Much of what you have said here is wrong. I will address each of your points as you listed them.
1) You donât have to âspeak orcaâ to be able to notice their reactions and interpret behaviors. This is applicable to many animals, and scientists have for many years been able to deduce what particular behaviors mean in certain contexts. Animal behavior science is popular field in science. For example, we know that stereotypical behaviors in captive animals are usually a sign of poor welfare. Captive cetaceans, including orcas, are known to display several stereotypical behaviors (repetitive behaviors that serve no function) and extremely abnormal behaviors, such as picking at paint in the tanks, obsessively blowing bubbles, and lying on tank bottoms in comatose-like states. Behaviors like this are not normal and do not occur in the wild.Â
2) Â First and foremost, I find it extraordinarily interesting that you say the trainers know each and every one of the whalesâ likes and dislikes when in your first point you literally said nobody can say what they like or dislike. I have no doubts that the trainers love the orcas, and quite honestly, my beef isnât really with them. Trainers actually do not have much control over what happens to the whales; itâs the corporate higher-ups that are ultimately making all the decisions. However, it is not true that they are fully aware of all the risks, at least not in the past. From John Jett, a former SeaWorld trainer:Â âIn retrospect, itâs very disturbing how little information was conveyed to me about the relative risks associated with working around captive orcas. I was never fully informed of the real risks I faced working around Tili [Tilikum], nor was I ever fully informed of the risks I faced with being in the water with any of the animals. In hindsight, I was extraordinarily naive, but my naivetĂŠ was fueled by a fabricated sense of safety constructed from a gross lack of detail.â
There is no reason for trainers to be in the water with orcas unless it is for desensitization purposes. Waterworks serve no function for the whales; they existed solely for entertainment purposes and for the enjoyment of trainers. OSHA ordered SeaWorld trainers out of the water not because they have a bone to pick with SeaWorld over orca captivity, but because it is an extremely unsafe, extremely unessential part of the job.Â
And please, do not EVER compare orca trainers to firefighters or other people in the line of duty. Their jobs are to literally save peoplesâ lives. It is SO grossly disrespectful to compare them to the equivalent of circus ring leaders.Â
3) Nobody with an iota of sense and even the tiniest bit of knowledge about orcas wants to free them all; marine mammal experts, even those who disagree with captivity, all agree that it would be inhumane to release them. There are several proposed plans for sea pens and seaside sanctuaries that would allow the whales to remain in human care while being able to live in an environment that more closely resembles the wild.Â
SeaWorld is on record stating that the BWP at the San Diego park is the test run, and depending on how much it boosts attendance, they may or may not go ahead with the BWP at the other two parks. Does that sound like something a company that cares about animals would do? Why did they wait until after their stocks had crashed in the aftermath of Blackfish to draw up elaborate tank plans? Why didnât they do it before? Additionally, no permits have been approved for the project, start dates have been pushed back by a full year, and there is no compelling evidence that these new tanks will be built anytime soon.Â
4) Honestly this whole âpointâ can be summed up with this photo:
But Iâll respond anyway. There are many awful zoos out there, and youâll find that people are campaigning hard against them as well as SeaWorld. That being said, many zoos are much, much better than SeaWorld because they are able to provide their animals with environments that closely resemble their natural one and can keep them stimulated and healthy; SeaWorld cannot do this with orcas. Secondly, good zoos do not make their animals perform. Do you know who does make animals perform? Circuses. How is SeaWorld any different than a circus? PS, the bear issue in Yosemite is completely irrelevant.Â
And please, if you value scientific integrity and transparency, donât link anyone to Ask SeaWorld. I canât even tell you how many times theyâve straight up lied on that website. If youâre going to argue from a pro-captivity stance, can you at least provide some halfway decent sources?
Finally, what do you have to say about someone like me, someone who has been against captivity long before Blackfish came out and bases their opinions on peer-reviewed science and information from legitimate marine biologists?Â
