Reply to Do the orcas at sea world still jump up high in the air and splash water into the audience?

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Reply to "Do the orcas at sea world still jump up high in the air and splash water into the audience?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The other thing that horrified me when I read about the SeaWorld stuff was just how badly those trainers were treated.  They barely paid these people and had them get in the water with whales they knew were dangerous. [/quote]

Former animal trainer here (I worked briefly with orcas and dolphins as well).

The industry is so low-paid because so many people want to do it. Each job opening gets hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants. So they can pay low wages, because someone will do it. Plus there’s a sense of passion and giving up your own money so the animals can have more.

As for them performing tricks - there have actually been studies done that give whales the option of performing for food vs eating food that was freely available in the pool. They choose to perform rather than eat the freely available fish. Most animals will do this, as they don’t see it as “performing” so much as mental stimulation, since all animals are built to work for their food.

This is, of course, assuming the trainers are solid and know what they’re doing, otherwise they become frustrated and will eat the freely available food (or lash out in frustration).

Ideally all the orcas would go to a sanctuary but that’s not realistic. When Keiko (the orca from Free Willy) was put in a sanctuary, their was funding from private donors but that quickly ran out, which is why he was pushed to be released WAY earlier than he should have been (if he should have been released at all). There’s just not enough money available for it. Right now the only way to get that funding is selling tickets.

I’m glad they will no longer be breeding orcas, but I do plan on taking my kids to Sea World to see them. Seeing orcas at Sea World actually inspired my entire career, which later got me into more animal welfare advocacy.

Many animals shouldn’t be in captivity, but since the breeding program is over, there’s not much harm in going to see them while you still can. [/quote]
All of SeaWorld’s assets should be confiscated to pay for the best possible care for these poor animals. Shame on you for being an apologist for them in any way. It’s sickening. Taking your child there normalizes it.[/quote]

Exactly. That post doesn't make sense when someone refers to themselves as involved in animal welfare advocacy.[/quote]

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