#pro SeaWorld

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Finally we have more media actually publishing skepticism towards sanctuaries - rather than the usual uncritical puff pieces and feel good stories.

Jason hits the nail on the head here is saying that the concept of a “sanctuary” is a way to assuage human guilt about the original sin of capturing the dolphins from the wild. And it makes the public decide they no longer need to worry about the animals in a sanctuary because they’re Safe there.

This allows sanctuaries to get away with not actually proving that their facilities are an improvement to welfare. We see this a lot with the lax husbandry standards in terrestrial animal sanctuaries. Things that would never be accepted in accredited zoos get a free pass because it’s a Sanctuary.

#cetacean welfare #blackfish #SeaWorld #dolphin #whale #dolphin captivity #anti cap #pro cap

[orcinus-veterinarius]

do you genuinely support seaworld? because if you do, then that is genuinely disapointing to me as i loved your content. dolphins (esp bottlenoses) are incredibly intelligent creatures with their own languages and cultures, can experience emotion in the same ways we do, and display self awareness on nearly the same level as us. there's no situation in which they should be kept in and bred in captivity, and dolphins that cannot live in the wild deserve to go to sanctuaries that are able to provide actual proper living space, respect, and care for them. they are real, living creatures, with their own personalities and identities. they shouldnt be abused and exploited for profit. it's inherently cruel, even if you personally dont view them as their own people as some (like me) do.

I'm sorry that you're disappointed. I thought I had been clear about my opinions on here but yes, I do support SeaWorld, just like I support every other AZA-accredited zoo and aquarium. I support their veterinarians and veterinary staff, people I've actually met or who have worked closely with many of my colleagues and mentors. I support their rescue teams, which have responded to over 40,000 individual marine animals in distress, and are currently one of only half a dozen facilities equipped to handle the Florida manatee unusual mortality event. I support their husbandry and training staff, folks who've made a career out of caring for animals and, like the trainers I currently work with, tirelessly advocating for their needs. I support their contributions to marine research, both through the parks and the independent Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. I support the connection to the marine world that they provide children (and adults) like myself years ago, gifting them with a lifelong love for the ocean and its life.

At the moment, I'm completing a residential internship program with the medical team at a small marine park (not SeaWorld, but similar in many ways) as a complement to my ongoing education as a DVM student. I see and work with dolphins every day. You’re right, they are extremely intelligent. Each one is an individual, with his or her own distinct personality, likes and dislikes, best friends (human and dolphin), and favorite activities. Perhaps they are “people” in their own way, although from a scientific perspective I can’t anthropomorphize them to that extent. Their trainers are more intimately familiar with the dolphins’ moods and needs than the vast majority of people are with their own pets (speaking as a 7-year veteran of general practice and emergency vet hospitals), and every second of their work day revolves around the animals, be it enrichment, training, husbandry, diet prep, habitat maintenance or, yes, public presentations. Each dolphin has a specialized care plan, made for them by their own full-time veterinarian, to ensure they are always in peak body condition. They receive a full routine medical work-up (complete with bloodwork, fecal, urine, gastric, and chuff cytology) multiple time a year, far beyond what any domestic animal receives. Their diet consists of a wide variety of human-grade seafood, with each individual fish (hundreds of pounds a day) hand-checked by a trainer to ensure it has no defects. They are never, ever forced to participate in a session and usually happily do so, because exercising their minds and bodies is enriching for them. If not, no big deal, they will still get all the food they need. 

About half of our dolphins are rescues, deemed non-releasable by the federal government (not the team who rehabbed them, or even the “higher ups” in aquarium/marine park management). These dolphins stranded when they were babies, too young to have learned what they needed from their mothers, or suffering from disabilites or chronic health conditions that would make survival in the wild impossible. Without “captivity,” they would be dead. Instead, I get to see them thrive every day, bonding with their trainers, playing with their dolphin friends, exploring their enrichment, and inspiring everyone who meets them. I’m sorry but no, I will never say these dolphins should be put to death or left to suffer an excrutiating fate in the wild. Not when I’ve seen the life they get to live instead.

An accredited “dolphin sanctaury” like you suggest, run by people with the proper training, resources, and (extensive) funding to care for these complex animals, does not exist. And if one did, it would be no different than any other accredited facility (many of which are “sea pen” habitats, which have their own pros and cons versus a traditional “tank” habitat) that is already open. There would still be training for husbandry, exercise, and enrichment. There would still be hand-fed diets. There would still be (nearly constant!) breeding behavior, just without any babies. And there would still be barriers keeping them from leaving although fun fact, the US Navy uses trained dolphins in open ocean missions and they always return to their human caregivers. The only thing missing would be the educational, inspirational experience aquariums give the public. 

But don’t take my word for it. Last year, the Cetacean Welfare Study was published, the result of years of work by 43 different AZA and/or AMMPA-accredited institutes. It’s a collection of studies, the first of their kind, surveying the factors affecting welfare in managed cetaceans (mainly bottlenose dolphins but also Pacific white-sided dolphins and beluga whales), and oftentimes, it’s not what the general public might think. Both SeaWorld and my park were part of it.

Thanks for hearing me out. I don’t expect you to suddenly agree with me, but I hope you’ll try to understand. If you want to hear more of what I’ve said on this topic, please look at my #seaworld and #cetaceans tag.

#I stand with seaworld #seaworld #aquarium #aquariums #marine parks #pro cap #dolphin #dolphins #bottlenose dolphin #animal training #dolphin training #animal rescue #zoos #support zoos and aquariums #aza #cetaceans #cetacean welfare study #marine mammals #vetblr #vet student #anonymous #answered asks

[whaleexpertsanonymous]

“if u have a different opinion… u support animal abuse”

#yes I know I’m pro cap I don’t take it as an insult #petition to take away the word ‘research’ from the general populace please #seaworld #orcas #killer whales

[abyssaldreaming]

Just seen a person call seaworld evil because one of the dolphins showed stereotypical behaviours (repetitive behaviours that have a variety of causes and is hard to manage/stop once it starts) and then call a video of a horse showing stereotypical behaviour (stable weaving specifically) cute and claiming the horse was dancing.

The hypocrisy is real in the anti-cap fandom

#im done with people #seaworld #stand with seaworld #pro cap #pro zoo #selective cap #cetaceans #seaworld dolphins #dolphins #horses #stereotypical behaviour #dolphin behaviour #animal behavior #animal welfare

[metzonalitonali]

Ok it's my first time using clipstudiopaint so I started experimenting a little 💖 I'd been doing it for days and I took advantage of the fact that I felt a little better to finish it

#sea #seaworld #sealovers #mar #mares #blue #animekawaii #discoverunder5k #dibujos #artsupporters #artofinstagram #newpainting #newdesign #idkwhattohashtag #deco #artdeco #artnouveau #clip studio pro #clip studio art #clip studio paint

[sukitails]

I cannot speak for physical health, but why do beluga whales seem more mentally... well-adjusted(?) in captivity than their other cetacean cousins? When I see videos of beluga whales in captivity, I've seen less stereotypic behavior and evidence of such (such as wear on teeth from biting tank edges) than on, say, orca whales or bottlenose dolphins.

A quick Google search brought up many articles suggesting that beluga whales suffer premature death in captivity, but I didn't do any in-depth research.

Has anyone noticed what I noticed, or am I imagining it? Is there some reason why beluga whales seem to fare better mentally than orcas and dolphins?

#beluga #cetacean #whale #dolphin #aquatic animals #i don't wanna start a huge pro vs anti cap argument im just curious #beluga whale #seaworld #oreo crunches

[justmewondering56]

#Don’t fuck with cats or I hope you seriously get anally electrocuted and roasted alive #Gross #official #universal #universal studios #cancun #whalesell #American lawsuit #Gonna grab an ugly human hat shitter? No I only consent to my husband trey parker #Anti religion #food insecurity #in between panels #Pro starvation of ugly humans for my attraction to no animal harm #Mion sonazaki #Yanderedev can’t explain all the pups on puppyspot or why he approved seaworld money for baby harm #Yanderedev indictment but he will go retarded aka hurt my once healthy American landscape with seaworld or human shit bc incell Insell #Sarah Hammond indictment #Sum1 watch that boxer dog breeder there are 50 waiting to be drowned in game of winter #fat people hate #hate

[bumgall]

Do you think SeaWorld is what killed Final Cut Pro

#bgoriginal.mel #bgthoughts.mel #seaworld #apple #final cut pro #IYKYK #bgcrappost.mel

[leoparduscolocola]

the simple fact that it is impossible to keep killer whales in captivity without causing the same gross anatomical deformity in over half of them should make it plainly obvious that they shouldn’t be kept in captivity at all. ALL adult male orcas, and a considerable chunk of females, whether captive-bred or wild-captured, have collapsed dorsal fins—in the wild, collapsed dorsal fins almost always occur only in orcas who are starving to death or have been injured in some way. and we don’t know if the collapsed dorsal fin has any health, social or behavior impacts! we just don’t know because captive orca facilities have stuck their head in the sand ever since they first started keeping orcas captive and refused to do any research on the phenomenon whatsoever!!! pro-captivity people will tell you in a cheerful, nothing-to-worry-about-folks tone that it doesn’t have any negative impacts, but that’s a lie, because at the end of the day, we don’t know. all we know is that something about captivity clearly causes it; we don’t even know the exact cause. in my opinion, it’s honestly ridiculous to suggest that a male killer whale’s most prominent secondary sex characteristic being totally deformed would have no bearing on his health or social status at all, but that’s just speculation too because nobody has ever looked into this phenomenon at all. that right there should prove that seaworld and their fellow captive killer whale facilities do not care about scientific research or about their animals’ welfare. if any other species experienced a gross anatomical deformity due to captivity (for example, if all male elephants’ tusks fell out, as well as some females’ tusks) and the facilities that held them refused to study it, the zoo industry would be outraged. but because it’s seaworld and they have a huge amount of money and they’re apparently the “world’s foremost experts on killer whales” (despite repeatedly ignoring the hard science from wild orca biologists that makes it obvious that their practices, such as separating moms from calves and restricting their movement, are incredibly harmful), the entire zoo industry just takes their word for it that this deformity is not harmful even though they’ve done no research on it. the dorsal fin issue makes me feel like i’m going insane; seeing smart, animal-loving people fall for this nonsense is very disheartening. it is genuinely shameful that captive killer whale facilities are so willing to overlook a blatant issue because acknowledging it would mean that—gasp!—they’d have to admit that their practices are not perfect and infallible. it would be laughable too if it wasn’t so depressing, because the welfare of these animals is being ignored. but remember kids, seaworld cares! your ticket pays for rescue and research! consume our product to save the earth!

#orcas #cetaceans #orca #killer whales #killer whale #cetacean #animal welfare #zoology #dolphin #dolphins #seaworld #cetacean captivity #orca captivity #katherine speaks

[acti-veg]

I find it hilarious how many people will say NFTs are killing the environment when the amount of CO2 released by minting one NFT is equivalent to 0.52 to 1.38 kg of beef without even taking the groundwater contamination, land conversion and other environmental damage caused by animal ag into account. It's almost like people will criticize bad things only as long as they don't actively engage in them. (This isn't pro-NFT)

I can’t verify those stats but this has always been a pretty infamous facet of social justice oriented spaces, the clamour to boycott and condemn things you have no personal involvement with and has no intention of benefiting from anyway. SeaWorld but not similarly abusive zoos, fur but not leather, veal but not chicken. It’s easy to take a moral stance on anything when the only thing that will be required of you is talk.

#ask #vegan #NFTs

[florida3exclamationpoints]

ALSO WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING!!!!

"only SeaWorld has the staff and know-how to pay close attention to the ills of captivity. The problem is that SeaWorld can't make that argument because it would contradict the current image it projects of itself as the benign protector of the orcas in its care. All of the reasons its orcas cannot be returned to nature stem from the fact that they have been psychologically and physically damaged by captivity. SeaWorld cannot fully make up for its sins but it can atone—and teach the rest of humankind about its mistakes in the process." [By making and moving their whales to sea pen sanctuaries. They'd still be under human care.]

This is something I've tried to articulate a lot bc it bothers me when pro SeaWorld people say "you can't just release them they were born in captivity they wouldn't survive in the wild!!!" No you can't just release them but SeaWorld should not be excused from the the consequences of the problems that they created and especially not BECAUSE of the consequences they created. They started this they have a responsibility

#whales

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Update to academic smackdown of "Do Dolphins Live in Impoverished Environments"

So the people who wrote the paper claiming that dolphins and elephant brains in zoos are exactly like mouse brains in impoverished environments (Jacobs et. al 2021) (A maaajor reach considering 1) dolphin and elephant brains are nothing like mouse brains and 2) dolphins and elephants in zoos do not demonstrate an inability to learn new things)

Well they have beef with the paper that came out criticising their "work."

Of course, instead of writing a rebuttal they wrote a bitchy Facebook post about it.

Let's break it down shall we?

No no no, you see. That was what your paper did. You used the comparison of lab rats to zoo animals and said that the two were exactly the same. "She never seems to understand that a natural environment is more enriching than an artificial one" just SCREAMS "I have never worked with these animals before." Because guess who decides what is and isn't enriching? THE ANIMAL.

A natural environment for dolphins may have live fish, currents, tides, waves ect. But that can quickly become a stressor. As we've just seen Little Grey from the beluga sanctuary developing stress related stomach ulcers within days of being put into in the sea pen.

This is the naturism fallacy at it's most obvious.

"Enrichment is, to me, a public admission of defeat." I'd be insulted on behalf of every single team developing amazing enrichment plans for their animals if this wasn't so obviously ignorant.

You know what wild animals spend most of their time doing? Trying not to die! That's why they don't need enrichment! And even then, you still get animals that like to engage in object play with anything they find (eg. dolphins throwing around sponges or Kea birds ripping apart car bumpers and windshield wipers).

So, in lieu of the whole trying not to die thing, animals in zoos get more opportunities for play. Animals in zoos can absolutely "fly, run, climb and soar" too - but without a reason (like trying not to die) they won't pointlessly expend energy. So enrichment gives them opportunities for that! Hooray!

This study never actually examined orca, elephant, dolphin or porpoise brains from animals living in human care. Not one. Yet it claimed that these species were suffering from brain damage and neurological damage.

It also blatantly ignored the recent examination of cetacean brains by the late Dr. Sam Ridgeway, that found no such brain damage or comparable differences between wild and captive dolphin brains.

I know for a fact some of the authors of these papers were invited to examine captive dolphin brains by scientists who work with them and were refused.

It's so obvious these people are not interested in having a discussion based on actual data but are more interested in already having an answer and working their "data" to make it look like they have it right. And, of course, to make sure the media outlets pick it up too.

#cetacean welfare #dolphin welfare #anti cap #pro cap #blackfish #seaworld

[orcinus-veterinarius]

I’m thinking about making an account dedicated to screenshots of wild things people say about SeaWorld/zoos and aquariums in general, so I can keep this page focused on vet med, education, and cute animals instead of negativity. Would anyone be interested?

#it would probably be mostly anti cap stuff but I will post insane things pros say too #I would open submissions #seaworld #zoo #zoos #aquarium #aquariums #cetaceans #dolphins #orcas #killer whales #support zoos and aquariums

[whaleexpertsanonymous]

You… resent… a whale??

#I promised pro cap content #seaworld #orcas #killer whales #tilikum #dawn brancheau

[seaworld1982]

SEAWORLD, SEA IS THE NAME!!!

OK better bio this time fuck

The name's Seaworld1984 or just call me Sea or Sea Bun

I'm 20, i bigender so she, they and he are cool, i'm a omnisexual, autistic, i'm a muitl fandom person so my reblogs are random fandoms im in, i have many ships but PLZ NO FUCKING PROSHITTERS HERE, i DO make art i just forget to post lol, i collect dolls and love playing on Ponytown, and making friends tho im shy!

i mostly just reblogs stuff so if you look forward to that then yay! i think lol!

🚫DNI PROS/ZOOS/NFTS/LGBTQIA-PHOBIC/AI/DUDE BROS DNI, LEAVE NOW! FUCK OFF!!! 🚫

kk bye!!!!

#my biography #about myself #my ocs <3 #jojo's bizarre adventure: golden wind #mortal kombat #my art #artists on tumblr #traditional art

[sunset-peril]

Headcanon meme, since you opened the door: ☯ Athena Cykes (DD or AMNT, whichever you fancy)

What kind of shows or media you'd think she enjoys/hates with the fury of Hades?

It's always AMNT my friendo

Once I got them fics rolling, nothing will ever refer to the Canon again 😂😂😂

Enjoys -

Swashbuckler Spectacular (obviously heheheh)

Most of the marine shows sponsored by SeaWorld (or the AA equivalent of SeaWorld)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

(she's got a type, lol)

"Brain Games" types of shows where it delves into human psychology through little games and whatnot

Hates-

Media that is obviously glorifying aspects of the European government (pro-Europe propaganda I guess) She saw a lot of things she'll never forget, and sees these things being condoned in these types of media

Media where the only reason a non-English/Japanese/whatever character is included solely for "agenda" or "representation" purposes (Imagine Widget yelling "If you're going to do it, do it right!")

The HAT-1 Miracle

The Nickel Samurai (due to Matt himself, not the show)

Surprisingly, she has no strong opinions of Steel Samurai, Jamming Ninja or Pink Princess. The only reason Nickel Samurai gets the fury is because of the actor himself

#ace attorney #athena cykes #athenacykes #a man named terran