PETA Likens SeaWorld To 'Whale Prison'

[The Straight Story]

PETA Likens SeaWorld To 'Whale Prison'
SeaWorld Mulls Future Of Whale Involved In Trainer's Death


ORLANDO, Fla. -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has taken to the skies to protest SeaWorld's practice of using captive animals for entertainment.

The group flew a banner over the theme park Tuesday afternoon, which said, "SeaWorld – Let whales and dolphins out of prison."

The plane flew for nearly an hour, but there were no protesters on the ground.

The protest was sparked by the recent death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau. A killer whale named Tilikum grabbed Branchau's hair and dragged her under water, drowning her.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/22784123/detail.html

[Ignis]

1. Nah, human prisoners have a chance of parole. (nt)

[flvegan]

3. Exactly. More like whale death row.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nye Bevan]

12. You're not happy for the elephants in zoos that nobody is going to slaughter them

for their tusks?

[superduperfarleft]

20. And you could be hit by a bus walking across the street.

Should we lock you up in a padded room for the rest of your life, without your input, in order to protect you from harm?

[Nye Bevan]

23. Probably yes, if humans were in danger of extinction,

and I was one of the last of my species.

[superduperfarleft]

27. Sure thing, then.

:eyes:

(I have no idea how to even respond to this)

[hunter]

46. I think it's worse for orcas than elephants.

Captive elephants can usually go outside and enjoy a somewhat natural environment -- smell the breeze, hear distant sounds, kick up the dirt, watch the birds.

Nothing is natural in the captive orca's environment. The empty dead water smells of chemicals, it carries only the sound of machines, and the concrete walls are always very close and blank.

[underseasurveyor]

53. Oh sure, enduring a long, slow agonizing death

in captivity is much prefered to the alternative. :eyes:

Geezus


http://www.savewildelephants.com/index.asp

"Zoos rob elephants of their most basic needs, including social companionship and adequate space to exercise. Zoos keep elephants in unnaturally small groups and routinely shuffle elephants between facilities with callous disregard for the special bonds between elephant friends.

Lack of exercise and long hours standing on hard surfaces are major contributors to foot infections and arthritis, the leading causes of death among captive elephants. According to a study commissioned by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), elephants in zoos have significantly shorter lifespans than their wild counterparts.

Zoos operate under the misleading veil of conservation and education when, in reality, these proud and sensitive animals are kept merely as tourist draws to boost sagging profits. Captive breeding will never contribute to the survival of the species because elephants breed poorly in captivity and the offspring who do survive can never be released into the wild. And as far as education goes, keeping elephants in captivity teaches children that it is acceptable to deprive these animals of all that is important to them for the sake of our amusement."

[Book Lover]

58. If you had seen the last elephant in the SF Zoo, you wouldn't be so happy for captivity either

Making wild lands safer for elephants, to use them as the example, is better than keeping them in a climate they don't belong in, in spaces too small for them, keeping them out of their natural herd/family structure, yes. Absolutely. Nature preserves, protextced parks, all of that *yes*; but to bring them onto a continent they didn't naturally colonize so they could be "saved", no.

[roguevalley]

100. both animals range far and are social animals. This sucks

gigantically for both

[joeybee12]

74. If you're that concerned, give your money to some organization, like the WWF

that is trying to stop this slaughter, instead of to a zoo, which does not.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. I think is it criminal to have these mammals ---

kept in captivity -- especially in pens like in Sea World, yet I do not think releasing those currently kept into the wild is the answer, either. What happened to "Keiko" once released was disgusting and an abdication of resposability for that animal. We need a "Best Friends" or "Black Beauty" for these guys.

[Cetacea]

5. Said the baby captive whale to her mother:

"Do all oceans have walls?"

[Shell Beau]

6. I can't disagree with them.

[Xenotime]

79. Yup. The conditions they live in are filthy.

So very sad.

[nashville_brook]

7. completely agree.

and, i don't always agree with PETA. rarely, actually.

[2Design]

8. PETA = crazies (similar to wingnuts and teabaggers)

[Ignis]

9. You're right: Whales LOVE captivity!

How dare PETA speak the truth and threaten profits?! Outrageous! :grr:

[walldude]

44. Actually the poster didn't say anything about the Whales he/she was talking

about PETA. And while I support their cause they are the worst thing to happen to animal rights in years. They are rude, crude and they alienate most people who would be happy to help them were they not such self righteous narcissistic assholes.

Sorry PETA will never get a dime or a minute out of me. I'd rather help people who's goal isn't to get on TV but to actually help animals.

[Ignis]

70. Exactly: Ignore the whales, focus on PETA.

PETA could say that the earth is round and some DUers would still disagree. :eyes:

While I'm not a PETA member, almost every one of the 50+ PETA members, volunteers, and workers I've met has been caring, compassionate, intelligent, and committed. Not a single one could be described as "rude, crude...self righteous narcissistic assholes."

That's my anecdotal data set. What's yours?

[Name removed]

73. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

76. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ignis]

84. 1. I'm not a member of PETA.

2. If you're going to call me crazy, grow a pair and do so.

3. y du u h8 nglsh?

[PVnRT]

10. ...

:popcorn:

[Nye Bevan]

11. Would you rather be harpooned by a Japanese whale-hunting ship

or get to do fun stuff at Sea World, with a perfectly balanced diet, no predators, and vets on call?

Not to mention that the research and study that takes place at places like Sea World helps to save these species from extinction.

[Ignis]

13. Would you rather be knifed on the street during a mugging...

Or be locked to a safe prison cell for solitary confinement--with 3 meals a day, access to health care when you get sick, and a shorter lifespan so that you don't have to worry about retirement?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaWorld#Criticism

[Johonny]

15. My neighbors dog seems ok with that

doesn't even run away when given the chance. Is he a prisoner? At some point in the domestication process many different wild animals were held captive. Those that did better with human intervention passed their genes on, those that didn't... Eventually the wild animal came to depend on humans.

Can we place human morality onto animals or should we lock up all the whales for public indecency? I have no idea. I don't know, but I imagine the "truth" as you put it is less clearly defined than PETA or you like to admit.

[Ignis]

17. Does your dog run 100 miles per day in the wild?

Because Orcas swim that distance daily in the wild. How far do you think they get to swim at SeaWorld?

Dogs have been domesticated for tens of thousands of years. Orcas, not so much.

[Nye Bevan]

21. They probably swim 100 miles when you add up all of the circles they swim

in their tanks.

And to the whales, swimming a total of 100 miles in circles around a tank is probably just as much fun as swimming 100 miles in a straight line in the Atlantic Ocean.

[Texasgal]

22. You *are* joking

Right?

[superduperfarleft]

24. Wait, what?

:facepalm:

So if we lock you in a 12x12 cell, and allow you to pace your tiny cell all day, would that, in your opinion, be the equivalent of taking a nice walk around the block.

Seriously, think before you type, people.

[Nye Bevan]

28. Absolutely. If my intellectual capacity was the same as a whale's.

And those tanks are huge. The equivalent for me would be not so much a 12 by 12 cell, but a large luxury resort with spa treatments, health care and recreation all supplied.

[superduperfarleft]

29. "If my intellectual capacity was the same as a whale's"

Oh the irony...

[underseasurveyor]

61. HA HA HA

:rofl:

Classic eh:-)

[The2ndWheel]

35. The equivalent would be some other species idea of how you want to live

The whales weren't asking for our help. They're not jumping into the tanks at Sea World.

[Nye Bevan]

38. Dodos didn't ask for our help either.

Too bad someone didn't think to put a few hundred of them in a zoo to breed in captivity. But I guess if PETA had been around back then they would have complained about this horrible dodo prison.

[OnyxCollie]

41. Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'

Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.

[Nye Bevan]

49. So what am I?

Am I "not very bright" (your post #36) or am I a master manipulator of internet discussion boards via my expertise in "topic dilution" and "resource burn"?

[OnyxCollie]

56. They are not mutually exclusive.

The term "useful idiot" comes to mind.

I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you just might not be very bright, but now I believe otherwise.

Edit: typo.

[The2ndWheel]

48. They wouldn't really be Dodos then

They would be our idea of Dodos. The same way the whales in captivity are our idea of what a whale should be. It's not a whale for its own sake. It exists for us. So that we can feel better about ourselves. So that we can acquire the information through research.

[Shell Beau]

26. That's funny. Swimming in circles in a tank or swimming in

your natural habitat? Hmmm, which to pick?

[Nye Bevan]

32. My natural habitat has whaling ships trying to harpoon me, oil spills from tankers,

and seas polluted by chemicals. I think I would take the nice clean tank with the free food and vets on call.

[Shell Beau]

37. So I guess we need to round up all of the animals out there and

cage them up. There are lions and tigers and bears out there! They eat other animals. Those animals are in danger.

[Nye Bevan]

40. You don't think some endangered animals should be kept to breed in captivity?

You have no interest in preventing species from becoming extinct?

[Shell Beau]

42. Except that isn't what Seaworld is about.

[Nye Bevan]

45. Really?

Right now our animal care teams are treating more than 50 rescued wild animals, including representatives of three endangered or threatened species, and preparing those animals for return to the wild. In just the past nine weeks SeaWorld parks have rescued and treated nearly 1,000 animals and most have already been returned to the ocean.

http://www.seaworldparksblog.com/

[Shell Beau]

50. It is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The more whales they have, the more they can use them in performances.

Good for them for returning SOME to the wild. How about returning them all to the wild.

[Nye Bevan]

52. No whales = no performances = no $$$$$$ for conservation (nt)

[Texasgal]

59. Oh BS...

The whales should not be kept in tanks and made to perform.

And Seaworld dosen't profit from this? Pulleze... conservation MY ASS.

Get the f'ing blinders off, this isn't about PETA.

[Shell Beau]

60. Right. Ok, I am going in circles with you. No pun intended.

I totally disagree with you. I think you are wrong. They deserve to be free. The whales in most danger are not even the orcas. They aren't even whales, but that doesn't matter. They deserve to live their life naturally.

[Ignis]

71. Yes, let's take press releases at 100% face value!

:dunce:

Gosh, if SeaWorld were a profit-driven business with a history of using freakin' explosives to catch cetaceae, imprisoning them in small pens, and exploiting them, I'm sure they'd say so on their blog! They'd never, ever lie to us!

:dunce:

In other news, Republicans claim they're the party of "family values."

[OnyxCollie]

30. The circle swimming is a sign of neurosis.

It happens when wild animals are confined.

Prisoners pace back and forth in their cells. I bet that's just as much fun as walking in the park.

And before you say that I think prisoners should be free, they are in prison as a result of their own actions. Whales, not so much.

[Nye Bevan]

33. I thought it was because the tanks were round (nt)

[OnyxCollie]

36. I'm not surprised.

You're not very bright and your stubborn dogmatism doesn't help either. I'm sure lots of things get by you.

[superduperfarleft]

51. +1. n/t

[OnyxCollie]

31. Dupe. nt

[LanternWaste]

54. Or putting a dog in 3'x3' pen...

"swimming a total of 100 miles in circles around a tank is probably just as much fun as..."

Or putting a dog in 3'x3' pen and let them live their lives out in that.

[Ignis]

69. "Probably" is not science, it's wishful thinking. (nt)

[superduperfarleft]

18. Your neighbor's dog is not a wild animal.

:eyes:

[Shell Beau]

14. Neither.

[flvegan]

62. Yeah, um...the whalers don't hunt killer whales.

And "fun stuff" means you've asked these animals if that repetitive stupid shit is "fun" right?

If only ignorance was painful, we might see less of it.

[reflection]

16. Call the newspapers. I agree with something PETA said. n/t

[pipi_k]

19. For once I agree with them

Actually there a number of things I agree with them on...it's just that they tend to ruin their message sometimes with outrageous, silly shit.

Which pisses me off, because it doesn't help the animals any.

[KamaAina]

25. You know what? They're right

but for consistency's sake, shouldn't they call it "sea kitten prison"? :shrug:

[mitchum]

34. They are right

[Maru Kitteh]

39. GOOD FOR PETA - because it's exactly true. It's barbaric to keep

these animals in captivity. As far as I'm concerned most dolphins, including Orcas should be granted a form of personhood.

[tonysam]

57. Sure they should, and belittle people.

I can't believe people swallow PETA's batcrazy extremism. Animals aren't supposed to be domesticated, according to them. If people knew how anti-animal these nutjobs really are, few people would give these freaks a dime.

Fuck them.

[superduperfarleft]

66. It scares me to think that someone who typed a sentence that incoherent

and filled with baseless bile used to be a teacher.

edit: or maybe I should feel better that it USED to be a teacher.

[DirkGently]

43. Dogs don't commit suicide

because the isolation they're kept in drives them crazy. Orcas and dolphins have been known to.

PETA *is* a wingnut organization (http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/) but I think they're right on this one. Cetaceans are too intelligent to be kept confined and used in these repetitive "shows." Every new bit of research speaks of more intelligence, more depth of understanding, more complex culture. Dolphins name themselves. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060508_dolphins.html.)

They're not people, and they don't think the same way we do, but every indication is that they understand and feel a hell of a lot, and I think these incidents show that they are literally being driven insane in captivity. I don't know any other way to read it.

These are not typical "Oops got too close to the feeding jaguar at the zoo" type incidents. With Orcas, that would entail exactly one spine-snapping crunch, and it would be all over. But that's never happened to my knowledge. Come to think of it, why not? If these creatures are just big carnivores like any other, why DON'T they kill their trainers with more regularity? Out of friendship? Respect? Love? Not much of an argument for keeping them in captivity.

And nobody "harpoons" Orcas, by the way so Sea World is not "saving" them from anything. This is a money-making enterprise in which the park takes care of the whales *solely to the extent necessary* to keep the commercial enterprise going. They keep them alive and breed them ... and that's it.

I don't think it's enough. I think they're too smart and too complex and we know that too well to continue to keep them penned up as entertainment for tourists.

[Vinca]

47. It is a whale prison. It's like keeping a goldfish in a teacup.

[tonysam]

55. More stupid shit from these extremists. n/t

[mitchtv]

64. maybe so, but they got this one right

:think:

[superduperfarleft]

65. More stupid shit from a one-note poster who never bothers to respond to follow-up comments. n/t

[flvegan]

67. Nailed it!

[Ignis]

72. How, precisely, is it "stupid shit?" With what do you disagree? (nt)

[Ignis]

102. ...Aaaaaaaand it's *crickets* as usual. (nt)

[joeybee12]

75. Explain, since you're such an expert you summed up this issue in 6 words. n/t

[Odin2005]

63. For once I agree with PETA.

At least at good zoos the land animals are given some decent space and are not trained to perform tricks.

[paulsby]

68. FUCK YOU WHALE AND DOLPHIN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GosClBN6rzk&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFHSGJo_FIg&NR=1

[2Design]

77. Peta is crazy - Where is the outrage over people caged and tortured by usa - channel

energy into people first and be outraged over torture of PEOPLE - while innocent people are being murdered and killed by bombs and bullets (I just cannot get outraged over a company that feeds and cares for animals in the same way)

[superduperfarleft]

78. You know, it's possible to do two things at once. n/t

[2Design]

83. I have never seen the crazies with their signs and blockades or throwing blood

or going near nude - they have not used their craziness to protest a war that is killing innocent people or torture - now if I see their level of craziness against some real crimes - I might, just might give them some credibility or respect but for now they get NONE

[superduperfarleft]

87. .

Nevermind. I shouldn't be so mean to the slow.

[Ignis]

95. A kinder and gentler approach, eh?

That's no fun at all. :D

[Ignis]

94. Look harder, then.

Roughly one-third of the anti-war protesters with whom I've marched in San Francisco and Los Angeles are also active in animal rights causes.

Pull your head out.

[flvegan]

80. It's sad to be one of limited compassion.

I'm glad I don't share your problem.

[2Design]

82. Intelligence is not something everyone has - seaworld rescued

this whale from a defunct water park in Canada
After three whales were part of someone drowning after the person fell in the tank

Researching and finding facts helps

Whale left the ocean at two years old and that was decades ago
Whale did not kill man who climbed the fence and went in his pool - the man died of hypothermia - not drowning

I believe this whale has a better life than if he was let go into the ocean to die like the whale from Free Willy who died two years later.

I have plenty of compassion but I also look at facts and what is best for the animal now.
Peta just gets crazy

[Texasgal]

86. mmmmm...

Whale left the ocean at two years old

Whale didn't just "leave" the ocean, he was captured and forced into capitivity.

[2Design]

96. Ok let me spell it out so you can understand

The whale was captured when he was two = left the ocean at two. Seaworld did not capture him. A park in Canada is where the whale was when Seaworld got him from them when they closed. The whale had already been out of the ocean for a long time then.

Zoo animals are capture. Why is peta not at every zoo every day of the week? If they really believed in what they said, I would think I should see them at every zoo and every household with a pet. I don't. I only see them when they want to get on TV or throw blood on someone, or put out gross ads to frighten children.

Sorry, I don't agreed with Peta or their methods

[superduperfarleft]

98. PETA regularly protests zoos, genius.

As do other, unaffiliated animal rights activists.

As far as the pets thing, you're clearly so incapable of nuance that I'm not even going to bother explaining that one to you.

[Texasgal]

99. Take off you blinders

This isn't all about PETA.

Let me dumb it down for you, okay?

The whale was captured and forced into captivity this a crucial part of the story. The whale should have never been captured, I don't give a rats ass if it's seaworld or squiggy's sea park and neither does PETA. It is WRONG to keep WILD animals captured this way... get it?

[flvegan]

88. Didn't realize you were a marine biologist.

Which you must be, making such "factual" statements as you are.

"Rescued" sure, like rescued from Sing-Sing and put in Rikers.

[superduperfarleft]

90. I would think a marine biologist would have at least an elementary command of the english language.

So I think this guy ruled that out on his own.

[Ignis]

89. See post #8, in case you forgot.

For all we know, this was simply a "where did I leave my glasses?" moment. :shrug:

[Alias Dictus Tyrant]

81. "So what are you in here for?"

[TexasObserver]

85. Finally, they get one right.

[retread]

91. Oh boy! A PETA thread. n/t

[2Design]

92. Peta threads are like gun threads - brings out the crazies - enough fun for one day - time to leave

[Texasgal]

93. So sayeth the poster

that can't even get the facts straight about this story. :eyes:

Crazy indeed.

[Pithlet]

97. I was pretty neutral on Seaworld until I watched a show highlighting them

I think it might have been on the Travel Channel or some cable channel like that. It was obviously meant to basically be an advertisement for Seaworld, so it wasn't even an expose or anything like that. And I was still struck by how exploitative it all just seemed. What bothered me is the fact that it wasn't just a general admission where everyone goes in and gets the same experience. There were all these addons, for extra experiences and access to the animals. It bugged me. This was awhile ago, well before this incident happened, so I wasn't prejudiced by that at all. It just seemed like a glorified, overpriced circus. So I wasn't surprised when I heard this happened. I do wonder if the push for profit took precedence over safety measures. I also think that whales and dolphins are highly advanced animals mentally and emotionally, and that it's cruel to keep them this way. They belong in their own environment. I don't think PETA is far off on this issue.

[ibegurpard]

101. 'bout time they actually picked a reasonable target

they actually have an argument here