tilikums' life today

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I think it could go either way. I agree alot with what SandrA9810 said. Is it contributing to the dolphin hunts? Yes probably. But those hunts are for more than just selling dolphins to marine parks, they are primarily for a food source for people in villages. Seaworld is rescuing this dolphin from a poor living condition in the park it currently lives in Japan. It is like rescuing a dog from a puppy mill or a home filled with abuse. Humane societies take the abused dogs in and give them new homes. The abuse will still continue regardless but if you can save 1 dog thats better than saving none. Seaworld is saving this whale from the marine park that is abusing it and they will provide it with a new loving and caring home in Seaworld San Diego.

if they are genuinely 'rescuing' this whale from a bad home in japan. thats one thing.
i hope that is all it is.
does anyone know how long this whale has been in capitivity?

i hope that they haven't done a backhander with this marine park in japan - paid them to capture it then paid them to ship it over to seaworld, california.
 
Tillikum was taken at a young age, kept in a smaller enclosure than seaworld and abused by the other females in the tank. he in fact was rescued. I know like others you feel they should free him, but there is so much to take into account like age, stress and possibility if he doesn't relearn to survive. He is deemed unreleasable, he's an old orca too, and no one kept records of the pods back then so his pod could be dead or have been brought into captivity. So research can take months/years and then teaching him could take a while also.

he was captured in 1983 - went to seaworld in 1992. this would have made him 9 years old then. why wasn't he put into a sea pen for a while to see how he got on.
who made the decision that he was unreleasable?
 
he was captured in 1983 - went to seaworld in 1992. this would have made him 9 years old then. why wasn't he put into a sea pen for a while to see how he got on.
who made the decision that he was unreleasable?

I know other people know about this alot more than I do but I think with Orca's or any other sea mammal it's not as easy as it sounds to just acclimated them in a sea pen.

They are social animals and travel in "pods"(families) and cannot survive on their own. It would take a very, very long time to do this with an Orca because of migration patterns and even then it would depend on if a pod accepted them or not. Not to mention the fact that an animal who has been in captivity for this length of time views humans as a food source and not a possible creature to fear. If a whaling ship came by or a released Orca approached humans in the water it would be killed.

In theory it sounds like a great, easy thing to do to use a sea pen but in reality you just may be setting the creature up to die a slow, sad death.:sad1:
Anyone who can explain it better or more in depth, I would greatly appreciate their response, too. I've learned a lot on this thread!:goodvibes
 
he was captured in 1983 - went to seaworld in 1992. this would have made him 9 years old then. why wasn't he put into a sea pen for a while to see how he got on.
who made the decision that he was unreleasable?

Well I dont think the marine park in Japan would release it no matter what. Who is to say that Seaworld wont? Only time will tell.
 


I know other people know about this alot more than I do but I think with Orca's or any other sea mammal it's not as easy as it sounds to just acclimated them in a sea pen.

They are social animals and travel in "pods"(families) and cannot survive on their own. It would take a very, very long time to do this with an Orca because of migration patterns and even then it would depend on if a pod accepted them or not. Not to mention the fact that an animal who has been in captivity for this length of time views humans as a food source and not a possible creature to fear. If a whaling ship came by or a released Orca approached humans in the water it would be killed.

In theory it sounds like a great, easy thing to do to use a sea pen but in reality you just may be setting the creature up to die a slow, sad death.:sad1:goodvibes

Adventurelover67 you hit it right on the head.:)

The NMFS deemed Tillikum unreleasable. At that time NO ONE knew how to even go about releasing an orca thats been captive like that before. No one thought about that back then did they? Im sure alot had to do within reason on his capability of learning, permits etc.. finding a rehab place.. so many factors. Trust me on this, after all the incidents and such, their never going to release him..

As for the Japanese pilot:

he would have to be a rescue in order for SW to get him, because if they are captured, they have to be there to make sure the capture was humane. "Argo the pilot whale has no association with the drive fisheries. He was a lone stranding, as a neonate, six years ago on a beach northeast of Kamogawa and was nearly dead when rescued. Animal care specialists nursed him to health at Kamogawa SeaWorld saving his life. Because Argo was hand raised by humans, he is not releasable. Kamogawa SeaWorld does not have any other pilot whales at its park while we have three pilot whales here. We were asked if could provide long-term care for Argo so that he could live with other whales of his own species."

and thanks for the link SandraA9810- very interesting read indeed
 
good news about the dolphins in egypt from a facebook site:

News JUST in: the villa in Egypt is to be shut down within 48 hrs, the dolphins moved and a BAN put in place to prohibit people from importing any more!!!

from the guy that runs the site said this: ' I've just spent 30 min on the phone with one of the guys in Egypt. The dolphins have been assessed by a vet and will be moved to a much much larger site with salt water. They will be monitored but may have to remain there for a time. They were imported from Japan and releasing them into the Red Sea may not be the best thing for them. This is a great first step though,and a huge win for Egypt to put the ban in place. '

from ric'obarry:

'ALERT: Egypt Today, the Red Sea Governor issued a decree to shut down the dolphin villa in Hurghada in 48hrs and remove the dolphins permanently. They will be moved to a different location with the help of a police force. A complete ban for importing mammals into Egypt, who were not born in captivity was also issued. Richard and Lincoln O'Barry are on the ground in Egypt.'
 


I know other people know about this alot more than I do but I think with Orca's or any other sea mammal it's not as easy as it sounds to just acclimated them in a sea pen.

how do you acclimatize a 12 tonne orca after its been captured, ripped away from its pod then placed in a tank one thousandth of a size of the ocean, made to eat dead fish and taught to do tricks.

i can't believe that marine parks say this all this about captured orca's that they can never be released and we just accept what they are saying and don't ask questions. :sad2:
 
Adventurelover67 you hit it right on the head.:)

The NMFS deemed Tillikum unreleasable. At that time NO ONE knew how to even go about releasing an orca thats been captive like that before. No one thought about that back then did they? Im sure alot had to do within reason on his capability of learning, permits etc.. finding a rehab place.. so many factors. Trust me on this, after all the incidents and such, their never going to release him..

As for the Japanese pilot:

he would have to be a rescue in order for SW to get him, because if they are captured, they have to be there to make sure the capture was humane. "Argo the pilot whale has no association with the drive fisheries. He was a lone stranding, as a neonate, six years ago on a beach northeast of Kamogawa and was nearly dead when rescued. Animal care specialists nursed him to health at Kamogawa SeaWorld saving his life. Because Argo was hand raised by humans, he is not releasable. Kamogawa SeaWorld does not have any other pilot whales at its park while we have three pilot whales here. We were asked if could provide long-term care for Argo so that he could live with other whales of his own species."

and thanks for the link SandraA9810- very interesting read indeed

Thank you for sharing this info. It's a shame there is no "easy answer" and I know SW does an excellent job caring for the animals in their charge.:thumbsup2
 
how do you acclimatize a 12 tonne orca after its been captured, ripped away from its pod then placed in a tank one thousandth of a size of the ocean, made to eat dead fish and taught to do tricks.

i can't believe that marine parks say this all this about captured orca's that they can never be released and we just accept what they are saying and don't ask questions. :sad2:

Ok I don't know much about this subject and obviously you do and I see some of your points but can't this be said about any animal? Not just whales and dolphins? Maybe we shouldn't even have pets like dogs and cats in our homes if keeping animals in captivity is so cruel! Maybe all animals should be allowed to run free through the streets of the world? Like I said I can see you are passionate about this but most people on this board are here to get info on Seaworld and plan a nice trip, not get into heated debates.
 
Ok I don't know much about this subject and obviously you do and I see some of your points but can't this be said about any animal? Not just whales and dolphins? Maybe we shouldn't even have pets like dogs and cats in our homes if keeping animals in captivity is so cruel! Maybe all animals should be allowed to run free through the streets of the world? Like I said I can see you are passionate about this but most people on this board are here to get info on Seaworld and plan a nice trip, not get into heated debates.

you are comparing a 12 tonne orca to a cat or dog?

cats are not loyal animals - if you let then out in the backyard/garden - if they don't want to come back to you they don't. they find somewhere else to live.
if an orca doesn't like being in capitivity where can it go to escape? answer: nowhere.

i don't go into other posts where people are planning their SW trips. it is just this thread only. and another thread about the cove - not people's personal lives.
 
not trying to cause trouble but i started reading this and had to stop as i found it too upsetting.
i just wanted to inform.

since the death of Dawn back in february - Tilly pretty much gets ignored now:



I read this too a while ago, I found it very disturbing and informative. The picture of Tilikum "hanging out" is not a natural behavior, he's NOT resting or sleeping by any means. When Orca's "rest or Sleep" they do it while on the move together, they swim slowly at the waters surface. The picture of him "hanging out" is a very sad picture which says a thousand words!! He's described as sitting there for 3 hours, which part of this is normal? To suggest that Tilikum is well taken care of and happy is ridiculous!! Tilikum is clearly NOT happy with his situation and SeaWorld need to acknowledge this. Tilikum was captured off the coast of Iceland, the other whales have either been born at SW or have been captured from other parts/continents of the ocean, Orca's just don't leave their pod and join other pods in the wild. Orca's in captivity are forced to live with other Orca's they wouldn't live with in the wild, of course there will be problems.
Obviously, something needs to be done with him, he needs to be moved into a natural sea pen where he can learn to forage and communicate again, he has the god given right to live in better conditions and be able to swim in a straight line once again.
I went to SW in July 2010 for the first time, watching Killer Whales do break spins on a ledge, doing high jumps and sliding across the stage area did NOT educate me in a positive way to support the captive industry. Sitting there watching hundreds of people clapping and cheering at these shows made me realize "something isn't right"!! Long story short, my visit to SW made me hate and expose the captive industry, so thank you SW for opening my eyes to something i never thought about before.
 
I also have one major question. Everyone is so obsessed with Tillikum these days.

Where is everyone who should be protesting about Lolita and the size of her tank being the size of a backyard swimming pool? Where is PETA on that? Where is the public on that? I am fully aware that PETA has said a few things about her tank, but it is not a priority. Instead, people are freaking out about Tillikum. He has a more than adequate sized tank, premium nutrition, and state of the line care.

If everyone is looking for a animal that needs help, look to Marineland first.
There's a whole movement of people out there for "Lolita"... If you google "free Lolita" you'll find a ton of websites and support for her.
Lolita is a different story than Tilikum, her family still lives in Puget Sound, Washington State. She was captured when she was approx 6 years old and had already learned to forage and communicate their dialect. She'd be an excellent candidate for rehabilitation, MSQ should be forced to let her go, even for research reasons, can you imagine her joining her pod/family once again and to feel the freedom?
Of course, her owner Arthur Hertz will never let her go, he won't even discuss it!! He will keep her in that tiny ILLEGAL (by government standards) CONCRETE TANK doing her stupid tricks (under the guise of Education) until she dies!!
IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY!!
 
I enjoy debating this topic with everyone here too!

Here is the site where I started learning about Seaworlds Killer whales. (It also lists every Killer Whale currently in Captivity in the world)



As you can see, there is a current list of Killer whales that reside at Seaworld.
There are 5 whales that were collected from the wild that now live at Seaworld. This is indicated by the "?" next to their name. Because it is unknown what whale they were born to in the wild.
Tilly
Corky2
Ulises
Katina
Kasatka

Tilly was rescued by Seaworld when he was living at Sealand of the Pacific.
Corky 2 was rescued by Seaworld when she had been living at Marineland.
Ulises was rescued by Seaworld when he had been living in a park in Spain
Katina was rescued by Seaworld when she had been living in at Marineland

And then there is Kasatka. Kasatka is the only whale that Seaworld got from the wild. Now after you asked my this question, I went and did a little more research and found that Kasatka was living in a Marine park in Iceland called "Saedyrasafnid Aquarium." (Dont Ask me to pronounce that name :lmao:)

Saedyrasafnid Aquarium is the place that captured Kasatka. After about a year, she was sent to Seaworld. So you could look at it both ways. And because of this im on the fence. I havent dont enough research on Saedyrasafnid Aquarium to see what the conditions were. I can imagine they werent to pretty. But I dont know for sure. I dont even know if this place still exists. So again, you could look at it as Seaworld got Kasatka from the wild. Or you can look at it as Kasatka was originally captured by Saedyrasafnid Aquarium and lived there for a few months before she was moved to Seaworld. If you go with the 2nd choice, then technically, ALL of Seaworlds current Killer Whales were born into captivity or rescued from other marine parks who had inappropriate living conditions.
Whales and Dolphins are NOT "collected" from the wild!! This is a term SW employees are told to use should a member of the public ask questions about an animals. They are "captured"!! If we were to get technical, they are "kidnapped" and taken kicking and screaming from their family and home and placed into a concrete tank.

This is written by a former SW Orlando senior trainer:
I can't provide a link as it won't allow me yet, but it's on Orca Network website under the title "Lolita/Captivity".
Jeff Ventre, former senior trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando checks off the signs that captive orcas endure pain and hardship.

1. orca tooth decay and breakage (on steel gates)

2. retinal UV-damage from looking up at the sun (unclear impact)

3. forced social reorganization (wild orcas live in culturally distinct groups that stay together for life) leading to aggression and social strife in captivity

4. increased mortality and morbidity (decreased lifespan)

5. death of 4 humans from captive orcas

6. crippling of John Sillick (crushed), SW San Diego

7. death of Kanduke (1990) from possible mosquito (vector) transmitted viral encephalopathy (only possible from long hours of surface floating)

8. overuse of Tagamet (cimetidine) to decrease ulcers (from stress associated with captivity)

9. overuse of antibiotics leading to opportunistic (fungal) infections

10. collapsed dorsal fins from long hours of surface resting (boredom)

11. degrading and regular manual stimulation of Tilikum to extract sperm

12. the relative social isolation of Tilikum leading to pathological behaviors, including the most recent event

13. exploitation of trainers, who are injured, killed, and grossly underpaid 14. Confinement: Most of the Shamu Stadium pools are not as deep as Tilikum is long

Orcinus orca has suffered much to fulfill the whims of human entertainment. Learning how self-aware and intelligent they are is precisely why their confinement needs to end. Let’s evolve.
 
Im sick of arguing this. Ive made my point several times. I have come to care less and less what anti captivity people say. Because you know what? Your not changing anything. I was at Seaworld this past Sunday for the Halloween Spooktakular and I couldn't believe how many people were at this event. It was honestly like a summer type crowd. Busiest i've seen it in October in years. If anything, your making people curious about Seaworld and because of this, people are deciding to check it out for themselves. And I would bet the majority of them come away with the realization that Seaworld isnt as bad as anti captivity people make it out to be. So i'll respond to your comments with the same answer that I have used on people who have posted comments similar to yours in the past. I'll post the truth to your assumptions.

Whales and Dolphins are NOT "collected" from the wild!! This is a term SW employees are told to use should a member of the public ask questions about an animals. They are "captured"!! If we were to get technical, they are "kidnapped" and taken kicking and screaming from their family and home and placed into a concrete tank.
Seaworld doesnt capture any of its animals from the wild. All of its current dolphins and all but five of its Killer Whales in all three Seaworlds in the United States were born in captivity. Four of the five whales were captured by other marine parks not associated with Seaworld. Some of the Whales and dolphins were born to parents that were rescues from other marine parks. Parks which couldn't properly care for the animals which is why Seaworld received four of those Killer Whales. Because the marine park they came from couldnt properly care for them. Seaworld has collected from the wild in the past, but the last being in the early 1970s. For now all the animals are born at Seaworld, or rescues from other marine parks. The animals like Manatees that you see at Seaworld, are rescues because they had been severely injured. However once their injuries heal, they are released back into the wild.

This is written by a former SW Orlando senior trainer:
I can't provide a link as it won't allow me yet, but it's on Orca Network website under the title "Lolita/Captivity".
Jeff Ventre, former senior trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando checks off the signs that captive orcas endure pain and hardship.
1. orca tooth decay and breakage (on steel gates)
Thats why dental work is done. The picture you posted on a thread that was closed, was dental work. If its not done, an infection could occur. In the wild, animals could break and chip their teeth on rocks or other hard surfaces.

2. retinal UV-damage from looking up at the sun (unclear impact)
I dont understand this one. So your saying there is no sun in the wild? The sun is the sun whether in captivity or not. Some of Seaworlds pools are covered and this is usually where the whales are kept between shows and at night. Especially in the summer months.

3. forced social reorganization (wild orcas live in culturally distinct groups that stay together for life) leading to aggression and social strife in captivity
Most of the whales are all related to each other. Since they are all born in captivity. Thats a statement that could have been accurate in the 1970s. But not today.

4. increased mortality and morbidity (decreased lifespan)
That cant be proven. Killer Whales have only been studied in the wild since 1970. Scientists can only estimate age. Nothing has ever been proven as far as how long a whale lives. Or a whales average lifespan. Seaworld has whales in their 30s and 40s still going strong. Death is a part of life. Life expectancy for humans is around mid 70s, that doesnt mean every human on earth will live to be 75. Some die at 20 some die at 120. Same with every living thing including whales.

5. death of 4 humans from captive orcas
The correct answer would be 2. One when the trainer in a Canadian marine park fell into a tank with an aggressive pregnant whale, and the accident at Seaworld Orlando this past February. The other death at Seaworld in Orlando was a man who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and decided to sneak into the park in the middle of the night and swim with Tilly. His autopsy concluded he died of Hypothermia and not aggression by Tilly or any other whale. The last incident involving a trainer in a marine park in Spain had nothing to do with the whales. The trainer died of a heart attack during a training session.

6. crippling of John Sillick (crushed), SW San Diego
Which was human error. The whale was incorrectly sent on a behavior at the wrong time by another trainer.

7. death of Kanduke (1990) from possible mosquito (vector) transmitted viral encephalopathy (only possible from long hours of surface floating)
The word "Possible" means that it is assumption and not proven or fact.

8. overuse of Tagamet (cimetidine) to decrease ulcers (from stress associated with captivity)
The whales at Seaworld are not given any drugs. They are given Vitamins to assist with their well being.

9. overuse of antibiotics leading to opportunistic (fungal) infections
Again, the whales aren't given drugs. They only time they may be given something like this is when they are found to be very sick.

10. collapsed dorsal fins from long hours of surface resting (boredom)
That is not fact. Its assumption. A whales dorsal fin is unique and similar to our human finger print. No two finger prints are the same. No two dorsal fins are the same. 23% of Wild Killer Whales have bent over dorsal fins. Not all the whales at Seaworld have bent over dorsal fins like Tilly.

11. degrading and regular manual stimulation of Tilikum to extract sperm
A process done rarely. Its main purpose is to better understand reproduction in whales. And how to learn how to use Artificial insemination properly to repopulate a species if a species faces extinction.

12. the relative social isolation of Tilikum leading to pathological behaviors, including the most recent event
There is no proof that Tilly's isolation resulted in the accident in February. He is isolated for the majority of the year from the other whales because he is an adult male. And in Killer Whale society the females are dominant, the lowest of the low are the adult males. The All of the whales at Seaworld Orlando, where Tilly lives, are female with the only exception being the baby male "Trua" who is still accepted by the females because he is still a calf. The new baby whales gender is still currently unknown. Tilly is together with the females during breeding season. However, he constantly receives human interaction all day. There is always a trainer with him, including the early hours of the morning when the park is closed.

13. exploitation of trainers, who are injured, killed, and grossly underpaid.
How do you or this former trainer know the current trainers pay rate? The trainers choose the line of work they are in. They are aware of the risks and those are the risks they are willing to take. No one is forcing them to be a killer whale trainer. If they dont like it, then quit. But the trainers I know, all love their job and the whales they work with.

14. Confinement: Most of the Shamu Stadium pools are not as deep as Tilikum is long
All of Shamu Stadium's pools are 36 feet deep. The only one that is less is the medical pool. Where whales are only kept if there is an emergency. Its not as deep so the trainers can easily stand in the water to assist the whale. Again no whale is kept there unless there is an emergency.

Orcinus orca has suffered much to fulfill the whims of human entertainment. Learning how self-aware and intelligent they are is precisely why their confinement needs to end. Let’s evolve.
I love when anti captivity people refer to a killer whale as "Orinus Orca" that would be like calling a dog a "Canis lupus familiaris." Its a killer whale. 2nd its not just entertainment. Its education and awareness. Bringing awareness about a species to millions of people every year. The same way you said you went home thinking its not right to keep killer whales in captivity is the way some people go home and think the opposite. They think about all the things they can learn to help preserve the species and to help wildlife throughout the world. By using places like Seaworld to bring them closer and allow them to better understand how these animals live their life. To learn what needs to be done through conservation and research to help improve the world we share. There is so much more to be learned from these shows other than seeing a whale jump out of the water. Its a shame you were to blind to see it.
 
Im sick of arguing this. Ive made my point several times. I have come to care less and less what anti captivity people say. Because you know what? Your not changing anything. I was at Seaworld this past Sunday for the Halloween Spooktakular and I couldn't believe how many people were at this event. It was honestly like a summer type crowd. Busiest i've seen it in October in years. If anything, your making people curious about Seaworld and because of this, people are deciding to check it out for themselves. And I would bet the majority of them come away with the realization that Seaworld isnt as bad as anti captivity people make it out to be. So i'll respond to your comments with the same answer that I have used on people who have posted comments similar to yours in the past. I'll post the truth to your assumptions.


.

Shhh don't tell them LOL. Seriously, SW has been enjoying lots of business and good crowds at the gate. People WANT to see the animals. It is a FACT you can see just trying to get into the park in the morning, late morning and early afternoon. Shamu shows at capacity. People booking behind the scenes tours.:thumbsup2
 
Shhh don't tell them LOL. Seriously, SW has been enjoying lots of business and good crowds at the gate. People WANT to see the animals. It is a FACT you can see just trying to get into the park in the morning, late morning and early afternoon. Shamu shows at capacity. People booking behind the scenes tours.:thumbsup2

I agree. Ever since Fourth of July Weekend, I have noticed a huge spike in crowd size compared to last year. Its really nice to see. I think there will be even more people coming back now to see the newest member of the Shamu Family.
 
welcome back KBF.

just want to ask you about the 'dental work' on an orcas teeth - i posted this but it got closed so people couldn't reply.
do you think it is right to do this without any pain relief to an orca?

(reposted the info here so you can reply)

SeaWorld, Six Flags and other marine mammal parks have managed to keep this cloaked in relative secrecy. The damage usually occurs from threat displays involving two orcas separated by a steel gate. In some instances the broken teeth lead to behaviors of grinding down the jaw itself, probably from chronic pain. There is one image included in the collection (Orca Teeth 1) where you can see how this orca has worn the jaw. This particular orca has been observed using the corner of the performance stage like a big file; swimming by at high speed with an open mouth biting the corner of stage and wearing down the bone. It is also common for orcas to "go at it" while separated by gates and teeth fragments have been found on the bottom of the pool afterwards. Contributors to the poor oral conditions of captive orcas include Jaw-popping (a form of threat display), tooth grinding, tooth "flattening" and tooth "drilling".

Few people are aware of this practice whereas captive orcas routinely have holes drilled in their teeth as well as grinding or “flattening” of their teeth. And very few people understand, or have even thought about, how the holes are drilled. Trainers are forbidden to speak of this practice publicly. SeaWorld trainers use a variable-speed tool (similar to a Dremel tool) with a stainless drill bit attached. The whales are conditioned to "accept" the noise, heat, vibration and obvious pain associated with drilling vertically through the tooth column and into the fleshy pulp below. Success is measured by blood spilling out of the hole, in which case it’s apparent the bore is complete. This entire procedure is performed without a local anesthetic for reasons which are not fully understood. For example, while the teeth of many of SeaWorld’s orcas are in train-wreck status, drilling and flushing routinely takes place regardless of whether the teeth are infected or in need of this procedure. The training and education staff at SeaWorld contends that the thrice daily "tooth flushes" are "superior dental care". What they don't tell you is that the teeth have holes in them, and if the impacted fish isn't flushed with a Waterpick daily, an infection would likely occur. This is done by filling the reservoir of a device with a Betadine solution which is pumped down into the jaw. In the case of Tilikum, the orca involved in the February 24, 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, this procedure is, or was, performed three times a day.

SeaWorld, for example, routinely does the following to CLOAK the teeth issue:
1. They will use a juvenile or dominant orca with good teeth for all public photo shoots.
2. They will create an angle where the photographer can only see the top jaw (in many cases the damage is to the lower jaw only)
3. They won't let anyone close to an animal, citing "safety" reasons (how ironic, since they tout how safe things are).
4. They sell the public on “superior dental care” as they often perform the tooth flush husbandry behavior publicly several times a day.
5. PR pictures were always done mindful of avoiding mouth close-ups for fear of inadvertent disclosure.'
 
when i last went to seaworld -in feb 2006 when i watched the show and the trainer announced that orcas can swim up to 35 miles per hour - how can they do this in the main tank?

KBF - slightly off topic - have you ever been to the miami aquarium to see lolita - just wondered what your thoughts on that was? thanks.
 
SeaWorld, for example, routinely does the following to CLOAK the teeth issue:
1. They will use a juvenile or dominant orca with good teeth for all public photo shoots.
2. They will create an angle where the photographer can only see the top jaw (in many cases the damage is to the lower jaw only)
3. They won't let anyone close to an animal, citing "safety" reasons (how ironic, since they tout how safe things are).
4. They sell the public on “superior dental care” as they often perform the tooth flush husbandry behavior publicly several times a day.
5. PR pictures were always done mindful of avoiding mouth close-ups for fear of inadvertent disclosure.'

Would just like to make a point about this, PR pictures showing perfect teeth. This is for the same reason that it's unlikely you'll see a model with imperfect teeth in PR shots for other companies. You want the whales to look at their best, doesn't necessarily mean they are "cloaking" the issue. Especially as hundreds of people take photos of these whales everyday so there is no real way of hiding their teeth.
 
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