld apologists equate stopping the captivity and exploitation of Orcas by the park with the animals being dumped into the ocean and forced to fend for themselves in an environment for which they are obviously unprepared? As far as I know NO ONE is advocating such an absurd notion! They should stop their captive breeding programs and retire the living whales to sea pens, where they can at least feel the natural rhythms of the ocean and live the remainder of their lives with some dignity and joy! The point is they should stop breeding animals to be trotted out to perform for our amusement and their financial enrichment! Any educational benefits to whale captivity have long sense ceased to exist. SeaWorld makes 2 billion dollars annually; they spend approximately one million on conservation. Anyone who believes they desire to continue whale captivity for reasons that are anything but financial is naive.
Captivity kills. Period. I was not influenced by Blackfish this was my opinion long before I even saw the movie. No animal should ever be taken from the wild and forced to preform tricks for human entertainment. For those that are saying they are not forced, ofcourse they are. When your only method of getting food is to do something someone else tells you to do, you will do it. I hardly call this a “choice”. Animals have their own agendas they are not here for humans to exploit. Sure it’s true That Sea world has a sanction for rehabilitation of injured or sick animals but this is does not excuse their actions of using animals for profit in their parks. This is like me taking a human slave and then helping other humans on the side. One does not excuse the behaviour of the other.
I’m not going to question your opinion, but I’m going to correct some of your “facts.” Clearly you’ve never seen a trainer work, much less a SeaWorld trainer. All the animals there get more than enough of top quality food as a MINIMUM– they get as much as they want and if their food dishes are found empty the next day their diet gets adjusted until they continuously leave leftovers to indicate to the trainers that they’re eating their fill. They eat better than most people in the world (literally, I have seen trainers preparing food in a behind the scenes tour and some trainer dropped a fish and she threw it away instead of including it in a dish because the fish was “contaminated.” It wasn’t even on the ground for more than like 5 seconds, and let’s admit it– if that happened at home most people would just run that thing under water and cook it). The stuff that trainers give them are “extra” things. Like their favorite foods as incentive. Think of it as a kind of bribery like when you see a parent trying to get their kid to do something. If the animal doesn’t want to do tricks (which I have seen), they won’t force it, they just say it’s not in the mood. So it is a choice, and the animals do have their own agendas.
Well mel yes you might have seen the behind the scenes smoke and mirrors food prep show, you did not see the one where they add malox for ulcer for stress, antibiotics to kep the form getting sicked because they are always on the verge of being sick from the stress. antidepressants, because their life sucks and is no where near mentally stimulating enough for them, the list goes on and on
After watching the documentary and viewing Sea World’s response (which by the way, though they try, does not contradict the documentary), I realize that these highly intelligent creatures are exploited for the all mighty dollar. Everyone who buys into it or has bought into it as I once did has been duped. It is a travesty that these whales and dolphins have been penned up in giant fish tanks for decades. These SeamWorld executives are equal to the sharks on wall street who rape the middle class. We need to wake up and stop drinking the Koolaid. I pray for the release of these amazing animals. Furthermore, as just having been to SeaWorld, I reflect on the crafty way that they manipulate the visitors by showing emotionally compelling movies at the beginning of each show in an effort to convince us of all the “good” that SeaWorld is doing for the world. Masterfully done! I bought it hook, line and sinker!
This is a letter to sea world!!!! i really sent this letter to them and i encourage you to send one to!!! go to this link and click YOUR MESSAGE VIVA EMAIL http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Contact
Dear sea world,
I am a 13-year old boy, you might think that this letter or note is just a joke but its not. I really care about these whales and sea world is hurting them.I just wanted to tell you that I watched the movie Blackfish and i learned what you people do with those whales. The whole sea world corporation should be a shamed. These animals should not be kept captive in little pools and at night in floating sheds. How would you feel if in the day time you had to put on a tiring show and at night you were put in a bath tub but you’re bigger than the bath tub. This is just animal cruelty. How about if the whales don’t perform the trick/ stunt correctly they don’t receive food. Is that right? no how do you feel about this? what if that happened to you at school/work.If you went to school and you didn’t pass the quiz/test you wouldn’t get food. That is called animal starvation. Another example why sea world is a horrible place is that you lie to the public when a whale attacks a trainer, you always blame the accident on the dead trainer that can’t even defend herself. Also you separate the mother from the baby right in front of her eyes. Would you like me when you were little to separate you from your mother right in front of her. There are many other examples of how sea world is the worst place on the earth.
From the hater of sea world
Mark
Does being a condescending adult to a child make you feel better about yourself? Genevieve Honey they are captive and kept in containers no matter which place it is…maybe YOU should watch the film again.???
SEA WORLD ITS NOT AN AMUSEMENT PARK ITS ABUSEMENT PARK IF YOU SUPPORT THAT THEN SHAM ON YOU
LETS STOP THIS PARK AND AND HELP THOSE ANIMALS
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
It’s clear there are two sides arguing for and against SW. I’m against SW for their negligence in the proper treatment of their animals, but I’m for SW for the few things they actually try to achieve. There’s no two ways about it. We want to learn about these animals, but the only way is to keep them in captivity. It’s a pick-your-poison stance. Could SW make it more homely for the creatures? Sure. Do they want to? At the risk of losing profits, doesn’t seem likely.
I never liked the idea of starving animals to do tricks. Kids love it, because their ignorance to most things in life allow them to. I am a season pass holder for SW San Diego, though I don’t go for the shows. I go with my kids for the atmosphere, food, and information (taken with a grain of salt, obviously). Anyway, if you are interested in more docs about Orcas and why SW should be held accountable for a more improved habitat for its stars, here’s another doc that might shed some more light on how Orcas can be IN THE WILD amongst people. It’s called, “The Whale.” More info at the wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_(killer_whale)
Yes – it is a film that makes SeaWorld look bad. The film maker said that when they started the project they didn’t have this as an agenda – which you can believe or not. However the film made a number of specific accusations against SeaWorld which the company has refused to discuss. If you are so convinced that the film is simply anti-SeaWorld propaganda then I suggest that you do some research yourself and address some of the specific critiques made by the film. You simply state that people are ignorant and gullible but provide no exculpatory evidence to support SeaWorld. Sounds to me like you just believe what you want to believe.
I went looking for SeaWorld’s response after seeing Blackfish, because the documentary failed to provide any other view point. I am disappointed by SeaWorld’s statements because they failed to back them up.
They only mention the ages of whales they now have in captivity which does not address lifespan differences at all. I also found some wording could be misleading, like “We do not separate killer whale moms and calves.” Using the present tense to counter the accusation of separation seems like a good way to omit what they may have done in the past, and it seems disingenuous to me.
I think a little humility (i.e. we made mistakes in the past and have addressed those mistakes) would have gone a lot further toward bettering public relations.
While I still question some of what Blackfish portrayed, I think the message that this is not a healthy lifestyle for the whales is justified.
SeaWorld may employ people who care greatly for the animals, but as long as they are a for profit company, their mission will have a conflict of interest.
Refuting a few of the statements made by Sea World
1- SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild. FALSE – The Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972, approximately 41 years ago, so yes, within the past 35 years, SW hasn’t collected orcas from the wild. Prior to that, they most definitely did! And many of the whales SW DID collect from the wild died, which also explains why they only have 2 wild-caught orcas in their possession now. If those orcas captured back then lived their expected lifespan, they should’ve still been alive today… But like most captive orcas, they died prematurely.
We do not separate killer whale moms and calves & Whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure. FALSE – SeaWorld is not breeding all these new whales for the sake of creating a more stable social structure. And if SeaWorld WERE interested in social structure, it would not sell-off and rent-out orcas to other marine parks, disturbing the existing social structure of these animals in these parks. Orcas in the wild live in large pods their entire lives, living amongst the SAME orcas for a lifetime. Constantly being thrown into tanks with unfamiliar orcas, many from different sub-species/ parts of the world is NOT in the best interest of the animals. And calves are most definitely separated from their mothers, though not at birth.
SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild. FALSE – if the ‘average’ lifespan of an orca is around 60 years, why is only 1 whale in captivity close to 50? And why have so many of their whales died of pneumonia and mosquito-born diseases – illnesses that are non-existent in the lives of ocean-living orcas? Tanks and tank-life adversely affects the health and well-being of these animals, not just physically but mentally as well.
The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild. FALSE – while SeaWorld does conduct limited research into the anatomy, reproductive patterns and other physical matters regarding orcas, it does NOT explain how it “benefits” wild orcas to force captive orcas to do tricks, be ridden on by trainers, or be isolated from other orcas. Isolating an orca from others – orcas being highly social animals – is mentally crippling. SO many things are done to these captive orcas that wild orcas would NEVER be subjected to, and it is completely unclear to me how this “captivity” really benefits those orcas living in the wild. What seems most clear are the ramifications of this captivity on those orcas held in these tanks – and the trainers who suffer injury and death because of it. How does that help those orcas in the wild?
SeaWorld is a world leader in animal rescue. FALSE – SeaWorld does contribute to animal rescue, but only insomuch as doing so provides them with the opportunity to gain public support to greater increase their profitability. If they truly wanted to dedicate themselves to marine animal rehabilitation and rescue, they could do without resorting to inbreeding new orcas, holding them captive in limited-sized tanks, and forcing them to perform multiple shows a day, 350+ days a year for public entertainment. If it is REALLY about animal rescue, make THAT the highlight and focal point of your organization – NOT public entertainment and profit.
SeaWorlds arguments against the accusations set forth by Blackfish are nothing but PR smoke and mirrors, designed to distract the public from the truth by trying to shift focus onto the small fraction of SeaWorld’s endeavors to do good by these animals. Ultimately, SeaWorld is a business, and profit is their goal. These whales being held captive and new whales being bred aren’t being kept alive for the sake of research or public education – they’re being held by SeaWorld for profit and entertainment. Make no mistake about that.
Thank you! Someone on here shows an ounce more than the thought that “we should see more whales because SeaWorld is so great.” To me is simple, if SeaWorld has nothing to hide, simple address each scenario that Blackfish addressed. There were dates and timelines that Blackfish documented. Shouldn’t be hard to address the deaths/accidents that were not only recorded, but witnesses even accounted. It’s easy to give a blanked statement and say this movie is propaganda, meanwhile SeaWorld vaguely and strategically didn’t address any of the events in detail to dispute this documentary. If you really want to save face, answer the millions of questions that should be answered when it comes to this documentary. The two calves mentioned in the movie, did you pull them from their mothers? If so, why? The documentary clearly suggests that animals in captivity can have psychological breaks. What research has been done to support that housing these thousands of pound mammals in a pool, when they are designed to be in open ocean, does not have fatal results? The truth is, we might have an idea on the most shallow if terms of these mammals. Whatever “data” they have attained in regards to their mental stability in captivity, is not only tainted since they are not in their natural environment. True knowledge is achieve by viewing an living creature in its true habitat. Not some man made pool creating splashes and jumps to paid viewers. SeaWorld is a business, and like one, cannot function without its customers. These are not free animals living their lives to the best of their ability. These are caged, bred, and trained circus performers that do the same monotonous behaviors each day for a paying audience. Is that truly living in your eyes?
I am not a tree-hugger, Mary Poppins blind optimist, nor am I usually prone to joining any bandwagon-spirit-of-the-moment causes or demonstrations…
Sea World, thank you for all you have done to help us all better understand some of the other animals on this planet. Thank you for raising all of our awareness for all of these years, and thank you for what you have done for animals in need. You helped us all grow in knowledge and compassion; most of our awareness about these animals was because of your existence… you brought them into our everyday life. Thank you.
That being said: We, collectively as the dominant species on this planet, have the responsibility to now take pause and selflessly weigh the facts. We must objectively determine our next steps in what we allow to be done to these animals and others like them.
We have a responsibility to set aside the financial rewards and costs from our decision making. Then we must have the moral courage to act on ‘the best course’ for the ones who cannot speak for themselves, and who are at the mercy of our decisions and actions.
A great man (my Grampa Florentino Garcia) taught me: “You can judge the true character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
I want my grandkids to see that we were humble, just and mature stewards of this world, and that we deserved the power, authority and gifts on loan to us, during our time.
If you grew up in the Pacific Northwest like I did you would be disgusted by Sea World even if you had not watched Blackfish. Seeing Pods of 50-70 orca whales living together, traveling hundreds of mikes a day, etc is the reason I will never pay to see orca whales in captivity. They don’t belong in a tank doing shows, these beautiful creatures belong in the ocean.
How many times are we going to mention things that happened in the PAST. Someone commented that Seaworld should have admitted to their mistakes, shown a bit of humility, and I agree. A bit of remorse for past actions may have played in their favor. HOWEVER, many of these injustices being argued against happened in the past. No one has ever been perfect. How can people always be expected to make the right decisions? I can support the claim that a number of SW actions were immoral. They were mistakes. Humans did not just come equipped with total knowledge of handling these animals. We had to learn. Mistakes were made, but should a company be defined only by its wrongdoings? In a similar way, should people only be recognized for their failures? When I make a mistake, I do what I can to ensure that I am better next time. I think SW is doing the same thing.
They provide their animals with top-notch care, first off. The whales are well fed and given all necessary veterinary care.
Second, the whales are not violently forced to perform. They are motivated by positive reinforcement and enrichment/interaction. Someone, in an earlier post, compared positive reinforcement to being withheld a meal. This is not true. If the animals does not want to do what it is being asked to do, it does not have to. It will simply not be REWARDED. This means it won’t be a given a treat, not that it won’t be properly nourished for the day.
Third, I would like to address the research concerns. SW does invest quite a bit in research, and as I have found, much of this research does in fact support their breeding program. This has been a focal point for several arguments against SW, but I believe it actually works FOR them. Everyone wants the whales to be released into the wild, but as of the present that isn’t really an option. As many of you have stated, the whales have been around humans too long and would not survive in the wild. I find this true. You can’t just dump these guys into the ocean. The process of rehabilitation is a slow and tedious one. You can’t just expect it to happen overnight. What do you suppose the breeding program at SW is meant to support? If you have a stable population in captivity, you can then work on reintroducing animals to the wild and increasing numbers. Simply putting several whales back into their natural environment will not do much.
Another argument posed is that the whales are sentient beings and it is cruel to confine them in tanks. First, lets talk about the sentient beings half of this. Yes, I agree that the whales are intelligent. This is obvious, otherwise they would not be able to learn the behaviors witnessed in the shows. Many of you are angry that we are supposedly treating intelligent creatures in way that seems unfair. It hits especially close to home because we care for the well being of these creatures. May I ask why you care so much? What was it that made you love these whales?
Killer whales or Orcas are naturally aggressive. They don’t have the name ‘killer’ because it sounds cool. They are first class predators and extremely dangerous. You’re all saying “Yes, yes we know. We get it. The whales are dangerous.” In general, you fear dangerous things, maybe develop respect for them, but love them? No. For humans to love something, we must understand it in some way that relates to ourselves. We must form a connection. Did you forge this bond watching documentaries about the true predatory nature of the whales? The majority will say ” No.”. Some may have read an endearing book or article, some may have seen them in the wild an just fell in love. However, many must confess that they learned of the animals through SW and places like it. It was at such places that you learned to love the whales, to care about them. It was also where many people decided the whales were being mistreated. Would you have cared about your precious marine mammals if SW had not introduced them to the public? How would you have decided that the whale was sentient had it not performed in the shows? The shows may be corny and bring in the crowds and consequently the money, but there is another, greater purpose. While it may be hard to watch these big guys swim around in a small pool, its for a noble cause.
Second, lets talk about the so called cruel treatment. Yes, the tanks are small for such large animals. Yes, they are nothing compared to the vast expanse of the ocean. I had to repeat because apparently nobody has heard it enough. Now, earlier in the comments, someone made an excellent point. The whales are capable of traveling very long distances over the course of a day, and may do so in the wild. Of course, in captivity the whales don’t rack up many miles at all. The poster applied this idea to human beings. A human is capable of traveling about 30 miles in a day on foot. Almost no human beings on the planet do this anymore. Just because we are capable of doing something, doesn’t mean that we desire to do that or live that way. If a whale is a sentient being, as it is being argued, then this should be applicable.
Seaworld, like any other company, has made mistakes. It’s safe to say that some of what they do is geared towards profit, but money is necessary. We cannot forget how essential funding is to any organization. That being said, the people at Seaworld have a greater goal in mind than just money, in my opinion. Change is coming, slowly but surely.
I don’t really know where to start with your novel, but one key thing that stuck out was around the lines “humans are capable of traveling 30 miles per day, what human has done that lately.” I’m sorry but you had me dying of laughter. I am amused that you think that a human that has a choice to walk, but chooses to jump in the car for transportation is the same as whales being used to swim for several miles and the inactivity being the same. In the wild, the whale chooses to swim and socialize for great lengths. They have both negative and positive stimuli which triggers their need to survive. Ocras at SeaWorld are being treated like goldfish that do tricks. They are given positive reinforcement to try to encourage them to repeat tricks. I would love to stick you in a cell for the rest of your life and expect you to not have a mental breakdown. Don’t worry, you will have your favorite food served to you every day, but you cannot stretch your legs, experience new sights and sounds, or have a family or see it grow. You’re right, they want to be stuck in that tank, I’m sure they are not bored, it’s always a party at SW. I just can shake my head.
I appreciate your opinion and I can see that you have strong feelings on the matter. I said myself that its sad to see them swimming in a tank that is not nearly as spacious as their natural environment. I totally agree that it would be maddening to be cooped up in such a way and my ‘novel’ as you call it does not support the the limited size of the whales’ tank. I was arguing that the whales are provided for, not that the situation at Seaworld was as ideal as what they would experience in the wild. I NEVER said that the whales want to be stuck in the tank. You mentioned that the whales are used to swimming for miles every day, however many of the whales at Seaworld were born in captivity. Their tank is all they have ever known and consequently they have never had the opportunity to swim such distances. Now, you also said that I think it’s a ‘party’ at Seaworld. I’m sorry if this is what you thought I was implying. I said that Seaworld has made mistakes and possibly still is. I did not say that the system was perfect, what I meant to get across was that it was a work in progress. I would like to hear your continued thoughts on this.
With all this talk about Sea World why has no one said anything about the Zebras that died at Animal Kingdom? You know the ones that ate a certain plant on the safari and died or does no one know about them?? What’s so different between SW and WDW?
Because this was a movie and all of these angry lazy slacktivists didn’t hear about it until someone mentioned it on facebook. And just like the Joseph Kony outrage, they will do nothing, cause they’re lazy. Just like they were about with helping Hati, Darfur, Hurricane Katrina, etc.
I’m really glad I read Seaworld’s public response, because giving the bad guys a chance to defend themselves is the only way to reach a fair outlook. I thought the movie Blackfish was quite biased against Seaworld and so not really a true documentary, BUT that doesn’t change the fact that those poor whales are imprisoned in swimming pools for profit. So sad, and not a good entertainment choice if your conscience is involved.
There are much better ways to do animal research and create public awareness and concern for all animals than the way Seaworld operates. We humans like to think of ourselves as the most complex and advanced species, but when it comes to money, we are just so greedy, and tend to loose sight of other things that matter.
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2014 07:27:08 -0800
for all you dumb facks who are questioning the movie blackfish there are several people who have actually worked for seaworld and seen all the abuse and negect fist hand who spoke out in this movie why would all these people come forward and tell there stories for nothing they seen the dirt done first hand and no longer work for sea world because of it no one should spend money at any of there parks and support what there doing to these poor helpess animals who cant speak up for themselves animals belong in the wild for us to admire from a far not cage to do trick in order to be fed its sick and ur sick if u dont agree
Im hazarding a guess she’s using reverse psychology to get people to do something. At least I hope so, but either she is making an idiot of herself. Truth you want to buy everyone plane tickets to Orlando or San Diego and we can all go picketing?
Sadly, billions of humans are worse off than the captives at SeaWorld when it comes to food, clean water, sanitation, healthcare, mental healthcare, housing, employment, working conditions, prison conditions, broken families, war, violence, murder, rape, slavery, etc. Perhaps we must first learn to treat our own species better. Given all of the environmental damage we are doing, very few species of large animals will exist outside of captive environments in the near future. Ultimately, the best way to protect all non-domesticated life on the planet is to eliminate humans, and then hope that earth is not hit by a large asteroid.
I think one of the best points Blackfish makes is that by taking your children to Seaworld you are teaching them it is okay to keep these highly intelligent and emotional animals in jail cell sized pools. I agree that most of us would never have known Orcas were so amazing if it wasn’t for Seaworld, however we do now, and so it is not an excuse to keep breeding them, or inbreeding them in this case. Next family vacation arrange your vacation dates around whale migration and go whale watching to see them in their natural habitat. Did you know grey whales actually come up to the boats to be petted?
I’m telling you Seaworld feeds the orcas and give them love and care. Also don’t you think Seaworld would hhave been closed down a long time ago if Blackfish was true.
AMG U R BAKASSSSSSSS!11! SEEWOED IZ A BAD PERSONN! THEY KIL DA WALES 4 NO REESIN!!!1!!!!!!!!! ALL DA WALES DY THERE!!!1! AND THE PEEPL DIE TOO BECUS SEWORDL ID BARINWASHING THEEM 2 BECOM ENVIL!!11! DO NOT SUEWORLD OR THEY WIL BAIRNWASHH YOU INTO BECUMING A WALE MUTRDERER!!!!11!!!!! EVRONE HOO SUPORT SEEWOLRD IZ A BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WLAES AT SEEWORL DIE!!!11! KAPTIVIIY KILZ! PEEETUH SAYS SO!!!! AN U CAN DEFIENTLY TRUS PETA!!!1! AN BALKFIXSH IS A MAZIN MOVY! IT NOT 1 SIDED AN PRUPUGABNA ART ALLL!!!! U R AL BAKASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!1111! I AM NOT BANFDWAGON I AM EDUCATIONED!!!!11!
I agree some facts presented in blackfish may be exagerated or no longer practiced by sea world but they once were and there is no denying that. Now they claim to only capture/rescue dying or injured whales. Also it baffles me how sea world can blame trainers for death or injuries when it’s a fact that orca whales are more aggressive in captivity not to mention a gene pool from a whale which has had aggressive behavior in past. Orcas are highly intelligent creatures as are dolphins and other sea mammals some comparable to even you or me. If it were me and I was in jail for a crime I didn’t commit I wouldn’t want to perform tricks for food and I would try to escape/get revenge at all costs. Sea world does donate millions to protected wild whales, sea life,etc… Maybe they should donate some more to protect they’re trainers! I think being a trainer at sea world should be top 10 dangerous jobs!
WRONG. You are NOT smarter than an orca. They have an extra part to their brain that humans don’t have which gives them a sense of self which we can never fathom to imagine or comprehend. How would you feel with your child taken away from you at 4 years of age? How would you feel if you were confined to just 1 room in your house and were never allowed to leave? CRUELTY TO ANIMALS MUST END. They shouldn’t be kept as pets or to participate in shows for your enjoyment. If you want to see and enjoy them GO OUTSIDE! Watch them perform their normal behaviours from a place where you don’t interfere with them or harm them. Who are you to judge? Anyone who supports places like SeaWorld are animal haters.
For example, if the reader was a job applicant that was not hired, the first sentence
could state:. Thee prroblem is that you can’t tell your dog to just stay in one place.
The overall objective for a lawyer in a brain injury case is tto convince a
jury tbat an organic injury has occurred, that it iss permanent, and that it is thee main reason for your client.
I may only be 14 but I know what bad people out there do but seaworld trainers and faculty aren’t bad. The take in injured animals that cannot survive on their own. So stop hating on Seaworld and start hating on the real people that are hurting the animals like the places all over the world that say COME SWIM WITH DOLPHINS!! Because those are the people that are taking healthy dolphins out of the water and into a habit that they don’t like. And for the ones that don’t get picked they get stabbed by poachers. So if you want things to change in our world today you will stop hating on seaworld and start changing the real problem with other places. Come together as one and help save the dolphins but remember seaworld helps them and rescues them so they can still live and have a very happy life. What I think is if you all really and truly cared about the animals then you wouldn’t be protesting at seaworld you would be gathering information and true facts so you could save dolphins lives where they are actually needed.
Not all Nashville roofing contractors are transparent
with their fees and services; they will provide you with a very low estimate initially, and then add additional fees towards the endd of the job for extra supplies or additional services.
You can also search on the Google to know more about the alternatives, gget answers tto your price, and work relevant concerns.
Unfortunately homes get old, thbey falll into disrepair quickly
if not vigilantly kept up with and those two are
expenses that are easy to put off.
Some of the possible causes of the shingles are the end of thsir usage cycle causing these problems.
Sure, as with anything, people take advantage of a system, and thdre arre
pan-handlers that go home to nice houses. The idea is to
prevent the water dripping down the roof from accumulating inn the house.
Obtaining a feeling ffor how willing the architect
is to work inside your design requests is alo important.
You can also search on the Google to know mofe about the alternatives, gget answers to your price, and work relevant concerns.
3) What kind of customer guarantee does the holme improvement company give.
Too often, people lookk underdressed when they go in for interviews.
Soon after joining Disney, Mooney attended his first
Disney onn Ice show. The types of matedials mmust be made only
from top quality products.
Setting the guidelines iin rea estate business for years, the renowned builder has
successfully delivered numerous villas and custom designed residential houses.
Thanks, cann I get a side of kick-in-the-teeth with that.
All have extra options available for home buyers only.
We’re a group of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community.
Your website offered us with valuable information to work on. You’ve performed an impressive job and our whole neighborhood will probably be
grateful to you.
Comments for Seaworld Publicly Responds To ‘Blackfish’ Concerns With Open Letter From Animal Advocates To “Set The Record Straight”
Laura t
Yeah sea world!!!!! People are so ridiculous and ignorant….they just want to jump on a bandwagon!!! Thank you for all you do!!!!
Shelia
In the last 20 years my family has been to Sea World every year at three different parks. We will never go again after watching the documentary Blackfish. These incredibly intelligent animals are suffering at the hands of their captors. The generations born in captivity may not know what it means to be wild but they are still prisoners in a concrete pond that is unnatural and cruel. I’m ashamed that my family supported this organization with our money.for the record I do not go to the circus or zoos either.
Eric
You obviously didn’t read the letter, Sea World does not capture the whales. They haven’t since the 70’s. The whales at the parks were born there, they know no other lifestyle and almost certainty would not survive if released.
Kace
“Tilikum was captured in Berufjörður off the east coast of Iceland on November 9, 1983 at about two years of age, along with two other orcas named “Nandu” and “Samoa”. As of 2013 he performs at Seaworld Orlando, following a year-long hiatus after the death of Dawn Brancheau in 2010.” – wikipedia
Christine
I’m sorry but wikipedia is not a reliable source.
Donny
Why Lie about everything in court then? Explain that big guy. I agree that these animals most likely can never be released. It’s not the people that take care of the animals that I HATE, it’s the Name SEA WORLD that i hate. These bastards lie in the courts so they can continue to make their millions. Sea world is just like any other large organization. They only care about the dollar signs at the front gate. There is no excuse for lying about a death. Funny how there is multiple video proof of these bastards lying and no video proof of the good that they do. It is a money hungry corporation that is willing to do whatever any other corporation does. The only difference is that this corporation is affecting defenseless animals. Pretty damn pathetic.
Genevieve
You obviously didn’t see the documentary. Out of fairness I saw it AND read their response, which is wiser thing to do than to do one and not the other before coming to your own conclusion. Their response is responding inaccurately to what the film was saying on several points and still does not account for many of the things they have done wrong there.
Terri
Sea World’s response twists the issues. Is it “we do not separate killer whale moms and calves” or “whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure”. Who makes that determination? Is there a custody hearing?
Lauren
It says that they don’t but yet they said they collected 2 whales recently. It’s basically another way of saying that they have captured whales. Not only that, they are currently paying others to capture 19 Beluga whales that are within the Russian area.
Katie
You obviously didn’t understand what you read. Having captured the whales 35 years ago does not mean they didn’t commit the inhumane task in the first place.
Mckenna
The documentary would’ve been less “one-sided” if seaworld hadn’t declined to be a part of it, huh?
Lora
do you think everything they say if TRUE? theres so much PROOF against them. you’re making yourself look bad by just agreeing with what they’re saying.
Aisling
Actually, they could likely have several animals be rehabilitated and those who can’t can be sent to sea sanctuaries. Boycott SeaWorld!
Marlon
How anyone can still cite Blackfish as the number one reason why they don’t visit Sea World parks after all the evidence that has come out showing the documentary to be a hack job is beyond me. When people who were IN the interview come forward and say that their comments were edited, shown of context, or manipulated to a point where it no longer represented what they actually said should be cause enough to at least find other sources.
I guess if it’s on TV or in a theater, that’s all the evidence anyone needs lol.
Brittany
Can you site where the interviewees said that? I’m not arguing. Actually, I am interested in reading/watching that for myself. I want to have many opinions and sides to go on before I make a clear-cut decision. I found Blackfish to be insightful and based on my own research afterwards, many of the points made were true. But, having practically grown up at Sea World San Antonio as a kid, I was greatly affected by it. It put me on the path I am on today, so I can’t be so quick to disregard the Sea World parks. Thanks!
cole
i agree. this movie was so one sided. they only focus on what seaworld used to do. and the focus is on the one whale which was one of the only wild ones left. they also didn’t even mention the fact that the park is used to support there rescue program.
Maaseru
I guess they did their jobs. You talk about generations, what generations? There have been only about 70 whales in captivity for the ENTIRE time whales have been in captivity. Only 70. There were millions of human slaves. Thousands of smaller animal and other cretures in captivity. But sure let’s pay attention to just one biased documentary. Sure there are questionable practises going on here, but not as bad and as sensasionalized as the doc puts it.
Mary
Maaseru, are you an employee of sea world. Never mind, it’s not like you would admit to being a part of their public relations team.
Donny
lets lock up 70 people, only 70 people. OHHHH and lets make YOU one of those 70. Hmmmmmmmm, lets see how you respond to that. YOU FING retarded.
Christy
you obviously didn’t even read the letter or research any of the “facts” in Blackfish. it’s emotional propaganda. End of story.
Donny
No the problem is you have no emotion. Before Blackfish even came out you should have realized that sea world is a joke. MONEY MONEY MONEY. Lets end your story and lock you up in a small area. I bet you change your mind real quick.
Izzy
If you were to release those orcas into the wild they would die. The trainers and veterinarians at seaworld deserve so much more respect than they are getting. They dedicate their lives to caring for these animals. I am not disagreeing that these animals should not have been taken in the 70’s. However, that was not an uncommon practice at the time and since then SeaWorld had changed how they operate because they saw the fault in what they were doing. These animals are treated with the utmost respect in large environments with multiple experts workin only for their benefits. They are not forced to do anything. When they are used in shows, only positive reinforcement is enforced. This means that if an orca or dolphin doesn’t want to or refuses to do a command, they allow it to go back behind the scenes again. There they are not punished in anyway, they are simply not rewarded. The animals choose to do this because they want the rewards that the trainers will give them. And you say that these are like concrete prisons, yet I’m sure you don’t have a problem with dogs or cats being crates, cats forced to be indoors all the time, and horses being confined in wooden stalls or enclosed fields. It’s the same thing. If you abandoned a house pet because it was more natural for it to be outside, it would die because they aren’t capable of fending for themselves. These whales are the same way.
Orcasupporter
Clearly, the problem is not the trainers, veterinarians, and the like. I am sure they genuinely care, however misdirected love is not an excuse for imprisonment and slavery. The problem is only about one thing…a giant corporation that is motivated by greed. These comments defending Sea World are embarrassing and angering. Comparing domesticated animals like house cat and dog to a wild sentient being with brains that surpass those capabilities of humans is simply demonstrative of the ignorance and sheep like behavior of so many in our society that perpetuate tortuous barbaric acts like these. Sea World, if you care about educating people about whales, use your billions to rehabilitate the injured return them to their natural habitat, and create a way in which people can observe these wonderful souls in their undisturbed environment utilizing the Ethologic principals rather than turning them into circus acts. It begins with one…please follow. God bless.
A.
This comment is perfect and I agree completely.
Yaya
You underestimate the intelligence of orcas. They are not the same as cats and dogs. Their intelligence excels that of any domesticated animal, their brains being far more complex. How can you compare this incredible animal to a house pet? In the wild, instinct kicks in and the only foreseeable problem would be finding a pod that accepts the released whale. They hunt in groups and considering how deeply social these creatures are, not being accepted into a pod could mean the difference between life and death by starvation or other whales asserting dominance. In my opinion, after watching this documentary, reading this letter from SeaWorld, and having myself gone to the Orlando park since I was a little kid, I think the bottom line is yes, SeaWorld does more good than harm considering how much they have contributed to marine research, rescue and rehabilitation. However, at the end of the day this highly evolved animal is being kept in a concrete swimming pool which no matter how large you make it, still will never deliver the stimulating environment of open-ocean. When it comes to the rescue/rehabilitation part, the SeaWorld facilities are perfect but to continue to keep these animals for the rest of their lives in an environment where they’re basically circus attractions is not only unethical but a danger to the people who interact closely with the whales. These animals do love to interact with humans and we love to interact with them, that’s not a bad thing. But at the end of the day, these animals are not our pets; just because they can perform certain behaviors at the sound of whistle doesn’t mean they see us as the masters of their universe because we’re not. This is the problem, losing focus on what is best in the long run for an animal this size and who possesses a vast intelligence that is comparable to that of humans. SeaWorld may still be focused on helping marine life, but at the end of the day, money talks. Yes, SeaWorld may invest a lot of money into the care of marine animals, but whatever is left over (which is billions of dollars) is partially distributed (in very small doses) to the employees who work for SeaWorld and the vast majority goes right into the pockets of the chief executives of the company, who will do whatever it takes to ensure their economic empire doesn’t collapse, diminishing their vast wealth (that private jet and yacht aren’t gonna buy themselves ya know!). Of course SeaWorld will do whatever it takes to defend the way they do things! Why retire your star money makers? At the end of the day, the researchers care, the trainers care, everyone BUT the top dogs care about these animals. I think it’s wonderful that all of this information about the way SeaWorld treats their animals and the debate it has sparked is out because it is time to reevaluate the welfare and safety of not only the whales being held in captivity but also the people who work closely with them.
Donny
Okay so Im going to make you do tricks so you can get fead. I put a million down that you don’t do any tricks for food. I guess you will no longer be rewarded. Oh and a dog is not 5 tons. Also If my dog killed someone I would not tell the court and the public that it was because she had a pony tail. Once again this backs why I can’t stand the humanity these days. We have become a bunch of dumb idiots.
Truth
Donny, if you hate humanity so much maybe you should set a trend and stop being one.
Maybe comb your hair with a shotgun
Chris
PETA IS OUR KING. THEY NEVER LIE.
Mike O'Reilly
The film made it clear that the employees of SeaWorld are brainwashed halfwits, “trained” to believe that what they are doing is compassionate care. The lie they propagate about “30% whales in the wild” having a collapsed dorsal fin, for example – is just pure, evil, lying whitewashing of an obvious sign of animal distress to lull the public. The captive breeding program is not done for any magnanimous purpose – it’s all about increasing the slave labor force. The corporate cover-up of the deaths of trainers- for that, the assets of the company should be distributed to the surviving family members, and the rest devoted to ACTUAL whale welfare – rehabbing these animals for return to the wild. Tilly, however… his long life of suffering, torture, slavery and isolation… there is no happy ending for him. He’s an orca outcast now; I only wish he could pull down the CEO of SeaWorld into the drowning pool and bite off his genitals. Enjoying the display at SeaWorld is like attending a bearbaiting or a cockfight – sure, it’s entertaining to an audience who enjoys gladiator fight-to-the-deaths and public hangings. That is the element that SeaWOrld appeals to.
Donny
Well said
Truth
But what are you doing about it? And I mean, REALLY doing about it? Not bs “creating awareness” but taking REAL action to free the whales?
Beullah Love
Thank you Audrey for having the empathy and “emotional intelligence” to see the truth that those who are void of conscious are unable to grasp.
Truth
How would you feel if it was you and all of these people posted on message boards like you’re doing now but did nothing to free you because in the long run, they can’t be bothered to actually do something….like you. I know, you want to say “I donate money” but you probably don’t do that and if you do it doesn’t go to free the whales of sea world.
Your words are meaningless because you have no action to back them. You’re just as guilty as the people you condemn
J$
Okay, this whole thing is literally filled with lies. You’re dumb.
Aisling
No SeaWorld! I am not ignorant I am twelve yet you can somehow say they are happy in those swimming pools with strangers, sunburns, dead fish, and injuries along with mental trauma? You are probably a Trump supporter and white person who thinks you are better than everyone else.
JMo
They still s*ck.
Matt
Great job Sea World. The ignorance of people blows me away. I’ve also lost a lot of respect for the bands who have withdrawn from the 2014 concert season at Sea World.
jade
I mean you no disrespect whatsoever, however I must ask: Have you researched the goings on? I too saw this as ignorance, however upon inspection I learned that Seaworld have, and will continue to spend millions on research as they mentioned. What they don’t say is that a vast majority of that money is going towards studies in fertilization and reproduction which equate to more orcas trapped in environments severely depressing to their mental health. As Seaworld mentions above, they haven’t captured any new orcas since the 70’s. Instead they are using those million dollar fertilization techniques to force incestual inbreeding upon those few they did capture. They gain billions in profit yearly which pales when compared to those millions spent. Simply put, why should we support them when we can support far more ethical entertainment companies that are just as fun.
Marty
I mean you no disrespect – but you are a moron
Heather
Marty, why would you say that?
Chris
Because the fertilization research they are so quick to cite as profiteering is a focal point of all captive programs. It’s not because it gains them more captive animals or an increased profit margin but because it is the most basic knowledge necessary for population size recovery. That’s why the previous comment is moronic… additionally the company wasn’t hiding the previous injuries caused by killer whales. It’s not their responsibility. Are employees at McDonald’s told about every burn caused by their friers? All of that data is publicly available for anyone looking. I won’t say seaworld didn’t do anything wrong, but Blackfish is just ridiculous
Shannon
Chris,
I do not know which statement is more moronic: comparing SeaWorld to McDonalds or comparing fatalities to burns. With that analogy you just accomplished not only establishing SeaWorld as a business, but to me further discredited them. How many franchises exist of McDonalds compared to the lineage of Tillicum’s relatives? Their not remotely close. I send you back to the drawing board when it comes to your analysis and support for SeaWorld.
Donny
Hey Matt we can meet up and I’ll create a concert for you. Do you have children? If so let’s take your children from you and lock them up away from their family. The only reason you suport Sea World is because it doesnt affect you. The only thing that it will affect is somewhere that you can’t take your children to pass time anymore. Ignorance is in the mirror every morning you wake up. I would love to meet people like you in person.
Truth
Yes obviously…..just look at Justin Bieber
Christina
I have never been to Seaworld, but I have been to marine parks elsewhere, and I always questioned the ethics of having animals perform for entertainment.
However, without the experience of seeing these animals in captivity I, and I’m pretty sure most people, would not care as much about them as many people probably won’t encounter them in the wild.
The statement made at the end of the letter is very true, without seaworld and places like it, no one would care about these animals.
Just like zoo’s, having some animals in captivity benefits their wild counterparts, as many people don’t want to donate to conservation efforts for something they haven’t had an experience with, which is what places like zoo’s and Seaworld provides.
Although I am a conservationist first, I adore animals and hate to see them suffer, but in some cases its a small sacrifice for the greater good of worldwide populations of animals that we are quickly depleting.
Mike O'Reilly
SeaWorld does not provide the humane minimum for Orca care – they need intact pods, full family units, to maintain mental health. And to confine them in the the thimble bathtub containers they are in – it’s so cruelthat any sentient being has to cry. Films like Blackfish and even Free Willy do more for orca welfare than the orchestrated misrepresentation for corporate profits that SeaWorld represents. Close it down; it’s an abomination. Profit is what it’s all about – don’t kid yourself.
Ross Lightle
Look im 13 and my family and I go to seaworld every year thes people do a wonderful job sharing Gods creations by caring for them!! Some people are idiots
joann
Seaworld might not do all the capturing etc but they have other people to do it to cover their ass.
anne
SeaWorld maybe should have spoken out before, but as is often the lesser of 2 evils they tried to rise above cheap shots and name calling. If your interested enough go and see and learn for yourself and make an informed decision not one based on rumour and personal opinions that are not based on facts!
Mike O'Reilly
Doing a little investigation is a good idea – just remember that the information about Orcas that SeaWorld divulges is often inaccurate. For example, “30% of orcas in the wild have a collapsed dorsal fin” – it’s completely wrong. They disseminate false info like that to mislead the public – which can clearly see there’s something wrong there. So, as a source of information, SeaWorld can not be trusted. It’s all skewed to make what they do palatable to a public who wants to be entertained. The reality of what’s going on there is so disturbing that the public would not be entertained. This is no “super-dogs” folks – this is social pathology, extreme cruelty, and corporate greed.
Seaworld sux
You just love to attack Donny don’t you? Why are you on this site? So you can attack people’s opinions and feel like you’re above everyone else?
kari
The truth is simple..Keeping wild animals for the use of entertainment is wrong..humans need to understand they are no better than any other species on this planet…CLOSE ALL SEAWORLDS
Denise
You do realize that you watch movies where wild animals are used for entertainment and sometimes die? Animals are used for entertainment in Hollywood, in music videos, in theme parks, in zoos, circuses, etc. SeaWorld at least uses the animals in their care to benefit other animals in the wild.
Mike O'Reilly
The argument that other industries mistreat and abuse animals so SeaWorld can too, is entirely specious. There is no benefit to orcas in the wild by allowing SeaWorld to confine and torture a few specimens for profit. Actual marine biologists with no profit motive are conducting research in intact ecosystems on orca culture; the “abnormal pyschology” experiments that SeaWorld conducts are more similar to the experiments in conducted on human subjects in Indian Reservation Schools, prisons, and concentration camps. Sure, sure, valuable knowledge useful to medical science is gained (ahem), that may benefit someone, somewhere, someday… but the cost is unacceptable, and the ethics of it entirely bankrupt. Don’t apologize for the monstrousity which is SeaWorld, and don’t delude yourself as to their motives. It’s profit. Period.
cole
seaworld is more than just a park. sure they are there to gain profit but you know were that profit goes, to fund there rescue program. and ps. have you seen how happy those orcas are as they are with there trainers
anne
You try to make a Killer Whale do something it doesn’t want to!
Izzy
Actually, only positive reinforcement is used at all SeaWorld locations. This means that if an animal refuses to do something or doesn’t want to perform, the trainers allow it to go back to behind the scenes. There is no punishment for doing this. The trainers just don’t give them a reward for performing in the show. If any trainer as caught mistreated an animal they would be immediately suspended and fired.
Mike O'Reilly
Withholding food, in a tank devoid of all emotional and cultural stimulation, stripped of one’s familial and social constructs… so that food becomes the ONLY worthwhile thing in one’s life? I don’t see that as “positive reinforcement” – but some brainwashed employees do, I get that. I see it as the kind of psychological manipulation that causes prisoners to breakdown, confess to things they haven’t done, inculpate the innocent, and have false memories. The “good cop” technique, the “look I want to help you out of this situation” is extremely effective. Positive reinforcement? Seriously? Primary reinforcers like food – let’s see how positive it would be in schools if you we told the students “Okay Johnny, if you don’t want to do that math problem, you don’t have to. No lunch today, though.” Izzy, you sound like a corporate plant.
GrumpyFan
This is a complex issue, and we should all be able to discuss it in a courteous and respectful way without resorting to name calling. Or, so I would hope.
Presonally, I find myself somewhat mixed on the SeaWorld/Blackfish controversy. I think the Blackfish documentary was done very well, and it brought some new information to light on SeaWorld, but I also realize it was very one-side, so the story isn’t exactly complete and accurate. I understand SW was given the opportunity to respond and be a part of the film, but declined, and I don’t blame them for doing so, as I probably would do the same given the circumstances.
On the otherhand, SW’s comments have addressed most of the issues from the film, and I do think they are good and sincere in what they do with regards to helping care for animals, much like any zoo. However, I also realize, they are “caging” animals that would otherwise be free in the wild. I also realize that SW is a business/corporation with investors who expect to see profits, so their statements regarding caring for the wellbeing of these animals is over-shadowed by the financial markets and the business world demands of making money, which may jeopardize their care for these animals at times. I don’t disagree that there work is beneficial to helping those in the wild as well as bringing a better understanding, but I’m not altogether certain that it’s necessary to keep them contained in order to learn about them, the same goes for zoos too.
I really think that in 50 years or less, we’re going to look back on ourselves (humanity in general) in a shameful way with regards to how we’ve captured and contained wild animals for our own “edutainment”. Mind you, I enjoy the zoo and SW and even Disney and seeing these animals up close, but I know that deep down they shouldn’t be there and its not fair to keep them. I’m not going out and actively protesting because I don’t feel THAT passionate about it, and I think there are already enough people clanging that bell. So, until such time as they do become banished, I will likely continue to visit (about once a year) the zoo, SW, Disney and see them, when given that opportunity then just deal with it in my own way.
Brittany
Very well said, GrumpyFan. I couldn’t agree more.
EricJ
One of my jobs between HS and college was volunteering down at a wolf sanctuary, taking care of some of the endangered caged wolves at the visitor’s center while the more “hands-off” ones were being readied to be reintroduced to the wild.
So I’m not 100% unsympathetic to the issue of zoo vs. free, but I am aware that they’d been around humans too long; you couldn’t just dump them back in the wild. It’s very hard to get a wolf close enough to a human to see what they’re like, and it’s likely I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. (If you think throwing fish to an orca is a perilous job that looks fun, try giving meat scraps to a grey wolf personally by hand–The human-raised ones were polite about it, but we were warned not to wear leather gloves, as one curiously liked to “collect” them.)
At the time of the SW incident, it was suspected some of Tilly’s violent behavior was more that it was too close to the humans to understand its relationship to them, and that seems more like the perils of zoo-animal training, than “torturing” a poor intelligent animal-rights-martyr mammal into a “psychotic break”. 9_9
Blake
Well said and I mostly agree.
MuCephei
Agreed, that was the most wishy washy declaration I ever read. Grumpy just go whale watching and on safari for christsakes…
GrumpyFan
BTW: The picture for this posting is weird. I’m guessing it’s supposed to be an Orca, but that’s not quite what I’m seeing. It’s almost creepy looking.
Reid Couper
Honestly I was with Blackfish after watching the movie. I sweated never to go to Seaworld again, but after going one more time for the heck of it, I realized Blackfish was a wrong movie, I failed to mention the good thing SW has done. The movie was propaganda to make SW look all evil, when in general, SW had helped with conservation and caring for animals. And PETA has no defense with them buying different SW stocks. Blackfish is just an excuse for CNN and that director to make money and Ruin SW. There is still good at Seaworld and it shouldn’t be ruined by one movie.
EricJ
If you ask me to side with evil theme parks or evil propagandic documentarians, I know which is the more plausible evil:
After the Tillikum incident, I suspect the Blackfish producers were trying a little TOO hard to steal The Cove’s dolphin-rights thunder, and The Cove’s trainer was already a little too emotionally involved with “Flipper” to be interested in present a fair constructive bias.
(As sympathetic as I am with dolphins, geez, I wanted to punch the Cove guy at the end: I kept expecting it would end with some real message-statement gut-punch to the whaling meeting, like his hacking into the projection equipment and showing it on the bigscreen behind the Japanese representative…But no, he just barges into the meeting like any other paint-throwing animal activist, making -himself- the story and taking his anger out on the poor bystanders, and gets thrown out like any other paint-throwing animal activist.)
It is true that sea mammals at parks have to be put through their paces every day audience or not (because they’re not actors, don’t understand the Show Must Go On, and would become undisciplined if they skipped a day), but I’m not ready to accept the demonizing of Sea World as an evil-incarnate animal-abusing Wal-Mart. Any cheaper park, yes, but they’ve been around long enough to know their area of study.
I’ll raise any OTHER complaint about Sea World Orlando, and plenty of ’em ;), but not that one.
Mckenna
They are keeping incredibly intelligent animals confined to essentially the human equivalent of a swimming pool, likely causing a kind of psychosis. You think the documentary is an excuse to make money—like Sea World isn’t? There’s money on both sides, but why let the orcas get caught in the crossfire? Whales are not an animal that was meant to be domesticated. Spend some time in the REAL Ocean, learn to surf or something, and maybe you’d understand that marine mammals should not be kept in amusement parks to entertain humans.
Tom
The whales attacked and killed people and each other, PERIOD. That should be enough to stop the status quo with the current services, care, shows, interaction, etc. with the animals. Things need to change. What is that change? I’m not sure. But to continue as if the whales don’t attack each other or their trainers is foolish. Until I see that change? I will not be attending the park and would encourage others to do the same.
Jim
Yeah…animals don’t attack other animals or people, for that matter, in their natural habitat.
Sam
Animals attack other animals all the time they are called predators. It is very natural for them to do. They even will fight there own species for rights to territory or food supplies. Males of almost every species fight one another for the ability to breed. People seem to think life out in the wild is care free and life at a captive facility is prison. Life in the wild is hard. I often hear people say that whales and dolphins can swim over one hundred miles a day out in the wild and in pools they swim in circles. The average person can travel 36 miles a day. Do any of us? Probably not, however when we were hunter gathers it may have been necessary to travel these distances. So just because an animal has the ability to do something does not mean that they want to. They are forces to travel so far because they have to because life in the wild is hard
chelsea
pretty sure Jim was using a little thing called “sarcasm”.
Shannon
In the wild, animals have options to run and hide from predators. Would you want to run from a lion in a small cage or have a bigger chance in a forest. Just because threat exist, handing the “predator” it’s prey on a silver platter is supposed to prove what exactly? At least life on the wild is NATURAL. It is hard, but neither you or I has the right to segregate, pull, breed, etc any species that is not designed to be held captive in pathetic man made enclosures to give this falsehood of a better life. We are not talking rocket science here. Any mammal or animal that is used to having an entire ocean or land to their disposal should not have to be reduced to a pool or enclosure to entertain. SeaWorlds successful breeding program might have prevented many of their “farmed” born orcas to not know anything but captivity. However, this to me only gives them a chance to prove their worth and introduce,
accumulate, develop these orcas to the wild. They should have a chance to be more that performers for the public.
rob scott
seaworld does a fantastic job, how would we get to see these animals if it was not for great places like seaworld, all the animals were treated to the highest standards that i have seen, and the staff are caring and very knowledgeable about the animals in there care, fecking tree huggers and hippys all jumping on the latest band wagon…we all keep dogs and cats etc whats the difference,
Ricky
I think there is a bit of a difference between a domesticated animal and a wild animal.
Bartley
A domesticated animal is a wild animal that we captured and bred to our enjoyment years and years ago. I think I’ll go let my mom’s pomeranian loose and see how he does.
Marty
Don’t be a moron, moron. Whales will never be domesticated. Domestication is where the animals is genetically altered over time by selective breeding to benefit mankind. These people who use the argument that capturing and exhibiting whales is no different than what we have done to domesticate an animal are just self-delusional nitwits.
Mary Anne
I will admit that I didn’t see this documentary; however, many people are saying that these animals are meant to be in the ocean. How many of you have pets in your homes? Do any of you have birds in cages, dogs in crates at least part of the day, or cats who are never allowed to go outside? In my opinion, it is no different; except the people with pets in their homes aren’t “studying” their pets for the greater good of the species. Sea World is, and while I’m sure that all of SW’s practices are not totally ethical, I also feel that they are learning from these animals and that benefits the species as a whole.
chelsea
Domesticated animals like cats, dogs, and horses have gone hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years of domestication. The oldest whale they have is 50 years old, and I’m probably pretty safe in the assumption that that whale was captured from the wild. It’s fairly easy to say that these animals should very much be in the wild instead — however, unfortunately, it’s much too late for all of them. None of them would be able to survive after living out their entire lives in captivity.
Going forward, however, I sincerely hope that we make some serious changes and stop breeding these animals for entertainment.
Mckenna
If you’re keeping your dog or cat in a crate, that’s another problem. But whales are NOT like dogs and cats! Whales and dolphins, etc, are incredibly EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL creatures with complex social organization and intense bonds. Dogs & cats, while also emotional creatures, do not possess an ETIRE EXTRA LOBE OF THE BRAIN that not even humans have! The trainers at Sea World are not to blame. I think they really do develop deep relationships with these whales. but not deep enough to overlook the complete moral wrongness of Seaworld’s actions at ANY point in their history, or the fact that orcas are NOT well suited to captivity on the whole.
Pat Cunningham
I HAD been buying the propaganda that Sea world had shelled out for years. I have visited the parks more than I can count, and was happy to share that experience with my children. I have been fortunate to see them in the wild, and once doing so, it has never been the same to see them in a tank. Although I love to see them, I am now feeling selfish for doing so. Sea World does a lot of good work for rehabilitation, but it does not make up for the harm they have caused. They have disseminated incorrect information, have not informed their own staff( trainers) about the dangers some of the whales have posed in the past. They have seperated whales from their mothers at a young age, have shipped them around the country. They have taken whales from other waters, once they were forbidden to do so in the US and Canada. They have not been forthcoming about trainer incidents where they have been hurt. Although I am sure that the trainers and many of the staff members care deeply about the animals in their care, the public relations and administrators continue to hide the truth about what has occurred in the Seaworld parks, how they acquired their animals, and there has been no transparency on their part as far as safety around the animals, trainer injuries sustained, and their agreements with other parks where the whales are sometimes exchanged. I am very disillussioned by the truths that are coming out. Its time for them to be released into seapens and for us to see them that way, not in a tank, no matter how large.
Ricky
Haven’t seen the movie and have never been to seaworld, yet I still think animals shouldn’t be kept in captivity, not like that anyway, it’s just like a circus. Forced to do tricks. I get zoos great way to learn about them, IDK how a show like the ones at sea world (which i’ve researched as well as the other side of the story) showcase what whales do in the wild and how it teaches people about them “Yes they jump that high and throw people into the air with flashy costumes”. This is my opinion, I wouldn’t force anyone to NOT go to the theme park but I wouldn’t go myself, and people have asked me why, some people have taken the same stance and sided by me in not going, others have not.
No more whale/dolphin captivity!
Shut yourself in a closet for 25 years and see how you like it.
These highly intelligent mammals (look up the characteristics, people,) have NO business being held captive, regardless of any documentary.
At this point, SeaWorld needs to turn over the whales and dolphins that they have inprisoned to establishments that rescue these animals and provide open ocean environments, without bribing them to perform for humans. Zoos need to do the same.
Dustin
It doesn’t matter how many professional trainers and biologists they have. The fact that they keep an animal of that magnitude is morally wrong. They tell us they’re doing their best. But seaworlds best isn’t enough for our fellow mammals. If they really wanted the best thing for their animals they would release them back in The wild. Orcas are very friendly and curious in the wild with humans. It’s just as easy to study an orcas ecology and breeding habbits in the wild as it is in captivity. These whales are deprived of their families and vast swimming space. I believe the former trainers were falsely informed and many are disgusted with what they did. Seaworld will be fine with out there mammals. They have plenty of revenue coming in without the morally wrong and heartbreaking shows. No one would want to repeat the same show everyday for the rest of their life and live in a small cage approximately the size of a small closet to human.
CherokeePhil
Here is video of the death of Orca Sumar at SeaWorld in San Diego: http://youtu.be/KoW_2vLQV_Q
Helena
I will never visit Sea World, I already disagreed with the concept but Blackfish confirmed my view. Those talking of ‘jumping on bandwagons’ should realise most people already disagreed with the concept of animals being used for entertainment, the documentary has merely confirmed that view.
EricJ
So, it “told you what you wanted to hear”, then. Well, that’s always educational.
Truth
So you won’t go there…..I’m sure the tiny piece of your money will cripple them. Good job, you’re against it, you won’t spend money, but won’t do anything to free them.
So, you’re doing the same thing anyways, you’re just keeping your money. Lazy
Marty
SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild.
I don’t argue that SeaWorld does not capture whales in the wild and I am sure part of the reason is because of their ‘groundbreaking’ success in marine mammal reproduction. Another part of it is that for the most part it is now illegal in the US (following the marine mammal protection act) and in most economically accessible habitats to capture whales in the wild and in addition the publicity fall-out from environmental monitoring organizations render it impractical. So of course SeaWorld is going to take the ‘high road’ on this point. I think the film made the point that SeaWorld at one time played a part in the capture of Killer Whales that resulted in the deaths of other whales and sea mammals. I think that it is hard to dispute that the new ‘caring’ SeaWorld got its start with the brutal capture of whales in the wild for the sole purpose of entertainment.
our research has led to a much greater understanding of whales in the wild, giving researchers important scientific insights surrounding marine mammal reproduction.
I think it is arguable that SW research has led to a ‘much greater’ understanding of whales in the wild – since all of their ‘research’ is on captive animals. Granted SW does support and fund research organizations – however I personally don’t think this justifies the use of whales for entertainment and the way SW maintains and trains the animals. I think one could argue that the funding of research is a cover for their entertainment operations that are the profit center of their business.
We do not separate killer whale moms and calves.
That is like Obama saying we do not spy on our friends. Once caught in the act what else are they going to say going forward. It is only recently that SW ‘recognizes the important bond between mother and calf’, and in fact this statement is a big lie. It doesn’t take much of an effort to find countless descriptions on the web detailing incidents of SeaWorld separating whales.
We give our animals restaurant-quality fish, exercise, veterinary care, mental stimulation, and the company of other members of their species.
It is nice to hear that SW provides restaurant quality fish, lol. Yet SW fails to answers questions about whale behavior in captivity not seen in the wild – such as dorsal fin flop and attacks on other whales. It is hard to look at the film showing bleeding whales in captivity due to the inability of whales (such as Tilikum) to escape attacks from other whales that are not part of a normal whale social community. Why would a ‘science & research oriented’ organization like SW allow this? Maybe because their main interest in entertainment and not the care and well being of the whales they hold captive other than to protect their investment.
SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild.
Again – this is a lie. SW numbers are statistically small based on the numbers they hold in captivity. Most research indicates life spans in the wild are longer than those in captivity. A cursory web search will show you that. I think the ONLY people making this claim are SW.
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.
And if you believe that then there is not much I can say other than you are an idiot who would believe anything that supports your own selfish interest. Do you think SW has ‘seen the light’ because that’s just the kind of organization they are??? Historically they captured whales resulting in the deaths of other whales and sea mammals. Historically they separated whales from their social pods and mothers from calf’s. Historically they have maintained whales in unnatural and confining habitats.
I guess the bottom line is do you think it is morally and ethically ok to maintain large sea mammals in an unnatural and captive environment in order to profit SW shareholders and provide entertainment (and ‘public education’, lol). If you do then there is not much that is going to dissuade you.
Steve
Get a life
Katie
Steve take your own advice.
Billie Jo Waddle
Why do all the SeaWorld apologists equate stopping the captivity and exploitation of Orcas by the park with the animals being dumped into the ocean and forced to fend for themselves in an environment for which they are obviously unprepared? As far as I know NO ONE is advocating such an absurd notion! They should stop their captive breeding programs and retire the living whales to sea pens, where they can at least feel the natural rhythms of the ocean and live the remainder of their lives with some dignity and joy! The point is they should stop breeding animals to be trotted out to perform for our amusement and their financial enrichment! Any educational benefits to whale captivity have long sense ceased to exist. SeaWorld makes 2 billion dollars annually; they spend approximately one million on conservation. Anyone who believes they desire to continue whale captivity for reasons that are anything but financial is naive.
Heidi
Captivity kills. Period. I was not influenced by Blackfish this was my opinion long before I even saw the movie. No animal should ever be taken from the wild and forced to preform tricks for human entertainment. For those that are saying they are not forced, ofcourse they are. When your only method of getting food is to do something someone else tells you to do, you will do it. I hardly call this a “choice”. Animals have their own agendas they are not here for humans to exploit. Sure it’s true That Sea world has a sanction for rehabilitation of injured or sick animals but this is does not excuse their actions of using animals for profit in their parks. This is like me taking a human slave and then helping other humans on the side. One does not excuse the behaviour of the other.
Mel
I’m not going to question your opinion, but I’m going to correct some of your “facts.” Clearly you’ve never seen a trainer work, much less a SeaWorld trainer. All the animals there get more than enough of top quality food as a MINIMUM– they get as much as they want and if their food dishes are found empty the next day their diet gets adjusted until they continuously leave leftovers to indicate to the trainers that they’re eating their fill. They eat better than most people in the world (literally, I have seen trainers preparing food in a behind the scenes tour and some trainer dropped a fish and she threw it away instead of including it in a dish because the fish was “contaminated.” It wasn’t even on the ground for more than like 5 seconds, and let’s admit it– if that happened at home most people would just run that thing under water and cook it). The stuff that trainers give them are “extra” things. Like their favorite foods as incentive. Think of it as a kind of bribery like when you see a parent trying to get their kid to do something. If the animal doesn’t want to do tricks (which I have seen), they won’t force it, they just say it’s not in the mood. So it is a choice, and the animals do have their own agendas.
Stone
Well mel yes you might have seen the behind the scenes smoke and mirrors food prep show, you did not see the one where they add malox for ulcer for stress, antibiotics to kep the form getting sicked because they are always on the verge of being sick from the stress. antidepressants, because their life sucks and is no where near mentally stimulating enough for them, the list goes on and on
Mark
yes HEIDI
James Marshall
The movie was pretty one sided, but it was also very eye opening.
Michael Jackson
FREE WILLY!!!
Mark
yeah
doolie
you all are idiots…no one knows the truth.
Debbie
After watching the documentary and viewing Sea World’s response (which by the way, though they try, does not contradict the documentary), I realize that these highly intelligent creatures are exploited for the all mighty dollar. Everyone who buys into it or has bought into it as I once did has been duped. It is a travesty that these whales and dolphins have been penned up in giant fish tanks for decades. These SeamWorld executives are equal to the sharks on wall street who rape the middle class. We need to wake up and stop drinking the Koolaid. I pray for the release of these amazing animals. Furthermore, as just having been to SeaWorld, I reflect on the crafty way that they manipulate the visitors by showing emotionally compelling movies at the beginning of each show in an effort to convince us of all the “good” that SeaWorld is doing for the world. Masterfully done! I bought it hook, line and sinker!
Debbie
Until now that is:)
Fangz
Much logical fallacies. So ignorance.
Mark
This is a letter to sea world!!!! i really sent this letter to them and i encourage you to send one to!!! go to this link and click YOUR MESSAGE VIVA EMAIL http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Contact
Dear sea world,
I am a 13-year old boy, you might think that this letter or note is just a joke but its not. I really care about these whales and sea world is hurting them.I just wanted to tell you that I watched the movie Blackfish and i learned what you people do with those whales. The whole sea world corporation should be a shamed. These animals should not be kept captive in little pools and at night in floating sheds. How would you feel if in the day time you had to put on a tiring show and at night you were put in a bath tub but you’re bigger than the bath tub. This is just animal cruelty. How about if the whales don’t perform the trick/ stunt correctly they don’t receive food. Is that right? no how do you feel about this? what if that happened to you at school/work.If you went to school and you didn’t pass the quiz/test you wouldn’t get food. That is called animal starvation. Another example why sea world is a horrible place is that you lie to the public when a whale attacks a trainer, you always blame the accident on the dead trainer that can’t even defend herself. Also you separate the mother from the baby right in front of her eyes. Would you like me when you were little to separate you from your mother right in front of her. There are many other examples of how sea world is the worst place on the earth.
From the hater of sea world
Mark
Genevieve
Mark, honey. Watch the film again. SeaWorld doesn’t keep them in containers…that was another marine center in the film.
Jorgie nelson
Does being a condescending adult to a child make you feel better about yourself? Genevieve Honey they are captive and kept in containers no matter which place it is…maybe YOU should watch the film again.???
Mark
SEA WORLD ITS NOT AN AMUSEMENT PARK ITS ABUSEMENT PARK IF YOU SUPPORT THAT THEN SHAM ON YOU
LETS STOP THIS PARK AND AND HELP THOSE ANIMALS
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Mark
SHAME
Andrew
It’s clear there are two sides arguing for and against SW. I’m against SW for their negligence in the proper treatment of their animals, but I’m for SW for the few things they actually try to achieve. There’s no two ways about it. We want to learn about these animals, but the only way is to keep them in captivity. It’s a pick-your-poison stance. Could SW make it more homely for the creatures? Sure. Do they want to? At the risk of losing profits, doesn’t seem likely.
I never liked the idea of starving animals to do tricks. Kids love it, because their ignorance to most things in life allow them to. I am a season pass holder for SW San Diego, though I don’t go for the shows. I go with my kids for the atmosphere, food, and information (taken with a grain of salt, obviously). Anyway, if you are interested in more docs about Orcas and why SW should be held accountable for a more improved habitat for its stars, here’s another doc that might shed some more light on how Orcas can be IN THE WILD amongst people. It’s called, “The Whale.” More info at the wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_(killer_whale)
Ryan
Oops. My Response is not a Direct response to Andrew. It was meant as a General Comment. Sorry.
Marty
Yes – it is a film that makes SeaWorld look bad. The film maker said that when they started the project they didn’t have this as an agenda – which you can believe or not. However the film made a number of specific accusations against SeaWorld which the company has refused to discuss. If you are so convinced that the film is simply anti-SeaWorld propaganda then I suggest that you do some research yourself and address some of the specific critiques made by the film. You simply state that people are ignorant and gullible but provide no exculpatory evidence to support SeaWorld. Sounds to me like you just believe what you want to believe.
Alana
You are so right and they probably just do it for money
tap
I went looking for SeaWorld’s response after seeing Blackfish, because the documentary failed to provide any other view point. I am disappointed by SeaWorld’s statements because they failed to back them up.
They only mention the ages of whales they now have in captivity which does not address lifespan differences at all. I also found some wording could be misleading, like “We do not separate killer whale moms and calves.” Using the present tense to counter the accusation of separation seems like a good way to omit what they may have done in the past, and it seems disingenuous to me.
I think a little humility (i.e. we made mistakes in the past and have addressed those mistakes) would have gone a lot further toward bettering public relations.
While I still question some of what Blackfish portrayed, I think the message that this is not a healthy lifestyle for the whales is justified.
SeaWorld may employ people who care greatly for the animals, but as long as they are a for profit company, their mission will have a conflict of interest.
Anisha
Refuting a few of the statements made by Sea World
1- SeaWorld does not capture killer whales in the wild. FALSE – The Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972, approximately 41 years ago, so yes, within the past 35 years, SW hasn’t collected orcas from the wild. Prior to that, they most definitely did! And many of the whales SW DID collect from the wild died, which also explains why they only have 2 wild-caught orcas in their possession now. If those orcas captured back then lived their expected lifespan, they should’ve still been alive today… But like most captive orcas, they died prematurely.
We do not separate killer whale moms and calves & Whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure. FALSE – SeaWorld is not breeding all these new whales for the sake of creating a more stable social structure. And if SeaWorld WERE interested in social structure, it would not sell-off and rent-out orcas to other marine parks, disturbing the existing social structure of these animals in these parks. Orcas in the wild live in large pods their entire lives, living amongst the SAME orcas for a lifetime. Constantly being thrown into tanks with unfamiliar orcas, many from different sub-species/ parts of the world is NOT in the best interest of the animals. And calves are most definitely separated from their mothers, though not at birth.
SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild. FALSE – if the ‘average’ lifespan of an orca is around 60 years, why is only 1 whale in captivity close to 50? And why have so many of their whales died of pneumonia and mosquito-born diseases – illnesses that are non-existent in the lives of ocean-living orcas? Tanks and tank-life adversely affects the health and well-being of these animals, not just physically but mentally as well.
The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild. FALSE – while SeaWorld does conduct limited research into the anatomy, reproductive patterns and other physical matters regarding orcas, it does NOT explain how it “benefits” wild orcas to force captive orcas to do tricks, be ridden on by trainers, or be isolated from other orcas. Isolating an orca from others – orcas being highly social animals – is mentally crippling. SO many things are done to these captive orcas that wild orcas would NEVER be subjected to, and it is completely unclear to me how this “captivity” really benefits those orcas living in the wild. What seems most clear are the ramifications of this captivity on those orcas held in these tanks – and the trainers who suffer injury and death because of it. How does that help those orcas in the wild?
SeaWorld is a world leader in animal rescue. FALSE – SeaWorld does contribute to animal rescue, but only insomuch as doing so provides them with the opportunity to gain public support to greater increase their profitability. If they truly wanted to dedicate themselves to marine animal rehabilitation and rescue, they could do without resorting to inbreeding new orcas, holding them captive in limited-sized tanks, and forcing them to perform multiple shows a day, 350+ days a year for public entertainment. If it is REALLY about animal rescue, make THAT the highlight and focal point of your organization – NOT public entertainment and profit.
SeaWorlds arguments against the accusations set forth by Blackfish are nothing but PR smoke and mirrors, designed to distract the public from the truth by trying to shift focus onto the small fraction of SeaWorld’s endeavors to do good by these animals. Ultimately, SeaWorld is a business, and profit is their goal. These whales being held captive and new whales being bred aren’t being kept alive for the sake of research or public education – they’re being held by SeaWorld for profit and entertainment. Make no mistake about that.
Shannon
Thank you! Someone on here shows an ounce more than the thought that “we should see more whales because SeaWorld is so great.” To me is simple, if SeaWorld has nothing to hide, simple address each scenario that Blackfish addressed. There were dates and timelines that Blackfish documented. Shouldn’t be hard to address the deaths/accidents that were not only recorded, but witnesses even accounted. It’s easy to give a blanked statement and say this movie is propaganda, meanwhile SeaWorld vaguely and strategically didn’t address any of the events in detail to dispute this documentary. If you really want to save face, answer the millions of questions that should be answered when it comes to this documentary. The two calves mentioned in the movie, did you pull them from their mothers? If so, why? The documentary clearly suggests that animals in captivity can have psychological breaks. What research has been done to support that housing these thousands of pound mammals in a pool, when they are designed to be in open ocean, does not have fatal results? The truth is, we might have an idea on the most shallow if terms of these mammals. Whatever “data” they have attained in regards to their mental stability in captivity, is not only tainted since they are not in their natural environment. True knowledge is achieve by viewing an living creature in its true habitat. Not some man made pool creating splashes and jumps to paid viewers. SeaWorld is a business, and like one, cannot function without its customers. These are not free animals living their lives to the best of their ability. These are caged, bred, and trained circus performers that do the same monotonous behaviors each day for a paying audience. Is that truly living in your eyes?
JM Gurule
I am not a tree-hugger, Mary Poppins blind optimist, nor am I usually prone to joining any bandwagon-spirit-of-the-moment causes or demonstrations…
Sea World, thank you for all you have done to help us all better understand some of the other animals on this planet. Thank you for raising all of our awareness for all of these years, and thank you for what you have done for animals in need. You helped us all grow in knowledge and compassion; most of our awareness about these animals was because of your existence… you brought them into our everyday life. Thank you.
That being said: We, collectively as the dominant species on this planet, have the responsibility to now take pause and selflessly weigh the facts. We must objectively determine our next steps in what we allow to be done to these animals and others like them.
We have a responsibility to set aside the financial rewards and costs from our decision making. Then we must have the moral courage to act on ‘the best course’ for the ones who cannot speak for themselves, and who are at the mercy of our decisions and actions.
A great man (my Grampa Florentino Garcia) taught me: “You can judge the true character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
I want my grandkids to see that we were humble, just and mature stewards of this world, and that we deserved the power, authority and gifts on loan to us, during our time.
Just sayin’…
BRANDON
If you grew up in the Pacific Northwest like I did you would be disgusted by Sea World even if you had not watched Blackfish. Seeing Pods of 50-70 orca whales living together, traveling hundreds of mikes a day, etc is the reason I will never pay to see orca whales in captivity. They don’t belong in a tank doing shows, these beautiful creatures belong in the ocean.
Curiosity
How many times are we going to mention things that happened in the PAST. Someone commented that Seaworld should have admitted to their mistakes, shown a bit of humility, and I agree. A bit of remorse for past actions may have played in their favor. HOWEVER, many of these injustices being argued against happened in the past. No one has ever been perfect. How can people always be expected to make the right decisions? I can support the claim that a number of SW actions were immoral. They were mistakes. Humans did not just come equipped with total knowledge of handling these animals. We had to learn. Mistakes were made, but should a company be defined only by its wrongdoings? In a similar way, should people only be recognized for their failures? When I make a mistake, I do what I can to ensure that I am better next time. I think SW is doing the same thing.
They provide their animals with top-notch care, first off. The whales are well fed and given all necessary veterinary care.
Second, the whales are not violently forced to perform. They are motivated by positive reinforcement and enrichment/interaction. Someone, in an earlier post, compared positive reinforcement to being withheld a meal. This is not true. If the animals does not want to do what it is being asked to do, it does not have to. It will simply not be REWARDED. This means it won’t be a given a treat, not that it won’t be properly nourished for the day.
Third, I would like to address the research concerns. SW does invest quite a bit in research, and as I have found, much of this research does in fact support their breeding program. This has been a focal point for several arguments against SW, but I believe it actually works FOR them. Everyone wants the whales to be released into the wild, but as of the present that isn’t really an option. As many of you have stated, the whales have been around humans too long and would not survive in the wild. I find this true. You can’t just dump these guys into the ocean. The process of rehabilitation is a slow and tedious one. You can’t just expect it to happen overnight. What do you suppose the breeding program at SW is meant to support? If you have a stable population in captivity, you can then work on reintroducing animals to the wild and increasing numbers. Simply putting several whales back into their natural environment will not do much.
Another argument posed is that the whales are sentient beings and it is cruel to confine them in tanks. First, lets talk about the sentient beings half of this. Yes, I agree that the whales are intelligent. This is obvious, otherwise they would not be able to learn the behaviors witnessed in the shows. Many of you are angry that we are supposedly treating intelligent creatures in way that seems unfair. It hits especially close to home because we care for the well being of these creatures. May I ask why you care so much? What was it that made you love these whales?
Killer whales or Orcas are naturally aggressive. They don’t have the name ‘killer’ because it sounds cool. They are first class predators and extremely dangerous. You’re all saying “Yes, yes we know. We get it. The whales are dangerous.” In general, you fear dangerous things, maybe develop respect for them, but love them? No. For humans to love something, we must understand it in some way that relates to ourselves. We must form a connection. Did you forge this bond watching documentaries about the true predatory nature of the whales? The majority will say ” No.”. Some may have read an endearing book or article, some may have seen them in the wild an just fell in love. However, many must confess that they learned of the animals through SW and places like it. It was at such places that you learned to love the whales, to care about them. It was also where many people decided the whales were being mistreated. Would you have cared about your precious marine mammals if SW had not introduced them to the public? How would you have decided that the whale was sentient had it not performed in the shows? The shows may be corny and bring in the crowds and consequently the money, but there is another, greater purpose. While it may be hard to watch these big guys swim around in a small pool, its for a noble cause.
Second, lets talk about the so called cruel treatment. Yes, the tanks are small for such large animals. Yes, they are nothing compared to the vast expanse of the ocean. I had to repeat because apparently nobody has heard it enough. Now, earlier in the comments, someone made an excellent point. The whales are capable of traveling very long distances over the course of a day, and may do so in the wild. Of course, in captivity the whales don’t rack up many miles at all. The poster applied this idea to human beings. A human is capable of traveling about 30 miles in a day on foot. Almost no human beings on the planet do this anymore. Just because we are capable of doing something, doesn’t mean that we desire to do that or live that way. If a whale is a sentient being, as it is being argued, then this should be applicable.
Seaworld, like any other company, has made mistakes. It’s safe to say that some of what they do is geared towards profit, but money is necessary. We cannot forget how essential funding is to any organization. That being said, the people at Seaworld have a greater goal in mind than just money, in my opinion. Change is coming, slowly but surely.
Shannon
I don’t really know where to start with your novel, but one key thing that stuck out was around the lines “humans are capable of traveling 30 miles per day, what human has done that lately.” I’m sorry but you had me dying of laughter. I am amused that you think that a human that has a choice to walk, but chooses to jump in the car for transportation is the same as whales being used to swim for several miles and the inactivity being the same. In the wild, the whale chooses to swim and socialize for great lengths. They have both negative and positive stimuli which triggers their need to survive. Ocras at SeaWorld are being treated like goldfish that do tricks. They are given positive reinforcement to try to encourage them to repeat tricks. I would love to stick you in a cell for the rest of your life and expect you to not have a mental breakdown. Don’t worry, you will have your favorite food served to you every day, but you cannot stretch your legs, experience new sights and sounds, or have a family or see it grow. You’re right, they want to be stuck in that tank, I’m sure they are not bored, it’s always a party at SW. I just can shake my head.
Curiosity
I appreciate your opinion and I can see that you have strong feelings on the matter. I said myself that its sad to see them swimming in a tank that is not nearly as spacious as their natural environment. I totally agree that it would be maddening to be cooped up in such a way and my ‘novel’ as you call it does not support the the limited size of the whales’ tank. I was arguing that the whales are provided for, not that the situation at Seaworld was as ideal as what they would experience in the wild. I NEVER said that the whales want to be stuck in the tank. You mentioned that the whales are used to swimming for miles every day, however many of the whales at Seaworld were born in captivity. Their tank is all they have ever known and consequently they have never had the opportunity to swim such distances. Now, you also said that I think it’s a ‘party’ at Seaworld. I’m sorry if this is what you thought I was implying. I said that Seaworld has made mistakes and possibly still is. I did not say that the system was perfect, what I meant to get across was that it was a work in progress. I would like to hear your continued thoughts on this.
denybedoomed
Was the documentary biased? Absolutely. But it doesn’t mean that the bias is wrong. These animals do not belong in captivity. Period.
Truth
Yours was the only intelligent argument posted on here
BSID
With all this talk about Sea World why has no one said anything about the Zebras that died at Animal Kingdom? You know the ones that ate a certain plant on the safari and died or does no one know about them?? What’s so different between SW and WDW?
Truth
Because this was a movie and all of these angry lazy slacktivists didn’t hear about it until someone mentioned it on facebook. And just like the Joseph Kony outrage, they will do nothing, cause they’re lazy. Just like they were about with helping Hati, Darfur, Hurricane Katrina, etc.
Reina
I’m really glad I read Seaworld’s public response, because giving the bad guys a chance to defend themselves is the only way to reach a fair outlook. I thought the movie Blackfish was quite biased against Seaworld and so not really a true documentary, BUT that doesn’t change the fact that those poor whales are imprisoned in swimming pools for profit. So sad, and not a good entertainment choice if your conscience is involved.
There are much better ways to do animal research and create public awareness and concern for all animals than the way Seaworld operates. We humans like to think of ourselves as the most complex and advanced species, but when it comes to money, we are just so greedy, and tend to loose sight of other things that matter.
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2014 07:27:08 -0800
MuCephei
Whats wrong with their bias anyway? Justified bias and they did give seaworld a chance in the film. Blackfish did its job.
sammy b
for all you dumb facks who are questioning the movie blackfish there are several people who have actually worked for seaworld and seen all the abuse and negect fist hand who spoke out in this movie why would all these people come forward and tell there stories for nothing they seen the dirt done first hand and no longer work for sea world because of it no one should spend money at any of there parks and support what there doing to these poor helpess animals who cant speak up for themselves animals belong in the wild for us to admire from a far not cage to do trick in order to be fed its sick and ur sick if u dont agree
MuCephei
Im hazarding a guess she’s using reverse psychology to get people to do something. At least I hope so, but either she is making an idiot of herself. Truth you want to buy everyone plane tickets to Orlando or San Diego and we can all go picketing?
selang
Sadly, billions of humans are worse off than the captives at SeaWorld when it comes to food, clean water, sanitation, healthcare, mental healthcare, housing, employment, working conditions, prison conditions, broken families, war, violence, murder, rape, slavery, etc. Perhaps we must first learn to treat our own species better. Given all of the environmental damage we are doing, very few species of large animals will exist outside of captive environments in the near future. Ultimately, the best way to protect all non-domesticated life on the planet is to eliminate humans, and then hope that earth is not hit by a large asteroid.
MuCephei
I think one of the best points Blackfish makes is that by taking your children to Seaworld you are teaching them it is okay to keep these highly intelligent and emotional animals in jail cell sized pools. I agree that most of us would never have known Orcas were so amazing if it wasn’t for Seaworld, however we do now, and so it is not an excuse to keep breeding them, or inbreeding them in this case. Next family vacation arrange your vacation dates around whale migration and go whale watching to see them in their natural habitat. Did you know grey whales actually come up to the boats to be petted?
MuCephei
Not saying we should all swarm the poor whales feeding grounds…
MuCephei
Are you comparing orcas to brainless chicken, methane farting machines and fish? Thats not helping the whales at all.
Jorgie nelson
Anyone who has seen Blackfish knows that Sea World should be shut down period. If you havent seen it then you should have nothing to say.
bouncy castle
It’s very trouble-free to find out any matter on net as compared to textbooks, as
I found this paragraph at this web site.
Cilla
I’d like to see the younger whales rehabilitated if possible ready for release and the older ones allowed to live out their days in ocean pens.
Alana
I’m telling you Seaworld feeds the orcas and give them love and care. Also don’t you think Seaworld would hhave been closed down a long time ago if Blackfish was true.
Alana
Do you think if SW was lying they would be in jail and closed down?
SAIV DA KAWAII WALESS!!!!11!!!
AMG U R BAKASSSSSSSS!11! SEEWOED IZ A BAD PERSONN! THEY KIL DA WALES 4 NO REESIN!!!1!!!!!!!!! ALL DA WALES DY THERE!!!1! AND THE PEEPL DIE TOO BECUS SEWORDL ID BARINWASHING THEEM 2 BECOM ENVIL!!11! DO NOT SUEWORLD OR THEY WIL BAIRNWASHH YOU INTO BECUMING A WALE MUTRDERER!!!!11!!!!! EVRONE HOO SUPORT SEEWOLRD IZ A BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WLAES AT SEEWORL DIE!!!11! KAPTIVIIY KILZ! PEEETUH SAYS SO!!!! AN U CAN DEFIENTLY TRUS PETA!!!1! AN BALKFIXSH IS A MAZIN MOVY! IT NOT 1 SIDED AN PRUPUGABNA ART ALLL!!!! U R AL BAKASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!1111! I AM NOT BANFDWAGON I AM EDUCATIONED!!!!11!
Bobafet
I agree some facts presented in blackfish may be exagerated or no longer practiced by sea world but they once were and there is no denying that. Now they claim to only capture/rescue dying or injured whales. Also it baffles me how sea world can blame trainers for death or injuries when it’s a fact that orca whales are more aggressive in captivity not to mention a gene pool from a whale which has had aggressive behavior in past. Orcas are highly intelligent creatures as are dolphins and other sea mammals some comparable to even you or me. If it were me and I was in jail for a crime I didn’t commit I wouldn’t want to perform tricks for food and I would try to escape/get revenge at all costs. Sea world does donate millions to protected wild whales, sea life,etc… Maybe they should donate some more to protect they’re trainers! I think being a trainer at sea world should be top 10 dangerous jobs!
Alby
“Some comparable to you or me” ? Speak for yourself, I am smarter than a whale and/or dolphin.
cc
WRONG. You are NOT smarter than an orca. They have an extra part to their brain that humans don’t have which gives them a sense of self which we can never fathom to imagine or comprehend. How would you feel with your child taken away from you at 4 years of age? How would you feel if you were confined to just 1 room in your house and were never allowed to leave? CRUELTY TO ANIMALS MUST END. They shouldn’t be kept as pets or to participate in shows for your enjoyment. If you want to see and enjoy them GO OUTSIDE! Watch them perform their normal behaviours from a place where you don’t interfere with them or harm them. Who are you to judge? Anyone who supports places like SeaWorld are animal haters.
pet advice
For example, if the reader was a job applicant that was not hired, the first sentence
could state:. Thee prroblem is that you can’t tell your dog to just stay in one place.
The overall objective for a lawyer in a brain injury case is tto convince a
jury tbat an organic injury has occurred, that it iss permanent, and that it is thee main reason for your client.
Ashlyn B
I may only be 14 but I know what bad people out there do but seaworld trainers and faculty aren’t bad. The take in injured animals that cannot survive on their own. So stop hating on Seaworld and start hating on the real people that are hurting the animals like the places all over the world that say COME SWIM WITH DOLPHINS!! Because those are the people that are taking healthy dolphins out of the water and into a habit that they don’t like. And for the ones that don’t get picked they get stabbed by poachers. So if you want things to change in our world today you will stop hating on seaworld and start changing the real problem with other places. Come together as one and help save the dolphins but remember seaworld helps them and rescues them so they can still live and have a very happy life. What I think is if you all really and truly cared about the animals then you wouldn’t be protesting at seaworld you would be gathering information and true facts so you could save dolphins lives where they are actually needed.
Cincinnati Roofing
Not all Nashville roofing contractors are transparent
with their fees and services; they will provide you with a very low estimate initially, and then add additional fees towards the endd of the job for extra supplies or additional services.
You can also search on the Google to know more about the alternatives, gget answers tto your price, and work relevant concerns.
Unfortunately homes get old, thbey falll into disrepair quickly
if not vigilantly kept up with and those two are
expenses that are easy to put off.
Cincinnati Roofing Repair
Some of the possible causes of the shingles are the end of thsir usage cycle causing these problems.
Sure, as with anything, people take advantage of a system, and thdre arre
pan-handlers that go home to nice houses. The idea is to
prevent the water dripping down the roof from accumulating inn the house.
Recommended Northern Kentucky Roofing
Obtaining a feeling ffor how willing the architect
is to work inside your design requests is alo important.
You can also search on the Google to know mofe about the alternatives, gget answers to your price, and work relevant concerns.
3) What kind of customer guarantee does the holme improvement company give.
me
put the killer whales back in the ocean
online advertising anaheim
Too often, people lookk underdressed when they go in for interviews.
Soon after joining Disney, Mooney attended his first
Disney onn Ice show. The types of matedials mmust be made only
from top quality products.
lots for sale
Setting the guidelines iin rea estate business for years, the renowned builder has
successfully delivered numerous villas and custom designed residential houses.
Thanks, cann I get a side of kick-in-the-teeth with that.
All have extra options available for home buyers only.
ig
We’re a group of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community.
Your website offered us with valuable information to work on. You’ve performed an impressive job and our whole neighborhood will probably be
grateful to you.
Comments are closed.