woman killed at seaworld

[kelseygirl707]

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I double anybody is willing to spend the money. Sad but true.

 

[redhen]

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Yup...its not like they live in Florida or anything... Surrounded by the ocean...

I think THAT would be a great idea...
I just wonder what they are going to do with this big guy now...
Ship him off someplace else and re-name him..probably..

 

[Year of the Rooster]

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i do know they rescue.............
Please don't get me wrong...sea world has a great recue unit. My husband knows them very well. just don't think a whale has any place in a small tank like that.

I'm sorry if I came off a little hostile. Those tanks may look small but they are deep too. And I agree with what halo said.

 

[Amyable]

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I double anybody is willing to spend the money. Sad but true.

Hmm, it could be possible to turn it into an educational attraction, like Sea World. Have the enclosure, then folks can scuba dive around it (not in with the whales) and observe them. One step better than looking at them through glass. People swim with dolphins all the time. I don't know why something like this wouldn't be viable, and less stressful for teh animals.

 

[Moxiechick]

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On Wikopedia, they state - "Tilikum, sometimes misspelled Tillikum, is a bull Orca who lives at SeaWorld Orlando. He was captured near Iceland in November 1983 at about two years of age."

I can understand rescue, but I can't abide the capturing of these creatures from the wild and I don't think breeding them in captivity is doing anything but providing a way for these parks to make a profit. Other zoos try to provide the most enriched environments for their animals as possible. If they want to educate the public, a well done documentary showing the animals in their natural environment would be more compassionate.

I know these performance aquariums state that their training programs provide the needed mental stimulation, but I don't think that a few hours of interaction is a substitute for a natural enriched environment. How would a human like to work for a few hours a day in an elevator, then spend their free time locked in a closet? That is the rough equivalent to how these poor whales live.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

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I double anybody is willing to spend the money. Sad but true.

Hmm, it could be possible to turn it into an educational attraction, like Sea World. Have the enclosure, then folks can scuba dive around it (not in with the whales) and observe them. One step better than looking at them through glass. People swim with dolphins all the time. I don't know why something like this wouldn't be viable, and less stressful for teh animals.

Because several people would be unable to participate. Especially those with physical and mental disabilities.

 

[halo]

Ive seen a million documentaries on killer whales, sharks, dolphins, and never got the incredible awe that I felt when I went to Sea World and saw these creatures up close and personal. It was then that I realized how terribly important it is that we secure the futures and safety of these sea critters.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

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I completely agree. I don't think it's right for whales to be kept in captivity, including dolphins. The only exceptions would be rescue animals that cannot live in the wild for some reason. They are incredibly complex creatures, and I've got to be honest and say I don't believe they can be happy in a tank situation. That said, I do understand the necessity of them in captivity to help people understand they need to be conserved, but... I don't know, it still saddens me and I wish there was another way for the public to understand how magnificent and incredible these creatures are. Maybe keeping only those that could not be returned to the wild would be a good compromise, though like anything else the sea parks are about demand and money so that doesn't seem feasible.

Has anyone else here seen The Cove?

I am sad for the trainer's family, though. Very sudden loss, I'm sure they're in deep mourning.

 

[redhen]

Ahh...dont let anyone fool ya folks..
its ALL about the money. If they JUST took in and helped rescues that cant be released.. then i'd believe it. But no...they BREED them...

 

[Goose and Fig]

According to Wikipedia (see full listing), "Tillikum measures 22 feet 6 inches long and weighs in at 12,300 pounds (as of 2007). His pectoral fins are six and one half feet long, his massive flukes curl under, and his 6-foot-tall dorsal fin is flopped completely to his left side, and weighs close to 200 pounds. He is the largest Orca in captivity and also the most successful sire in captivity, with 13 offspring, 10 of which are still alive."

What is it- an Orca farm?​