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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 31, 2013 - 10:14am PT
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Spread awareness about the captivity of whales and dolphins to eventually lead to the public making the choices that can end this cruelty.
Mission
END THE CAPTIVITY OF WHALES AND DOLPHINS IN ALL PARKS/AQUARIUMS ACROSS THE GLOBE.
The captivity of dolphins and whales is a sad and disturbing practice found across the world. For anyone who takes the time to look, it becomes clear this is an unnecessary and cruel act by people. These highly intelligent animals are taken from their families and forced into a life of servitude. What can you do? Spread the world; help educate people about the truth. Not supporting aquariums and parks that hold marine life is also the most basic thing you can do to help end this. Just like any business, if they don't make money they will fail. Raise your voice for those who have had theirs stolen.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 10:38am PT
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Captive whales and dolphins have been trained to perform tricks, day after day, for food as a reward instead of behaving naturally. When not performing, they are often kept in holding tanks smaller than show pools. Confining animals together that may not get on can result in stress and aggression with no possible escape.
We have no right to put these amazing creatures in captivity. Captive whale and dolphin shows are not education, or conservation; stress and disturbing behaviour is common amongst dolphins displayed in dolphinaria. Captivity is all about making money.
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Dec 31, 2013 - 10:43am PT
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But then there's that part about seeing the poor animals stuck in some for sh!t situation NOT of their choosing...
and THAT is the problem with ZOOZ
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Dec 31, 2013 - 10:55am PT
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i finally broke out of the steel-reinforced-concrete wall
that god had built all around me.
her intent was to cage me within my own fear,
that is what she does best,
but i prevailed with enduring fortitude
and courage and now im
free of her confines but
now i realize she's on the other side of the
wall too, and that the cage is everywhere,
there is no escape, no liberty.
and i must maintain my resistance to her
advances if i'm ever to entertain the
life that i genetically inherrited.
so i will remain steadfast in my
lifelong goal to deny gods any place within my heart.
even if those dolphins and whales be free within the sea,
we have them by the throat, regardless.
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thebravecowboy
Social climber
Colorado Plateau
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Dec 31, 2013 - 10:57am PT
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I am not against the flogging of the dolphin.
Captivity, yes. Flogging, no.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:16am PT
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Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent animals who want and need to live in complex social groups. In captivity they will usually have been separated from their families, often in cruel hunts and some when they are very young.
Wild whales and dolphins can swim up to 100 miles a day, hunting and playing. In captivity they have very little space and cannot behave naturally. A concrete tank can never replace their ocean home.
The mental, emotional and physical stress that a captive whale or dolphin suffers can weaken their immune system and make them prone to disease. Even though captive whales and dolphins are kept in an environment free of predators, pollution and other threats, they die young. The death rate for infant whales and dolphins is also much higher in captivity.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:26am PT
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In some zoo's there is something called a Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program, which aims to manage the breeding of specific endangered species in order to help maintain healthy and self-sustaining populations that are both genetically diverse and demographically stable.
The end goal of many SSPs is the reintroduction of captive-raised endangered species into their native wild habitats. According to the , SSPs and related programs have helped bring black-footed ferrets, California condors, red wolves and several other endangered species back from the brink of extinction over the last three decades. Zoos also use SSPs as research tools to better understand wildlife biology and population dynamics, and to raise awareness and funds to support field projects and habitat protection for specific species.
However
Captivity for whales and dolphins is brutal!
Wild capture of whales and dolphins is awful. Entire pods may be targeted and many animals killed or injured. Only the young and fit are taken. These are the future generations for these already vulnerable wild populations and their loss has a hugely negative impact on group dynamics.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 31, 2013 - 11:33am PT
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If Sea World and its ilk wanted to really do the 'educational' thang then
they would throw a few baby seals into the Orca tank every day. I bet that
would bring the crowd to its feet.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 11:42am PT
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Cetaceans in captivity is not an option.
As this is the last day of the year I'm making my non-profit donations.
I'm supporting OPS and my friends Candice and Louie - http://www.opsociety.org/
Next it's off to WildAid, Project Aware, Monterey Bay Aquarium,
I've already been beating this drum BTW around here....
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2215095/Blackfish-the-movie-OT
In May or June of 2014 I'm organizing a trip to the San Juan Islands to visit the Orca's. See them in the only place they should be seen - the wild.
This guy is kicking some ass:
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 31, 2013 - 11:48am PT
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Oh, Nature, you really want to go see them on the Valdes Peninsula in
Argentina where they show up for the seal pup sushi fest. It's a jungle out there. ;-)
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:49am PT
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I'm with you Nature!
There are many fantastic opportunities to see whales and dolphins in the wild both from land and with a responsible boat operator, so help us end captivity and keep whales and dolphins wild.
check out Stop Seaworld on facebook
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 11:53am PT
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Stop SeaWorld
Create Page
Recent
2013
FollowingMessage
Stop SeaWorld
9,163 likes · 438 talking about this
Community
Stop the exploitation of Orcas and force SeaWorld and other parks to release these intelligent and social mammals from their small prisons back into an ocean sanctuary to live out the rest of their lives in their natural habitats
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:05pm PT
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The behaviour of whales and dolphins is obviously constricted by life in a tank. Whales and dolphins are ordinarily intelligent, social animals that live in groups in the wild and carry out a myriad of tasks throughout daily life that are simply impossible in captivity. Most of the knowledge gained from carrying out research in the captive environment may not be applicable to the conservation of these animals in the wild.
Wild capture of dolphins and whales is a brutal activity as entire pods are targeted and only the young and fit are removed. These are the future generations of wild populations which may already be subject to other threats and the targeted population may therefore suffer greatly as a result of these captures, particularly in terms of group dynamics.
The orca, or "killer," whale is the largest member of the dolphin family.
Status:
Endangered in Oregon, Washington, and California.
Population: The worldwide population of orcas is unknown.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:06pm PT
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locker - go see the movie blackfish and then maybe add your 2 cents.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:13pm PT
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You can see Blackfish on Netflix.
Want to stop the torture of these animals?
Boycott SeaWorld, sign petitions, donate money or time, raise awareness!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:17pm PT
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Most of the knowledge gained from carrying out research in the captive environment may not be applicable to the conservation of these animals in the wild.
I suggest you watch the movie blackfish then do some research.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:19pm PT
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Well, Ron, by studying orcas and dophins in captivity I aver the only ones
who benefit are those doing the studies. Turn 'em all loose and leave 'em
the phuk alone! They don't need us to manage them other than assuring them
of enough salmon and seals to eat which means keeping fisheries stocks healthy.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:21pm PT
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The documentary movie Blackfish continues to be a public relations and financial nightmare for SeaWorld, and it’s now creating what people have termed the Blackfish Effect.
Eight out of the 10 musical acts scheduled for SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brews and Barbecue Festival have canceled. Fans had launched online petitions, leading to the festival’s headlining acts – Willie Nelson, Barenaked Ladies, Joan Jett, Trisha Yearwood, .38 Special, Heart, REO Speedwagon and Martina McBride – all canceling their scheduled concert dates.
Many of the musicians have been using their social media pages to educate their fans about SeaWorld’s history of oppression and abuse. For Willie Nelson, the decision wasn’t a difficult one. "I don’t agree with the way they treat their animals," he said. “It wasn’t that hard a deal for me."
Some musicians and bands, including Joan Jett and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, have also asked SeaWorld to stop using their music as a soundtrack to the “Shamu Rocks” show.
Joan Jett, whose outspoken views on the mistreatment of farmed animals got her kicked-off of South Dakota’s float at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, wrote a scathing letter to SeaWorld’s president expressing her displeasure:
"SeaWorld’s reliance on cruelty and captivity for commerce has been widely exposed. I hope you’ll take the respectable path and release the captive orcas to coastal sanctuaries so that they can live out their lives with other orcas in nature. This move would show that your company is truly family-friendly."
SeaWorld’s public relations problems are still growing, and the backlash toward their mistreatment of orcas is moving from the public to the private sector. Following on the heels of the rock stars, a marine science-based high school canceled its annual trip to SeaWorld. Rebecca Johnson, principal of Pt. Dume Marine Science School in Malibu, CA, said:
“My decision was guided by what was the best thing for all my students. I am very proud that the school did the right thing. I hope it’s not just a one-year, knee-jerk reaction. I hope they truly understand how wrong it is that these whales are in captivity, and none of us should be paying money to see that.”
All of this pressure has helped spread the Blackfish Effect to the point that it is now impacting SeaWorld’s commerce. Delaware L.P. Sw, a subsidiary of Blackstone, SeaWorld’s majority stockholder, has sold stock valued at over $500 million dollars.
In an effort to stem the growing tidal wave of negative public relations, SeaWorld took out a full-page ad in several major newspapers across the country. In the ads, they continue to claim that "The killer whales in our care benefit those in the wild,” and that “SeaWorld’s killer whales’ life spans are equivalent with those in the wild,” as well as saying that “We do not separate killer whale moms and calves.”
However, Blackfish director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, told the Los Angeles Times:
“Unfortunately, their statements range from wildly misleading to patently false. I just wish they would evolve past their 40-year-old spin and resolve to work with us toward a better future.”
Despite SeaWorld’s best efforts, the Blackfish Effect will most likely continue to gain momentum because the documentary has just made its streaming debut on Netflix…and Netflix reportedly has over 31 million subscribers.
Yay!!!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:26pm PT
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and if you have not seen The Cove you should watch that as well.
A really sweet movie is The Whale.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2013 - 12:35pm PT
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great links Nature!
You might want to read them Ron.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:36pm PT
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Ron, I am quite aware of all of that. I just don't believe in slavery.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:38pm PT
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A perfect example of the lies of SeaWorld is to look into the Morgan Story.
She was rescued by SeaWorld and rehabilitated. This animal could easily be released back to her pod. But SeaWorld is keeping her at loro parque - mostly likely to increase their genetic diversity for their breading program.
Free Morgan
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:43pm PT
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you said you saw it. that's fine. but in my opinion to be a part of this discussion in a constructive way it's a must see.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:47pm PT
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it has nothing to do with caring. That's an emotion.
it's a factual conversation and that movie is loaded with FACTS that until the movie didn't enter into this conversation. Either come equipped with the facts and discuss or act on emotion. I'm choosing the former.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:51pm PT
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I'll just give up and get back to karen. I'm to busy to explain myself and you're not getting what i'm trying to say. and i'm sure that's my fault.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:54pm PT
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no... i get it DAD! I just never listened to you so why should I start now?!?!?111169
;)
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:56pm PT
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Lolita (L25) is another story worth looking in to. She could be reintroduced to L-pod and they would accept and remember her. And they took her captive 43 years ago.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 12:57pm PT
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It use to say on Tilikums wiki page:
Occupation: Captive Slave
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 31, 2013 - 02:05pm PT
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The Cove. It won an academy award for best documentary. It describes the capture and slaughter of small cetaceans in Taiji Japan. It's going on right now. The director lives here in Boulder. I met him on Isla Mujeres over the summer. After the floods I went over to help him out (they got pummeled by the water). Some big things are planned for 2014 both with what Louie has planned as well as what the Sea Shepherds are up to.
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rectorsquid
climber
Lake Tahoe
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Dec 31, 2013 - 03:10pm PT
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Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent animals who want and need to live in complex social groups. In captivity they will usually have been separated from their families, often in cruel hunts and some when they are very young.
Dogs are pack animals. How many people complaining about this also have a single dog that sits at home alone all day while they are out on the picket-line complaining about animals in captivity?
Dave
P.S. I just got back from the San Diego Safari Park. No one is complaining about the Rhino's in captivity because no one made a documentary about them. This thread is another example of people being sheep and following whatever "save the _" fad that comes along.
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rectorsquid
climber
Lake Tahoe
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Dec 31, 2013 - 03:13pm PT
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...willingness...
If it is "training," then it is not "willingness." Informed cooperation would require us having to explain what we want and then the animals would use logic and reason to decide to act or not. "Training" is where we give treats to the animal each time it does what we want, and it eventually learns complex actions because... wait for it... treats are yummy!
Dave
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canyoncat
Social climber
SoCal
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Dec 31, 2013 - 03:22pm PT
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I always like to look up any charitable organization to ascertain how much good the do-gooder is actually doing. Oceanic Preservation Society's form 990 was quite the eye opener. I'm sure Louis means the ocean well, but factually he's paying himself $200,000 a year (in addition to car, restaurant, and other expense write offs) and the only "donation" they made at all in 2011 was $100 (it didn't say to whom). They do make nice movies though.
The Cove and Blackfish were very good IMO.
I dunno, I'd like to see more actual conservation efforts besides making movies, and I also dislike the idea that they think associating with Paul Watson is a good idea.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 10:04am PT
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Hey Ron,
I think that negative review you found was written by a Sea World stock holder!
**Ten Things You Didn’t Know About SeaWorld
They are forced to perform tricks and live in tiny enclosures.
Say NO to SeaWorld and refuse to buy a ticket.
Orcas that were at SeaWorld before 1972 were likely kidnapped from their ocean homes. For example, Tilikum, a 32-year-old orca, was captured at the age of 2 by a marine "cowboy." Tilikum wasn't taken from his natural environment because he was injured—instead, he was torn away from his family against his will and confined to a small concrete tank for a hefty profit.
A scientific study by Newcastle University found that dolphins in close proximity to humans experience extreme stress, "preventing them from resting, feeding or nurturing their young." Despite these findings, SeaWorld continues to allow park guests to swim and touch dolphins at its Discovery Cove location in Orlando, Florida.
In 1965, the first-ever orca show was performed by a female orca named Shamu at SeaWorld San Diego. Shamu, like Tilikum, was kidnapped before the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted in1972—during Shamu's capture, her mother was shot with a harpoon and killed before the young orca's very eyes by a marine "cowboy" named Ted Griffin. Griffin's partner, Don Goldsberry, later worked for SeaWorld and was assigned to bring orcas into the park. He continued slaughtering orcas, and at one point, he hired divers to slit open the bellies of four orcas, fill them with rocks, put anchors around their tails, and sink them to the bottom of the ocean so that their deaths would not be discovered.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 10:11am PT
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I love dogs too and think people who leave them at home all day alone should not get to have them
I am so grateful the film was made so the cause can gain momentum and possibly get results.
Here are 7 more things you didn't know about SeaWorld.
In nature, orcas choose their own mates. But at SeaWorld, orcas are forced to breed on a regular basis. Male orcas are trained to float on their backs, and their trainers masturbate them to collect their sperm. Females are artificially inseminated and forced to breed at a much younger age than they would in nature. Katina was forced to breed when she was only 9 years old (at least five years earlier than she would have naturally bred in the wild). Now she is used as a virtual breeding machine and is even being inbred with her own sons.
SeaWorld's corporate incident log contains reports of more than 100 incidents of orca aggression at its parks, often resulting in injuries to humans and even causing one death by extensive internal bleeding.
Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 years—their estimated maximum life span is 60 to 70 years for males and 80 to 90 for females. The median age of orcas in captivity is only 9.
In captivity, all male orcas have collapsed dorsal fins as adults, which is a sign of an unhealthy orca. SeaWorld claims that this condition is common and natural for all orcas. However, collapsed dorsal fins are caused by the unnatural environment of captivity and are rarely seen in the wild. Only 1 to 5 percent of male orcas in some populations (and none in others) have fully collapsed dorsal fins.
SeaWorld has a long history of pressuring authorities. Following a 2006 attack by an orca on a trainer at SeaWorld in San Diego, the California division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration concluded that it was "only a matter of time" before someone was killed while interacting with the orcas. However, the agency withdrew these findings after being pressured by SeaWorld. A further investigation into these attacks could have prevented injuries and deaths.
On January 11, the USDA issued an official warning to SeaWorld San Antonio for its "repeated failure to provide drain covers that are securely fastened in order to minimize the potential risk of animal entrapment"—a violation that resulted in the death of a sea lion.
SeaWorld confines whales and dolphins—who often swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild—to tanks that, to them, are the size of a bathtub.
SeaWorld presents itself as a family establishment full of fun activities. However, these "fun activities" harm animals physically and emotionally. Please say NO to SeaWorld and its enslavement of animals by refusing to buy a ticket and asking the marine park to release these animals to sanctuaries.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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*RIGHT ON KAREN!! I agree. I was so inspired by your post that I kicked my dog out of the house and said: "LIVE FREE PUP". The damned thing has been walking aimlessly around the house ever since despite the send off we had which also included playing the song "Born Free" repetitively. Now we've been relegated to ducking behind the couch and keeping the lights off pretending to not be home when she gets close, but have been unsuccessful in our efforts so far to rehabilitate the dog and get her to start chasing cats, voles and squirrels for dinner. I said: "GO FORTH AND LIFE FREE LIKE A COYOTE". What's wrong with freedom?
Not sure what to do now, but this ain't working. ................Help!?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 12:02pm PT
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I with you locker!
“SeaWorld likes to claim their shows are educational, but how educational is it watching a sea lion bounce a ball off its nose, an Orca splash an audience, or a dolphin dragging a trainer around a swimming pool? Come on, we have plenty of great nature documentaries that are truly educational. Observing sea life in its natural state is awe-inspiring and much more educational for children and adults. Never buy a ticket!”
—Ty Ganske, Austin, Texas
“I will never forget the dolphin "petting" tank where you buy fish to feed them and pet them. ALL of their noses were badly injured and scarred from abuse. I wondered first, what kind of person injures a dolphin purposefully, then I thought, what kind of place allows dolphins to be abused by its patrons? We have not been back since.”
—Dean Parsons, Upland, California
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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I say we take all the horses at Santa Anita out to where Anderson lives, and turn them loose there. They should fit right in.
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crankster
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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You're right, Karen. Don't get into a debate with Rong.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Agreed, fish are people, too. But cetaceans are a lot more like people - we're just not smart enough
to be able to communicate with them. Ron, how would you like being imprisoned and 'coerced'
into performing because it relieves your boredom and frustration over your captors' inability to
communicate with you?
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Oh... so rong is now in here polluting this thread? LOL...
Karen... if by chance you use Firefox to browse this site I suggest you install the grease monkey script. You can "grease" people and never have to read their stupid and inane idiotic crap again. Rong was the first one to go for me.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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I'm voicing my viewpoint locker...
Back on topic... One of the major issues those of us fighting for the cetaceans are witnessing is what the industry is doing to capture these animals - dolphins in particular (though Orcas are dolphins I'm not referring to them). The Cove uncovers the story of how these marine parks are capturing and killing dolphins to support their industry. It's a sickening event and must stop. The dolphins that are captured in Taiji are taken for amusement parks. The rest are slaughtered and their meat sold. Most of the time the meat is mislabeled on purpose as whale meat. Dolphin meat has toxic levels of mercury and should not be eaten. Anyone that thinks otherwise is probably already almost brain dead from mercury poisoning.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 02:22pm PT
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This is part of an interview with the director Gabriela Cowperthwaite of the movie Blackkfish.
Jonathon Sharp: Have you ever been to SeaWorld as a visitor?
Gabriela Cowperthwaite: I did. I actually took my kids to SeaWorld, and took my nephew to SeaWorld-San Diego also. Went to SeaWorld as a kid. So I have been several times before I made the documentary.
JS: So you have a rounded history as a SeaWorld consumer, in a way.
GC: Yeah. When I started the documentary I thought I was making a documentary about a trainer incident, essentially like a one-off…And it was only when I sort of peeled back the ending that I realized this is a much larger story…
I went in with a question: How did a top trainer get killed by a killer whale? Like, a beloved killer whale. Then I found out that he killed twice before. So I started looking at those cases.
I’m curious how you view SeaWorld now. Do you not like the company, or do you not like their practices? Can you expand on that for me?
GC: I just told the story. I just told the facts. I come out of that experience, having made the film over two years, feeling very strongly that killer whales are not suitable for captivity. That, you know, this is still a really lucrative business model for SeaWorld. You know, it’s a $2.7 billion a year company. And they’ve had no reason to have their business model ever challenged.
I’m hopeful, actually, that this whole thing raises a debate, raises a bunch of questions in people’s heads, and that SeaWorld is…um…I think they’re fully equipped — they’re certainly financially equipped — to [bring killer whales] into rehabilitation and release facilities: sea pen facilities whereby you cordon off part of the ocean cove with a net and release the whales into that.
People think: Why can’y you just release them into the wild ocean? You can’t. [The whales] don’t know how to eat live fish yet. They are hopped up on antibiotics, and they probably wouldn’t last very long. But if you do it in a controlled ocean pen, they have the ability to roam, meet other killer whales for the first time in their lives. And I think SeaWorld could profit from that. I think people would come and actually enjoy seeing the real thing, you know, real killer whales doing what killer whales do.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 02:27pm PT
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SeaWorld is a 2.7 billion dollar company!!!!
They don't want to change their business model but they need to.
Only we can stop them!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 02:40pm PT
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Great links Nature!
Here is another interesting part of the interview with the director of Blackfish.
JS: What’s the most surprising thing you learned doing this report?
GC: I think the first most surprising thing I learned was how whales fight with each other in captivity, consistently. I guess, I always hoped…that they were in these, like, family pods. That they had each other…To learn that they actually fight constantly — because, you know, animals like this are always vying for hierarchy, right? And once they sort of establish a hierarchy like in the wild, the submissive animal can kind of flee the scene, and say, ‘Touché, you win’…But in captivity, they are faced with that conflict every day, because of the small confines. So they have to kind of be faced with conflict. And these are whales [that the submissive whales] don’t necessarily get along with or even understand. They don’t speak the same languages and share the same sort of genetic pool. So these are unnatural pods of families. And that was just particularly disheartening for me.
I guess I wanted it to be that these were happy animals. You know, [being in captivity] is not the greatest of situations but they ultimately have each other. And to think they don’t seems particularly sad.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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"SeaWorld is a 2.7 billion dollar company!!!!"
That means a lot of people's livelihoods depend on these whales.
A relative few whales in captivity seems like a small price, for all the economic activity generated.
Every so often, the Indians up around Forks (WA) will chase a whale down, and blow its brains out with a .50 BMG. What do we get for that? Besides a bunch of Indians feeling good about themselves?
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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more bullshit from the idiot. Though I suppose there are also these people that would be put out of work if the capture and feeding of this entertainment system were to stop.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 02:54pm PT
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What they need is a new business model!
Captivity is wrong for whales and dolphins.
Maybe they need new rides at SeaWorld.
It is an amusement park after all.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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1.1 Billion people of this world depend on the oceans for their source of protein.
Dolphins are not food.
Actually Karen, that's what many of us are arguing for. A new business model. Perhaps they should go 503.c instead of making millions and millions of dollars off of captive slaves.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Mahi-Mahi dood ;)
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 04:17pm PT
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Most companies need to go though significant changes to survive.
Get rid of outdated ideas and get new progressive ones in their place.
The whales and dolphins in captivity need to be released in controlled ocean pens, where they have the ability to roam, meet other killer whales for the first time in their lives.
I think SeaWorld could profit from that. I think people would come and actually enjoy seeing the real thing, you know, real killer whales doing what killer whales do.
They could rehabilitate other injured sea animals and release them back into the wild.
Maybe they could make a ride about being a whale swimming around in a cart that looks like a whale
Could these ideas be part of the new business model?
Don't worry guys the CEO's will still make their millions and there will be still plenty of minimum wage jobs for everyone else.
Yippie!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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locker... thanks for that first video.
sincerely,
your Son
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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still watching the first one.
Edit: I just watched it. Tilly just did laps and a GFYS style. No surprise there were no trainers in the water with him. At that point he had killed three people.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 05:13pm PT
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In the news today in a Seattle post
Watching this parade on New Years Day has been a family tradition of mine, and this year HGTV showed the parade commercial-free. It was the best coverage I have watched in years, they paid attention to everything including all the horses (which the networks tend to gloss over in their coverage). As always, the floats are works of art covered entirely in natural materials – roses, seeds, seaweed etc.
While many people expected protesters for the more controversial floats, SeaWorld was the only one to bring the cloud of police protection into the otherwise sunny day. What were they thinking?
They should have stayed home or accepted that people would object to their presence. Some people may think that SeaWorld should have the right have a float, but when does the right of a mega corporation trump human sensitivity?
This is so frightening to the management at SeaWorld not because they fear what the protesters will do, but instead what the protesters represent; that the public will no longer tolerate corporate greed at the expense of animal welfare. And they keep reacting badly, stuck in the business model from 50 years ago as they celebrate their 50th year.
A half a century is plenty of time to have gotten it right.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Cite your source for me so I can share it with others. Or are these personal photos of yours?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 05:58pm PT
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sorry Seattle post
also in the news...
Rose McCoy, a 12-year-old activist, made headlines when she jumped the barricade at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in November to protest the SeaWorld float. Now, she's planning on speaking out against the amusement park's treatment of whales at the Rose Parade.
"For me, I cannot imagine being separated from my mom to sell tickets to a theme park and being forever captive in a small tank," McCoy tells LAist. "I want every family to know that's what the whales at SeaWorld have to go through."
She flew out from New York to L.A. for the Rose Parade, and along with PETA, will be protesting against the SeaWorld float. A rep from PETA describes the float as depicting "free-living orcas frolicking in the open sea."
More people have been protesting SeaWorld since the release of Blackfish, a documentary that takes an in-depth at the treatment of whales held in captivity at the park. The documentary makes the case that orcas are far too intelligent to be held in captivity, and it spurred McCoy into action.
"For my whole life, I've always been against animals in captivity and Blackfish was more of an educational thing for me about the problems in SeaWorld," she says. "It's one of the larger problems that I know more about to protest."
McCoy jumped the barricade at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade after she felt the protest PETA planned had fell apart. She stood in front of the line of protesters holding a sign that said, "Boycott SeaWorld," before a police officer brought her back to her mother.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 06:24pm PT
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Nature , That was from the newspaper.
Orca mailbox??
Nice Frontline show Locker! I also liked the first one!
19 people were arrested today protesting the SeaWorld float!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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What's the source of those images?
maybe the story will be on the website tomorrow.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 06:29pm PT
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I goggled rose bowl SeaWorld protest and the Seattle post article and pictures showed up.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 06:37pm PT
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Great one Nature!
More in the news from the Examiner
Extra security was present for the SeaWorld float and protesters had promised to be vocal. However besides the chanting and stopping the parade for a few minutes, it was overall peaceful. The Rose Bowl Parade is seen on a national level and it was the perfect place to highlight the disliked treatment of the whales.
There hasn’t been word on whether the protesters will be charged for stopping the parade. It’s doubtful as the individuals has so much support in Pasadena. People watching on television might not have seen it, but fans watching the parade were booing when the SeaWorld float rolled by. These folks were the average people who might travel to the theme park to see the animals so it's obvious PETA's message is getting out to the world.
PEOPLE WERE BOOING THE SEAWORLD FLOAT!
Yay !!!
Time for a change SeaWorld!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2014 - 07:23pm PT
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This is particularly awful
SeaWorld, Russia, plus China Equals a Captive Dolphin and Whale Disaster
Posted on November 8, 2013 | By candace_calloway_whiting
PRINT
0
Will some of the recently captured orcas wind up in China?
Orca captures result in the injury, death, and disruption of wild pods (captured for Miami Seaquarium, please see below).
SeaWorld, while claiming that their killer whale shows are an exemplary blend of education and entertainment, has inadvertently managed to teach us that whales don’t belong in captivity, yet simultaneously they have also taught other countries – including countries such as China that have little respect for animal life – that there are huge profits to be had at the animals’ expense.
According to an article by Tim Zimmermann, A Surge In Wild Orca Capture for Killer Whale Shows, Russia’s recent capture of 10 wild orcas may result in some of them going to aquariums in China:
“It seems like China is becoming, or has become, a primary source of the demand for belugas, dolphins, and orcas alike,” says Courtney Vail, Campaigns and Programs Manager for Whale And Dolphin Conservation, which helps sponsor Hoyt’s and FEROP’s work. “Chinese facilities also source from the Taiji dolphin hunts. Twenty-four dolphins were exported from Japan to China in 2012, and CITES trade reports suggest over 60 wild-caught belugas were exported from Russia to China between 2008 and 2010 alone.”
The thought of orcas in Chinese hands is particularly onerous, as that country has no laws to protect animals from cruelty and abuse. That fact, coupled with deeply held superstitious beliefs by large segments of the Chinese population means that animals in that country suffer on all levels – the fur trade, scientific research, medicine, dietary preferences, and amusement. Dogs are baked and boiled alive (thought to taste better), other animals are skinned alive for fur, then sprayed with water to keep them moist until killed for food. Bears are cut to produce bile for Chinese Medicine. (A simple google search will show you more than you want to know on animal cruelty in China.)
Live animals sealed in plastic for key chains, which will be discarded when the animal finally suffocates.
http://youtu.be/UU1XGXMELyw
An orca in a Chinese aquarium may receive better care than most animals there are entitled to, due to the whales’ high price tag as well as to the standards set by other aquariums. In order to belong to an accredited organization, any aquarium or theme park must care for animals by certain minimum standards – but when you think about it, even in the U.S. amusement parks such as the Miami Seaquarium are able to dodge the minimum standards as set by law as well as by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In the photo of Miami Seaquarium below, one lone orca has been forced to live in a tank that is substandard in size for over 40 years. (Freelolita.org). As far as I am aware, there are no aquariums on mainland China that are even accredited at this point anyway (there are two in Hong Kong which is independently governed).
http://youtu.be/UU1XGXMELyw
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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The Honduran government called my father in the 90's because they wanted some dolphins for a research institute.
He responded and caught seven keepers the next week. A hurricane came through shortly after and ripped the pens open.
All the dolphins stayed outside (free!!!) as new pens were rebuilt (3 weeks later). When completed they all swam in and started doing spontaneous tricks!
Just curious explain that?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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So your argument is, "END THE CAPTIVITY OF WHALES AND DOLPHINS".
WHY?
Why not harvest them sustainably?
and by harvest I mean butcher or keep in enclosures?
Simple thoughts from a rationale fellow.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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your two responses are so pathetically disgusting that rather than responding I'm just going to grease you and make it so you don't exist.
Stupid f*#king questions.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Nature- I am curious what you are disgusted by? I am happy to elaborate.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Nature writes:
"your two responses are so pathetically disgusting that rather than responding I'm just going to grease you and make it so you don't exist."
You could just stick your fingers in your ears, and shout "ME-ME-ME-ME...".
It'd be just as effective, and no less childish.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Not childish, but real world. I know, I live in it.
Are you upset I gave you some inside knowledge on Honduran dolphins?
I was simply trying to have a conversation based on facts.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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I know this is toxic water, but why not have a fishery for sustainable aquatic mammals?
seal, whale, sea otter, porpoise, dolphin and species that are in healthy population numbers?
Like catching brook tout or cutthroats/ shooting a deer or turkey? Just curious on your thoughts?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Just curious to talk facts... No harm in looking at them? (the facts) Wish you the best!
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shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
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is is a total crime against nature to keep whales and dolphins in captivity. period. steve schneider
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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What if they approve the "Slavery"?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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If a wolf befriends you, it might follow you around. It has every opportunity to leave.
Dolphins have the same ability, they can jump the pen any day off the week.
Is it wrong that they hung around a hurricane destroyed facility?
Aside from that, why are all marine mammals off limits?
Only respond if you have an open mind
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Mr Brennan writes:
"The ocean isn't so good if you want to buy an experience. The local whale watching outfits have been in trouble on occasion for not following the rules. This does cause anxiety to creatures who just wanna be whales and mind their own business."
Last September, I spent a few hours standing around Cattle Point Lighthouse ( San Juan Island ), watching the whale watchers on the Haro Strait.
Almost all the marine traffic I saw that afternoon were whale watching boats. You could tell that's what they were doing - darting around aimlessly, full of people all standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Trying to intercept whale pods, and get as close as they could to them. Good for the whales? Maybe in a Sea World kind of way that Anderson would understand.
Remember, if you pay for a whale watching cruise, your dollars are supporting what looks to me like whale harassment.
If your whale boat captain obeys the law, you won't get any closer than 600 feet of a whale. That's over a tenth-of-a-mile away.
Whale watching boat trips are a poor investment.
I heard the hot tip for whale watching is Lime Kiln Point ( San Juan Island ). There, the whales pass within 100' of shore, pushed there no doubt by pressure from whale watching boats.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Chaz- it is hard to harpoon one if you don't get closer! Is that a difficult thought?
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Mr Brennan writes:
"It has become a controversial thing Chaz.
But what drives it ?"
I think we both know. It's cash.
The whale watching boats I saw were packed with people. Paying what each? $25 $50 $85 That's a lot of cash, especially when anything else your boat is good for produces chancy and inconsistent income at best.
The whale watcher captain caught his fish before he even leaves port.
Then, they're out in the Haro Strait. World Class whale watching territory, if there ever was any. You can see whales way off in the distance - like a couple hundred yards away - and the captain either has to explain to the paying passengers why they're not getting any closer, or violate the law and satisfy the customers.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 10:07am PT
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q-ball Sorry to say this sounds like a crock!
got any proof?
The Honduran government called my father in the 90's because they wanted some dolphins for a research institute.
He responded and caught seven keepers the next week. A hurricane came through shortly after and ripped the pens open.
All the dolphins stayed outside (free!!!) as new pens were rebuilt (3 weeks later). When completed they all swam in and started doing spontaneous tricks!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 10:13am PT
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This is from an article I found online at the Center for Whale Research
Cetacean brain development is an example of parallel evolution, adapted to the ocean environment.
The brains of orcas are roughly four times larger than ours, have a greater surface area relative to brain weight, have enhanced development in different areas, and some of their nerve transmission speeds greatly exceed ours.
Naturally enough we humans don’t much like the idea that another species might rival us in that which we feel sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom: our intelligence. And so we have come up with many ways to explain it.
At first people pointed out the difference in our body sizes, and thought that it was obvious that bigger animals needed bigger brains…
...except that animals like the stegosaurus, close in size to orcas, had a brain about the size of a walnut. Not that they were mental giants, but they got by.
The next idea to come along was a comparison between the size of an animal and how large it’s brain is, and by that measure an orca would clearly be smarter than a stegosaurus, but not as smart as we humans. Unfortunately for us, both hummingbirds and squirrel monkeys beat us in that measurement (we are about 2%, while hummingbirds are about 4%).
Now we have come up with a way of comparing brain size called “Encephalization Quotient”, or EQ, in which we compare how big an animal’s brain is versus how big you would expect it to be relative to the overall size. At last we win, our brains are 7 times bigger than you would expect them to be for our size, while our closest rivals are dolphins and toothed whales, which come in at the 2 to 5 times range. Whew! Except…
Their brains have a greater surface to volume ratio than ours. What this means, basically, is that the part of the brain that integrates information is much greater. Although scientists at first dismissed this by assuming that the tissue was ‘primitive’, current research disputes that.
Research also overturns the notions that the types of cells are related to adapting to ocean temperatures, or that the large brains are completely dedicated to processing echolocation information. The layout of their brains is different from ours – some regions (such as those associated with smell) are diminished or absent, while others, such as the vision center, are moved around, and the structures associated with hearing are enhanced.
Fortunately, scientists are beginning to concentrate more on learning how the cetaceans use their massive brains, and less on coming up with ways to dismiss and diminish the evidence that we share this planet with other intelligent beings.
The recent discovery that cetaceans have a special type of cell (called a spindle cell) previously found only in humans and the great apes implies that they aren’t just intelligent, but they are sentient and feeling as well: those cells are associated with our deeper emotions and social bonds.
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 10:31am PT
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Love your post Jim Brennan!
Love this site too!
http://www.endcetaceancaptivity.com/
EMPTY THE TANKS AT SEA LIFE PARK
Fortunately, scientists are beginning to concentrate more on learning how the cetaceans use their massive brains, and less on coming up with ways to dismiss and diminish the evidence that we share this planet with other intelligent beings!!!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 12:30pm PT
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Good point Tioga,
I found this in New Scientist
"Research use of animals so closely related to humans should not proceed unless it offers insights not possible with other animal models, and unless it is of sufficient scientific or health value to offset the moral costs," says Jeffrey Kahn at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in Baltimore, Maryland, chair of the committee. "We found very few cases that satisfy these criteria."
At least it's a start.
I'm against any of it. I think they should use human volunteers!
In the news today
PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — A 12-year-old girl made a splash Wednesday when she was arrested during a protest against Sea World’s participation in the 125th Annual Rose Parade.
Rose McCoy, a straight-A student, was among those arrested for participating in the protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against Sea World’s float.
“I want every family to know Sea World is a cruel industry,” McCoy said.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Straight A's are good, but the poor kid has just limited her choice of universities because now she has an arrest record.
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frank wyman
Mountain climber
montana
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I have not been to Sea World since my youth. But they have to be better than the ones I Saw down in the Yucatan peninsula recently. Places like Xel-Ha where fat tourists grope and fondle the poor dolphins. I did not do it as it cost more than the entrance fee. But we listened to the trainer talk about how wonderful they were and loved being petted.(as opposed to being the main course at a dinner..I guess)One poor dolphin had only one eye...And they had made up some cute name...It was a sad site...They have many places that do the interact with dolphin theme...Xcaret,X-plor,Xel-Ha to name a few. Also you can pay to pet a Leopard or lion cub which is real nice and cudddly until it scratches somebody and they kill it and steal a new one...So in that sense I guess the ones up here have "First World Problems" compared to Mexico. We told many folks not to do it because of the cruel treatment that we observed. One poor old dolphin...I swear...had a frown and was kind of just floating around...A real buzz-kill..
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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http://www.emptythetanksworldwide.com/seaworld-sucks
When I was about 22 I was surfing Imperial Beach. It was about a four foot day. Late in the session I looked up to see a nice right pealing wave and in it were four dolphins. They were coming right at me. At first I thought shark. But as they got closer and rode the wave I realized they were dolphins.
They swam right under me.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 03:31pm PT
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Awesome experience Nature!
Time for a new business model Sea World your old ones not working anymore!
http://youtu.be/1eGEJTLB0LM
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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**q-ball Sorry to say this sounds like a crock!
got any proof?**
Karen Roseme, yes I have proof. Have you ever heard of the Bay Islands, specifically Roatan?
Where do you think those dolphins came from at the marine studies institute? It is located right next to AKR (Anthony's Key Resort). I grew up in Honduras (my little bitty years).
I wish I had been older so I could have participated in the capture. We also had a pilot whale for a while that beached itself nearby. We kept it in a pen for 6 months then released it once it tried to drown a person.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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With my buddies Lucho and Rabbit, we would swim the channel to Baileys Key (where the big pen is at). We found/made a hole to crawl under one panel of netting and would play with the dolphins for hours or till we were spotted and ran off!
I still get Christmas cards from Lucho, not sure what became of Rabbit?
Maybe these experiences is what made me become an Aquatic Biologist?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 05:35pm PT
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Q-ball You have a great imagination!
Write a letter to SeaWorld and tell them you and your friends are going to boycott SeaWorld until the stop making wild animals do tricks for food.
Tell them to let the whales and dolphins go, after making sure they can fend for themselves.
GuestCorrespondence@seaworld.com
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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http://www.anthonyskey.com/dolphins/dolphin-activities.htm
If you would like to see an aerial photo of my old stomping grounds try the link. (It did look a bit different 17 years ago)
Do you not believe pertinent science can be gained through a captive population regardless of species?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Q-ball You have a great imagination!
I don't need an imagination when I live in reality and try and share true science without an agenda.
It seems you have a hard time excepting that premise on education?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 3, 2014 - 10:03am PT
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The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only organization working toward actual LEGAL rights for members of species other than our own. Our mission is to change the common law status of at least some nonhuman animals from mere “things,” which lack the capacity to possess any legal right, to “persons,” who possess such fundamental rights as bodily integrity and bodily liberty, and those other legal rights to which evolving standards of morality, scientific discovery, and human experience entitle them. Our first cases are being prepared for filing in 2013. Your support of this work is deeply appreciated.
http://www.nonhumanrightsproject.org/?gclid=CLPR-66g4rsCFew7MgodUGQASA
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Karen Roseme, what species are most imperiled? Please be specific, I love biologically specific details on endangered species the world over!
Curious why your add campaign doesn't highlight actual critically endangered species?
-q-ball
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 4, 2014 - 10:20am PT
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The population of orcas in the wild is unknown.
They are endangered in California Oregon and Washington.
This thread is about ending captivity of dolphins and whales in theme parks around the world so a few rich people can get richer.
These animals may be as smart or smarter than us. That seems particularly horrible to me.
Also It is very sad that their captivity and torture is completely unnecessary.
However, there are so many reasons to be sad for the animals and plants of the world today.
I am saddened buy the fact that so many species are going extinct.
The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.
Experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year.
If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true that there are around 2 million different species on our planet then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.
I feel it is important to try to do something about it.
"You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1803 - 1882) Poet, Philosopher, Naturalist and Ethicist
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Karen said: "Hey Couchmaster, Your dog is gonna die out there.
He is not a wild animal."
What a terrible thing to say. My dog is fine and still won't go away.
I'll go look now.....wait...what's that? OMG!!! HOLY CRAP
Shit
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 4, 2014 - 10:53pm PT
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OMG!!! Couchmaster!
How long was your dog out there?
Gosh he has such a big head!
What kind of breed was he??? BULGEMELLON???
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 6, 2014 - 06:20pm PT
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Here is part of an article from national geographic about Blackfish
Opinion: SeaWorld vs. the Whale That Killed Its Trainer
The film Blackfish probes the case of an orca that killed its trainer. Blame is assigned to SeaWorld—rightly so, in my view.
There have been dozens of attacks on trainers by orcas in marine parks around the world. These are not bad whales; they just come with all the instincts of predators, says the author.
The documentary Blackfish opened around the country on July 26, with more splash than usual for a small-budget production, thanks to a preemptive attack on the film by SeaWorld, the marine-park franchise, and the free publicity of the tempest that followed.
Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, the homicidal killer whale, and his most recent victim, Dawn Brancheau, the SeaWorld trainer he crushed, dismembered, and partially swallowed in 2010. The film is an indictment of SeaWorld, its safety practices, its animal husbandry, its mendacity, and its whole reason for being.
Signs of Trouble
"Only once in history has a killer whale killed a human," I wrote. "That incident, in which Tilikum, a captive whale in British Columbia, pinned his trainer to the pool bottom, drowning her, is generally deemed to have been horseplay, just a misunderstanding, a simple failure of the whale to appreciate the difference between human breath-hold capacity and his own."
This was the explanation put forth by SeaWorld, which had bought Tilikum from Sealand of the Pacific after he killed that first trainer, 20-year-old Keltie Byrne. (Sealand, which immediately went out of business as a consequence of Keltie's death, needed to liquidate its assets. Its orcas Haida II and her baby Kyuquot went to SeaWorld San Antonio. Nootka IV and Tilikum went to SeaWorld Orlando.) I had sense enough to question the horseplay theory. SeaWorld is a multibillion-dollar enterprise entirely dependent on the draw of its killer whales—orcas with reputations as playful and lovable, not murderous. I had little doubt the story had heavy spin.
The Veterinarian's Role
SeaWorld's Letter of Denial
Public relations at SeaWorld remain dismal. In the case of Blackfish, the PR sin has been not been omission, but commission. SeaWorld must have known the content of Blackfish since at least January, when the film screened at the Sundance Festival, but for months the company simply kept quiet—the smart thing to do, obviously. Why risk the "banned in Boston" effect? Why publicize the efforts of the enemy? Then at the last moment the company changed course, sending out its letter to film critics ("In the event you are planning to review this film, we thought you should be apprised of the following.").
This letter, SeaWorld's defense of itself and its attack on the integrity of the Magnolia Films documentary, is a tissue of obvious lies, detailed below.
Bullying: In its letter to film critics about Blackfish, SeaWorld challenges the implication that unlike killer whales in the wild, killer whales in zoos or parks—and specifically Tilikum, the whale involved in Dawn Brancheau's death—are routinely bullied by other whales. The word "bullying" is meaningless when applied to the behavior of an animal like a killer whale. Whales live in a social setting with a dominance hierarchy, both at SeaWorld and in the wild. They express dominance in a variety of ways, including using their teeth to "rake" other whales, in the open ocean as well as in parks.
However, SeaWorld was built by breaking up killer whale families. Every orca colony in every SeaWorld facility began as a kind of orphanage. The founding fathers and mothers in each facility were plucked as calves from their pods, after long chases by aircraft and speedboats tossing bombs, with collateral deaths in nets of siblings and cousins. When Washington State banned SeaWorld from state waters for these practices, SeaWorld moved its collecting operation to Iceland.
Training: The letter claims that SeaWorld has never used punishment-based training on any of its animals, including Tilikum, only positive reinforcement. And the behaviors it reinforces are always within the killer whale's natural range of behaviors.
SeaWorld, it's true, does primarily rely on positive reinforcement, though occasionally it resorts to punishment as a fallback, as former SeaWorld trainers testify in Blackfish, and as ex-trainers of my acquaintance have told me. Positive reinforcement works much better than negative, as the psychologist B.F. Skinner demonstrated long ago.
There is something disheartening about this video, something degrading to the majesty of the killer whale, whether Tilikum feels it or not. And something deeply disquieting. Why, the viewer wonders, is this animal a sperm donor? Samantha Berg, one of the former SeaWorld trainers interviewed in Blackfish, expresses this well. She points out that any pit bull with tendencies like Tilikum's would have been euthanized long before his third homicide, and certainly never would have become the star of a breeding program. Tilikum is the most prolific sperm donor in the history of orca captivity. Today more than half of SeaWorld's orcas have Tilikum genes. It is truly beyond comprehension. What sort of short-sighted greed and recklessness is this?
The ponytail defense: The letter disputes the documentary's assertion that Tilikum attacked and killed Dawn Brancheau because the whale was driven crazy by his years in captivity. SeaWorld claims that Tilikum did not attack Dawn. It says that all evidence indicates that Tilikum became interested in the novelty of Dawn's ponytail in his environment and, as a result, he grabbed it and pulled her into the water.
SeaWorld's contention that Tilikum did not attack Dawn Brancheau is their most craven and unforgivable claim of the "Dear Film Critic" letter. Nothing SeaWorld says in explanation of the attack is true. Dawn's ponytail was not a novelty. Ponytails are commonplace on orca trainers, both women and men—a convenient style for people always in and out of the water. Footage from Blackfish shows Dawn on other days with her hair in a ponytail, happily working with Tilikum and other orcas. The whale did not pull her in by the ponytail, anyway. Video from Blackfish shows Tilikum grabbing her left arm. In court proceedings in the aftermath of her death, as Blackfish makes clear, the "spotter" who thought he had seen Tilikum seize the ponytail retracted that impression. That SeaWorld continues to suggest, three years later, that "all evidence" points to the ponytail is astounding.
The whale did not see the ponytail, or any other part of Dawn, "in his environment." Tilikum's environment is not Florida. Tilikum's environment is the cold, windy, herring-filled seas of Iceland from which he was yanked as a calf. There is no record, in all history, of an orca ever having harmed a human being in that environment, or anywhere else in the ocean. That world, the ocean, is where all killer whales belong and should be. Where Tilikum saw Dawn's ponytail, if he noticed it at all, was in the tank at SeaWorld. The only place killer whales ever kill and injure humans is here, in the confines of tanks like these.
Tilikum became so interested in the novelty of Dawn's ponytail, SeaWorld would have us believe, that he scalped and killed her. The autopsy report points to some impulse rougher than curiosity. In the words of Dr. Joshua Stephany, associate medical examiner for Orlando, Florida:
"
Comments
Cindy Law
I just can't stop thinking something needs to be done to stop Sea World, it's affiliates, and all other water parks. I wanted to know more so I turned to National Geographic and now I am even more fired up!
tiras Prothro
This is a real question. Why do white people feel like they have to play God over people and animals? smh.
didi magnin
Of course Orcas were never meant to spend their lives in swimming pools, be separated from their families - I saw the mother weeping when they took her daughter away. When you see orcas in the wild attacking sealions - then you understand their frustration. When will parks like Seaworld stop showing these magnificent animals to stoopid hoominz????
Molly Emery
Who is this idiot Jacki Blue? Another marketing SeaWorld puppet paid to write supportive posts? Does she realize how ignorant she sounds? She continues to embarrass herself, her intelligence and her moral being. Good God let's stick her in a tiny glass cage, impregnate her, take away her baby and throw her some dead food to keep her in line... and then let's read her comments again in 25 years.
Riveting article, nothing I didnt know already, but worth the read anyhow. SeaWorlds arrogance disgusts me. I believe its only a matter of time before society "evolves" as it always does, and demands ending these barbaric and sickening proceedures, practices, attitudes and behaviors.
One day, our young people will look back and say “I can’t believe we used to do that” when they look at old pictures of what used to be SeaWorld.
Thank you Ken Brower and thank you National Geographic for keeping an open forum. Maybe SeaWorld will write you a desperate letter as well.
Tui Allen
Thank-you for writing this very thoughtful analysis of orcas in captivity. I've been inside the minds of wild cetaceans for many years now while writing as I do from the point of view of dolphins. It makes me feel for them more strongly than you might ever think possible. They belong free in a clean ocean and the tragedy and cruelty of captivity must stop. See my novel Ripple (in Amazon) to see what these animals are like and how they are supposed to live.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 7, 2014 - 10:31am PT
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Sea World is in it for the money!!!!
A lot of rich guys getting richer!
Time to build some rides and quit making wild animals do tricks for food!
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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I went out with someone for several years that was a trainer/performer at Marine Land in PV before it closed. She used to defend the treatment of capitve whales and dolphins and their value for conservation(we didn't agree on this at all).
She also told me that she belonged to PETA, but her PETA was People Eating Tasty Animals.
Anytime you take highly intelligent, social animals and put them into a manmade environment where their natural behavior is totally modified to suit some human purpose there is going to be problems. They can easily become mentally disturbed and even psychotic. This goes for whales, dolphins, elephants, apes etc. They are not like other domesticated animals.
Because some these animals socialize with us we tend to try an anthropomorphize them and think they really like us. We think have some kind of special relationship with us, even though we control almost everything they do by witholding or meeting their basic needs as we see fit. If you think they don't resent that you are not giving them enough credit. They are basically endentured servants for their entire lives, and no amount of garaunteed food, medical care or protection is going to make up for it. Occassionaly they lose it and take out their frustration on someone, usually their "trainer" is the first one to get it.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 8, 2014 - 09:35am PT
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Hey TGT,
That was a great post!
Well said Stahlbro!
"Because some these animals socialize with us we tend to try an anthropomorphize them and think they really like us. We think have some kind of special relationship with us, even though we control almost everything they do by witholding or meeting their basic needs as we see fit. If you think they don't resent that you are not giving them enough credit. They are basically endentured servants for their entire lives, and no amount of garaunteed food, medical care or protection is going to make up for it. Occassionaly they lose it and take out their frustration on someone, usually their "trainer" is the first one to get it."
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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LOL Karen!
BTW, Why was I the only one who seemed sad that Cosmiccragman had captive parrots? I mean, CCman otherwise seems like a good dude, but it seemed like a similar story to Karens about keeping Orcas and Dolphins in captivity.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 8, 2014 - 10:06pm PT
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"Because some these animals socialize with us we tend to try an anthropomorphize them and think they really like us. We think have some kind of special relationship with us, even though we control almost everything they do by witholding or meeting their basic needs as we see fit. If you think they don't resent that you are not giving them enough credit. They are basically endentured servants for their entire lives, and no amount of garaunteed food, medical care or protection is going to make up for it. Occassionaly they lose it and take out their frustration on someone, usually their "trainer" is the first one to get it."
This goes for Parrots too!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Any off y'all ever hooked a dolphin?
Good God they will pull some line!
I would cut the line but I figured the right thing is to make sure to remove the hook?
Sometimes takes an hour or so from hook up to release
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thebravecowboy
Social climber
Colorado Plateau
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nob'dy likes getting fisted by the world's tallest man. not even sad chlorine dolphins.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Well, this answers the question, " Do unrealistic dreamers exist?"
Green before baleen
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 9, 2014 - 10:16pm PT
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Jeepers I wonder how long it will take to remove that hook.
Hey he looks a lot like you Q!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2014 - 10:20am PT
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BTW
We won't know until Jan. 16 whether "Blackfish" has received an Oscar nomination for best documentary.
But "Blackfish" is a best documentary nominee at the BAFTAs --the EE British Academy Film Awards. "Blackfish" recounts the saga of Tilikum, a six-ton killer whale at SeaWorld Orlandothat killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in February 2010.
"Blackfish" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last year and later aired repeatedly on CNN. The film has produced fierce reactions and prompted Barenaked Ladies, Willie Nelson, Heart and other acts to cancel concerts at SeaWorld.
You can write to SeaWorld and let them know what you think.
GuestCorrespondence@seaworld.com
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2014 - 11:03am PT
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Also,
For those in the San Diego, CA area:
*PROTEST SEAWORLD: This Saturday, January 11 -11 am @ SeaWorld San Diego*
For parking, turn onto S. Shores Park off Friars Rd and park in the boat ramp lot then walk up about half a mile to protest location on Sea World Drive and Sea World Way.
Sorry for the late notice, but we were just informed. Please let us know your feedback if you do make it!
Join
$lave World Demonstration- Let's create more AWARENESS
Tomorrow at 11:00am
Sea World, San Diego (CA) in San Diego, California.
I will be at Pat Nay's memorial! I wish I could be in two places at once!
$lave World Demonstration- Let's create more AWARENESS
Tomorrow at 11:00am
Sea World, San Diego (CA) in San Diego, California
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 10, 2014 - 12:22pm PT
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#blackfish is going to crush it for the Oscar.
BTW... if you are at all interested I'm putting together a trip to go visit the Orcas in the San Juan Islands in May or early June. One day chartered on a large zodiac and the next day sea kayaking.
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Russ Walling
Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
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Jan 10, 2014 - 12:25pm PT
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^^^^^
Don't harass the sea life!!!!!!!!!!!! #menace
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 10, 2014 - 12:45pm PT
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Canned tuna never has been the same since they made it
"Dolphin Free"
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 10, 2014 - 07:04pm PT
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his name is #blackfish
he's a captive slave
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2014 - 07:05pm PT
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Great links High Traverse!
Nature I want to go see them!
In the Dallas news today
Protesters rallied today near Southwest Airlines’ headquarters in Dallas, seeking an end to the carrier’s partnership with SeaWorld because of the marine-park giant’s treatment of orca whales and other sea mammals.
Southwest confirmed that animal activists dropped off a Change.org petition signed by more than 27,000 people at its main gate at its Dallas Love Field headquarters. Starting around 11 a.m., the activists also rallied at the corner of West Mockingbird Lane and Cedar Springs Road. The rally is supposed to last until 1 p.m.
“Southwest needs to understand that they are promoting animal cruelty seen in Blackfish if they continue to partner with SeaWorld as they have done for the last 25 years,” activist Robin Merritt says in her petition to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly on Change.org. “They do promotional deals, send out joint-press releases patting each other on the back, and are working hand in hand to profit from the misery of animals exploited for SeaWorld.”
Tell Southwest to stop promoting SeaWorld
http://www.change.org/petitions/southwest-airlines-stop-promoting-seaworld-animal-cruelty
http://www.change.org/petitions/southwest-airlines-stop-supporting-cruelty-at-seaworld
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 10, 2014 - 07:12pm PT
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karen, minus airfair it's going to be about $375 for three nights accommodations, transportation, zodiac charter, kayak tour. Email me if you really want to go. End of May or Early June.
I think Southwest is going to have a tough time breaking that corporate agreement. That's why they won't end the relationship soon. Once the contract is up I'll bet they don't renew.
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Russ Walling
Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
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Jan 10, 2014 - 08:09pm PT
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^^^^
If you fly SouthWest to your sea animal love-fest you might as well put a shotgun right in Shamoo's blow-hole.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 10, 2014 - 08:23pm PT
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Frontier Air. Cuz they got wild animals on the tails of their planes.
And it's "Shamu"
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Russ Walling
Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
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Jan 10, 2014 - 08:28pm PT
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why would the cow of the sea not be "moo"?
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 10, 2014 - 08:33pm PT
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I always thought the Manatee was the Cow of the Sea....
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2014 - 09:09pm PT
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Reminds me of selfish cows from France Moi Moi Moi speaking of Manatees and Belugas,
SeaWorld is currently waging a battle to bring wild caught beluga whales into the US from Russia even though the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) denied the permit due to concerns of the animals' welfare. More than a dozen belugas have already prematurely died in SeaWorld's 'care' but they still want to capture more wild animals. The shameful list of SeaWorld's unethical treatment of animals can go on and on.
Let's stop these f*#kers!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2014 - 12:53pm PT
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Fortunately, scientists are beginning to concentrate more on learning how the cetaceans use their massive brains, and less on coming up with ways to dismiss and diminish the evidence that we share this planet with other intelligent beings!!!
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Jan 11, 2014 - 01:38pm PT
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Karen,
I understand where you are coming from, but I think you need to consider unintended consequences.
To a degree, it is like the single issue group supporting mountain lions. They got a law passed that made it illegal to hunt, or really even manage the lions. What's happened? They are wiping out the bighorn sheep, because now their population is not controlled.
My point is that there are a lot of moving parts in an ecosystem.
While I am not a fan of such parks, I would advocate that they have had a large effect on the public recognition of these animals, which were (particularly the whales) on the way to being eradicated. To a large degree, because people have actually seen these animals, they have developed a constituency: you.
I would be very concerned that once they are out of sight, they will be forgotten, and the whalers/fishermen will go at it again, and no one other than you will care.
I would also be careful about the logic that because SOME parks have poor systems of care, ALL should be abolished. Somewhat like saying because SOME schools are lousy, ALL schools should be closed.
How about we make the conditions more reasonable for care at all locations? I don't mean punitive measures disguised as reform, but really designed to shut them down through subterfuge.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 12, 2014 - 10:20pm PT
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Sorry Ken M and Locker, I can't agree with you.
I think Sea World could provide an educational, entertaining experience without making wild animals do tricks for food.
They have the ability to pull the heart strings of children and adults everywhere without keeping these wild animals, who were meant to swim 100 miles per day in fishbowls.
They could build an IMAX movie theater and show incredible movies of whales and dolphins.
How about a ride that simulates being a whale or dolphin and swimming around other whales and dolphins.
These guys have 2.7 billion dollars a year to work with they need a NEW business model.
My Idea...
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 12, 2014 - 10:29pm PT
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Karen Roseme-
I understand you have an agenda, just one question.
If the populations are robust and secure, why ban fishing or captive situations?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 12, 2014 - 11:07pm PT
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Q, we have a surplus of humans, 7 billion.
How would you feel about keeping some of the poor ones in cages and let the fight to the death for the entertainment of rich people?
Populations of some whales are somewhere between 20,000 to 80,000 world wide. Maybe there are a million dolphins worldwide.
Does that sound like a lot to you?
What if there were only 1 million humans left?
Whales and dolphins are probably at least as smart as we are. They live without harming the earth unlike us.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 12, 2014 - 11:11pm PT
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How would you feel about keeping some of the poor ones in cages and let the fight to the death for the entertainment of rich people?
you mean like this guy?
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jan 12, 2014 - 11:18pm PT
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I'm waiting for someone to bitch-slap that angry midget and while they're at it , polish the dolphin bitch...
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 12, 2014 - 11:32pm PT
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Jan 13, 2014 - 02:05am PT
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Meaning if nothing else, at least make it better for them...
You DISAGREE with that???...
Locker,
You have to understand that for zealots, that is EXACTLY the position. For them, having the worst conditions possible so as to produce the maximum amount of rage is the best possible outcome. Ironically, they are willing to sacrifice those animals for their agenda.
Can't say if that is true for Karen.
As an example of this logic, there is a proposal out there that would cut the rate of abortion in the poor by 80%...it would not force anyone to do anything, would not cost anything....and the anti-choice side is OPPOSED, because they prefer to have the maximum "carnage" possible, to gin up the rage of the base.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Jan 13, 2014 - 12:02pm PT
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And, like clockwork, Ron is here to defend big business and give the unsupportable opinion.
I think Sea World could provide an educational, entertaining experience without making wild animals do tricks for food.
Like the San Diego Safari Park? Animals in HUGE enclosures that people enter in a truck? I like that model, never liked seeing animals in cages. Depressed me.
FYI, on a scale of 1-10 this to me is like a 4. With Syria, climate change, nuclear arsenals in the hands of our biggest threats... yeah I can't get too riled up about this. Like the GMO people, it's a weird one to obsess over. I find it a bit arbritrary which animals are "cute" and which ones we eat. Pigs are smart as F*#K but we can't ride 'em, so food.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Jan 13, 2014 - 12:53pm PT
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Soooo TELL ME where i defend "big business" here..
How much knowledge has been gained by captive programs on the various species? Knowledge that would not be known if all were left in the wild? And what is the percentage of captive vs wild Orcas or dolphins?
To UNDERSTAND a species, it must be studied at close quarters. So indeed all those attributes mentioned here have been discovered through the very programs you now want stopped. Cant have it both ways..
It is to the little boys and girls, that MAY become so enthralled by them a new Oceanographer may be born. A new Veterinarian may be born. Thats who Sea world and such places are really for.
Killer whales- found in every ocean around the globe. The APEX predator of the ocean with no known natural enemy. In short THEY ARE DOING FINE and dandy. Try worrying about real problems instead. (This is misinformation)
They are the most widley distributed alpha predator of them all. And if Sea world wants a few - BFD...As also stated by the OP upthread, no one should even have a dog unless they can be with it 24/7..Really?
I get it - hippie conservationalists are often annoying bastards. However defending Sea Worlds actions saying that you can't have one without the other is lazy thinking and erroneous. A friend of mine works as a researcher for primate social behavior, how many little kids get to see the apes jump through hoops and throw poo poo at each other?
Orcas are data deficient, meaning multiple species may exist (Like Tigers) that we are inadvertently creating endangered.
I don't have a dog in this race, I'm not pushing any agenda. As I said, radical conservationalists are often unrealistic and heavily annoying (here's looking at you GMO crowd) yet that doesn't mean their message gets passed over. Sea World and other organizations that improperly treat their captive animals need to raise their standards, and more importantly operate with more transparency. You can't claim to be a habitat rehabilitation site and recieve tax dollars for your work while also operating as a for-profit industry worth billions. Just like your doctor can't be compensated for prescribing you medication, a for-profit 'conservation' business shouldn't be accepting government money while lining their pockets and hiring untrained staff for dangerous, unscientific jobs.
It is my belief that you don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater, that it is possible to have ethical practices involved with not only studying these animals but educating youth. Most of my favorite animals that I've come to grow fond of I've not seen in captivity but out in the wild, where you walk in their environment and understand their world. Mountain Lions, bobcats, golden eagles... I don't need to see them jump through a hoop to appreciate them. I think that goes across the board.
I don't mean any disrespect, Ron, and I appreciate your comments. Sorry if I sounded crass but that's often how I inadvertantly come across :P lol.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Jan 13, 2014 - 01:21pm PT
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"A friend of mine works as a researcher for primate social behavior, how many little kids get to see the apes jump through hoops and throw poo poo at each other?"...
We get to see it every day on supertopo
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jan 13, 2014 - 02:36pm PT
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Maybe something like this would be good for education purposes.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Video brought to you by lion whisperer kevin richardson
edit; It worked
And my point is that it wold be better to see all these animals in the natural environment.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jan 13, 2014 - 02:44pm PT
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Can't take everyone to Africa anyway. But videos can transport people to far away places they would never get to.
Yup, life expectancy for that guy....I don't know. But he is learning things about those animals that I would never be able to. And then he tells us... He is free soloing in his own way. Personally I admire that, but would never do something like he is doing.
Getting off track though. The same thing could be done, IS DONE, for whales and dolphins and far less hazardous. Not quite as made for TV, but very cool none the less. Scammon's Lagoon.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jan 13, 2014 - 03:21pm PT
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I understand about kids seeing things and learning. I took my first deer years ago with a Model 1894 Winchester 30-30 as a teen. I got chickens years ago just to show my kids where the eggs and meat come from. But, when Killer whales start killing off their trainers, don't you think they are giving us some kind of message? Not on purpose but just coincidentally?
edit: Maybe it is on purpose. I sure as H#ll don't know.
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L
climber
California dreamin' on the farside of the world..
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Jan 13, 2014 - 04:18pm PT
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Ron, with all due respect, you're trying to compare apples with jellyfish.
Bears don't need compassion. Bears live in the wilderness and fight the elements, and the marauding of an insatiable mankind, for daily survival.
Compassion wouldn't serve a bear. (Although if you knew the truth about Treadwell's frustration with a failed acting career, you might suspect the bears did have compassion for him.)
Humans, on the other hand, seem to thrive where compassion is prevalent. Do you know about the ASPCA?
"On April 10, 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York City by philanthropist and diplomat Henry Bergh, 54.
In 1863, Bergh had been appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to a diplomatic post at the Russian court of Czar Alexander II. It was there that he was horrified to witness work horses beaten by their peasant drivers. En route back to America, a June 1865 visit to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in London awakened his determination to secure a charter not only to incorporate the ASPCA but to exercise the power to arrest and prosecute violators of the law.
Back in New York, Bergh pleaded on behalf of "these mute servants of mankind" at a February 8, 1866, meeting at Clinton Hall. He argued that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines and class boundaries. "This is a matter purely of conscience; it has no perplexing side issues," he said. "It is a moral question in all its aspects." The speech prompted a number of dignitaries to sign his "Declaration of the Rights of Animals."
Bergh's impassioned accounts of the horrors inflicted on animals convinced the New York State legislature to pass the charter incorporating the ASPCA on April 10, 1866. Nine days later, the first effective anti-cruelty law in the United States was passed, allowing the ASPCA to investigate complaints of animal cruelty and to make arrests.
Bergh was a hands-on reformer, becoming a familiar sight on the streets and in the courtrooms of New York. He regularly inspected slaughter houses, worked with police to close down dog- and rat-fighting pits and lectured in schools and to adult societies. In 1867, the ASPCA established and operated the nation's first ambulance for horses.
As the pioneer and innovator of the humane movement, the ASPCA quickly became the model for more than 25 other humane organizations in the United States and Canada. And by the time Bergh died in 1888, 37 of the 38 states in the Union had passed anti-cruelty laws.
Bergh’s dramatic street rescues of mistreated horses and livestock served as a model for those trying to protect abused children. After Mary Ellen McCormack, 9, was found tied to a bed and brutally beaten by her foster parents in 1874, activists founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Bergh served as one of the group’s first vice presidents."
Ironic that it took the formation of the ASPCA before we were even willing to save our own children from abuse, huh?
Returning healthy whales and dolphins to the wild is just the next step in our journey as compassionate human beings.
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L
climber
California dreamin' on the farside of the world..
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Jan 13, 2014 - 05:35pm PT
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"I turned loose my amazon parrot Max yesterday..."
That got me laughing. Max knows a good thing when she sees it.;-)
I've worked with rehabbing wildlife and I've worked with wild animal trainers since the Valdez oil spill in '89, and am very familiar with all of these arguments.
Very few of SeaWorld's dolphins and whales are captive-born. Either the animals won't breed in captivity, or the newborns die. I'm all for captive breeding programs of endangered species, but I think you know that's not what we're talking about here, right?
It doesn't take a released dolphin long to "remember" how to feed itself. Nor does it take a released whale long to do the same. If they are aided in finding an accepting pod (or even their home pod), then they return to the wild without a problem. There are exceptions, and those need to be treated accordingly.
What the military does with dolphins planting/finding mines is...well...I just love how we start wars and then think it's the duty of all of these "inferior species" to fight for us. And die for us. And all the while we're killing them with purse seine nets and long-line fishing, not to mention slaughtering them by the tens of thousands to use as shark-bait in Peru. Sorry...thread drift.
The point is, Ron, we are abusing them keeping them in captivity the way we do. I've seen it first hand. The zoo system of the USA is undergoing drastic changes to accommodate the physical and psychological needs of the animals; our captive marine mammal system needs to do the same.
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Jan 13, 2014 - 05:37pm PT
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+1 for L
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 13, 2014 - 10:57pm PT
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Death Returns to Taiji: 24 Bottlenose Dolphins Butchered at the Cove
The deaths represent the largest one-day kill since late November, when 54 striped dolphins were slaughtered.
January 10, 2014 By Salvatore Cardoni
Sal holds a Political Science degree from the George Washington University. He's written about all things environment since 2007.
full biofollow me
Another day, another senseless dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
The waters of the village’s notorious inlet, spotlighted in 2009 by the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, ran red with blood yesterday as local fishermen killed 24 bottlenose dolphins.
“Many of these dolphins suffered terribly for a great length of time before actually dying,” says Melissa Sehgal, senior leader for Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardian campaign, from the ground in Taiji. She leads a team of 12 volunteers that monitor the six-month drive hunt, which involves everything from counting the dead to helming cameras that live-stream the killings.
The 24 dolphin deaths represent the largest one-day kill since Nov. 23, 2013, when 54 striped dolphins were slaughtered, she says. A total of 459 dolphins have been killed this season.
Airlines Might Just Hold the Secret to Ending Dolphin Captures at the Cove
Each year beginning Sept. 1 and ending sometime in March, around 30 fishermen from the small town, population 2,000, lure luckless pods of whales and dolphins from the open ocean into a narrow bay bordered by steep, rocky cliffs. There, they separate the younger ones worth selling to aquariums in Japan and around the world.
The rest are impaled with harpoons and butchered. Their toxic, mercury-rich meat is then sent to dining tables across East Asia.
Prior to the release of the film, the town’s fishermen were annually killing around 1,600 dolphins, a fraction of the country’s annual quota of 20,000 dolphins and small whales, such as pilot whales.
But the worldwide media exposure that surged in the wake of the Academy Award and increased pressure from activist organizations such as Sea Shepherd and Cove star Ric O’Barry’s Save Japan Dolphins combined to lower the kill count each subsequent season. During the 2012–2013 season, roughly 900 dolphins were killed.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 14, 2014 - 01:34am PT
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I prefer large nets to pursue the beasts.
That is how we rounded them up off the La Moskitia coast.
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L
climber
California dreamin' on the farside of the world..
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Jan 14, 2014 - 09:02am PT
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"So L,, realizing that the details of these captives are learned because they are captive, do you not think some in captivity isnt a good thing at all?"
Ron, I used to think the public needed to be exposed to live dolphins and whales in order to relate to them, to see how amazing and beautiful they were, to see that they were worth saving even though they were so different from us. In that context, I thought a few live captives were worth the trauma for the good of the whole.
I don't feel that way anymore.
There are so many cruelty-free options for people to experience marine mammals today: fabulous documentaries, whale-watching tours, school programs, live-cams, wild dolphin/whale interaction retreats, etc. There's no longer a reason to incarcerate these ocean-roaming, free-spirited beings, especially for our own perverse entertainment.
I think you'll agree, Ron, that throughout our history, humankind has done reprehensible and horrifying things...and some of it, like the Nazi experiments on captive Jews during the war, has produced valuable medical information.
But once we knew better (or in the case of the Jews, found out about it), we did better. We don't allow such behavior towards humans today, even for the great god "Science". And as we continue to evolve into a conscious, compassionate race, we'll look with horror at what we've done to dolphins, whales, chimps, dogs, cats, and all the other "inferior species" we use without compunction.
So no, I don't believe there's ever a reason to incarcerate healthy marine mammals today. Not for behavioral statistics. Not for entertainment. Besides, captive animals behave quite differently than those in the wild. We're monitoring the behavior of inmates, not dolphins. And as someone up-thread pointed out...the people getting the grant money are really the only winners in that deal.
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frank wyman
Mountain climber
montana
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Jan 14, 2014 - 10:34am PT
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On a lighter side, I went to sea world long ago and the Orca show was about to begin. the first 10 rows are clearly marked "WET AREA" so we sat in about row 12 or so. Just before it started a bus load of Japanese with really expensive cammeras and video stuff came in and were overjoyed that they could find seats so close to the pool. Well...a couple of minutes into the peformance...good old Shamoo...Came up out of the water and...Did a huge back-flop...Sent a small tidal wave over them, Drenching them completely, I should not have laughed...But I did...Good old Shamoo...Payback? or revenge? or just having a little fun?...
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 14, 2014 - 02:56pm PT
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I find it interesting that the Scimitar Horned Oryx, Addax, and Pere David Deer, are extinct in the wild but only found on private reserves.
Glad we caught a few to preserve the species. Maybe we should open the gates and get rid of them?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 14, 2014 - 03:01pm PT
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I do find it interesting that Karen decides to try and delegitimize comments from folks who have actually netted dolphins and worked with them.
Versus a conversation on the agenda she has.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 14, 2014 - 03:06pm PT
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Ron, yup! I hope those programs succeed!
I didn't want to bore the masses with wildlife reintroduction knowledge and the new laws in the USA threatening certain critically endangered species that have little value to a ranch/farm now.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 14, 2014 - 03:15pm PT
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Ron-
I have always wondered why the BLM will not get rid of the feral horses and manage a Bison population in areas they occurred.
They are a native species and if successful a season could be opened, versus the absurd money we spend on feral horse roundups and upkeep because we can't butcher them.
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L
climber
California dreamin' on the farside of the world..
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Jan 14, 2014 - 04:06pm PT
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"On a lighter side, I went to sea world long ago and the Orca show was about to begin..."
Frank, I saw the same thing happen in Orlando. But I think it was a busload of Midwesterners.
I laughed too...and felt really horrible about it. ;-)
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 15, 2014 - 09:27am PT
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I love this L,
"There are so many cruelty-free options for people to experience marine mammals today: fabulous documentaries, whale-watching tours, school programs, live-cams, wild dolphin/whale interaction retreats, etc. There's no longer a reason to incarcerate these ocean-roaming, free-spirited beings, especially for our own perverse entertainment.
I think you'll agree, Ron, that throughout our history, humankind has done reprehensible and horrifying things...and some of it, like the Nazi experiments on captive Jews during the war, has produced valuable medical information.
But once we knew better (or in the case of the Jews, found out about it), we did better. We don't allow such behavior towards humans today, even for the great god "Science". And as we continue to evolve into a conscious, compassionate race, we'll look with horror at what we've done to dolphins, whales, chimps, dogs, cats, and all the other "inferior species" we use without compunction.
So no, I don't believe there's ever a reason to incarcerate healthy marine mammals today. Not for behavioral statistics. Not for entertainment. Besides, captive animals behave quite differently than those in the wild. We're monitoring the behavior of inmates, not dolphins. And as someone up-thread pointed out...the people getting the grant money are really the only winners in that deal."
Locker, I'm sorry for the tardy response.
I am in Todos Santos on a surf trip. We have seen lots of Humpback whales and dolphins. It is so great seeing them in the wild, swimming and jumping.
I don't think if you tripled the size of the pools they are kept prisoners in it would be much better. These animals travel 100 miles per day.
Some people are proposing that the already captive whales and dolphins are moved to the real
ocean with nets keeping them in. The current captives will have a hard time in the wild because they are on tons of antibiotics and have not been in the wild for a long time.
Hopefully they will do okay and can eventually be set free.
TRICKS FOR FOOD IS OVER!!!
Don't worry SeaWorld will do okay once they figure out new ways to make $$$$ without enslaving intelligent beings to a life of servitude.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jan 15, 2014 - 09:55am PT
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I've never been to any of the Seaworld. Ever. And won't ever go there. It's damned distasteful to see animals like that. For family dudes and dudettes, I found that one of THE best family So Cal destinations is the La Brea Tar Pits. Great family times, take your kids there and they learn so much more than the false truth told by Sea World.
Russ said: "If you fly SouthWest to your sea animal love-fest you might as well put a shotgun right in Shamoo's blow-hole. "
LOL!!!!
Ken M said: " I think you need to consider unintended consequences. To a degree, it is like the single issue group supporting mountain lions. They got a law passed that made it illegal to hunt, or really even manage the lions. What's happened? They are wiping out the bighorn sheep, because now their population is not controlled. My point is that there are a lot of moving parts in an ecosystem."
Mt Lions true, bullshit on the Seaworld part. It's a business, not an "ecosystem. Don't support them.
L said: " Ron, we are abusing them keeping them in captivity the way we do. I've seen it first hand." Right on L, no need to see it firsthand, or even watch a vid, anyone can use their brain and come to this conclusion.
PS, so it's clear that I'm a hypocrite (to some, not to me), I've eaten whale meat. More than once. And would do it again. In some countries it's a by-product and sold dirt cheap. Good stuff. As healthy as it gets. mmmmm, Shamuuuuummmmm
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Jan 15, 2014 - 10:09am PT
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On the same topic, check out this documentary on the treatment of elephants in zoos and circuses.
http://youtu.be/9GXW4wB2EyE
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L
climber
California dreamin' on the farside of the world..
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Jan 15, 2014 - 10:35am PT
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"Some people are proposing that the already captive whales and dolphins are moved to the real ocean with nets keeping them in"
That may work. That's what we did with the sea otters we rescued from the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill, Karen. After we cleaned the godawful oil off of them, we rehabbed them in dry pens, then pools, and finally, once they'd recovered their insulating ability, we put them in the ocean in netted pens in Jackaloff Bay.
They were later transported to areas without oil pollution, and from tagging protocol, we know that many survived.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2014 - 10:03am PT
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News from NPR today!
"It's time to stop the shows. It's time to stop forcing the animals to perform in basically a circus environment, and they should release the animals that are young enough and healthy enough to be released," Berg says in the movie. "And the animals like Tilikum, who are old and sick and have put in 25 years in the industry, should be released to an open ocean pen."
SeaWorld dismissed Blackfish as "shamefully dishonest, deliberately misleading and scientifically inaccurate" when it was released over the summer. But then the company went silent.
Timothy Coombs, a communications professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, says the company seemed to be hoping the controversy would fade.
Read the whole article
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/15/262767226/months-after-blackfish-release-controversy-for-seaworld-grows
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2014 - 10:10am PT
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SeaWorld and Southwest have worked together since 1988 in what McInnis told CNBC is a "mutually beneficial partnership" that "is based on travel and bringing families together."
Co-branded programs include vacation packages and several Boeing 737 specialty jets painted with images of marine park animals. Two planes, Shamu Two and Shamu Three (Shamu One has been retired), feature images of Sea World's performing orcas. A huddle of gentoo penguins are painted on the newest themed plane, Penguin One.
Southwest Airlines isn't the only corporate entity being pressured to sever ties with SeaWorld. On Change.org alone, there are more than two dozen "Blackfish"-inspired petitions, including one asking Toys R Us to stop selling a SeaWorld-themed Barbie and another asking Groupon to stop featuring discounted SeaWorld deals.
(Read more: Ruffled feathers over future of the Spruce Goose)
The "Blackfish" documentary by filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite examines the history of killer whales in captivity and, in particular, the story of Tilikum, a captive orca that has been associated with the death of several people, including of a trainer in 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. Petitioners have called for the release of Tilikum and changes to the way in which SeaWorld treats animals in its theme parks.
Yay!!!!!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 17, 2014 - 10:06am PT
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Sad news about the oscars yesterday, corporate influence?
Oscar Snubs 'Blackfish,' but the Film's Anti-Captivity Message Lives On
Fans and killer whale advocates are dismayed that the documentary about orcas in captivity did not make the final cut of nominees for best feature documentary.
David has been a professional journalist for 25 years. His third book, "Death at Seaworld," was published in 2012.
full biofollow me
Early this morning, actor Chris Hemsworth read out the Oscar nominations in some dimly lit conference hall in Los Angeles. Although Blackfish was featured on the short list of 15 documentaries announced last month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ultimately snubbed it. But the film will live on as one of the most powerful and moving documentaries of our time. And it will continue to haunt SeaWorld's dreams.
Fans and orca advocates are expressing shock and dismay that the documentary about killer whales in captivity—and three-time killer Tilikum in particular—did not make the final cut of five nominees for best documentary feature.
Still, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite has given the world an invaluable gift that people will be talking about for years. Watched by more viewers than any other documentary last year and scheduled to air again this month on CNN, Blackfish has turned SeaWorld's world upside down and brought new urgency to the debate over the ethics of keeping large, sentient animals in tiny tanks to do inane tricks for food.
Documentaries are supposed to make us think. The best ones make us change, and that is what Blackfish will continue to do. If awards were based on influence, it would win all of them.
Thanks to the film, an untold number of people will no longer visit SeaWorld or other venues that keep orcas in captivity. The media, once largely indifferent to the issue, except when Tilikum killed Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau almost four years ago, have woken from their stupor to report on the honest (if heated and often vitriolic) debate that is taking place in the country. The fallout will only increase as every detail of SeaWorld's once-shining reputation is reported on in depth.
It is daunting to recount all of the milestones that Blackfish achieved in 2013
Insightful post rSin, "a window into what allowed human slavery to exist for so long i figure"
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 17, 2014 - 10:34am PT
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f*#k the Oscars. It doesn't matter.
this is what matters. This is what is happening right now.
"Four pods are in the cove, including an albino bottlenose dolphin. 100s of the dolphins are going to be slaughtered tomorrow while others get shipped to places like sea world. The killers will earn millions for this capture."
http://livestream.seashepherd.org/
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2014 - 10:17am PT
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Nature you are right! Some how some way this must be stopped!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2014 - 06:59pm PT
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 18, 2014 - 08:54pm PT
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jan 18, 2014 - 09:04pm PT
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I thought you said those guys are smart.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jan 18, 2014 - 09:12pm PT
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Its snout looks as if it's been running into walls.
Maybe it's highly intelligent, but not very bright. I know people like that.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jan 18, 2014 - 10:44pm PT
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Yes, that's the albino they kidnapped yesterday. She is at the Taiji Whale and Dolphin Museum.
f*#king murdering scum....
By the end of the weekend her mother along with another 200 or so dolphins will be slaughtered.
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splitter
Trad climber
SoCal Hodad, surfing the galactic plane
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Jan 18, 2014 - 11:03pm PT
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Not sure if its true, but i wonder if anyone else heard this story that was on Canadian national news during the spring or summer of 1983. I was in Cape Breton, NS CA visiting my folks during that time and this story broke on their national news about how this guys boat sunk off of the eastern seaboard a day or two of the coast (Florida, I think). No life raft. The situation became even more dire when sharks appeared. Evidently dolphins where in the vicinity also. They (not sure how large their pod was nor how many sharks) they kept the sharks at bay and took the guy back to land (hangin on their dorsal fins, i guess). It faded from the news and when I got back to SoCal a few months later I didn't try to investigate. Wouldn't have been so easy, no internet back then. I was somewhat suspect, it just seemed so incredible. But I still wonder about it.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 18, 2014 - 11:14pm PT
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Nature- why are Dolphins more holy than roaches or ants?
I have always been curious why certain species get folks fired up.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 18, 2014 - 11:57pm PT
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So you are the guy/girl that decides what animal to support? Be it an insect or vertebrate?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 12:23am PT
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RSIN- Sorry you are upset.
I have a simple question, why is sustainably harvesting sea mammals bad?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 12:31am PT
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I am sorry you are a racist, or trying to incite that. I wish you the best and hope you get better.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 12:37am PT
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Sorry for trying to discuss issues with you. Maybe you will mature one day.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 12:48am PT
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rSin- I hope you are okay. I am worried about you. Please stay safe and have fun.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 12:53am PT
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I love all life but strive to help my fellow man first
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 01:00am PT
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rSin- not sure how to read your question? I wish you the best!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 01:16am PT
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I am not against harvesting creatures. shrimp, elk, grouse, crabs, fish, salamanders, snakes all have eyes. and they are yummy!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 01:24am PT
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rSin- that makes me want to shoot an elk. What does it mean. Obviously I am not intelligent enough to understand it.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 01:32am PT
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Curious why you are upset? I have never called you a name.
Q-ball
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 01:55am PT
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rSin-I only need to quote you. Thanks for the flattering thoughts. Wish you the best!
"of course you think that
your a scum f*#king
ape sh#t
piece of detritus
if theres a piece of you
big enough to bury
after justice is done"
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 19, 2014 - 02:11am PT
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I am sorry you are threatened by my thoughts of helping one another. Take care and hope your family is doing great.
I never mentioned god so whats that all about?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2014 - 09:48am PT
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Nature,
This is heartbreaking!
You are right, truly awful.
"Four pods are in the cove, including an albino bottlenose dolphin. 100s of the dolphins are going to be slaughtered tomorrow while others get shipped to places like sea world. The killers will earn millions for this capture."
http://livestream.seashepherd.org/
Sea shepherd is a great organization to give money to.
I give to them monthly. They are out there trying to stop these senseless slaughters.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 20, 2014 - 09:59am PT
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Another day, another senseless dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
The waters of the village’s notorious inlet, spotlighted in 2009 by the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, ran red with blood yesterday as local fishermen killed 24 bottlenose dolphins.
“Many of these dolphins suffered terribly for a great length of time before actually dying,” says Melissa Sehgal, senior leader for Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardian campaign, from the ground in Taiji. She leads a team of 12 volunteers that monitor the six-month drive hunt, which involves everything from counting the dead to helming cameras that live-stream the killings.
The 24 dolphin deaths represent the largest one-day kill since Nov. 23, 2013, when 54 striped dolphins were slaughtered, she says. A total of 459 dolphins have been killed this season.
Want to try to do something about this?
Airlines Might Just Hold the Secret to Ending Dolphin Captures at the Cove
If a dolphin were captured by Japanese fishermen and sold at great profit to a faraway amusement park, but no one was willing to fly the animal there, would the fishermen want to capture more dolphins? Probably not.
That thinking has fueled a growing international effort to convince the world’s airlines and airfreight companies not to fly marine mammals captured from the wild to theme parks and aquariums. Citing the severe stress placed on whales and dolphins from hours in the restricted confinement of air transport, many air-cargo carriers are joining a “green list” of airlines vowing not to fly wild-caught cetaceans (unless an animal is being moved for health, safety or conservation reasons).
Many international activists believe that air transportation is the weakest link in a chain that sustains not only the infamous dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, but also the international trafficking of all whales and dolphins for public display and profit. The most recent effort is a petition at Change.org by the anti-captivity group Freedom Blue. It calls on all carriers to, “Make the skies ‘dolphin-safe’—stop the carriage of cetaceans to marine parks.”
http://www.change.org/petitions/hong-kong-airlines-stop-profiting-from-the-misery-of-the-taiji-dolphins
http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/operation-blue-skies-make-the-skies-dolphin-safe-stop-the-carriage-of-cetaceans-to-marine-parks
http://www.change.org/petitions/dolphins-don-t-belong-in-traveling-circus
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/07/establishing-dolphin-no-fly-zone-would-it-end-captures-cove
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/838/738/517/tell-winter-olympic-city-not-to-display-wild-orcas/?TAP=1007#next_action
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 20, 2014 - 02:31pm PT
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so true...
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2014 - 05:12pm PT
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Kayakers' encounter with orcas videotaped via drone - Pete Thomas Outdoors
http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com
The use of mountable cameras has, for the past few years, altered the way we look at personal achievements and our surroundings.
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splitter
Trad climber
SoCal Hodad, surfing the galactic plane
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Jan 25, 2014 - 10:40pm PT
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never saw a dolphin in the wilds. i've spent a lot of hours over the last half century sitting in the lineup on a hunk of foam and fiberglass waiting for the next set to appear on the horizon. i have watched countless porpoise pods, over the years, making their way down the coast headed for warmer waters i suppose. you can spot them away off bobbing up and down in a steady rhythmic manner, one after the other. it is always a thrill when one occasionally breaks from the pack, beelines it for our 'pod', rides a wave or two, then darts back to his fellow travelers. wild and care free. a very special moment that you'll remember for a lifetime.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 25, 2014 - 11:31pm PT
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Going to visit some dolphins my father captured in the late 80's. They are at the Roatan Marine Studies Institute.
I can't wait to see them!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2014 - 07:02pm PT
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“You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one.”
 John Lennon
Something to remember when you wonder why none of the people you know seem to care about saving whales and wolves, protecting rainforests, or stopping Big Oil from drilling in the Arctic.
http://www.john-lennon-music-lyrics.com For Lyrics.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2014 - 10:12am PT
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Kennedy Tweet Sparks Global Outrage Over 'Cove' Slaughter
Last Tuesday, fishermen in Taiji, Japan, killed 40 dolphins and captured 52 for sale to aquariums.
A State Department spokesperson today issued a statement in support of Ambassador Kennedy's tweet. "The U.S. does remain committed to the global moratorium on commercial whaling, and we are concerned with both the sustainability and the humaneness of the Japanese dolphin hunts," said Marie Harf. "We have been very clear that this is our position, and we remain concerned about it. And the ambassador was expressing our view that we’ve made public for a long time."
If dolphins could tweet, many would surely be writing some version of “Thanks @CarolineKennedy for trying to save our lives” over the weekend. On Jan. 17, Kennedy, just two months into her job as the U.S. ambassador to Japan, sent shockwaves around the world by tweeting against the slaughter of dolphins in the cove at Taiji, Japan. “Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing,” Kennedy tweeted. “USG (U.S. Government) opposes drive hunt fisheries.”
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Jan 28, 2014 - 03:22pm PT
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Its Good to have causes for sure. I didn't have too many when I was in my teens. Now in my twenties I have stronger opinions.
I'm sure when I get over the hill old I'll have even stronger opinions( mom says this is around 40 as she laughs)
We could look at the bright side and say at least they didn't kill ALL the dolphins. As far as oil companies drilling I think we could lay part of the blame on car companies for producing vehicles many of which still barely get 20 miles to the gallon. I still have a hard time figuring out why all these people are driving around alone in large SUV type tanks.
The end is near though. I probably won't hit 40 and the dolphins will survive in the radioactive post apocalyptic seas...
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 12:31pm PT
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There's Mormon cricketts? They must need saving.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2014 - 12:42pm PT
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Honey Badgers rock!
Truly badass!
Great one moosedrool!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2014 - 04:09pm PT
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For those in the San Diego, CA area:
There will be a protest held Sunday February 16, 10 am PST. Please see the attached link for details. I hope that some of you can make it, and please let us know if you do!
https://www.facebook.com/events/562870523790162/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular
I'm going!
PROTEST $EA WORLD PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND $AN DIEGO!
Sunday, February 16 at 10:00am
Sea World San Diego in San Diego, California
242 people are going
‘Blackfish’ Creators Challenge SeaWorld to Open Debate
Posted on January 27, 2014 by Alisha Mims •
The director of the SeaWorld exposé, documentary film Blackfish, issued a challenge to the multi-billion dollar corporation. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite asked SeaWorld to engage in a debate over issues addressed in the film after the company released a statement claiming the film is “propaganda” and untrue.
“As we have always maintained, we welcome an open and honest discussion with SeaWorld,” her statement on The Dodo says. “Unfortunately, Sea World’s business model is built on an antiquated form of animal entertainment which is dwindling in popularity and is no longer seen as humane by many people.”
Cowperthwaite also responded to SeaWorld’s assertion that Blackfish is “emotionally manipulative.” “We believe our audience is intelligent and in control of their own emotions,” she said. “We urge them to conduct additional research on topics such as SeaWorld’s separation of mothers and calves, the increased mortality rate of orcas in captivity, the impact of captivity on orca health, and the frequency of killer whales injuring one another and trainers.”
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2014 - 07:24pm PT
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Also Ron,
I think they are cute!
“SeaWorld claims it does not capture killer whales in the wild.”
Evidence shows that SeaWorld has other groups capture wild animals for them. Cowperthwaite notes that SeaWorld is currently attempting to import wild-caught beluga whales from Russia. “‘Rescues’ are often veiled attempts to secure wild animals,” she said. “A whale called Morgan, rescued in the Netherlands in 2010, was not released as local law required but was instead transported to a park in Spain. When SeaWorld published documents listing its ‘assets,’ Morgan appeared as part of its ‘collection.’”
“Why SeaWorld stays relatively quiet on wild captures and killings.”
In the midst of the annual culling and slaughter of wild dolphins in Taiji, Japan as well as the capture of orcas and beluga whales in Russia, SeaWorld remains relatively quiet, despite touting claims of its conservation efforts. The company has vast resources and could be a strong voice against the cruel practices of killing and capturing wild cetaceans. SeaWorld obtained a pilot whale in 2010 that was reportedly captured in a drive hunt. Cowperthwaite notes that the company could easily provide evidence of how its beluga whales and other animals are captured, if there is nothing to hide.
“SeaWorld claims it does not separate killer whale mothers and calves.”
Orcas are highly social animals that live in matrilineal family groups and work very closely with their pods for survival. Orcas stay with their family groups for life. Capturing orcas from the wild, particularly separating calves from mothers, as with other cetaceans, is an extremely inhumane and traumatic act. “SeaWorld’s claim that it does not separate them is patently false,” Cowperthwaite says. (See list of mother-calf separations).
Separations are extremely cruel and can lead whales to injure themselves or become severely depressed. “For example, during the course of our investigation we learned the story of a killer whale who became distraught when her daughter Skyla as shipped to another park,” she notes.
Kalina “broke open her face,” suffering lacerations from banging into the gate separating her from her baby, who was only two years of age at the time. At the same moment, Skyla was being harnessed and craned out of the pool. According to our sources, Kalina and other whales can stop eating and “shut down” due to the trauma of these unnatural separations, and may even be put on diazepam (valium) in an attempt to ease the stress.
Even the image that SeaWorld uses to advertise that it keeps mothers and calves together shows a calf that was, in fact, separated from its mother in Texas. The mother, Takara, is kept at SeaWorld San Antonio and the calf, Kohana, was moved to Loro Parque, Spain.
“SeaWorld maligns individuals who draw less than favorable conclusions about their practices.”
SeaWorld brands scientists, anti-captivity activists, former trainers, and independent researchers, who report on SeaWorld’s practices, as “radical activists.” The documentary Blackfish features interviews with individuals who captured wild orcas for SeaWorld as well as former trainers and scientists who have studied wild orcas for a living. “Maligning them on [the basis that they have independently come to a conclusion that is not favorable to SeaWorld] does not make for responsible criticism,” Cowperthwaite says.
In addition, SeaWorld has created a misleading marketing effort to hide human deaths caused by orcas in captivity. One well-known example is the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, whom an executive for SeaWorld said should be blamed for her own death. SeaWorld also reported that the cause of Brancheau’s death in 2010 was purely a result of her own “mistake” and that her death was a result of “curiosity” or “play” by the whale Tilikum. However, “The nature of Tilikum’s attack on Dawn Brancheau was prolonged and violent,” says Cowperthwaite.
SeaWorld also refuses to acknowledge that captive orcas die at nearly three times the rate at which they die in the wild, and are often prescribed medication to deal with chronic symptoms brought on as a result of captivity. Captive orcas exhibit physical signs of distress as well as emotional. In captive male orcas, 100 percent exhibit dorsal fin collapse, which is suspected to be caused by whales spending lots of time floating at the surface of their tanks and swimming in circles or in the same direction in small containment pools in which they spend their entire lives.
On Friday, SeaWorld responded to the invitation for debate, rejecting it outright. Fred Jacobs, vice president for corporate communications at SeaWorld called the suggestion to hold a public debate “little more than a publicity stunt.” Jacobs further said that the company has “no interest in helping promote a film this dishonest and manipulative.”
Alisha is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. You can follow her on Twitter @childoftheearth.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Jan 30, 2014 - 02:24am PT
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Let's not save the junk eating bears.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 30, 2014 - 10:30pm PT
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2014 - 09:57am PT
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Tragic!
Continuing an exceptionally murderous run, fishermen in Taiji, Japan, slaughtered 65 striped dolphins on Tuesday, reports Sea Shepherd.
“It was nothing short of a horror movie,” read a statement on the group’s Facebook page. By the end of the daylong hunt, the entire pod, “including babies and juveniles, was nothing more than slabs of meat loaded onto skiffs and used as seats for the killers on their way to the butcher house.”
The 65 deaths came on the heels of the town's fishermen killing 40 bottlenose dolphins on Jan. 22 and 24 on Jan. 9. Prior to the Jan. 22 cull, the largest one-day kill in the 2013–2014 hunting season had occurred on Nov. 23, 2013, when 54 striped dolphins met their demise.
Kennedy Tweet Sparks Global Outrage Over 'Cove' Slaughter
According to Ceta-base, 1,270 dolphins from six species have been driven into the notorious killing cove this season; of those, 694 were killed, 422 were released, and 153 were captured live.
Every year beginning Sept. 1 and ending the following April, approximately 25 fishermen from the village, population 2,000, drive pods of dolphins and smaller whales from Japan’s Kuman-nada Sea into a shallow inlet. The younger ones are separated from their pod mates and sold for upwards of $125,000 each to aquariums in Japan and around the world. The others are impaled with harpoons and butchered—their mercury-rich meat destined for dining tables across parts of Asia.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2014 - 10:31pm PT
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Check out Kid Creaton!
After blackfish inspires almost all bands to cancel their performances at SeaWorld, we wondered who would ignore the cries of cruelty and give SeaWorld a performance they now desperately needed. So it is no surprise that Kid Rock has now agreed to play at the upcoming concert, he is already a public supporter of animal cruelty, "My biggest extravagance is fur coats - I've got every kind of animal in my wardrobe." Despite all our efforts, there will always be those who simply do not care about the treatment of animals, no matter how cruel, senseless, and heartbreaking it may be. But it is still important for us to continue to fight and give animals a voice to be heard, SeaWorld and their shrinking number of supporters will not deter us!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2014 - 10:42pm PT
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The dolphin hunts in Taiji are driven by the captive dolphin entertainment industry. Don't buy a ticket! Take a stand!
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JMC
climber
the land of milk and honey
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Sitting around the lunch table one day, it was the usual multinational mix - Indian, American, Norwegian, Japanese. The topic of whales came up, and both the Norwegian and Japanese scowled in irritation at the modern state of legal affairs presiding over whale meat.
I've eaten canned whale meat, tasted like dog food (which I have also eaten). My sister has had the fresh stuff up in northern Japan, wasn't to her palate. I'll still seek it out the next time I'm there.
There's a distinct difference between fishing for and eating these mammals and having them do tricks in a small pond. Dogs, horses, rats, monkeys - all are foodstuffs for one culture or another. Remember too, the pig is a pretty smart animal.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 4, 2014 - 11:40am PT
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How the rich get richer!
SeaWorld won't pay income taxes for years!
"We won't be a taxpayer for several years to come," SeaWorld President and Chief Executive OfficerJim Atchison told prospective investors shortly before the company went public. "That's a great advantage for us."
SeaWorld is avoiding income taxes even as business is booming. The company's pre-tax profits more than tripled in 2012 to $117 million. Total sales across its 11 parks climbed 7 percent to more than $1.4 billion.
Tax-reform advocates say SeaWorld symbolizes a broken U.S. tax system. The federal government gave away as much money in corporate tax breaks in 2011 — $181 billion — as it raised in corporate-tax revenue, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office in Washington.
The losses drain state treasuries, too. Florida and other states lean heavily on the federal tax code when calculating their own corporate-income taxes.
SeaWorld says it is acting within "both the letter and spirit" of all tax laws.
"SeaWorld has an obligation to act in the best interests of its shareholders," the company said in a written statement. "In claiming deductions specifically added to the tax code by our elected representatives for the purpose of encouraging investment, SeaWorld is doing nothing more than what other businesses and individual taxpayers do in filing their returns each year."
In an interview, Atchison defended the company's practices. "I think it's fair that we, as an organization, follow the U.S. tax laws," he said.
Beyond that, "I think judgments about fair or unfair are best" left to members of Congress and other policymakers, Atchison added.
Senior lawmakers in both political parties have begun discussing a broad corporate-tax overhaul, fueled in part by reports of minimal tax payments by major American businesses, from SeaWorld to General Electric Co. to Apple Inc. But agreeing on changes will be difficult, as individual companies and industries lobby to preserve preferential treatment.
While refraining from discussing SeaWorld directly, some members of Florida's congressional delegation say reforms are necessary.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Alan Grayson said in an emailed statement that the Orlando Democrat thinks that "all profitable U.S. companies should pay U.S. income taxes."
"They should not have two separate set of books (one for shareholders and a different one for the IRS)," spokeswoman Lauren Doney added.
The single biggest driver of SeaWorld's tax savings is a break known as "accelerated depreciation."
When companies invest in things like equipment and machinery, the value of those assets declines over time as they age. Accelerated depreciation allows companies to write off the value of those investments faster for tax purposes than the value actually declines.
For example, SeaWorld and other theme-park owners are allowed to deduct the value of rides in as few as seven years, even though those attractions typically remain in service for far longer. SeaWorld Orlando's "Journey to Atlantis" opened 15 years ago, yet it remains one of the marine park's marquee rides.
The result is that companies get to take bigger tax deductions — and therefore pay fewer taxes — in the earlier years of their investments.
In theory, companies that use accelerated depreciation will have to pay higher taxes later, once they have completely written off the asset. But tax experts say companies often indefinitely defer those tax payments because they continually buy and build new assets that can be written off.
That is easier to do for businesses in capital-intensive industries — such as theme parks, which must constantly build and renovate attractions to continue drawing visitors.
SeaWorld has accumulated an extraordinary amount of depreciation, thanks to its 2009 sale to the private-equity firm Blackstone Group. Analysts say that deal was structured in such a way that much of the $2.3 billion purchase price was allocated to tax-depreciable assets.
Altogether, SeaWorld has amassed $556 million worth of tax credits based on losses it has reported — for tax purposes — since the sale to Blackstone, which remains SeaWorld's majority shareholder. The cushion should ensure that SeaWorld will not have to pay any significant amount in cash for income taxes over the next few years, though Atchison would not say how long he expected those credits to last.
The credits will not begin expiring until 2029, according to SeaWorld's regulatory filings.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Good for Sea World!
It's your patriotic duty as an American to pay as little tax as legally possible.
You should see some of my deductions.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 4, 2014 - 03:23pm PT
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Sunday, February 16, 2014
10:00am until 1:00pm
This is President’s Day Weekend more people visit $ea World. It is a three day weekend and this day is known to be very busy. We are here to tell you it is time to EMPTY THE TANKS!
Really $ea World saying the movie BLACKFISH wasn't accurate. How dare you!
We must let $ea World know that we will not stop being a voice for these precious creatures who have lost their right to freedom, their right to live a natural life and are now imprisoned, artificially inseminated and forced to perform 'tricks' for food
Sea World San Diego
500 Sea World Dr, San Diego, California 92101
View Map · Get Directions
I'm going!
https://www.facebook.com/events/562870523790162/permalink/585627074847840/
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Karen Roseme,
Simple question. How many acres and animals have hunters protected?
-Q-ball
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bigbird
climber
WA
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How many acres and animals have hunters protected?
Technically anyone hunting invasive species like Nutrias or fishing Asian Carp in the south is in fact protecting native wildlife and plants...
kind of the exception and not the rule in the wider scheme of things
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Bigbird-
I am talking native species. Still a simple question (acres and animals) protected by hunters?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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rSin- yes protected.
Why are you so sour?
We have put over 300,000 acres in TN, in conservation easements in the last decade. Sorry that upsets you.
Q-ball
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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rSin-
Sorry but lyme disease is a tick deal. So should we get rid of all wildlife to prevent transmissions?
As long as we have critters we will have lyme disease.
-Q-ball
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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Simple question. How many acres and animals have hunters protected?
-Q-ball
You can stuff that tired argument straight up your a*#. Seriously, pal, that kinda disingenuous bullshit (off topic to what is being discussed) makes me sick. Go peddle your "hunters save animals and the environment" crap somewhere else.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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ncrockclimber-
Funny you decide to get mad at a simple question. Not sure why it upsets you.
I can only deduce that you are unaware of current wildlife and fisheries situations?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Thanks Ron, I get confused with this hatred sometimes
-Q-ball
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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The dolphins don't fit (my fridge) so I am improvising.
If you leave them in the sun for a day they are much easier to skin.
Just a fact.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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I learned how to skin a dolphin from my father. It is a dying art.
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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LOL. Ron, you are an idiot. It is that simple, and all that needs to be said to end a conversation with you.
Q-ball, you are truly an as#@&%e. Carry on.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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ncrockclimber- I will carry on. Simplest question I can ask, why not? I would love an intelligent response.
-Q-ball
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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ron, you have 26896 post as of now. what percentage of them are climbing related? less than 1%. A lot less. Now, tell me again who needs to go.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Karen, and many others worldwide, obviously feel passionately about this issue.
Whether you do or don't, it's a total dick move snickering and joking about killing these magnificent creatures.
Sorry dudes, but totally lame.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2014 - 10:42am PT
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Jim,
That is an amazing video! Orcas doing what they do in the wild.
The killer whale diet consists of fish, squid, seals, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, porpoises and large whales like the blue whale. Some killer whales have been known to slide on to beaches in order to capture a good meal. Resident pods (pods that primarily reside in one area) prefer fish whereas transient pods (pods that travel over a relatively wide area) appear to target other marine mammals as prey.
Killer whales are very successful hunters due to their cooperative hunting, where all animals within the pod participate. This coordination is apparently developed and learned within pods.
drljefe,
I couldn't agree more " it's a total dick move snickering and joking about killing these magnificent creatures."
Q ball,
I think you should start your own lame thread.
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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Never wrestle with a pig (Ron).
All you'll get is covered in sh#t, and the pig (Ron) likes it.
Seriously, I have started a thread for you two to stroke (each other) off about killing animals.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2014 - 09:05am PT
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ncrock you rock!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2014 - 10:02am PT
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http://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/save-whales-stop-illegal-whaling-iceland?cmpid=action-share
http://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/save-one-of-the-most-endangered-whales-from-human-exploitation
the 1750s, the North Atlantic right whale was hunted to the point of near extinction. As a result of violent vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, and toxic pollution, fewer than 500 remain. New regulations are needed to reduce the threat of fishing entanglements.
Stand with organizations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and urge NOAA Fisheries to ensure the 300–500 last remaining North Atlantic right whales have a safe area to live.
To: NOAA Fisheries
We, the undersigned, are concerned about the survival of the North Atlantic right whale. They’re threatened by ship strikes, fishing line entanglements, and water pollution. Even though NOAA recently extended the ship strike rule, the fight is not over. These whales will not recover unless the U.S. government continues taking action to ensure their protection from human exploitation.
I stand with organizations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation in urging NOAA Fisheries to ensure the 300–500 last remaining North Atlantic right whales have a safe area to live.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Check this out:
Man helps stuck dolphin back into water
A man who spotted a dolphin stranded on the shore in Oxnard helped it get back into the water.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=9416285
I used to work with this guy years ago...a good guy, in the right place at the right time...
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2014 - 03:31pm PT
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apogee That is a great link.
My kind of hero for sure!
Hold BP Accountable for Dolphin Deaths - The Petition Site
WWW.THEPETITIONSITE.COM
BP still hasn't properly cleaned up its spill in the Gulf, and dolphins continue to suffer from the pollution. (66016 signatures on petition)
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/697/956/400/?z00m=20725354
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2014 - 07:57pm PT
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rSin
That put a big smile on my face!
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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You really are a jackass jerk, Rong.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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I bet she hasn't reported anyone to the mods, though.
Jack-off.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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What cha drinkin tonight, Rong?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 8, 2014 - 05:54pm PT
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This Is a First: Japanese Newspaper Op-Ed Condemns Taiji Dolphin Hunt
For the first time, a Japanese newspaper has denounced the slaughter of dolphins in the cove at Taiji, a move that has heartened activists and put the Japanese government on notice that the tides may be changing within the country.
On Friday, The Japan Times, the country’s oldest and largest English-language newspaper, ran an editorial that stated, simply, “The dolphin hunt is an inhumane practice that should be stopped.”
The editorial breathed new life into the controversy over the Taiji slaughter, in which roughly 900 dolphins are killed annually in the tiny fishing village, and it led activists to declare a small but significant victory.
“It surprised me,” says Ric O’Barry of Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Project and star of the Academy Award–winning documentary The Cove.
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/02/05/stunner-japanese-newspaper-op-ed-condemns-taiji-dolphin-hunt?cmpid=tpanimals-eml-2014-02-08-japan
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Karen, I sympathize only lightly with you. Here's why:
Dolphins, and to a lesser degree, whales, are the closest thing to human-kind that we have in the seas. They are like 'water-dogs'.
Dolphins are especially dear to me because I've seen them close-hand. They are curious and even protective of other warm-blooded creatures. They often times follow our fishing boats too as we return from fishing when I'm in Florida w/ my Dad. They will surface and you can look them in they eye, as they watch you!
What the f*#king Japanese do to whales and ESPECIALLY dolphins is a crime against human nature.
Why? They don't have to kill dolphins! They've already raped the sea of tuna on their part of ocean. They raped albacore, and they're encouraging the raping of abalone on my shores here.
They have no regard for how to preserve a habitat, which is the definition of a conservationist. They just destroy, they don't preserve the habitat or the species for future harvesting.
Can we nuke Japan again?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Rsin, you have demonstrated that you're an Asshole. Stop going over the proving grounds, bro.
The Japs, in their quest for fish, are destroying their very dinner table. They are blind if they can't see they're killing the traditional Goose that is laying their eggs.
Maybe we don't have to nuke them again, they're killing themseleves. Look at their population rates and their culture. They are dead.
Sad stuff. We're next.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2014 - 10:19am PT
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Feb 10, 2014 - 12:48pm PT
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I stumbled across blackfish last night and got sucked into watching it...Amazing how many killer whale attacks and deaths have occurred at these venues ...Even more amazing is how Sea World has swept it under the rug while continuing to provide a dangerous work environment for its' trainers...I worked with this high school kid back in 80 cutting firewood..He moved on and became a trainer at sea world in San Diego..
..He was interviewed in the documentary stating that there was no inherent danger working with the killer whales...Sounded like a company man..
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2014 - 01:08pm PT
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rottingjohnny you are so right!
The reason they continue is money!, 2.7 billion dollars per year!!!
They need a new business model.
Build some rides! build an Imax movie theater.
Making wild animals do tricks for food is archaic and just plain cruel.
It is also extremely dangerous for the trainers who's credentials are that they are good swimmers.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 10, 2014 - 01:11pm PT
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Mark Simmons?
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Feb 10, 2014 - 01:31pm PT
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Nature...Wasn't Mark Simmons..The guys mom lives in town here so i take the 5th....Tanked whales..? Anything to make a buck eh...?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2014 - 01:31pm PT
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I couldn't agree more Locker!
Nature, what do you know about Mark Simmons?
Seems like he is on the take to me.
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Feb 10, 2014 - 03:10pm PT
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http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022166728_orcaferryxml.html
**Orcas circle ferry transporting tribal artifacts to Bainbridge Island
A large pod of orcas swam around a Washington state ferry in an impressive display as it happened to be carrying tribal artifacts to a new museum at the ancestral home of Chief Seattle.**
By DOUG ESSER
The Associated Press
A large pod of orcas swam around a Washington state ferry in an impressive display as it happened to be carrying tribal artifacts to a new museum at the ancestral home of Chief Seattle, and some people think it was more than a coincidence.
Killer whales have been thrilling whale watchers this week in Puget Sound, according to the Orca Network, which tracks sightings. But they were especially exciting Tuesday when nearly three dozen orcas surrounded the ferry from Seattle as it approached the terminal on Bainbridge Island. On board were officials from The Burke Museum in Seattle who were moving ancient artifacts to the Suquamish Museum.
The artifacts were dug up nearly 60 years ago from the site of the Old Man House in Kitsap County, the winter village for the Suquamish tribe and home of Chief Sealth, also known as Chief Seattle. The Burke, a natural-history museum on the University of Washington campus, is known for Northwest Coast and Alaska Native art.
Also on board the state ferry was Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman, who happened to be returning from an unrelated event. As the ferry slowed near the terminal, it was surrounded by the orcas, Forsman said Wednesday.
“They were pretty happily splashing around, flipping their tails in the water,” he said. “We believe they were welcoming the artifacts home as they made their way back from Seattle, back to the reservation.”
The killer whales have been in Puget Sound feeding on a large run of chum salmon, he said. “We believe the orcas took a little break from their fishing to swim by the ferry, to basically put a blessing on what we were on that day,” he said.
Forsman believes there’s a spiritual tie between the tribe and the orcas. “They are fishermen like we are,” he said. It was an auspicious arrival for about 500 artifacts that The Burke Museum had held for nearly 60 years, Suquamish Museum Director Janet Smoak said.
They include tools, decorative items and bits of bone and rock that date back 2,000 years.
The Old Man House — the largest known longhouse on the Salish Sea — was located at Suquamish on the shore of Agate Passage, about 13 miles northwest of Seattle. Chief Sealth, for whom Seattle is named, is buried there.
The longhouse was burned down by the U.S. government in the late 1800s. The artifacts were collected by a University of Washington archaeological investigation in the 1950s, according to the Burke Museum. In 2012, the tribe completed its new museum, which includes a climate-controlled environment. The artifacts will be displayed to illustrate Suquamish culture in an exhibit called Ancient Shores Changing Tides.
Everyone was talking about the orcas at the Tuesday museum-blessing ceremony and feast, Smoak said. “Everyone was really excited and moved by the event,” she said.
The orcas, identified from their markings as members of the J and K pods, were seen this week along several routes between the Seattle area and the west side of Puget Sound, according to Howard Garrett of the Orca Network at Freeland, Island County. He thought their intersection with the ferry carrying tribal artifacts was uncanny.
“I can’t rule out somehow they could pick up on the mental energy that there is something special there. Or it could be a coincidence,” he said. “I don’t know.”
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atchafalaya
Boulder climber
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Feb 10, 2014 - 05:05pm PT
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"Poor SOBS nearly killed us.. I sick of the WHOLE OF ASIA myself. Japan? Korea? China? fekk em all."
The shithole of moundhouse is probably safe Ron. I thought you only hated Hispanic and African Americans? Guess we can add Asian to the list...
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Feb 10, 2014 - 06:42pm PT
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Ron..do you still keep guppies in your water bed...?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Feb 10, 2014 - 08:43pm PT
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The shithole of moundhouse is probably safe Ron. I thought you only hated Hispanic and African Americans? Guess we can add Asian to the list...
So I cannot criticize anybody for illegal or unethical behavior if they're a minority? Pretty typical liberal bullsh#t.
Illegal aliens breaking immigration laws and abusing our freebies = racist, you hate brown people.
Asians raping our oceans to quell their appetite for fish = racist, you hate the yellow folks.
African-immigrants telling Christian cultures they have to accept their culture after the minority culture is accepted into country = racist, you're intolerant of 3rd world cultures. You hate black people.
You people are stupid and are promoting the destruction of a vibrant culture, that ironically, so many come to embrace, or take advantage of.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2014 - 10:36pm PT
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Judgment Day has arrived for SeaWorld—well, at least in the court of public opinion.
Tonight, the documentary about captive orcas, Blackfish, premieres on CNN. The film centers on the 2010 death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau by Tilikum, raising serious questions about the highly profitable practice of keeping killer whales in captivity. While SeaWorld has criticized film, they have declined requests by CNN to be interviewed on camera. But, this week, company spokesman Fred Jacobs did provide written answers to a few of the most poignant issues in the documentary.
Most of these topics are discussed in my book, Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity. Readers will recognize SeaWorld’s latest attempt at positive spin as part of its eternal drive to make orcas in swimming pools appear to be a good thing, especially for the whales.
Here are some of the main points raised in the CNN Q&A with Jacobs, paired with what I discovered researching Death at SeaWorld.
Killer Whales in Captivity: 7 Reasons They Should Be Free
Conservation
Jacobs wrote SeaWorld has “assisted whales many times, including killer whales,” who were lost or stranded. But in at least three cases, SeaWorld seemed more interested in sending these orcas into a life of captivity to entertain tourists, rather than releasing them back into the ocean.
First there was Springer, a young female discovered in Puget Sound in 2002, alone and undernourished. As I reported, the main organizations working to help Springer were the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Vancouver Aquarium, the Center for Whale Research, and OrcaLab, on Johnstone Strait in British Columbia, the summer home to Springer’s pod.
Springer was eventually caught and transferred to a netted-off pen, where she could be fed and cared for. Many scientists and activists wanted to see her returned to her family, but her fate was uncertain.
According to my sources, SeaWorld wanted to see Springer taken captive. “The SeaWorld vet tried his best to find something wrong with Springer that would dictate that she be moved to a SeaWorld tank,” Howard Garrett of the Orca Network told me this week. He and his wife Susan Berta spent time with Springer in Washington.
Springer had settled near the Vashon Island ferry dock. “She chose one of the best fishing spots in Puget Sound, and was seen catching salmon with ease,” Garrett recalls. “She was always very active and alert. In the hour Springer was captured, we watched her do half a dozen breaches or half breaches. We didn't see anything about her condition to worry about.”
But, at the time, SeaWorld veterinarian Jim McBain told The Seattle Times that, "We're still worried about the next step. Her condition is a concern. This is not a robust killer whale.”
According to Garrett, "It was only the resounding voices of orca experts and conservationists who absolutely opposed captivity that turned efforts toward finding a way to transport her back to Johnstone Strait, where she did rejoin her family within 24 hours. She soon became an adopted member of her aunt's matritine and returned this year with her own newborn."
Shouka, ‘World’s Loneliest Whale,’ Relocated to SeaWorld San Diego to Live With Fellow Orcas
Jacobs also mentions a young female rescued off the coast of the Netherlands, named Morgan. Despite attempts by scientists and activists to win the whale's freedom, Morgan was sent to the Loro Parque theme park, in the Canary Islands, where she remains.
All killer whales at Loro Parque belong to SeaWorld, and now the company lists Morgan as part of their "collection" in papers filed with the SEC. There will be another legal hearing on Morgan's fate next month, but it's clear that SeaWorld has no intention of letting Morgan go. SeaWorld and Loro Parque claim that Morgan is "hearing impaired," but have not released data on how severe the impairment is.
Education
Millions of SeaWorld visitors, Jacobs wrote to CNN, "have experienced killer whales in a way that is personal, enriching and inspirational," adding that it is "our hope" that every SeaWorld visitor will leave the park "with a greater understanding of and appreciation for all the animals we display, including killer whales."
And while SeaWorld is certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meaning they meet minimum conservation requirements, during the several times I visited the park to research my book, I heard virtually nothing that would educate people about killer whales in the wild, how long they live, their social bonds, their hunting patterns, and ways to conserve their threatened natural habitats. Instead, I “learned” that whales like blaring music, roaring crowds, back-flips and French kissing.
Dr. Lori Marino, a prominent whale and dolphin scientist, says there is no reliable evidence that people get educated, or motivated to take action, after visiting a marine park.
“It is not proper to simply ask people whether they have learned or what they think they have learned, or how much they enjoyed the class,” Marino testified in a 2010 Congressional subcommittee hearing on killer whales in captivity. Direct testing of acquired knowledge, and not feel-good public opinion polling, is the only way to properly assess any education program. Industry-sponsored papers “typically involve asking visitors whether they think they have been educated. But they do not actually test knowledge,” she said. “There is no compelling or even strongly suggestive current evidence that visits to zoos and aquariums promote positive attitude change, learning or conservation actions.”
Research
"Much of what is known about the killer whale's anatomy, reproductive biology and capacity to learn was learned at SeaWorld and other accredited zoological institutions," Jacobs wrote.
There is no question that some killer whale research could only be conducted in a tank, and SeaWorld is to be commended for adding to our body of knowledge on the species. But a scan of the scientific studies cited by Jacobs reveals that several were conducted in the ocean, not at SeaWorld. Many studies conducted with SeaWorld orcas pertained mostly to animal husbandry and keeping whales in captivity. Others weren’t really studies at all.
Quality of Life
While Jacobs conceded that "a killer whale can and occasionally might travel as much as 100 miles in a day," he wrote that "swimming that distance is not integral to a whale's health and well-being.” And he added this: "They adapt very well to life in a zoological setting."
One wonders if Jacobs read the science on this issue. As I wrote in Death at SeaWorld: "Any species’ home range is as large as needed to support its food requirements. Animals with all their energy needs met in the immediate area evolved to have a small home range. But animals with energy requirements that were met only by widely dispersed sources evolved to cover a larger home range. Restricting an orca’s foraging range was precisely the reason why killer whales did not thrive in captivity. You cannot switch off millions of years of evolution just because an animal is captive."
All carnivores that are wide-ranging do poorly in captivity. One 2003 study analyzed data from predators with small home ranges, and those with large ranges and widely dispersed prey. The former did well enough in captivity: their health was good, they didn’t develop behavioral stereotypies (pacing, etc.), and they had lower infant-mortality rates. The latter fared much worse.
In Killer Controversy: Why Orcas Should No Longer Be Kept in Captivity, Dr. Naomi Rose writes “The science is in, and we should realize that nothing—not profit, not education, not conservation – can justify keeping this large, social, intelligent predator in a small box.” Her paper highlighted “the growing body of scientific evidence showing that orcas do not adapt to captivity,” including the example of captive female orcas giving birth too young and too often, which lead to a higher death rate for both mother and child.
Alternatives
Many opponents say the best thing for these animals is gradual retirement to netted-off sea pens. There, they wouldn’t have 100-mile-a-day ranges, but at least they would catch and eat live fish and live to the rhythms of the natural world. SeaWorld would still own the animals and could charge people to observe them from shore. It would be a win-win-win situation: for SeaWorld, for the public, and especially for the whales.
But SeaWorld disagrees. "Sea pens are not appropriate for long-term care," Jacobs claimed, without providing any supporting data. Apparently, we should just take his word for it.
"Our killer whale habitats are the largest and most sophisticated ever constructed for a marine mammal: 7 million gallons of continually filtered and chilled water," Jacobs said.
One expects that SeaWorld, at minimum, can filter and chill its own artificial seawater. But before deciding whether seven million gallons is sufficient to sustain these top oceanic predators, watch Blackfish and then make up your own mind.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Feb 10, 2014 - 11:10pm PT
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I'll give them this, the military has made awesome use of dolphins for mine recon and intel gathering.
The Orcas, yeah, they should release them.
Heard about the military sea-lion program? Pretty rad.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 11, 2014 - 01:10am PT
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Simmons and the rest of the Sea World employees of the century attempt to dismiss the facts that #blackfish has put forth. They've failed miserably. They continue to dig their own grave. At ever turn it's obvious.
It's getting close to the tipping point. I think Louie's next movie - The Heist - is going to really rock some worlds.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Feb 11, 2014 - 08:34am PT
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The documentary pointed out that female orcas can live to 100 in the wild and in captivity they live to 35..It also talked about the knucklehead that snuck into the tank after hours and tried to swim with the killer whale...they found the guy the next morning , dead , skinned , and on the back of the orca....
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2014 - 09:55am PT
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It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Rich guys getting richer! 2.7 BILLION per year
Any one near San Diego please come to the protest.
We must let $ea World know that we will not stop being a voice for these precious creatures who have lost their right to freedom, their right to live a natural life and are now imprisoned, artificially inseminated and forced to perform 'tricks' for food, all for human entertainment.
There are currently 42 orcas being held captive worldwide.
At least 136 wild orcas have been taken into captivity from the wild since 1961. 123 of these (or 90.4%) orcas are now dead.
-These mammals are the most intelligent animals living on the Earth today; to keep them in a swimming pool, is inherently cruel.
One of the most common causes of death of dolphins in captivity is suicide. Unlike humans, dolphins do not automatically breathe. Upon suffering deep depression, a dolphins can chose to not return to the surface for that last breath of air.
A staggering 53% of dolphins who have survived such an aggressive and violent capture, die within 90 days.
We will meet at the corner of $ea World Drive and $ea World Way.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
10:00am until 1:00pm
*PLEASE WEAR BLACK AND OR BLACK AND WHITE ATTIRE*
My husband Steve and I are going.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2014 - 01:09pm PT
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"SeaWorld is a shining example for the greedy everywhere that money can be made from exploiting dolphins. SeaWorld is the richest, most politically powerful park in the captivity industry. Through business relations and strategic investments, they encourage and help fund foreign parks. In the summer of 2011 for instance, SeaWorld bought sperm from Kshamenk, prisoner in the Argentinean theme park Mundo Marino. The money SeaWorld paid Mundo Marino will no doubt help keep that park afloat, ensuring Kshamenk’s continuous illegal enslavement." http://www.seashepherd.org/commentary-and-editorials/2013/10/14/seaworld-and-co-waza-and-imata-and-their-collaboration-with-the-dolphin-slaughter-in-japan-623
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win . Mahatma Gandhi.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2014 - 06:51pm PT
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First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win . Mahatma Gandhi.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Feb 11, 2014 - 09:02pm PT
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Where is Hitler when we need him???...
If only WHITE, AMERICAN people existed...
EVERYTHING would be so much better...
Thanks for demonstrating my previous point, Quisling! I suppose my criticism of the current prez also makes me a racist because I don't like black people?
Do you have any ability to think rationally, Locker, or is it all just knee-jerk accusations of racism when you can't debate on the merits of an issue?
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Feb 11, 2014 - 09:38pm PT
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Hitler is busy getting a prostate exam...you tube
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2014 - 09:04am PT
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The only way Black Fish was not accurate may very well be that the truth is much worse than what we saw & learned from the movie! Im afraid that there is so much more that has not been told yet about this hell pool venue!
There is a new movie about it in the works.
Is that your friends movie Nature?
One of the most common causes of death of dolphins in captivity is suicide. Unlike humans, dolphins do not automatically breathe. Upon suffering deep depression, a dolphins can chose to not return to the surface for that last breath of air.
A staggering 53% of dolphins who have survived such an aggressive and violent capture, die within 90 days.
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Jim Clipper
climber
from: forests to tree farms
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Feb 12, 2014 - 09:17am PT
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Just some questions. If you remove food sources for an organism from it's niche, what affect will it have on the balance of the ecosystem? Does it make sense to take some top predators out of the system as well? Why eat organisms from lower trophic levels? What effect will it have on the environment?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 13, 2014 - 09:46am PT
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Yes, Jim I think we need to remove a lot of top predators from the ecosystem.
There are 7 billion of them. We need to get that down to about 1 million.
The world would be abetter place for sure!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 13, 2014 - 11:31am PT
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We wanted to give you a quick update on the campaign to help two wild orcas who were kidnapped off the coast of Russia – and who were believed to be destined for a cruel display in Sochi during the 2014 Winter Olympics.
We've learnt that the orcas were never transported to Sochi and that the opening ceremony of the Olympics did not feature any marine animals.
While it's good news that the Olympic Games have steered clear of exploiting orcas, the captured animals, a female and a young male, are still facing the prospect of a horrible life sentence, locked in a concrete prison and forced to perform until the day they die.
The latest reports indicate that the two orcas, along with several others captured at the same time, are currently being kept in Moscow and will be used at a new aquarium that is being built in the Russian capital. These orcas still need our help!
Please share this campaign with your family and friends to help these magnificent wild animals regain their freedom:
https://col127.mail.live.com/default.aspx?id=64855#n=444499465&fid=1&mid=84f53a94-9418-11e3-aae8-00237de469d4&fv=1
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2014 - 09:00am PT
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Another 'Blackfish' Black Eye for SeaWorld: Teens Plea for Park to Free Captive Killer Whales
Compelled by the new documentary to speak their minds, San Diego high schoolers want justice for SeaWorld's enslaved orcas.
The body blows just keep on coming for SeaWorld.
Two weeks after the anti-captivity documentary Blackfish premiered on CNN, elevating to the national discourse an issue that had typically been the purview of cetacean activists, students at Point Loma High School in San Diego have produced a striking video response to the film, methodically laying out their indictment of keeping cetaceans in swimming pools for the delight of tourists. They have vowed not to return to the amusement park until whales and dolphins are retired from show business.
Titled "Dear SeaWorld," the video features articulate students taking turns speaking in front of an elegantly simple backdrop. It begins with the kids recounting their visits to SeaWorld San Diego, just three miles from their high school, and thanking the park for years of entertainment as they were growing up.
The War Between CNN and SeaWorld Over 'Blackfish' Escalates
"Dear SeaWorld, thank you for all your amazing memories,” a young woman begins. "The Shamu show…," says another student. "Dolphin Point…," another says. One student thanks SeaWorld for "all the cute, cuddly teddy bears."
Then the narrative takes a big turn.
A student explains, "After watching the documentary Blackfish on CNN..." Then another student picks up the line: "…all of those memories have been totally cheapened."
Then come the hard-hitting questions.
"Is it true the orcas in your exhibits were kidnapped from their families?" asks one student. (The film’s star orca, Tilikum, who killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in February 2010 at the Orlando park, was snatched from his mother’s side in the waters off Iceland in 1983. In the subsequent 30 years, the 12,000-pound marine mammal has sired 54 percent of SeaWorld’s current orcas.)
"Is it true their life span is shortened in captivity?" asks another student. (Annual mortality rates for captive orcas are two and a half times higher than for wild whales.)
"Is it true that there have been multiple attacks on trainers in your parks?" yet another asks. (The answer is a resounding yes, and it will be the subject of oral arguments in federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on November 12.)
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/11/07/high-schoolers-shame-seaworld-over-killer-whale-captivity-blackfish-cnn
"Until these questions are answered,” the students continue, "there will be no more admission tickets...no more rides...no more teddy bears."
From the mouths of babes, this video packs a wallop.
Nadeem Mayer, a student at the school, tells TakePart: "I believe that the captive holding of orcas at SeaWorld is more than abuse—these animals are active, smart, and social. They require more living space and interaction; conditions such as those can only be found in the wild."
The student's adviser, Cinematic Arts instructor Anthony Palmiotto, also has no qualms about criticizing such a popular local institution. "Orcas weren't meant to be kept in pools, and elephants weren't meant to be kept in cages," he tells me. "Deep down, everyone knows using animals for entertainment purposes is wrong. The time has come for SeaWorld to get civilized."
The video ends with the same simple eloquence with which it began.
"We don’t expect SeaWorld to close its doors," one student declares. "We just invite you to change its business model," says another, "and stop using animals for entertainment."
Awesome Job Kids!
Watch the video!
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/11/07/high-schoolers-shame-seaworld-over-killer-whale-captivity-blackfish-cnn
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2014 - 12:40pm PT
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Happy Valentines day!
Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING Appreciation After Being freed from gill net.
http://youtu.be/tcXU7G6zhjU
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Feb 14, 2014 - 01:02pm PT
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Because it became necessary to destroy the environment, in order to save it.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2014 - 09:47am PT
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because it seemed like a good idea at the time....
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2014 - 07:04pm PT
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Tomorrow is the protest at Sea World at 10 am
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2014 - 01:11pm PT
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That is our kind of droopy banner that says Boycott Seaworld on it!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 18, 2014 - 10:50pm PT
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Lolita won a major victory as she has been (re) included into L-pod and is now consider an endangered species. It paves the way for her release. There's a good chance that on our trip to the San Juan's this summer we may get a chance to visit her in the pen that has been prepared for her.
Fingers crossed for Morgan tomorrow....
Jai Jai Jai Lolita!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 20, 2014 - 12:03pm PT
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Jim, I'm not sure I have a percentage for you. What I understand is the chances are fairly high. There's two reasons I'm aware of for this optimism.
1) She was old enough before she was captured to learn how to capture her own food. I visited the Clearwater Marine Aquarium this past week (a 503.c with their hearts in the right place). They have three dolphins. One is missing its tail (and for training/therapy purposes has a prosthetic tail). All three were rescued at a very young age and none would survive if released because they do not know how to hunt/feed. Wasn't stoked they were making them do tricks but otherwise the experience was good.
2) she recognizes the calls from her family. Her mom and mostly like grandmother (L2 - Granny - 102 years old) are still alive.
The path forward is this. They have an open pen waiting for her on San Jaun Island. Southern Resident L-pod very often visits the area (they live there). She'd be introduce to the pen and then they'd go from there. They'd observe her - giving her chances to chase and eat salmon. After some time they'd if she can show she can feed herself they'd eventually open the pen when L-pod is in the area and let her make up her own mind. L-pod would be all.... Yo! girlfriend... where the hell have you been for the last forty years?!?!?!?! And she'd swim off.
It's interesting... if this continues to go the way that it is there's a good chance she'd be in the pen when we visit in June.
This is Nicholas. He was found at about 9 months old beached with his mom. She passed away two months after rescue. The white is scars left form 2nd and 3rd degree sunburns. I spent some time just hanging with him after his show. He did laps and every time around looked at me.
Winter's tail
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2014 - 09:56am PT
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Wow Nature,
That is great news!
I hope she does well and gets reunited with her family!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 24, 2014 - 01:11pm PT
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Nature, great ending btw
Yo! girlfriend... where the hell have you been for the last forty years?!?!?!?! And she'd swim off.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 24, 2014 - 05:30pm PT
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http://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/urge-noaa-to-protect-north-atlantic-right-whales-before-feb-27?cmpid=action-eml-2014-02-24-whales
Urge NOAA to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales Before Feb. 27!
We, the undersigned, are concerned about the survival of the North Atlantic right whale. The American Pilots Association’s proposed changes to the ship strike rule will put these whales back in the way of deadly ship strikes. While your agency recently extended the ship strike rule, we know that our fight is not over.
Please dismiss the Pilots Association’s request to remove the restrictions of the ship strike rule from all federally maintained dredged entrance channels and pilot boarding areas between New York and Florida.
I stand with organizations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation in urging NOAA Fisheries to ensure that the fewer than 500 remaining North Atlantic right whales have a safe area to live.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2014 - 11:21am PT
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http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/11/20/seaworld-appeals-ruling-trainers-death-eyewitness-interviews-are-released?cmpid=tp-internal-taboola
This week, attorneys for SeaWorld Florida and the Obama administration are completing briefs for a showdown in U.S. federal court, where SeaWorld will try to overturn a lower-court ruling against the park in the February 24, 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau. Now, through the Freedom of Information Act, TakePart has obtained eyewitness interviews conducted by the Orange County Sheriff’s office on or around that fateful day.
The federal judges hearing SeaWorld’s appeal should also listen to these tapes: They portray a horrific afternoon of violence and terror as the 12,000-pound killer whale Tilikum grabbed his trainer, pulled her underwater, scalped, rammed and dismembered her, and then refused to relinquish her body....
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2014 - 03:19pm PT
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NY State Senator Greg Ball has started legislation to ban the possession and harboring of killer whales in New York State aquariums and sea parks! We need more politicians, and states taking these measures, but it must start somewhere... Please show your support by signing the Senator's petition:
http://www.nysenate.gov/webform/sign-petition-end-torture
Sign The Petition To End The Torture | New York State Senate
http://www.nysenate.gov
Sign Senator Greg Ball’s Petition to ban the possession and harboring of killer whales in New York State aquariums and sea parks.
Awesome job Senator!
Sign this one please!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2014 - 06:38pm PT
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NRDC BioGems Defenders
Whales can't stop deadly Navy sonar; WE CAN! Please tell the Navy to put safeguards in place that will protect marine mammals during routine training! www.SaveWhalesNow.org
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2014 - 12:26pm PT
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THIS IS SO INSPIRING!
http://www.lifebuzz.com/drone/
Captain Dave Anderson of Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari in Dana Point, California recently filmed and edited this 5 minute video taken with a drone. It shows thousands of dolphins, three gray whales migrating off the coast of San Clemente, and a humpback whale snuggling with her calf in Maui.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2014 - 10:27am PT
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Wow TGT,
That is an amazing article! We know so little about what goes on in the ocean!
I wish all the other sea life was as good at avoiding gill nets!
Thanks!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2014 - 10:44am PT
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"For months, SeaWorld seemed to hope a surge of bad press and protests surrounding a controversial documentary would fade away.
Then a wave of high-profile entertainers canceled appearances at the company’s marine parks late last year and SeaWorld decided it couldn’t stay silent about “Blackfish” any longer.
The company launched an aggressive media campaign of persistent anti-”Blackfish” social media posts, polished videos featuring SeaWorld employees and full-page ads in some of the nation’s largest newspapers.
But what message is SeaWorld projecting? Here are some key takeaways from SeaWorld’s anti-”Blackfish” offensive."
http://voiceofsandiego.org/2014/03/04/takeaways-from-seaworlds-big-anti-blackfish-campaign/
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Go California!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 7, 2014 - 10:41am PT
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Please contact Assembly member Richard Bloom - District 50
http://asmdc.org/members/a50/
Please tell him you support the bill that would ban SeaWorld orca shows!
Thanks
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 8, 2014 - 06:52pm PT
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Here is another poll that need our yes vote.
http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/3/7/seaworld_orca_ban.html#.UxungXqovBk.facebook
This is so great!
This could really happen!
This is the letter I sent to Assemblyman Bloom
Kudos to California for taking a stand on banning captive orcas! The physcological damaging affect of being captive, forced to entertain, and being in an unhealthy sized tank is so overwhelming to Cetaceans. I hope other states and countries will follow suit. I also wish that the bill would cover dolphins too. Theses Cetaceans are highly intelligent and social creatures, being captive for the sole purpose of entertainment for humans is indubitably wrong on so many levels. I have seen both orcas and dolphins in the wild in their natural state.
Sea World will survive. A company that make 2.5 billion dollars per year can afford to build some rides and entertain it's customers in another manner. Heck, I'll even go there if they stop this inhumane practice!
THANK YOU FOR THIS PROPOSED BILL!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Scott, whales will do fine in the wild. Certain cultures need to adapt though. Namely, Japanese, Chinese and Scandanavian cultures who continue to rape the oceans of whales, dolphins, and sharks.
Karen should re-focus her attention on that, not on US facilities that use them for entertainment. It's not really right, but we aren't killing them!
We are the nicest people on Earth when it comes to sea-mammals. We preserve them, and nurture them.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Yeah, I'll step out yer way, Scott. You're the logical one here...
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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If the whales are turned loose, they'll just beat it back up to Penn Cove where they came from, and spend their days begging for sardines while doing tricks for the tourists at the Coupeville Wharf.
Why wouldn't they? What else do they know?
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Ward Trotter
Trad climber
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Karen should re-focus her attention on that, not on US facilities that use them for entertainment. It's not really right, but we aren't killing them!
Good point. The environmental movement is simply trying to take advantage of the moment with this film "Blackfish" out there ---much like the anti-nuclear movement successfully did with "The China Syndrome" many years ago. Part of the political and propaganda synergy between the Hollywood /film establishment and the activist left.
Environmental movements around the world are linked ---but also clearly have their own spheres of influence and political pedaling ---driven by money, and even electoral politics.
US environmental groups would never think of interfering with, say, any European problem with the Scandinavians killing some whales---this is the strict domain of the various Green Parties in Europe. Likewise with elsewhere, like Japan.
This" Blackfish problem " recently identified , is predicated on ramping up a new political and PR front for the US environmental movement in order to improve donations and support. (They should have timed this Blackfish thing to come out slightly before the mid-term elections next November.)
Personally I think they ought to open the gates and free Willy---let him come back and do some tricks to earn a paycheck like the rest of us, if he wants----so , leave the gates open.
AVAST !!! Ye landlubbers...
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2014 - 11:25pm PT
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petitlitterateur Suq Madiq • 2 days ago
This won't kill tourism. For crap's sake, the bill even allows them to *keep the orcas on display in sea pens that can be open to the public.* It just doesn't allow marine parks to keep orcas in cement tanks that damage their mental wellbeing, and doesn't let them use orcas for entertainment. Come on, folks. We're all at least a little bit literate, right? We can read basic information about a piece of legislation, right?
Stephen Pingpourri Suq Madiq • 2 days ago
SeaWorld is a PR disaster... the moral argument about keeping orcas in captivity is not going to go away. That part of SaWorld is finished. This bill will only speed up a process that has already started. Cali needs to invest in tourism that isn't going to eventually cause moral outrage.
KJR • 2 days ago
Bravo to State Assembly member Richard Bloom... He is a Hero. .... And applause to Dr. Naomi Rose and Gabriela Cowperthwaite as well. It is about time somebody did SOMETHING Here's to hoping the bill becomes a law! This would be a huge positive step towards freedom for cetaceans. And hopefully snowballs to other states like FL & TX!!!
ericmills • a day ago
Heartfelt thanks to Assemblymember Richard Bloom for this long overdue legislation. I only wish it covered ALL captive cetaceans, and not just the orcas (the largest member of the dolphin family). A major move in the right direction, nonetheless.
AB 2140 will likely be assigned to the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee for a hearing in late March. The committee is chaired by Assemblymember Anthony Rendon. Other members are Frank Bigelow, Travis Allen, Raul Bocanegra, Brian Dahle, Paul Fong, Jim Frazier, Beth Gaines, Mike Gatto, Jimmy Gomez, Lorena Gonzalez, Adam Gray, Jim Patterson, Freddie Rodriguez and Mariko Yamada.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP: Support letters are needed NOW. ALL LEGISLATORS MAY BE WRITTEN C/O THE STATE CAPITOL, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814. And send Assemblymember Bloom a thank-you note, too.
I couldn't have said it better!
Coz, why don't you read the whole thread all of you questions are answered
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Logical and polite is ok where I come from. Yes ma'am and sir are heard all around town as well.
If sea world was filleting the whales and serving up flipper steaks then I could see being a bit upset. Really though, i guess we should outlaw "ownership" of dogs and cats as well.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Good point. The environmental movement is simply trying to take advantage of the moment with this film "Blackfish" out there ---much like the anti-nuclear movement successfully did with "The China Syndrome" many years ago. Part of the political and propaganda synergy between the Hollywood /film establishment and the activist left.
Environmental movements around the world are linked ---but also clearly have their own spheres of influence and political pedaling ---driven by money, and even electoral politics.
US environmental groups would never think of interfering with, say, any European problem with the Scandinavians killing some whales---this is the strict domain of the various Green Parties in Europe. Likewise with elsewhere, like Japan.
This" Blackfish problem " recently identified , is predicated on ramping up a new political and PR front for the US environmental movement in order to improve donations and support. (They should have timed this Blackfish thing to come out slightly before the mid-term elections next November.)
Personally I think they ought to open the gates and free Willy---let him come back and do some tricks to earn a paycheck like the rest of us, if he wants----so , leave the gates open.
AVAST !!! Ye landlubbers...
Rock on, brother.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Mar 10, 2014 - 10:41am PT
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How do you respond to the many studies that suggest that the captivity of a few Whales, saves the lives of thousands in the wild, through public awareness?
citations please...
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 11, 2014 - 10:50am PT
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http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/us/california-bill-orca-killer-whale-seaworld/
This is a good article.
"It is time that we embrace that the long-accepted practice of keeping orcas captive for human amusement must end," state Assemblyman Richard Bloom, a Democrat from Santa Monica, said at a press conference Friday at the city's oceanfront pier.
"This is about greed and this is about corporate exploitation, both of the whales and the trainers, but most importantly the whales," said John Hargrove, a former SeaWorld orca trainer who resigned in August 2012.
The proposed law would end performance-based entertainment for all killer whales in California, captive breeding programs and the export and import of genetic material, and the import and export of orcas within the state.
Also, the proposal would retire all captive killer whales to sea pens if available and would allow retired orcas to be on display, but not perform. The bill would limit the amount of human interaction for trainer safety, according to Bloom's fact sheet.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 11, 2014 - 11:33pm PT
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https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3337
I am appalled at the Navy's five-year plan for training and testing with sonar and explosives, which would needlessly kill or maim thousands of whales and other marine mammals. The Navy should be putting safeguards in place that will dramatically reduce the threat to whales without compromising military readiness. But, instead, the Navy is preparing to defend its unconscionable plan in court.
Please sign this petition.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Mar 13, 2014 - 11:58am PT
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Whales are nasty creatures who pollute our swimming waters with their poop and pee.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 13, 2014 - 10:09pm PT
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Hey cuvvy,
How is the 2nd grade?
Do you like your teacher?
HELP STOP THE NAVY'S ASSAULT ON WHALES!
The Navy is prepared to kill nearly 1,000 whales and other marine mammals during the next five years of testing and training with dangerous sonar and explosives. Tell Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to direct the Navy to adopt commonsense safeguards that will protect marine mammals during routine training without compromising military readiness.
http://www.savebiogems.org/action-center/
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Mar 13, 2014 - 10:57pm PT
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Really though, i guess we should outlaw "ownership" of dogs and cats as well.
Just give 'em some time.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 14, 2014 - 11:37am PT
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Chewybacca
Trad climber
Montana, Whitefish
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Mar 14, 2014 - 03:59pm PT
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Karen, thanks for the updates and I commend you for not feeding the trolls. If one ignores them they will go elsewhere to get that attention they need so badly.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Mar 14, 2014 - 06:30pm PT
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Coz said: "....you guys have absolutely no answer or science behind what you're doing."
Science? Of course not, this is totally emotions. But I'm onboard, that crap has always made me uncomfortable, never took my family there. Went the circus once with them, felt the same way with a few acts. (ie, elephants and lions made to perform for money, forced to live a in a f*ed up environment totally non- native to them)
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Mar 16, 2014 - 09:48pm PT
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Ouch! Good one!
2nd grade was quite nice. Seems like just yesterday. Really wasn't that long ago.
I remember a trip to the zoo to see all the imprisoned animals.
I'm pretty sure I thought about that at the time. Why did they have to live like that?
But, it was a fun out of school adventure.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 17, 2014 - 04:55pm PT
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Mar 17, 2014 - 05:48pm PT
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There is no science behind this...it hasn't been researched as far as I can tell. Someone would have to pay for that research generally, or perhaps a college student working on a masters or doctorate. But I can tell you that my kids and I feel we have learned more by watching videos like the BBC's Blue Planet and Planet Earth or National Geographic vids on various topics than going to Sea World. Even the Monterey Aquarium is a much better option. Kids just see cute animals at seaworld, whereas informational videos can (not always that is for sure) show much more of a creatures' lifestyle. Learning to respect nature is different than learning to be entertained by nature. So what I am saying is that the replacement for Sea World is already out there and has been for years; Wildlife videos. Educate yourself.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Mar 17, 2014 - 07:31pm PT
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Jeeze. I think it's obvious that Karen wants to willfully destroy the established method that teaches people that these animals are there to entertain us and to be screwed with. If you can't put yourself in the other persons shoes, you'll never understand what they are saying or where they are coming from. I'm saying that it has already been replaced by good wildlife video work. Show the kids the videos. Go to the aquarium. Done deal.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Mar 17, 2014 - 08:04pm PT
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skcreidc +1
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2014 - 10:16am PT
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skcreidc x3
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Mar 19, 2014 - 09:53am PT
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I suppose if you want to get rid of circuses, zoos, and ban humans from owning dogs, cats, turtles, birds, fish,etc, outlaw making dogs do tricks for treats, and the like, I could go along with your petition.Oh, and of course dog breeders who pump out unnecessary quantities of animals for profit. But, if youve got animals in captivity and a dog youve taught tricks for your amusement,im not buying into it.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 21, 2014 - 10:43am PT
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ps... I like the new ron better
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2014 - 10:33am PT
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Meet the Lawmaker Behind the #SeaWorld10 Bill to End Orca Captivity
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/03/24/meet-lawmaker-behind-seaworld10-bill-end-orca-captivity
"As for their second argument, I completely understand the economic value and jobs that SeaWorld provides. But I don’t think anybody would ever argue that we can justify jobs by supporting bad conduct. We can have disagreements about that, but there’s no intention whatsoever to do economic harm to SeaWorld. It’s a weak argument. They have a whole bunch of other exhibits and theme-park rides. Their business model doesn’t depend on orcas."
What can people inside or outside California do?
Anybody interested can contact legislators here. Of course, it’s most meaningful for legislators to hear from their own constituents. And it’s important to keep this debate civil. There’s been very uncivil discourse going on. This is an important topic, but one we can engage in civilly. A petition for the bill has upwards of 1.5 million online signatures. It’s heartwarming to know that a lot of folks are supporting this. Anything that even approaches that number is indicative of just how strong public sentiment is on this issue. I’ve done some things before that were pretty popular, but this really is on a far different level.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 3, 2014 - 07:17pm PT
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Help Bring an End to Orca Captivity in California - Support AB 2140
http://www.congressweb.com/awi/44/thankyou?resultId=29DFE11A-CB34-6093-36DA75472F6679B6
Please call your Assembly member (but not other members) today with a brief, polite message urging them to support AB 2140! Assembly members can also be contacted by letter, fax, or email to let them know that protecting orcas is important to you.
The Orca Welfare and Safety Act (AB 2140) will receive its first hearing in the Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife of the California State Assembly on Tuesday, April 8th at 9 a.m. Please attend to show your support for the bill and, if you wish, to speak up on its behalf. All those wishing to provide public comment in support of the bill will be allowed a chance to do so. You will only be required to state your name, any affiliation and your support for the bill.
(Room 437, Legislative Office Building, 1020 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814). Please arrive early to secure your place in the room.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 6, 2014 - 08:53pm PT
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Hey where dod that video go? I was just about to watch it!
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okie
Trad climber
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Yeah, saw the documentary "Blackfish." Pretty horrendous. That flaccid dorsal fin says it all.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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I have eaten muktuk: bowhead whale blubber.
In an eskimo village where they are allowed to hunt.
I agree that holding these creatures in little fish bowls is a cruel thing, though.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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"California Bill Ending SeaWorld Orca Shows Stalls"
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/calif-bill-end-seaworld-killer-whale-shows-23232546
"A California bill that sought to end killer whale shows at SeaWorld in San Diego and phase out keeping them in captivity has been put on hold, meaning it's dead for the year.
The bill's author, Democrat Richard Bloom of Santa Monica, agreed on Tuesday during the first committee hearing for AB2140 to revisit his proposal after further study.
He says lawmakers weren't ready to vote and that the discussion to date has been fueled by fear and misinformation.
Bloom was inspired by the documentary "Blackfish." The filmmakers argue that captivity and mistreatment of orcas make the animals aggressive and has led to attacks on trainers.
Dozens of animal rights activists packed the hearing room to support the bill, which will not be taken up again until sometime next year."
They were too chicken to even vote.
If not now, when? If not in California, where?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 9, 2014 - 10:14am PT
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Hey Chaz,
Here is another one from the LA times
Panel delays action on killer-whale show ban, says more study needed
Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), chairman of the Parks, Water and Wildlife Committee, said the issue of killer whales in captivity is too complex to be decided after a hearing of less than two hours.
The panel's action, called sending a bill to "interim study," triggers a process that will last until at least mid-2015, Rendon said. The action did not require a vote.
Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, one of the bill's backers, said she was disappointed by the committee's move but pleased that discussion about killer whales will continue.
SeaWorld officials had told the committee that the bill would cripple the park's program of rescuing injured animals in the wild. Also, SeaWorld officials suggested that SeaWorld would ship its killer whales out of California before the bill became effective.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-killer-whale-ban-committee-delay-20140408,0,3028399.story#ixzz2yOlYwjbI
Not the best news but not the worst either!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 9, 2014 - 11:49am PT
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comments
marthasullivan Guest
The San Diego Tourism authority reports that 12% of overnight visitors to San Diego visit SeaWorld -- that is NOT a "major driver to the region's tourism economy". Disney's 2 parks in Anaheim and Universal Studios' in Hollywood each draw more visitors than any of SeaWorld's parks, and they do not feature performing wild animal species. SeaWorld can evolve its 50-yr-old business model away from this archaic practice and provide a much more realistic and thrilling experience for its visitors via the cutting edge digital technology for which California is renown.
rjc1978 Guest
"Among the topics to be studied would be whether orcas in captivity live as long as orcas in the wild, whether it is practical to build sea pens, and whether the orcas are suffering, as the AB 2140 backers insist, or thriving, as SeaWorld insists.". So if the Orcas live as long as their brethren in the wild and its impractical to build "sea pens" and they're enjoying being used as circus animals for our entertainment then what the hell let the show go on! Great rationalization - and because the Orcas captor (Seaworld) insists that these beautiful and intelligent creatures are thriving in captivity is really an objective point of view$$$$$$$$!« less
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Apr 10, 2014 - 04:51pm PT
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12% seems like a lot. If one were to get a 12% pay raise that would be significant! If 12% of the population were to vanish overnight that would be significant!
Not sure kids need to watch more digital anything.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 13, 2014 - 05:07pm PT
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Court upholds ruling against SeaWorld
A legal setback for SeaWorld could change how its trainers interact with killer whales. A federal appeals court says SeaWorld violated workplace safety laws in a situation tied to the death of a female trainer in 2010. NBC's Ron Mott reports.
http://www.today.com/video/today/54936062#54936062
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 15, 2014 - 09:33am PT
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"Blackfish" Responds To SeaWorld's 69 Critiques
SeaWorld has issued yet another critique against the film, "Blackfish." This critique is more detailed, yet is equally specious and misleading. So, once again, the "Blackfish" production team has crafted a rebuttal.
What makes this latest effort unique is the timing. It comes on the heels of AB2140, the groundbreaking legislation that seeks to bring an end to “orcas for entertainment” in California.
Although "Blackfish" served as a portal of entry for the many controversial issues surrounding whales in captivity and trainer safety, the bill was introduced because millions have since chosen to seek their own answers. And they have largely come to the same conclusion as the film: killer whales are not suited to captivity and the trainers who work in close proximity to them aren’t safe (a conclusion reaffirmed by the recent U.S. Court Of Appeals rejection of SeaWorld’s appeal of OSHA’s citations).
Furthermore, "Blackfish" exercised considerable discipline in its storytelling, choosing not to cover the many issues that are now surfacing about SeaWorld:
The administration of benzodiazepine (Valium) to many killer whales who are said to be experiencing grief, stress or anxiety.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of multiple whales.
The circumstances involving the injuries of multiple trainers.
The scant amount of revenues (roughly .06% of $1.5 billion a year) that SeaWorld puts toward conservation.
SeaWorld’s ongoing methods of obtaining marine mammals from the wild.
https://www.thedodo.com/community/GabrielaCowperthwaite/blackfish-responds-to-seaworld-510315316.html
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2014 - 10:34am PT
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Earth Day 2014: Whales at the White House
Join Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, Founder, Mission Blue/Sylvia Earle Alliance, along with Dr. David E. Guggenheim, the “Ocean Doctor” (president of Ocean Doctor and Board Member of the Great Whale Conservancy), with Michael Fishbach and Dr. Gershon Cohen, Co-Directors of the Great Whale Conservancy, for a unique Earth Day event on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 (Earth Day) at 2pm ET on the Ellipse below the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.
Special Guest of Honor: Mz Blue, Great Whale Conservancy’s life-size 90-foot blue whale inflatable (see photo to right)!
Purpose: To ask President Obama to direct the Navy to remove its objection to the use of an alternate shipping lane in California waters to reduce the killing of blue whales from ship strikes.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 27, 2014 - 10:18am PT
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https://www.thedodo.com/the-5-dumbest-things-seaworld--521507954.html
Last December, the Orlando Business Journal published an online poll to determine whether or not “Blackfish” had altered Orlando residents’ perception of SeaWorld. When the results came in, they seemed overwhelmingly favorable to the theme park -- until a simple look at responders’ IP addresses revealed that the incredible positivity came from a single computer network … at SeaWorld.
In an interview with CNBC this past January, Stephen Schwarzman -- CEO of Blackstone, SeaWorld’s primary shareholder at the time -- said that orca trainer Dawn Brancheau “violated all the safety rules” SeaWorld had in place at the time of her death. Facing intense backlash, SeaWorld was immediately forced to distance itself from Schwarzman’s comments.
I totally agree Base!
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Apr 27, 2014 - 12:22pm PT
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From the L.A. Times:
"SeaWorld San Diego has 10 orcas: four caught in the wild, six born in captivity."
"SeaWorld San Diego, which drew 4.6 million visitors last year, employs 4,500 workers during the summer, and pays $14 million a year in rent to the city for property on Mission Bay. Forty percent of SeaWorld visitors stay in local hotels, and the average visitor spends $371 a day, compared with $177 for all tourists..."
That's a hell of a lot of economic activity generated by just ten whales.
Here's what they'd be doing if they weren't busy performing tricks for sardines:
http://blog.sfgate.com/stienstra/2014/04/26/orcas-attack-gray-whales-in-monterey-bay-11-pics/#22796101=0
"With the calf pushed to the side of its mother, the orcas then dragged the baby whale below the surface and drowned it"
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Apr 27, 2014 - 06:19pm PT
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I like that big blowup whale!!!!!!
I would agree maybe they could put more into conservation,I suppose we all should give 1 percent of our wages to such causes. After all, many give 10 percent to the church and all they seem to do is promote guilt and hatred toward non conformists.
But, you have to admit, there is a lot of economic benefit to having a few of those cute little buggers doing the occasional trick(especially if the above statistics are close to accurate)
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 28, 2014 - 09:55am PT
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Nature,
I think the new film is going to be a great one! I really hope it gets people motivated to try and change things.
Chaz and cuvvy,
No one wants Sea world to close it's doors. We want them to change their business model and no longer torture whales and dolphins for entertainment.
They are perfectly capable of coming up with other forms of entertainment.
Their attendance numbers will continue to decline until they make changes!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 29, 2014 - 10:10am PT
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Driver Leilani Munter, the rare combination of female NASCAR superstar AND dedicated animal rights activist, is revving up for Talladega Superspeedway, by debuting her brand-new “Blackfish” inspired car this May. The driver, who has been an outspoken opponent of cetaceans in captivity, is not new to driving cars for a cause -- in 2012, she took to the track in a car inspired by the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” a film that exposed the brutal dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
Now, Munter is strapping herself into the “Blackfish” car to raise awareness for orcas in captivity and to shut down SeaWorld as we currently know it. In an interview with The Dodo she spoke about her dedication to animal rights -- from volunteering at a wildlife rescue and being a Cove guardian to transitioning into a vegan diet. She also revealed what it’s like to ride in a whale of a car:
https://www.thedodo.com/she-rides-for-blackfish-nascar-526293830.html
Yay!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2014 - 09:18am PT
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Flipper vs. Jaws: Amazing Dolphins Stage a Rescue After Swimmer Is Pursued by Shark
It’s not unusual for athlete Adam Walker to come across marine life during his open-water swims. But last week, as he spent a grueling eight hours and 36 minutes swimming in Cook Strait, New Zealand, a pod of dolphins saved his life.
What appeared to be a six-foot-long great white shark was lurking beneath the surface when about 10 dolphins started swimming alongside Walker. The predator then split, and the pod stayed with him for more than an hour.
“I’d like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home,” Walker wrote in a Facebook post. It’s a fitting assumption, considering he was swimming to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a nonprofit working to save the marine mammals across the globe.
http://www.takepart.com/video/2014/04/28/back-shark-amazing-dolphins-save-man-swimming-raise-funds-marine-conservation?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-04-29
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Apr 30, 2014 - 11:36am PT
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Stories of dolphins helping people have been around for a long time.
I believe cetaceans have a sense of humor like we do.
Friend and I out surfing in Leucadia on a small day ended up just sitting on our boards talking. All of a sudden we hear a rush of water to our right, look over to see what looked like a seal flipper going under water. We continue talking when the whole region around us, perhaps a 12 foot diameter area, "boils" up about 2 inches. We are FREAKED, looking at each other like WTF?? couple seconds later "it" comes up to breathe with a loud woosh about 20 feet to our left. Its a grey whale. We both sigh in relief, and looking around we now can see the track of the animal as it made a big U shaped turn towards land just to "buzz" us. Ended up turning a boring day into a memorable one.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2014 - 10:14pm PT
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great story skcreidc !
I LOVE THIS STORY TOO.
A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.
This is her story of giving gratitude.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so badly off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her…. a very dangerous proposition.
One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you be so fortunate …
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 3, 2014 - 10:18am PT
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FYI
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2014 - 09:22am PT
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Mount Carmel High School recently announced their prom is located at SeaWorld and Meadowbrook Middle School's ASES program had a field trip over spring break.
I find both of these choices incredibly irresponsible on the part of our so-called progressive district. Not only is it promoting animal abuse and cruelty, instead of the ever-important values of conservation and environmentalism, but it also surrounds students in the middle of a controversy. Never should students feel the need of removing themselves from an activity or feel guilt when participating.
Multiple friends of mine at Mount Carmel have messaged me, expressing their disgust at the decision. One of them says he will still go to prom, though he feels horrible about it.
I talked to the ASB Supervisor at my school after rumors of our school's prom being at SeaWorld, and she stated that prom should never be held somewhere where students are wedged in the middle of a controversy. Had I heard about a similar location other than SeaWorld, I would also be taking action.
The documentary Blackfish has sparked a fire already burning, igniting a battle that has been waged for the past 40 years. Though SeaWorld is helpful to our economy and engages in rescue and release efforts, they fail to speak out against the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji (though they no longer take dolphins), continue to pollute Mission Bay, have violated animal welfare laws on multiple occasions, force employees to work in unsafe conditions, and subject cetaceans to immense stress and shortened life spans in captivity.
According to the NOAA, killer whales are held in tanks one ten-thousandth the 45.3 billion gallons of water, or 80 miles, they traverse a day in the wild. Orcas live far shorter in captivity than they do in the wild, rarely living over the age of 15. They are trapped in a small, confined environment facing extreme stress.
To counter this, they are given Tagamet and other medications with their daily diet. Yet SeaWorld claims their whales are healthy and happy.
It is no wonder these magnificent creatures, who have only attacked a human in one instance in the wild, have attacked their trainers in over 110 instances. They are psychologically distressed.
Orkid, one of the captive-born orcas at SeaWorld San Diego, has attacked trainers on multiple occasions. According to The Vindicator, she had to watch her mother, Kandu V, die when she was less than a year old. Kandu attempted to rake Corky II and fractured her jaw and severed several arteries. For weeks after her mother's death, Orkid circled around the pool, calling out and vocalizing in distress. Yet in shows after the incident the crowd clapped and cheered as she performed without her mother, as if her death was completely forgotten. But Orkid, one of the smartest cetaceans currently held in captivity (in terms of learning trained behaviors), still remembers.
52 of SeaWorld’s orcas have died, not a single one due to natural causes. When another orca is born, they are given the stage name Shamu, covering up the death of their predecessors. As a SeaWorld trainer put it when Kandu died, “The best thing we can think of to do is to get back into some sort of normal routine.”
SeaWorld's breeding program is absolutely despicable. Kalia is only 9 years old and is halfway into a pregnancy. In the wild, orcas do not breed until an average age of 14-15. What SeaWorld is doing to female orcas is the equivalent of impregnating a pre-teen child. It's sick.
In captivity, orcas rarely, if ever, get to choose their mates. Males are masturbated for their sperm and females are artificially inseminated. That, to me, is one of the most cruel aspects of the breeding program. It's a forced rape. Although cetaceans are polygamous and humans are monogamous, what if a human was unable to choose who he/she loved? Killer whales, and all cetaceans for that matter, have no control over their social bonds in captivity. That is why it is common to see unnatural behaviors of aggression.
Instead of this abuse, SeaWorld could display IMAXs, have trips to the tide pools, have their own whale watching boat for visitors, and still keep their rides and benefit the city from their sales and minimum rent of $10 million each year. They could become a true leader in rescue and rehabilitation, and finally speak out against the slaughter in Taiji, instead of remaining silent.
I do not wish for SeaWorld to be closed down, but for them to change their business model in accordance with the bill, AB 2140, which would end the use of orcas for entertainment, SeaWorld’s breeding program, and release all orcas into sea pens or the wild if possible. All cetaceans should be included.
SeaWorld strongly asserts education, but in their responses to Blackfish they have misled their audience, if not flat-out lying.
They claim that keeping cetaceans in captivity has scientific value and will help benefit the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population in Puget Sound. They claim scientists have no understanding of why they have declined. Ironically, SeaWorld's captures back in the 70s and 80s tore apart the k-specialist (slow-breeding) population.
Furthermore, there are more adequate ways to provide the ever-important education on conservation and the importance of the oceans. Classes could attend a beach clean-up one day or go whale watching. The Hornblower sees whales almost every day during migrating season and dolphins can be seen on the coast every morning.
If SeaWorld released their captive cetaceans to sea pens - where they could have a more natural environment while still being cared for - and implicated the other changes discussed, field trips to these sea pens would provide a more natural and educational setting.
Until SeaWorld makes these changes, I ask that the district remove all ties with SeaWorld, whether it be field trips, prom, or any other activity. Regardless of our differing opinions on the welfare of the animals held captive in SeaWorld, students should not be forced to take sides in a controversy. There are better, more educational alternatives.
Sincerely,
Zach Affolter
Grade 11
Westview High School
https://www.change.org/petitions/poway-unified-school-district-remove-all-ties-with-seaworld
Very well said Zack!
Please sign his petition!
https://www.change.org/petitions/poway-unified-school-district-remove-all-ties-with-seaworld
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2014 - 08:19pm PT
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Zach, the 11th grader who wrote that petition got interviewed on channel 10
Interview went good...was so nervous at first but I think it went good Talked about how SeaWorld could become a more effective leader in rescue and release and how students shouldn't be surrounded in controversy and stuff about my petition Was able to squeeze in stuff about Taiji and how SeaWorld has said nothing about it.
It will be on channel 10 at 5pm in San Diego...will be recording it though
Have an interview with Al Jazeera about Taiji and whaling in Japan at 7pm tomorrow...whoever tipped the media off about me (ABC said someone did) I thank you deeply
I will post the link when it airs.
great job Zach!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2014 - 09:57am PT
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EMPOWERED BY Spread the Word: Protect Endangered Whales From Seismic Blasts
Seismic air guns used to scour for oil and gas underneath the ocean's floor are so loud they could injure, deafen or kill 138,500 dolphins and whales residing along the Atlantic Coast. This includes endangered North Atlantic right whales whose numbers have dwindled to 450.
Thanks to you, a campaign to cancel plans for seismic testing is gaining momentum. Now we need your help to get the word out.
https://col127.mail.live.com/ol/Mail.mvc?n=1877846776#tid=cmF9tX1YfU4xGLPtidZ1x5_A2&fid=flinbox
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2014 - 10:17am PT
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Nice one Jim!
Go Granny Go!
Despite being a 103-year-old great-grandma, the orca named J2 -- or, more affectionately, Granny -- is in great shape. In little over a week, Granny and her pod have traveled 800 miles.
This weekend, Granny was spied swimming off the coast of Canada, after a trek up from northern California. The centenarian cetacean can be identified by a white marking on her back and a notch in her fin.
Michael Harris, the director of Pacific Whale Watch Association, tells Canadian newspaper The Province that her life span is an estimate based on her children’s ages. Whale experts have also confirmed Granny in photos dating back to the 30s.
https://www.thedodo.com/worlds-oldest-orca-shes-103-sp-547183194.html?utm_source=CoveFB
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 13, 2014 - 11:32am PT
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yeah... a Granny sighting. very cool...
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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May 13, 2014 - 11:53am PT
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Granny sighting is right! Pretty cool that they have photos of her from the 30's and 40's.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2014 - 07:30pm PT
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Save Angel
from a lifetime of hell
Angel, a rare albino dolphin calf, confined in a small tank, battered and traumatised from her capture.
Sign the petition to help free her.
See more at: http://www.action4angel.org/petition/?utm_source=oisd#sthash.1CVhug8I.dpuf
Angel is a beautiful albino dolphin calf who once swam freely alongside her mother in the Pacific Ocean off Japan. But earlier this year, Angel was captured by dolphin hunters.
As she was dragged away in a net, she saw her mother and family being herded into a shallow cove, to be slaughtered in an unspeakably cruel way.
Tell local authorities to release Angel - and end the inhumane practice of dolphin hunting in Taiji for good.
Angel was taken to a local aquarium, the Taiji Whale Museum, where she is now a "freak" exhibit. She's confined in a tiny indoor tank. Eyewitnesses say she floats lifelessly, or swims in small distressed circles with her eyes often closed. With her mother dead, Angel has no one to help her except us.
See more at: http://www.action4angel.org/petition/?utm_source=oisd#sthash.1CVhug8I.dpuf
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 19, 2014 - 10:17am PT
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http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/05/16/seaworld-debate-planned-san-diego?cmpid=tpanimals-eml-2014-05-17-seaworld
SeaWorld to Its Critics: ‘OK, Let’s Talk’
An unusual public forum will match a company representative with orca and dolphin captivity critics.
SeaWorld is finally putting its mouth where its money is.
On June 5 at La Jolla’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a representative from SeaWorld will take on two prominent critics of the park to “talk through the issue” of keeping killer whales in captivity, according to Voice of San Diego, organizer of the unprecedented event.
“As far as we’ve seen, this will be the first time SeaWorld answers questions and offers its perspective directly to the public,” says VOSD’s website. In the past few years, SeaWorld has dispatched staff members to participate in panel discussions on captivity at a few marine mammal conferences, and company representatives have testified before Congress and a recent California Assembly Committee considering a bill to ban orca display in the state.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 19, 2014 - 02:33pm PT
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2014 - 10:12am PT
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This is a great event! 1000 people are going in San Diego.
Hope to see you this Saturday!
Saturday, May 24at 10:00am - 1:00pm
4 days from now · 69°F / 60°F Clear
Sea World, San Diego (CA)
500 Sea World Drive, San Diego, California 92109
https://www.facebook.com/events/373224429477448/?ref_notif_type=like&source=1
This is a day for everyone around the world to stand up against marine mammal captivity. The abuse and exploitation of these sentient beings has no place in the 21st century.
Approximately 17 dolphin family members are killed for every one dolphin selected to sell for very large sums to $ea World, Marineland and all the other Marine Amusement Parks that hold cetaceans captive for our entertainment.
If there is no demand, there will be no Slaughter!
For the Dolphin Slaughter to end, people actually have to do Nothing! They just have to NOT buy a ticket!
Dolphins & Whales
• There are currently 42 orcas being held captive worldwide.
• At least 136 wild orcas have been taken into captivity from the wild since 1961.
• 123 of these (or 90.4%) orcas are now dead.
• Orcas & Dolphins are self aware and have language.
• Dolphin calves call their mothers ‘by name’. Dolphin friends call each other by name.
• Dolphins are altruistic. They will not leave a family member in distress and have often rescued humans and other predator species
• Scientists say that due to their high intelligence and complex social structure, dolphins should be designated as non-human persons with rights
• In the wild, Orcas live as long or longer than humans
In captivity, their lives are cut to less than half that.
• Dolphins live 25-50 years in the wild, but only average 5 yrs. in captivity
• Dolphin sons never leave their mother’s side their entire lives
• Orca offspring never leave their mothers side their entire lives.
• Food is withheld from Orcas & Dolphins to ensure they perform
• Many are on medications their whole lives
• Orcas & Dolphins are forced to inbreed. Mothers often reject captive born babies bred from close relatives.
• Wild Orcas swim up to 100 miles/day
• Wild dolphins swim up to 40 miles/day
It would take 5,000 endless circles per day to swim that far in a tank.
Captive dolphins who would swim 40 miles per day in the wild, hunting fresh fish are confined to a tiny chlorinated pool & fed dead fish, destined to entertain or ‘swim with’ humans to survive, never seeing their pod again.
Dolphin Sonar, a useful tool in the wild, disorients them as it bounces off the concrete pool walls. It’s like living in a hall of mirrors. They become neurotic and depressed and aggressively frustrated.
3 trainers have been killed by Orcas so far and numerous attacks have been recorded.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2014 - 11:49am PT
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BTW...
Big thanks to everyone who came out to the Poway Unified School District Board Meeting to show support for PUSD to bar all future field trips to SeaWorld. Our speakers did an amazing job, and thanks to those who just showed support.
Big things have small beginnings.
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SicMic
climber
across the street from Marshall
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May 20, 2014 - 12:51pm PT
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If you can't get your point across in 500+ posts, perhaps your point is moot.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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May 20, 2014 - 01:46pm PT
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Anything worth saying once is worth repeating 500 times sicmic.
Captive manatee 500 times bump....count it off.
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SicMic
climber
across the street from Marshall
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May 20, 2014 - 03:38pm PT
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I hear ya Couch. I'm just saying that anything over 100X will lose its impact. Not that the cause is unworthy, just easier to ignore if over played.
Don't go to SeaWorld. Check. See how easy.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 21, 2014 - 12:12pm PT
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Love the Manatee bump Couch.
New developments are happening all the time SicMic.
I think it is a cause worth my time and effort.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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May 21, 2014 - 12:15pm PT
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^^^^ There's the truth right there.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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May 21, 2014 - 04:10pm PT
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If I could make it on May 24th I would go....and buy a ticket. To get a look at what is happening
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SicMic
climber
across the street from Marshall
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May 21, 2014 - 09:06pm PT
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I think it is worth my time and effort
Good on you and your efforts, Karen. My point was that you might have reached a level beyond saturation. If you do not feel that way, then you are welcome to continue (Not that you need my OK).
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L
climber
California dreamin' on the farside of the world..
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May 21, 2014 - 09:34pm PT
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We humans have a frightening ability to instantly forget things...like the torturing of animals, the suffering of other human beings, the poisoning of our planet...unless these atrocities are kept right under our noses by people like Karen. And even then, ending the inhumanity takes a long, long time because most people don't want to have their sleepwalking disturbed.
I am in awe of you, Karen. You are one amazing person...and you're a climber, too! Simply amazing.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2014 - 04:08pm PT
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Thanks L, very nice of you to say.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2014 - 07:32pm PT
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There were protests all over the world today! Time to empty the tanks!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2014 - 07:40pm PT
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https://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/let-s-end-the-captivity-of-orcas-in-california?cmpid=action-share#.U3zeUkQxEAU.facebook
Please sign this!
The state of California has the potential to end the captivity of orcas there for good. The bill has been put on the table by Assemblymember Richard Bloom. Now we need to get it passed.
The groundbreaking bill proposes to ban the captivity of orca whales for entertainment purposes at marine parks and prohibit contact between humans and orcas.
Although voting on the bill has been delayed until 2015 pending further study, we must keep up the momentum to move California to make this important change.
Your voice is vital. Take action today by asking the members of the California State Assembly's Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife to support the bill. Let’s put an end to this needless suffering.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2014 - 03:04pm PT
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 5, 2014 - 07:12am PT
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 13, 2014 - 04:01pm PT
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LA TImes today
The political and scientific dispute over killer whales at SeaWorld San Diego and other marine parks is not over.
In April, a legislative committee in Sacramento tabled a bill that would have outlawed orca shows at SeaWorld. The bill, by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), was delayed indefinitely for additional study.
This week, two members of Congress from California successfully placed an amendment in the farm appropriation bill calling for an updating of federal regulations about keeping orcas and cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porposes) in captivity.
In California, only SeaWorld San Diego has orcas. Shows in Shamu Stadium are the marquee attraction at the park, a major tourist attraction and economic driver.
One argument against the California bill was that the responsibility to regulate the treatment of marine mammals falls to the federal government, under the Animal Welfare Act, rather than the state.
The Animal Welfare Act regulations have not been updated in two decades, said Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael).
"The American people want to see these regulations reviewed and updated to reflect the growing scientific and public concern about the effect of captivity on these animals," Schiff and Huffman said in a joint statement.
In response to the Schiff-Huffman amendment, SeaWorld said it hopes "any effort to revise (federal) regulations is based on science and not the allegations of animal rights extremists ... SeaWorld parks already meet or exceed all government and professional accreditation standards for the care of marine mammals."
The Schiff-Huffman amendment and the Bloom bill were the result of the documentary "Blackfish," which asserts that orcas at SeaWorld are suffering.
Also this week, actress Jessica Biel submitted a statement to a SeaWorld shareholder meeting that said because of the "Blackfish" documentary "the public now knows about the devastating effects of keeping orcas captive and confined at SeaWorld."
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 16, 2014 - 01:22pm PT
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Oh make no mistake - Paul has already stated that Sea Shepherd will return to the Southern Ocean and kick same ass.
F*#king Japanese whalers can go f*#k themselves.
Did the Orca tour off San Juan over the weekend.
We saw T65A pod near Canada.
The little baby (3 months) is T65A-5 "Corky".
After returning to the Island we caught the last glimpse of J-pod passing. J2 Granny was close to shore but we missed her. J27 Blackberry we saw (can't miss the dorsal
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 17, 2014 - 06:56am PT
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https://www.thedodo.com/us-blasts-japan-your-horrific--592435433.html
U.S. Blasts Japan -- Your Horrific Whale Hunt Is “Scientifically Unnecessary”
Days after the government of Japan announced that it had killed 30 minke whales in the northern Pacific this year, the U.S. has reaffirmed its stance against the practice.
Cathy Novelli, an undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment told Kyodo News (paywall) that the U.S. remains opposed to whaling, citing the 1986 International Whaling Commission’s global moratorium on whaling:
"Lethal scientific research whaling is unnecessary in modern whale conservation and management. Generally, the same scientific information can be collected through non-lethal means. The United States continues to support the moratorium on commercial whaling as a necessary measure for the conservation of large whales."
The statement echoes that of Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, who tweeted back in January about her opposition to a different cetacean hunt in Japan -- the dolphin drive fisheries in Taiji.
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Aya K
Trad climber
Boulder, CO!
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Jun 17, 2014 - 06:42pm PT
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If Granny had been in a tank, we wouldn't have missed seeing her, just sayin.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jun 17, 2014 - 07:04pm PT
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If granny were in a tank, she probably would already be deceased.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2014 - 04:07pm PT
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No sh#t skcreidc!
Here another shot of the new bay in the San Juans. That must have been so great Nature!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 23, 2014 - 11:58am PT
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I'll post a trip report later but over the weekend I blasted out to LA to meet up with kev and head out on a shark watching boat. Running back up the coast last night we came upon about 1500 dolphins. They surfed our wake, hucked themselves for big air and had a blast. We spent probably 20 minutes with them.
This isn't my best shot (only going to publish my best stuff on my website(s) from now on).
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jun 23, 2014 - 01:00pm PT
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This isn't my best shot (only going to publish my best stuff on my website(s) from now on).
Don't blame you at all Nature, not at all. Post up your site after loading up the photos. I sure can't find it (for some reason).
It is always amazing and intertaining to watch huge gatherings dolphins cavorting. I've had some really close encounters with them over the years; I will always remember these.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 23, 2014 - 03:30pm PT
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I think it was on the Nat Geo channel where I've seen the Sea World ads about
how much they're doing for the Orcas. I almost threw up. The five seconds
where the Orca comes up to the keeper to have its fin stroked is so touching.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 23, 2014 - 04:08pm PT
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When I got off the plane in LAX on friday I saw this three gates down. It's a dam good thing I didn't fly out on that thing:
Regarding my images I'll post a url but it will be awhile. I've started year long project and in a couple months I'll launch it with my sushi by nature website.
But more than anything I'm going to protect my digital property. There's some things brewing.
Best quote of the weekend - "SHARK!!!! Everyone IN the water."
I'm getting bumper stickers made.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 26, 2014 - 11:33am PT
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SeaWorld Makes List of 4 Most Hated U.S. Companies
SeaWorld has repeatedly claimed that the controversial “Blackfish” film was full of misleading evidence and was more of a propaganda piece than an objective documentary; however, it appears that the American public isn’t buying that story. According to a recent report released by Comsumerist, SeaWorld has made the list of the four most unpopular U.S. corporations.
Who made the list? SeaWorld, of course. And Walmart, Monsanto and Comcast. We could just rename the companies: Animal Abuse, Sweatshop Labor, GMOs and Terrible Customer Service.
SeaWorld’s reputation came under fire in 2013 when the premier of “Blackfish” brought the mistreatment of captive orcas to the public’s attention. In the wake the film’s release, celebrities and activists boycotted the parks, helping to spread awareness and increase support for the documentary. As park attendance plummeted and, as a result, SeaWorld’s stock value decreased, many parks were forced to lower the price of admission in order to try and make up for lost revenue.
Shortly after the release of “Blackfish,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture joined the ranks of SeaWorld’s critics and fined the park for failing to properly maintain flooring and tanks. The USDA determined that the health and safely of animal performers was put at risk by the outdated facilities. Then, in the beginning of 2014, SeaWorld was fined again for the same flooring issue and the use of expired surgical sutures. These sutures, if used on any of the parks’ injured animals, could result in severe and life-threatening infections.
Today, over a year and a half after the premier of “Blackfish,” the marine park operator continues to face decreased attendance and revenue. Consumerist reports that SeaWorld’s annual number of visitors fell by 4% in 2014, with even lower numbers seen in the last three months.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Jun 27, 2014 - 09:20pm PT
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That Plane Is Somethin Else!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 1, 2014 - 06:37am PT
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http://www.change.org/petitions/prime-minister-of-japan-please-stop-the-horror-in-taiji-japan#
I am writing to you all on behalf of the dolphin slaughter in Taiji Japan. LETS STOP THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL! Please sign this petition! Do you really think it is right? Would you like to be taken away from your family? Would you like to watch your family brutally killed on front of you while you are in a pool of their blood? Dolphins are very smart and they know exactly what is going on. The do not get fed when they are captured but left to starve as they await an awful death sentence. These are wild animals that belong in the world’s ocean. One of the dolphins that was recently captured by the killers was a rare white albino dolphin and that dolphin was named by Captain Paul Watson as "Bambi".The whole world now this dolphin as Bambi. This was the dolphin that captured everybody and a lot of children’s hearts. Bambi was taken from his mother’s side while their pod fought for survival. Bambi’s Mother is now Dead. Can’t you see how much distress it causes these poor creatures? This has to stop. Bambi is only a baby and now she is going to be afraid forever by the horrific experience of being torn from her Mother and now Bambi is all alone in a very small pen in Taiji Harbour waiting to be SOLD.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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if we only ate foods from plants we could avoid all the slaughter of pigs, cows, deer, dolphins and a whole lot more
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dirtbag
climber
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Yes, and we all know that no animals are killed from growing crops.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Exactly dirtbag!
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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That's right Dirtbag. Just say NO to Monsanto...good for you! (sarcasm just in case you didn't get it)
But really, just say NO to Monsanto...poisoning the world one crop at a time.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 8, 2014 - 06:46am PT
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Mexico has become the latest country to join the movement against marine mammals in captivity, with a proposal that would ban keeping marine mammals in captivity for entertainment or commercial breeding purposes.
The measure, proposed by Rep. Merilyn Gomez Wells, cites the psychological stress and physical harm that captivity can cause for dolphins, whales and other marine mammals.
"The dolphinariums appeared in our country in the 70s, since then this business has been protected by the absence of legal rules and currently benefiting from ineffective regulations in this area,” Rep. Gomez Wells told Noticias MVS.
If the measure goes through, Mexico won’t be alone -- India became the largest country to ban the practice last May, following Costa Rica, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovenia and Switzerland. Other countries like Greece and Belgium have banned performing animal shows, citing poor animal welfare standards in many of them. It’s worth mentioning that the U.S. hasn’t made any legal progress toward banning captive marine mammal shows -- despite having one of the largest numbers of captive dolphins in the world.
No Shit! "But really, just say NO to Monsanto...poisoning the world one crop at a time"
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2014 - 07:10am PT
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 22, 2014 - 06:25am PT
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With many whale species still endangered, an international court has ordered Japan to halt its illegal Antarctic whaling expeditions. Tell Japan to respect the International Court of Justice, and end illegal Antarctic whaling today!
#TakeAction --> http://bit.ly/EndIllegalWhaling
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overwatch
climber
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Signed the first one but the take action one just goes to a blank screen that says fill in all required fields...with no fields. Sorry...I am on a phone, maybe that has something to do with it?
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Just Saw Quite The Pr Advertisement For Sea World On Tv.
Look Like They Are Trying To Polishing Their Image
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2014 - 05:01pm PT
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Good news...
SeaWorld shares dive as documentary spurs attendance drop
A new focus on animal rights and a hard-hitting documentary have begun to take their toll on one of the world’s leading marine theme parks.
Orlando, Fla.-based SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. said on Wednesday that proposed legislation in California resulting from a documentary called Blackfish, which criticizes the theme park’s treatment of killer whales, have hurt attendance and the company’s bottom line. The news sent SeaWorld’s share price down nearly 35 per cent to a record low.
The backlash began shortly after Blackfish premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year and became available on the streaming service Netflix. The film explores the ethics and risks of keeping massive killer whales in captivity. It focuses partly on the death of a SeaWorld trainer named Dawn Brancheau who was standing in shallow water before a crowd when a 12,000-pound Orca named Tilikum grabbed her by the hair and pulled her under water. The same whale was also involved in a trainer’s death in 1991 at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific aquarium in B.C.
The documentary spurred California lawmakers to propose a legislative amendment that would ban killer whales like Tilikum from SeaWorld’s shows, as well as impose a number of other restrictions on how they are kept and cared for. It was coverage of this legislation that SeaWorld blamed in part for its attendance woes.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/seaworld-shares-dive-as-documentary-spurs-attendance-drop/article20053631/
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Aug 13, 2014 - 05:27pm PT
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Karen, as much as I enjoy the fact that SEAS dropped 33% today it is beyond difficult to attribute it directly to #blackfish.
It'll dead cat bounce tomorrow but it's still probably an excellent stock to short - $9 seem reasonable.
If SEAS changes their approach I'd support them as I would any company. But for now I hope they fail and if I had a couple ten grand I'd short the sh#t out of this stock after it bounces tomorrow.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Aug 13, 2014 - 05:48pm PT
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Good news...
One of my best memories was when i was 10 and went to seaworld. Being so close to those animals took away some of my fear of them. Which helped me later to start surfing. i can't wait to take my 8yro to go to seaworld!
Unless you guys get'em banned. i think it's sad what ur promoting. i think the science, the help, the teaching, the personal connectivity between man and animal that seaworld offers is marvelous!
But i don't condone what Japan is doing, they need to be spanked!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Aug 13, 2014 - 06:08pm PT
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You confuse me. I don't understand how you fail to realize how keeping these sentient and self-realizing animals in captivity is cruelty. And it makes me concerned about your child more than anything. Certainly (s)he will realize this, no?
We have many ways to learn about all creatures and phenoms of this planet. Must we isolate orcas in a fish tanks to learn about them or to appreciate them? Clearly my answer is 'no'. If we disagree then please let's discuss.
I went to SeaWorld in '88 or so. My impression is neutral to be very honest. My lack of fear of the sea came from spending time floating and diving it. I can guarantee you that you cannot lose your fear of sharks by watching them do back flips. Gotta go jump in with them. Same goes for big dolphins like the orca.
And really... take your wonderful offspring to the San Juan Islands for a real Orca adventure. They will never ever forget that. Bleh... the only reason I remember my SeaWorld trip now is because of how much I believe they need to change their practices.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Aug 13, 2014 - 06:54pm PT
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Thanks Guys!
Dually noted!
Nature your a diver and water guy. This affords you more interaction time. we're up here in the desert. Play'in in water is definitely a luxury. And those charters ain't cheap! And sometimes you don't see nuthin. seaworld is like $25w/coupon and a 2hr drive. It is a low cost guaranteed interaction with wild animals thats easy to do with young children. when she's 12-13 yea, i take her diving in Hawaii, maybe you'll have a boat by then?
Jim, my response was about the fishing techniques that inconsequentially kill other species than the one's being hunted. Like the dolphins getting trapped in tuna nets.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Aug 13, 2014 - 07:55pm PT
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blue... understood and noted. I'll work on that boat ;)
but keep in mind at the same time I live in Boulder, CO. about as far away from the ocean as you could be in the good ol' USofA. Still... I can remember being a teenager.
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goatboy smellz
climber
लघिमा
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Aug 13, 2014 - 08:14pm PT
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
seaworld is like $25w/coupon and a 2hr drive. It is a low cost guaranteed interaction with wild animals thats easy to do with young children.
Aquarium of the Pacific is more interactive and has more things to do for younger kids.
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org
I've never been but I have a biologist friend that transferred there from the Denver Aquarium and she can't stop raving about it. She turned down a job at Monterey Bay to run AOP's sea otter program. Both are accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums so there is higher standard of animal management and safety.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 14, 2014 - 04:10pm PT
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How Sea World, the Vancouver Aquarium and other outfits have prospered is by giving people an experience with nature that they long for but in the past, couldn't access. That's not how it is anymore. There are plenty of guiding services to fulfill any desire, to do anything up to and including having your picture taken on the South Pole.
The first time I watched free animals breach, breath and disappear into the ocean was the first time I thought keeping them in a concrete swimming pool was wrong.
Nice thoughts Jim!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 18, 2014 - 07:44am PT
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Jim Wharton " A few things to consider before taking your family to watch the dolphin show.... That's not a smile, that's just how their mouths are shaped. I have spent years investigating captive dolphin programs on site at dolphinariums in Hawaii and California and while serving in the US Navy was TDA at the Marine Mammal Program, Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado CA as a handler. I also have more than thirty years experience interacting with wild marine mammals in the ocean as a professional diver & captain working in marine mammal research and as a guide and operator of recreational scuba charter services in the South Pacific. Here are a few observations based on my firsthand experience:
Dolphins (orcas aka "killer whales" are the largest member of the dolphin family) along with some higher primates such as humans, chimpanzees & orangutans, are among the few animals known to display high-order, complex self-awareness behavior, and they are the only creatures besides humans, who are known to address their friends and family members by individual names. Another exceptional dolphin feature is their super-acoustical sonar ability.The best sonars humans have invented are toys in comparison. One of the main reasons the average captive dolphin lifespan is 5 yrs (instead of the 50 that wild dolphins live) is stress from being confined in small concrete tanks (a madhouse of acoustical ricochets) while bombarded by cheers & applause of crowds, filtration motor pumps, etc. Within 5 years their normal 50 year lifespan ends as they go insane from these unbearable conditions, the heartache of seperation from friends & family and they die with no desire to continue to live- that no amount of tranquilizers (usually a combination of valium & tagament) can overcome.
Dolphinariums claim that their mission is to protect dolphins in the wild through research and public education, yet places like Seaworld spend less than 1% of their profits for these purposes and the actual capture of wild dolphins by the multi-billion dollar industry is a horror story they go to great lengths to conceal and results in the slaughter of thousands of dolphins each year. If dolphins are so happy in captivity, why do they die so fast? Why the secrecy about their mortality rates? Behavior disorders? Sedative drugs?
No doubt, there would be fewer spectators if people knew how many animals were dying to amuse them and how insane the survivors become. Perhaps if the death and mental health records were displayed at the entrance, less people would buy a ticket."
Well put JIm!
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Aug 19, 2014 - 09:46pm PT
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Sea World is going to invest several hundred million in revamps at its three units. That should help conditions,no?
I did not know they only charged 25 bucks. Probably easier for lower income families to manage that cost compared to other entertainment park.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Aug 19, 2014 - 09:54pm PT
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Nature, you'de better buy some stock quick!
You know, so you can afford a boat.
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dave729
Trad climber
Western America
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Aug 20, 2014 - 01:25am PT
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Harpoon a dolphin! Drag it onto your boat, look it in the eye, apologize
for killing it. It will readily give you forgiveness (flipper wave)
then cut its throat.
Now eat the dolphin:
GRILLED DOLPHIN
1 1/4 lb. thickly sliced dolphin
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 c. rice vinegar
Salt if desired
1/2 tsp. pepper, black lg. ground
Dinner for 4. Cut off any dark meat on dolphin. Marinate 4 even slices of dolphin in large bowl. All ingredients mixed for at least 6 hours. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Approximately 10 minutes total for 1 inch fillets. Baste with marinade mix while grilling.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2014 - 06:08pm PT
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Great story JIm!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2014 - 06:48am PT
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Lawsuit: SeaWorld lied to investors about real cause of sluggish attendance numbers
Michael Chen
6:53 PM, Sep 11, 2014
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
SAN DIEGO - A new lawsuit alleges cover-ups and fraud at SeaWorld, as the attorney for the shareholder now suing the theme park speaks out.
In mid-August, SeaWorld suffered a one-day 33 percent plunge after a lackluster earnings report. In the earnings call, SeaWorld acknowledged the impact of the fallout of the film "Blackfish," critical of orcas in captivity.
The class-action complaint alleges federal securities violations and claims SeaWorld broke the law by not acknowledging it sooner.
In the 14 months since "Blackfish" hit theaters, SeaWorld has blamed slumping attendance numbers on everything from the weather to holidays.
In the just-filed federal complaint, a Michigan shareholder accuses SeaWorld of lying to keep its stock price high.
Attorney Jonathan Stern, who represents the investor, said, "It violates securities laws if you know the reason and don't tell investors the real reason for that problem."
Stern claims it's implausible that surveys about "Blackfish" SeaWorld has said it was conducting would not have pointed to problems.
"The press coverage made it clear it was having an effect. The only one claiming it wasn't having an effect was SeaWorld," said Stern.
Stern alleges the SeaWorld cover-up kept the stock price inflated, allowing its key shareholder, The Blackstone Group, to dump its shares -- going from a 63 percent stake in the company in April 2013 to a 22 percent stake a year later.
Last month, SeaWorld acknowledged for the first time the "Blackfish" impact.
"If SeaWorld is found guilty, they're certainly going to be seen as not honest or trustworthy," said Miro Copic, a marketing professor at San Diego State University.
Copic said the lawsuit creates more potential issues for SeaWorld.
Weeks after announcing it will double the size of the orca exhibit, SeaWorld again is facing more "Blackfish" fallout.
Copic said if this grows into a large class-action suit -- ending in stiff penalties for SeaWorld -- the film's impact would stay front and center in the headlines.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Nov 13, 2014 - 03:40pm PT
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Seaworld stock continues to tank. Capitalism works well sometimes, in this case it is destroying SeaWorld.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2014 - 09:29am PT
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 12, 2014 - 06:31am PT
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SeaWorld boss steps down after film hurts attendance
Whoo-hoo!
Our goal is not to hurt SeaWorld. It is to get them to change their business model!
Build some rides. After all they are an amusement park!
Captivity is cruel
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30438924
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 12, 2014 - 09:10am PT
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Our goal is not to hurt SeaWorld
Mine is. Phuk those buttholes. OK, I'll let 'em continue to operate
with a few tanks full of goldfish and guppies.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2015 - 06:31am PT
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Dolphins and whales in the wild are worth more alive than dead.
Captivity kills! Don’t buy a ticket to a dolphinarium.
We support the Japanese peoples’ rights to learn the truth about the contamination of dolphin and whale meat. Our concerns include the people of Japan, who should not be consuming meat laced with mercury and radioactivity.
Japan can rebuild its damaged economy using eco-tourism and green policies rather than perpetuating the dolphin hunts of the past.
Many Japanese don’t know about the drive fishery killing of dolphins and actually oppose it when they understand what is happening.
Tourism is a major industry in Japan, along with a growing whale and dolphin-watching operation.
https://dolphinproject.net/japan-dolphins-day/
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Hopefully they can change some of their policies and continue entertaining children and adults in the years to come.
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john hansen
climber
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There is a new book out called Beneath the Surface by John Hargrove.
He was a trainer at Sea World for 12 years and has lots of stories of the stress the whales endure. They did not evolve to be held in such small pens and pools. Whales as young as 8 years old artificially inseminated when they don't breed in the wild to 14. They want as many baby whales born as possible. Only a few of the 34 they have spent time in the wild.
None of them would survive in the wild. Most are now hybrids from whales from different regions. Then thrown together with other whales they can not communicate with. Many are third generation and inbreed as well.
Many stories of aggressive whales attacking their trainers. Can't say I blame them.
Not a very sad story.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2015 - 08:09am PT
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It is horrid what happens In taiji every year. American tourists swimming with dolphins and our dolphin shows etc, are the biggest contributing factor to this event. We have the power to stop it. Tell people, impact those around you. 90% of people I speak to never watched the cove or know anything about this. Speak.up.
https://dolphinproject.net/take-action/save-japan-dolphins/
Another great book!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2015 - 09:02am PT
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Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians Page (official) added 6 new photos.
Everyone who follows the Cove Guardians on the ground in Taiji, are shocked at the brutality of the drives. The senseless slaughter for meat that is no longer popular and is poisoned with mercury.
We see dolphins abused and beaten, we see the terror in their eyes as they try to escape, we see families torn apart, with babies turned into orphans.
I am right alongside you with my disgust and disdain for these despicable hunters...these cowards that spend their days searching for innocent families of dolphins to prey upon.
Like you, I wish every single day that someone in the Japanese government would have the courage to stand up and put a stop to these murderers.
However, while we are cursing and loathing these cruel hunters, let us also remember the other side of the coin…
CAPTIVITY!
Captivity: A prisoner being held captive during a war.
Captive: Without the ability to escape.
(Source: Cambridge English Dictionary)
The main driving force behind these cruel drives/slaughters is the desire of the Taiji hunters to capture dolphins, train them and sell them to the highest bidder for a sizable profit.
According to the Japan Times, there are currently 150 dolphins “on order” to be sold before the end of their fiscal year in March 2016.
150!!
One of the oldest simplest business concepts that we learned in our economics class in elementary school, was called, “Supply Vs., Demand”.
As long as the demand remains in place, there will always be someone who is willing to be the supplier.
What is the source of this “demand?” There are dolphinariums and marine parks under construction and opening their doors at an alarming rate. People from all over the world attend these facilities when they go on vacation because they want a “swim with the dolphin” experience.
The 1st world citizens are the people that are boosting the profits and supporting these facilities, and where do you think these facilities get their dolphins??
In addition to our Cove Guardians guarding and reporting daily from the Taiji cove, it is time that we started applying pressure around the world to stop the attendance at these marine parks and dolphinariums.
I get messages every day with people asking me “What can I do to help?”
Well, here is your answer and your opportunity.
If you are supporting and standing with us…if you are watching the live stream and yelling at the screen in anger…if you are sickened by the actions of these cruel hunters for their inhumane actions, then I hope you are equally as shocked, horrified and critical toward every family member, friend, co-worker or acquaintance, when they choose to patronize these facilities.
Guess what…. the people attending and supporting these places are no different than the hunters themselves. These "supporters" are equally to blame for the atrocity that we see in Taiji for 6 months out of every year.
Take action now. Stand up to these patrons, educate them, shame them..do something to make them understand what they are facilitating...
Do this now,
BEFORE THERE ARE NO DOLPHINS LEFT IN THE OCEAN!
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beevee
climber
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Sep 25, 2015 - 04:06pm PT
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Thank you, Karen. For those who care about the issue, an important message and "call to action" by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
SeaWorld wants to expand its orca (also known as killer whale) tanks so that it can breed more of these magnificent animals who will then be condemned to a life of miserable confinement like the ones featured in the movie Blackfish. We need your help to stop them!
SeaWorld recently applied to the California Coastal Commission (“Commission”) for a permit to expand the tanks at its San Diego facility. ALDF and a coalition of environmental and animal protection organizations have urged the Commission to approve the application but only to give more space to the current orcas and only with a strict requirement that SeaWorld end its captive orca breeding program.
Unfortunately, we found out today that the Commission is caving to SeaWorld’s demands, allowing SeaWorld to breed as many orcas as they wish and to build a breeding tank which can hold up to 94 orcas. These incredibly intelligent and social mammals deserve better!
The Commission is voting on SeaWorld’s permit application on October 8th, 2015, and we need your help today to tell the Commission to do the right thing for orcas rather than caving to corporate influence!
Take Action!
Please make a brief, polite phone call to the California Coastal Commission at 619-767-2370 and simply say, “As someone who cares about orcas and conservation of marine resources, I urge the Commissioners to condition approval of SeaWorld’s Blue World project on a strict requirement that it end its captive breeding program in San Diego.”
Please also call the San Diego Tourism Authority at 619-232-3101 and politely tell them, “I am dismayed that the San Diego Tourism Authority has a partnership with SeaWorld and cannot in good conscience support any of your partners while SeaWorld is still breeding orcas and condemning them to lives of misery in tiny tanks.”
After you call, please be sure to send a follow-up e-mail to the Commission. Feel free to write your own or use our form letter as a guide. If you are a resident of California or a frequent visitor to San Diego, be sure to note that in your e-mail. Please pass this information on to your compassionate family and friends who care about animals who are exploited for entertainment!
Thank you for speaking up for captive orcas!
For the animals,
Stephen Wells
Executive Director
Animal Legal Defense Fund
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 27, 2015 - 01:05pm PT
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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-coastal-commission-orca-tanks-20150925-story.html
In a victory for SeaWorld, the staff of the California Coastal Commission has recommended the approval of a permit to build an expanded holding facility for the theme park's killer whales, despite opposition from animal rights groups.
The Coastal Commission, a state panel with authority to approve or deny construction projects along the state's coastal areas, is set Oct. 8 to vote on a plan to expand and replace SeaWorld's existing holding facility with a new 450,000-gallon pool and a 5.2 million-gallon tank.
SeaWorld blames weather, reputation attacks for latest attendance dip
SeaWorld blames weather, reputation attacks for latest attendance dip
Animal rights groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have pressed the commission to reject the expansion plan, saying the San Diego park's 11 killer whales should be released to seaside sanctuaries, not held in captivity.
The commission staff said the project has generated the biggest outpouring of public comments in the panel's history. The staff has received more than 120,000 emails, overwhelmingly in opposition to the permit request.
The agency also has received about 32,000 letters and postcards, most of them in support of the project. SeaWorld put up booths at its San Diego park where guests were encouraged to sign postcards in support of the project.
The expansion, dubbed "Blue World," was proposed in the face of harsh criticism generated by the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which accused SeaWorld of neglecting and abusing its killer whales. SeaWorld has denied the charges but park attendance has dropped while SeaWorld Entertainment shares have plunged.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Mar 17, 2016 - 06:24am PT
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The US theme park operator SeaWorld says it is ending its controversial orca breeding programme.
The decision means the orca whales currently at the parks will be "the last generation", the company said.
SeaWorld, which has 12 parks across the US, has faced heavy criticism over the alleged poor treatment of its captive orcas, also known as killer whales.
The company said the orcas would be likely to die if it released them into the wild.
"For as long as they live, the orcas at SeaWorld will stay in our parks," the company said in a Los Angeles Times op-ed.
SeaWorld has previously announced that it will phase out live orca shows.
Dramatic displays by the whales are the centrepiece of three parks operated by SeaWorld, in California, Florida and Texas.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) worked with SeaWorld on its new policies and said the announcement signalled "that the era of captive display of orcas will end".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35829477
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Mar 17, 2016 - 06:59am PT
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whooop!
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Mar 17, 2016 - 12:02pm PT
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that is a good start.
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couchmaster
climber
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Karen, good on you and yours for making a difference. I know sometimes I kid a lot about stuff like this as my first post shows, but this is one more example that the world can be a better place if even a few of us step up and speak out. You did, as did others: and it mattered and made a difference.
And tomorrow, I'll be sober but this post will still be up:-) Ok ok I'm kidding about that last part:-) The rest of it stands as is.
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