The problem is most of the animals that are in EPCOT are injured and will not survive in the wild and/or deemed unreleasable by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, this can be because they wouldn’t survive in the wild or they have a disease that would decimate the wild population or in some cases because the wild population has a disease or other issue spreading through it and by having the animals remain in captivity, it allows for genetic diversity to be reintroduced into the wild population’s issue is stabilized. SeaWorld has similar cases; although, they do have more that are healthy.
Is captivity perfect?
No, but here are the options:
1. Provide the best care we can for these animals for the remainder of their lives.
2. Release the animals into the wild (when they are allowed to be) and then watch them die because they are injured.
3. Kill the animals off now.
4. In the cases where the captive population is being kept to ensure genetic diversity in the wild population, releasing them too early could mean the species goes extinct.
Of course, there is also habitat loss, wars, etc. issues that are a factor too.
Now, in a perfect world, none of this would happen and we wouldn’t need zoos and aquariums, but we don’t live in a perfect world, so we need to do the best we can. Now, if we find ways we can make improvements to those animals in captivity, great, but in the meanwhile, let’s understand the purpose of zoos and aquariums and really their purpose (for the good ones) is to ultimately put themselves out of business, as they want nothing more than to have all of these issues be fixed and no longer need zoos and aquariums.
While Epcot would certainly like their customers to believe that, it’s unfortunately untrue.
Here is the information Epcot provided National Marine Fisheries Service as required by federal law:
Out of the three surviving dolphins at Epcot, one was captured in the Gulf of Mexico specifically for the purpose of captivity (not rescued) and the other two were bred in captivity.
For the six dolphins that died in their care-
Geno- Captured in the Gulf Of Mexico. Survived less that one year in captivity before becoming trapped in a pool net and suffocating.
Tyke- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died two years later due to a fractured vertebrae believed to have been caused by a tank mate.
Toby- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died 17 years later of Bacterial Septicemia.
Christie- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died with three days of Tyke’s death from a brain hemorrhage also believed to have been caused by a tank mate.
Katie- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died 5 years later after a fight with a tank mate while suffering from a persistent thymus gland syndrome.
Khyber- Bred in captivity and transferred to Epcot. He died in 2018 of “Infection”. His entry still says they are awaiting final histopathology and pathology reports.
None of the dolphins at Epcot were rescued. Video of their captures can actually be seen in the documentary A Fall From Freedom.
Yes! These are very intelligent creatures. I love Disney but I also love Dolphins. They should go to a TRUE sanctuary in the ocean. I think they will make a transition to no longer have captive dolphins. Dolphins are known to be as smart if not smarter than humans. Imagine being taken away from your family for someone else’s entertainment.
If you’ve ever been to Disney World or subscribe to Disney+ or gone to the theaters to see a Disney movie, you are financially supporting a company that keeps cetaceans in captivity.
Comments for Disney Called Out Over Captive Animals, Compared to ‘Blackfish’
Chris
The problem is most of the animals that are in EPCOT are injured and will not survive in the wild and/or deemed unreleasable by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, this can be because they wouldn’t survive in the wild or they have a disease that would decimate the wild population or in some cases because the wild population has a disease or other issue spreading through it and by having the animals remain in captivity, it allows for genetic diversity to be reintroduced into the wild population’s issue is stabilized. SeaWorld has similar cases; although, they do have more that are healthy.
Is captivity perfect?
No, but here are the options:
1. Provide the best care we can for these animals for the remainder of their lives.
2. Release the animals into the wild (when they are allowed to be) and then watch them die because they are injured.
3. Kill the animals off now.
4. In the cases where the captive population is being kept to ensure genetic diversity in the wild population, releasing them too early could mean the species goes extinct.
Of course, there is also habitat loss, wars, etc. issues that are a factor too.
Now, in a perfect world, none of this would happen and we wouldn’t need zoos and aquariums, but we don’t live in a perfect world, so we need to do the best we can. Now, if we find ways we can make improvements to those animals in captivity, great, but in the meanwhile, let’s understand the purpose of zoos and aquariums and really their purpose (for the good ones) is to ultimately put themselves out of business, as they want nothing more than to have all of these issues be fixed and no longer need zoos and aquariums.
Natalie
While Epcot would certainly like their customers to believe that, it’s unfortunately untrue.
Here is the information Epcot provided National Marine Fisheries Service as required by federal law:
Out of the three surviving dolphins at Epcot, one was captured in the Gulf of Mexico specifically for the purpose of captivity (not rescued) and the other two were bred in captivity.
For the six dolphins that died in their care-
Geno- Captured in the Gulf Of Mexico. Survived less that one year in captivity before becoming trapped in a pool net and suffocating.
Tyke- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died two years later due to a fractured vertebrae believed to have been caused by a tank mate.
Toby- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died 17 years later of Bacterial Septicemia.
Christie- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died with three days of Tyke’s death from a brain hemorrhage also believed to have been caused by a tank mate.
Katie- Captured in the Gulf of Mexico. Died 5 years later after a fight with a tank mate while suffering from a persistent thymus gland syndrome.
Khyber- Bred in captivity and transferred to Epcot. He died in 2018 of “Infection”. His entry still says they are awaiting final histopathology and pathology reports.
None of the dolphins at Epcot were rescued. Video of their captures can actually be seen in the documentary A Fall From Freedom.
Sandra
Yes! These are very intelligent creatures. I love Disney but I also love Dolphins. They should go to a TRUE sanctuary in the ocean. I think they will make a transition to no longer have captive dolphins. Dolphins are known to be as smart if not smarter than humans. Imagine being taken away from your family for someone else’s entertainment.
Sam
If you’ve ever been to Disney World or subscribe to Disney+ or gone to the theaters to see a Disney movie, you are financially supporting a company that keeps cetaceans in captivity.
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