Ok then...
For the most part, I don't have an issue with keeping animals in captivity, but have an issue with romaticizing Seaworld.
That's not to say that I think they treat their whales badly, as clearly they don't, but they are, first and foremost, a theme park. The whales are there purely for people's entertainment and, to a lesser extent, education, and that's fine. However, those are the only reasons. There is absolutely zero conservational value in keeping orcas in captivity.
The "they would be there anyway and so people should be able to see them" angle is slightly ridiculous. They would not be there anyway if Seaworld hadn't gone out and captured them in the first place. Ok, so some of the whales they keep now were born in captivity (20 isn't a huge amount compared to the numbers that have either died in captivity or during capture), but the "stock" they came from certainly weren't. Yes, that goes for any captive species. NONE of them would "be there anyway."
Regardless, less than half of the current, worldwide, captive killer whales were born in captivity.
The life expectancy issue has been raised already, but it's an important one. The vast majority of animals kept in captivity live a lot longer than they would in the wild. The killer whale is one of very few exceptions.
Yes, Seaworld do a great job of aiding injured wildlife, and have many successes with animal releases. NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN ORCAS.
They've never claimed to have rescued or released an orca (because they haven't), but have just posted the above directly after citing their orca breeding successes. Sneaky, eh?
Ok, I'm going to stop ragging on Seaworld because although it may not seem like it, I do admire a lot of the work they do, but their work with whales is purely for our benefit. If they had the best interests of the whales at heart, they would stop allowing them to breed (not that that's quite as common as they make out anyway), and let the current whales slowly die out, without replacing them.
It's not going to happen, nor am I saying it necessarily should; I'm just pointing out the actual facts over the spin the parks have put on it.
For the most part, I don't have an issue with keeping animals in captivity, but have an issue with romaticizing Seaworld.
That's not to say that I think they treat their whales badly, as clearly they don't, but they are, first and foremost, a theme park. The whales are there purely for people's entertainment and, to a lesser extent, education, and that's fine. However, those are the only reasons. There is absolutely zero conservational value in keeping orcas in captivity.
The "they would be there anyway and so people should be able to see them" angle is slightly ridiculous. They would not be there anyway if Seaworld hadn't gone out and captured them in the first place. Ok, so some of the whales they keep now were born in captivity (20 isn't a huge amount compared to the numbers that have either died in captivity or during capture), but the "stock" they came from certainly weren't. Yes, that goes for any captive species. NONE of them would "be there anyway."
Regardless, less than half of the current, worldwide, captive killer whales were born in captivity.
The life expectancy issue has been raised already, but it's an important one. The vast majority of animals kept in captivity live a lot longer than they would in the wild. The killer whale is one of very few exceptions.
Yes, Seaworld do a great job of aiding injured wildlife, and have many successes with animal releases. NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN ORCAS.
Seaworld said:With proper government permits, we may collect animals from the wild or rescue sick, orphaned, or injured animals. SeaWorld has the finest facilities on the planet for the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of stranded animals, so many of the creatures that you see at our parks have been rescued. Our main goal is to release these animals. However, some of them are so badly injured that they would not survive in the wild.
They've never claimed to have rescued or released an orca (because they haven't), but have just posted the above directly after citing their orca breeding successes. Sneaky, eh?
Ok, I'm going to stop ragging on Seaworld because although it may not seem like it, I do admire a lot of the work they do, but their work with whales is purely for our benefit. If they had the best interests of the whales at heart, they would stop allowing them to breed (not that that's quite as common as they make out anyway), and let the current whales slowly die out, without replacing them.
It's not going to happen, nor am I saying it necessarily should; I'm just pointing out the actual facts over the spin the parks have put on it.