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I agree, people seeing orcas will make them respect orcas more (I still deeply remember the orca Shamu from my childhood.)
But most animals we keep in zoo's live longer in captivity than they do in the wild Top Ten Keeper Questions
But not Orcas. In the wild orcas have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 years, and their estimated maximum life span is 60 to 70 years for males, and 80 to more than 100 for females. But orcas in zoo's only live an average of 9 years. Ten Things You Didn't Know About SeaWorld | SeaWorld of Hurt
I will note that I am not arguing that captivity is better for the very few in captivity. My argument is that it's better for the overwhelming vast majority not in captivity.
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We obviously do not know how to care for these animals in captivity. And when we catch orcas in the wild we totally destroy the family group that we take the desirable orcas from. It just seems a total waste to destroy a group of wild orcas, and then put the orcas in a zoo where they only live about 9 years (when they often live 60-80 years in the wild.)
Nothing is being destroyed. Sorry, I tried to discuss this without the hyperbole.
I think keeping whales, dolphins or any other animal that is not in danger of extinction in captivity is no longer necessary for public education, now that most of the world has all sorts of information (including films) available at their fingertips....
I will note that I am not arguing that captivity is better for the very few in captivity. My argument is that it's better for the overwhelming vast majority not in captivity.
Nothing is being destroyed. Sorry, I tried to discuss this without the hyperbole.
I agree with your first statement.
But your second statement can sometimes be wrong,
"A final aspect of capturing orcas - one that is rarely considered - is the effect of capture on those animals left in the pod. If the pod is small (fewer than six animals), as in the transient pods of the North Pacific, then capture of even one individual (may) affect the pod's ability to survive."
"a number of subpods, composed of a mother, her sons and daughters and grandcalves have been wiped out (by capturing orcas in the group). These subpods are often fairly independent, travelling apart from their pods for extended periods, and may be in the process of forming new pods."
(so capturing orcas may stop new orca groups from forming.)
"And there may be other implications in which survival is reduced for those left. Research suggests that orca males sometimes die soon after their mothers die. It may mean that the capture of mothers, even if past breeding age, contributes to the premature death of their male progeny."
I just think Sea World should start acting like other zoo's and provide better homes for their animals. To me SeaWorld acts like 7 year old children who catch lizards or frogs, and then put them in a small jar, and then the animal they caught soon dies (I excuse this behavior in children, but the people running Sea World are not kids.)
I watched Blackfish. Forget the employees if you must. The critical part was live film showing the capture of a whale, and the sad, terrible behavior of the pod members being left behind. The looks on the faces of some of the ship's crew when they watched it happening …
Unless you are a complete sociopath, you CANNOT watch that part of the documentary without being horrorstruck.
I watched Blackfish. Forget the employees if you must. The critical part was live film showing the capture of a whale, and the sad, terrible behavior of the pod members being left behind. The looks on the faces of some of the ship's crew when they watched it happening …
Unless you are a complete sociopath, you CANNOT watch that part of the documentary without being horrorstruck.
Providing food and providing entertainment are two completely different things. There are some things I'm not willing to do just to provide laughs. How about you?
Providing food and providing entertainment are two completely different things. There are some things I'm not willing to do just to provide laughs. How about you?
They deserve reparations! Free them and then give them one million pounds of krill per month to make up for all the past injustices to their ancestors.
End Slavery Now!
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