• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

SeaWorld to phase out killer whale show

Status
Not open for further replies.

HUELEN10

Member
God dammit, this better not eventually lead to what I think it means. We need organizations like SeaWorld to help some of these creatures. There was thread I think a few months ago where we actually saw a lot of the good that SeaWorld does, specially its Florida park, and what an asset to wildlife it has become. I know people who work there, people I used to go to school with. Believe, they wouldn't be there if they didn't want to help out animals.
 
This was the obvious conclusion and one of the reasons why I'm going to sea world San Antonio in a few weeks, I basically want to give my 4.5year old son one of those experiences that he will look back on in horror.
 

Korey

Member
I'm pretty sure the outrage was about keeping them in captivity, not just the circus tricks.

So this doesn't address the actual problem at all.
 

CodonAUG

Member
No more in captivity breeding. Rescue whales only. Progress.

The article says they are not suspending their breeding program. It also said SeaWorld is holding its tank expansion hostage -- they will only do it if regulations are not passed at the state/federal levels.
 

213372bu

Banned
Ending the whale shows is good but people calling Seaworld to close down, remove all captive animals, and release them directly to the wild need to know that route isn't realistic or helpful.

I hope Seaworld can continue to operate and provide larger tanks and better environments for larger marine animals. They provide lots to the wildlife conservation/rescue community and can afford a remodel this day and age that benefits the animals.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
A small but big victory so I am really pleased about this. :)

so they're still keeping whales in captivity?

For now but the next step is to get SeaWorld to end their breeding program so no more new Orcas are born in SeaWorld.

They do not belong in a fish tank.

is it feasible to release a captive orca into the wild? curious if thats just not an option.

Sadly no, these Orca have been born and raised in captivity so they lack the skills to survive in the wild.

The best thing we can do is create a big pen for them to swim in let them live their days in there, lest we find a way to train them to hunt for their food.

Ending the whale shows is good but people calling Seaworld to close down, remove all captive animals, and release them directly to the wild need to know that route isn't realistic or helpful.

I hope Seaworld can continue to operate and provide larger tanks and better environments for larger marine animals. They provide lots to the wildlife conservation/rescue community and can afford a remodel this day and age that benefits the animals.

There isn't a tank big enough for Orcas, they are simply not meant to swim tanks.
 

213372bu

Banned
There isn't a tank big enough for Orcas, they are simply not meant to swim tanks.

Obviously there can't be a tank that will be able to match the humongous area Orcas have been recorded to travel, but like most animals held captive, I'm sure that we can find a larger and better quality tank that significantly reduces the amount of stress on the animals already in captivity, whether it be by rescue or birth.
 
YES!

large.jpg


Lolita is a hot ticket again.

I haven't been there since I was a kid - is that place still as dirty as I remember it being?
 

darscot

Member
This seems like nothing, are they still breeding whales? They should stop breeding and start the process of trying to prepare the whales for release. If they do that I would support them financially. Taking away part of their routine seems like taking away probable the only thing they have left.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
They're completely fucked.

If they don't do this, people will stop going to their parks since no one wants to fill the pockets of a bunch of assholes. If they do this, though, no one will go to their parks cus who the hell wants to go to Sea World if they can't see Killer Whales doing tricks and shit?
 
God dammit, this better not eventually lead to what I think it means. We need organizations like SeaWorld to help some of these creatures. There was thread I think a few months ago where we actually saw a lot of the good that SeaWorld does, specially its Florida park, and what an asset to wildlife it has become. I know people who work there, people I used to go to school with. Believe, they wouldn't be there if they didn't want to help out animals.

Don't see why they need captive whales to do that. It's in their own best interest to pivot their business model now rather than later. So that they can continue the "good" things they do.
 

213372bu

Banned
That looks like a manatee and that looks like food a manatee would eat, not garbage. It's an herbivore.

Would it be gross if fish guts were floating around the sharks during feeding?

I know, I know, but normally they feed them at opprotune times or allow a viewing underwater so you can actually see the manatees.

But instead they are confined to this tiny concrete pool from a top-down view and complaints on the internet is that it is saddening that they are in that small area with their food covering the entirety of the enclosure.
I mean look :

Compared to one from a Tampa aquarium:

and a Tampa zoo :

Where they are given lots of free-roam and aren't so clustered and feed is distributed towards the back and at certain periods of the day.

I dunno looking at that just looks so depressing in comparison :\
 
Oh, ok, I didn't realize the enclosed was so tiny.

That is WAY too small for a gentle grazing herbivore. Can you imagine the outrage if a horse was kept in such a small area where no where to move or hide or even get away from its food.
 

LycanXIII

Member
I know, I know, but normally they feed them at opprotune times or allow a viewing underwater so you can actually see the manatees.

But instead they are confined to this tiny concrete pool from a top-down pool and complaints on the internet is that it is saddening that they are in that small area with their food covering the entirety of the enclosure.
I mean look :


Compared to one from a Tampa aquarium:

and a Tampa zoo :

Where they are given lots of free-roam and aren't so clustered and feed is distributed towards the back and at certain periods of the day.

I dunno looking at that just looks so depressing in comparison :\

That pool is barely big enough for humans, but they keep TWO Manatees in there? :/
 
SeaWorld opens March, 1964, does captive killer whale shows

Blackfish debuts July, 2013.

CEO of SeaWorld, November, 2013:


CEO of SeaWorld, March, 2014:


SeaWorld press release, August, 2014:


CEO of SeaWorld steps down December 2014

November, 2015:
SeaWorld announces fundamental rethink of business model and their major attraction

Haha wow

Nice summary
 
It's not something that's really quantifiable, but I wonder if SeaWorld itself cultivated a love for aquatic animals that has led to a generation so intent on preserving and protecting them.

Like, have their efforts to get people to love animals done more utilitarian good than harm? I think it's definitely time to phase out the captive orca aspects of these parks, but I'd like to believe Sea World did some good. Inspired kids to become biologists or vets or active in efforts to preserve endangered species/reefs.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
I know, I know, but normally they feed them at opprotune times or allow a viewing underwater so you can actually see the manatees.

But instead they are confined to this tiny concrete pool from a top-down pool and complaints on the internet is that it is saddening that they are in that small area with their food covering the entirety of the enclosure.
I mean look :


Compared to one from a Tampa aquarium:

and a Tampa zoo :

Where they are given lots of free-roam and aren't so clustered and feed is distributed towards the back and at certain periods of the day.

I dunno looking at that just looks so depressing in comparison :\

Jeez the poor creature is swimming in what basically is a kids pool. :(
 

ahoyle77

Member
That pool is barely big enough for humans, but they keep TWO Manatees in there? :/

Thats a rehab pool. I really hate the misinformation that goes on in any Seaworld thread. Everyone is of course entitled to their opinions on the animals, but if you can't acknowledge that Seaworld treats their animals as well as any zoo in the world, you arent being fair.


I think SeaWorld is going to gradually turn more into an aquatic version of Busch Gardens. A thrill park with great animal attractions, instead of an aquatic park with a few good rides.
 
I haven't been there since I was a kid - is that place still as dirty as I remember it being?

I had to do some engineering work there a few years ago and I had access to the back lot. It's completely run down and not in good condition at all. It was kind of shocking and eye opening. The Dolphins live in small tanks about 15 feet by 8 feet. I vowed never to go there again.
 

213372bu

Banned
Thats a rehab pool. I really hate the misinformation that goes on in any Seaworld thread. Everyone is of course entitled to their opinions on the animals, but if you can't acknowledge that Seaworld treats their animals as well as any zoo in the world, you arent being fair.


I think SeaWorld is going to gradually turn more into an aquatic version of Busch Gardens. A thrill park with great animal attractions, instead of an aquatic park with a few good rides.

It looks like that is Miami Seaquarium's Manatee exhibit which is separate from their manatee hospital which they use to help manatees from my looking through the web.

That same zoo I mentioned above has a rehab set of pools that look similar and is cornered off for one manatee per pool:

But that seems to be a completely separate case.

Also, those images are not from Seaworld :\
 
I think that they're going to find that this change is too small to have an overall impact on their image. They're going to still face the backlash from Blackfish until they phase out large sea mammals entirely. Next step is hopefully to do away with breeding.
 

CorvoSol

Member
That's not really something that can happen, honestly. These whales were bred and raised in captivity, thus lack much of the social and survival skills they'd learn from being out in the wild. They would die very quickly.

So they're like homeschooled kids, then
 

DJKhaled

Member
That picture is so haunting. This is the motherfucking T-Rex of the ocean. Tt's as smart as a human. They spend every second with their family and have their own dialects, diets and specialized hunting strategies to get that food. And we mix them all up and put them in swimming pools so that they can jump through colored hoops for amusement.

As much as I hate Seaworld and hate places that keep Orcas captive, c'mon man, they are extremely smart and have complex emotions but they aren't as smart as humans.
 

DJKhaled

Member
It's a nice half-step. Honestly though, I'm not really comfortable with any animals being in captivity aside from domesticated species or individuals that couldn't survive in the wild.

lol Captivity is necessary for so many animals, I don't get the outright hatred of it if they are given proper environments and enclosures to live in. If it wasn't for Zoos we wouldn't have these animals at all in the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_in_the_wild
 

darscot

Member
lol Captivity is necessary for so many animals, I don't get the outright hatred of it if they are given proper environments and enclosures to live in. If it wasn't for Zoos we wouldn't have these animals at all in the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_in_the_wild

What non domesticated animals require captivity? And because we caused the extinction of an animal and a zoo happened to lock a couple up does not make the zoo part of the solution. It's not like zoos are trying to release these animals.
 

ReAxion

Member
lol Captivity is necessary for so many animals, I don't get the outright hatred of it if they are given proper environments and enclosures to live in. If it wasn't for Zoos we wouldn't have these animals at all in the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_in_the_wild

It would be great if Sea World became a non-profit.

What non domesticated animals require captivity? And because we caused the extinction of an animal and a zoo happened to lock a couple up does not make the zoo part of the solution. It's not like zoos are trying to release these animals.

Yes they are. Here's one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_condor
 

DJKhaled

Member
What non domesticated animals require captivity? And because we caused the extinction of an animal and a zoo happened to lock a couple up does not make the zoo part of the solution. It's not like zoos are trying to release these animals.

Well, okay you are completely wrong, lot's of Zoos are trying to release captive animals. If you clicked on that link I provided you would see lots of non domesticated animals that require captivity, and it's terrible what humans have done to those species but it is great we have some in Zoos and we can release them again one day when we have a way to make sure they survive.

https://www.aza.org/reintroduction-programs/
 

darscot

Member
Well, okay you are completely wrong, lot's of Zoos are trying to release captive animals. If you clicked on that link I provided you would see lots of non domesticated animals that require captivity, and it's terrible what humans have done to those species but it is great we have some in Zoos and we can release them again one day when we have a way to make sure they survive.

See my post above. The require captivity part bothered me and I popped off. No non domesticated animal requires captivity. I'm sure if we really gave a shit and where willing to spend the money we could sort it out. There are places that are making an effort
 

CodonAUG

Member
Why cant they teach the Orca's to swim to sea world (its on the coast) and get fed every day? Then the Orcas get an ocean to swim in and have food.

edit: Referring to the currently captive Orcas.
 
As much as I hate Seaworld and hate places that keep Orcas captive, c'mon man, they are extremely smart and have complex emotions but they aren't as smart as humans.

I've read three books about whales and captivity and they've shown shocking stuff. Some of it covered in blackfish, like when they figured out how to divide and hide their young from boats, some of it not, like when whales get bored when being trained and get answers wrong on purpose, celebrating and 'laughing' at the punishment/frustration of the trainer in rebellion. They also have superior emotional intelligence to humans, without question, develop their own dialects that other whales don't understand...hell dolphins can reportedly communicate over the phone and understand who they are talking to.

This is a good article that makes the case for how smart they are. We can't directly compare - we're good at typing papers on Microsoft Word, they're good at devising a 10 whale strategy on how to herd narwhals into a trap and eat them for dinner - but it shows some more great examples.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/human-intelligence-versus-whales-and-dolphins/

I personally believe when writers and interviewees say the whales know they are in captivity, they understand what it happening, etc. Hits you in the feels.
 

Heshinsi

"playing" dumb? unpossible
captivity?

Yeah and its safer to live at SeaWorld than in the Ocean. I haven't seen Blackfish though maybe they debunk my perception
Orcas are the top predator of the oceans. There is no creature that is safe from them. Matriarchs are known to have life spans as long as if not longer than humans in the wild. So for Orcas, captivity is a death sentence for them.
 
SeaWorld opens March, 1964, does captive killer whale shows

Blackfish debuts July, 2013.

CEO of SeaWorld, November, 2013:


CEO of SeaWorld, March, 2014:


SeaWorld press release, August, 2014:


CEO of SeaWorld steps down December 2014

November, 2015:
SeaWorld announces fundamental rethink of business model and their major attraction

I just love seeing that cognitive dissonance in action.

On a different note: Circle du Soleil's success has been commonly attributed to doing away with animal tricks as most people already considered those cruel by that time. Historically speaking, not only were they proven correct, but the entire 'animal act' thing is basically on the way out. It's somewhat bizarre that it even took this long for SeaWorld (and those like them) to be forced to play catch-up. Could be an interesting case of delaying diffusion of innovation, certainly when combined with others. Anyone looking for a social science thesis subject, by any chance?
 

ahoyle77

Member
It looks like that is Miami Seaquarium's Manatee exhibit which is separate from their manatee hospital which they use to help manatees from my looking through the web.

That same zoo I mentioned above has a rehab set of pools that look similar and is cornered off for one manatee per pool:

But that seems to be a completely separate case.

Also, those images are not from Seaworld :

Sorry, thought people were saying that was Seaworlds exhibit.
 

pharmx

Member
I've read three books about whales and captivity and they've shown shocking stuff. Some of it covered in blackfish, like when they figured out how to divide and hide their young from boats, some of it not, like when whales get bored when being trained and get answers wrong on purpose, celebrating and 'laughing' at the punishment/frustration of the trainer in rebellion. They also have superior emotional intelligence to humans, without question, develop their own dialects that other whales don't understand...hell dolphins can reportedly communicate over the phone and understand who they are talking to.

This is a good article that makes the case for how smart they are. We can't directly compare - we're good at typing papers on Microsoft Word, they're good at devising a 10 whale strategy on how to herd narwhals into a trap and eat them for dinner - but it shows some more great examples.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/human-intelligence-versus-whales-and-dolphins/

I personally believe when writers and interviewees say the whales know they are in captivity, they understand what it happening, etc. Hits you in the feels.

I'm all for Team Orca, but c'mon....what you've described and what the linked article depicts....doesn't even compare to what humans have accomplished. I guess it depends on your definition of "smart".
 

DrFurbs

Member
Didn't California or Florida pass a bill to stop breeding orcas in captivity?

Also... Look for the arial shot of sea world car park and the orca tank... One is enormous the other if tiny.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom