sonnyjane
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
I am not a biologist or animal behaviorist, but after doing research I don't personally feel comfortable paying money to a theme park that holds orcas in captivity (I understand that not everyone will agree and that it may be hypocritical of me - for example, due to their size, there are animal rights advocates that think elephants should not be in zoos and I don't boycott zoos with elephants). That is just my personal belief and how I will "vote" with my money. DH and I did the Trainer for a Day program at Discovery Cove on our honeymoon in 2007. While it was a wonderful experience and part of me would like to go to Discovery Cove again we won't be returning unless they are spun off as a separate company from SeaWorld or SeaWorld stops keeping orcas in captivity (so that probably means never again in our lifetime).
I am a biologist and an animal behaviorist. I struggle with the issue of "animals in captivity" but can reconcile most arguments. Orcas in captivity is one I can't reconcile. I worked on a whale-watching vessel in Washington watching the same pods where some of the whales in the film were snatched from. Prior to that, I wanted to work at Sea World. After that experience, there's no way I ever could so long as they continue to have orcas. I have also worked with dolphins in captivity. I would say that when housed appropriately and given access to other dolphins as to fulfill their social needs, I am not any more strongly opposed to that as I am any other captive animal I work with at the zoo, but I can not justify keeping orcas in captivity. Their sheer size renders it nearly impossible to do so properly.
Most animals in zoos live up to twice as long as their counterparts in the wild. Orcas, on the other hand, live one half to one third of the natural average in the wild. There must be a reason for that......