SeaWorld Says Tilikum's Health 'Deteriorating' Due to Lung Infection

[epcyclopedia]

Oo, found this looking for a chart i've seen published of all the orcas at seaworld, their ages, dates of capture or birth, and cause of death.

But this is cartoony lighthearted and fun!

 

[shiekra38]

If SeaWorld was populated by rescue animals very few people would be complaining.

It's not. And the marine mammals perform shows that are glorified circus acts with no educational value.

The animals in the parks overwhelmingly die of causes scientifically known not to be common causes of death or illness in the wild.

The very act of being there is detrimental, no matter how much you twist and contort your personal ethics because you want to watch a whale do a backflip.

Curious, what do you think is the best course of action for Sea World at the moment in regards to their Orcas and other animals?

 

[epcyclopedia]

Curious, what do you think is the best course of action for Sea World at the moment in regards to their Orcas and other animals?

Allowing the management team to swim in the tanks.

 

[epcyclopedia]

But on a serious note, they could stop the circus tricks and do educational shows which showcase -natural- behaviors and explain the training processes and conduct actual research.

Test and show orca intelligence, record things, publish papers.. like Seas does at Epcot.

 

[shiekra38]

But on a serious note, they could stop the circus tricks and do educational shows which showcase -natural- behaviors and explain the training processes and conduct actual research.

Test and show orca intelligence, record things, publish papers.. like Seas does at Epcot.

What would be an example of a natural behavior? And what would be actual research in your opinion?

I have never been in the Seas at Epcot and had no idea they did that..very interesting

 

[epcyclopedia]

What would be an example of a natural behavior? And what would be actual research in your opinion?

I have never been in the Seas at Epcot and had no idea they did that..very interesting

An example of some of the work at Epcot - the shows change over time but it's because the research being done changes. Sometimes it's object recognition, sometimes it's labeling and such.

 

[epcyclopedia]

And unlike SeaWorld "trainers" who are performers hired off the street based on their looks and ability to hold their breath, the "trainers" at Seas are graduate students and researchers in marine biology.

 

[shiekra38]

I could have sworn that all Sea World and Busch animal trainers needed a degree to be hired?

And you are not anti-captivity then as Epcot is doing it the right way in your opinion?

 

[WAJAS]

Test and show orca intelligence, record things, publish papers.. like Seas does at Epcot.

Pretty sure they do these things.

 

[epcyclopedia]

I could have sworn that all Sea World and Busch animal trainers needed a degree to be hired?

And you are not anti-captivity then as Epcot is doing it the right way in your opinion?

Nope. And things like the touted rescue animal actors thing is a third party family business that has a penchant for hiring pretty young girls. Usually ones with ranch/farm experience admittedly, no biology degrees in sight.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Pretty sure they do these things.

Everyone was pretty sure an orca wouldn't kill a trainer too.

 

[WAJAS]

Everyone was pretty sure an orca wouldn't kill a trainer too.

Well that was unfortunate, yet unrelated.

Here are two papers done with SeaWord:
Andrews, B., Davis, W. and Parham, D. 2001. Corporate response and facilitation of the rehabilitation of a California gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals. 27(3):209-211.

Anthony, S.J., St. Leger, J. A., Pugliares, K., Ip, H.S., Chan, J.M., Carpenter, Z.W., Navarette-Macias, I., Sanchez-Leon, M., Saliki, J.T., Pedersen, J., Karesh, W., Daszak, P., Rabadan, R., Rowles, T. and Lipkin, W.I. 2012. Emergence of fatal avian influenza in New England harbor seals

There are over 300+ other ones online and more for private industry use.

 

[Splatter]

Everyone was pretty sure an orca wouldn't kill a trainer too.

Something that weight and size does not take much to kill the size and weight of a human. Not to mention humans can't naturally breathe underwater.

They all knew that. All trainers have always known the risk. They are you know, nicknamed Killer Whales. If one thinks Tillikum killed out of malice, than they probably enjoyed a documentary that referred to a whale as a Fish.

 

[Stitch_101]

Everyone was pretty sure an orca wouldn't kill a trainer too.

Ok, so I've for the most part tried to stay out of this... But I just can't help but point out something. You are grossly misrepresenting facts to fit your own opinion and narrative of the situation, especial when it comes to the hiring requirements for animal trainers. Stick to absolute facts if you want to argue any point. The second you start fabricating and stretching things, your credibility goes out the window and you go from seeming like a concerned citizen to someone with a grudge based on pseudo facts and outright lies.

 

[GAcoaster]

I will hold my tongue on most of this, but to say that the trainers at the Seas are any more qualified than SeaWorld's trainers is ignorant. I know trainers in both places and I can tell you that not only do both parks employ highly qualified animal care staffs, but they work together (along with all AZA accredited institutions) for the good of all the animals in their care.

 

[UNIrd]

The whale trainer I spoke with actually had a psychology degree.

 

[IzzyB]

I will hold my tongue on most of this, but to say that the trainers at the Seas are any more qualified than SeaWorld's trainers is ignorant. I know trainers in both places and I can tell you that not only do both parks employ highly qualified animal care staffs, but they work together (along with all AZA accredited institutions) for the good of all the animals in their care.

Agreed. And agree with Stitch. The facts are being very distorted for a cause. That is why that movie lost all credibility for me. Because they gave too many false facts or stretched the truth too much. When people do that, I tend to shut down and not listen to anything else they say.

I also feel the tanks at Epcot are awful. There is also very little education that kids get from Epcot Seas. My daughter learns what Nemo looks like and if we are lucky to catch an employee which we hardly ever do she might learn one fact. I think we have seen two employees, once in the matinee section and once in the dolphin section. Considering I have been there probably over 60 times that is pretty sad. There is employees everywhere in Sea World and she can always find someone to ask her questions. Animal Kingdom is another one I like because they also have employees everywhere talking about the animals. But Seas Pavilion is in very sad shape in my opinion.

 

[Teebin]

Hell, even I won't distort this as being SW's fault in any way. I dislike Orca's in captivity, but I would never relate the two issues.

 

[MrRoamer]

I just want to bring up the fact that SeaWorld is and has been actively trying very hard to nurse Tilikum back to health is saying a lot in my book. I would think many places, especially the one that Tilikum originally came from (the one that was owned by the same company as CNN), would have let the situation go downhill very quickly because of all the problems associated.

 

[shiekra38]

Nope. And things like the touted rescue animal actors thing is a third party family business that has a penchant for hiring pretty young girls. Usually ones with ranch/farm experience admittedly, no biology degrees in sight.

Sea World says on its Animal Training page that an Animal Trainer must have:: "Associate's or Bachelor's degree preferred in psychology, biological sciences, or drama; in some cases, scuba certification"

And that is the lowest tier of animal handlers at the parks...Perhaps Epcot does it better...