Blue World Project - Orca Tank Expansion

[Nick]

They needed to be proactive instead of reactive, but at least this is a step in the right direction.

Not really. It was unnecessary and it made it look like they conceded to the negative propaganda.

Their tanks are a perfectly fine size as is. Making them a tiny bit bigger isn't going to make any difference and it's not going to stop people from criticizing them.

 

[IzzyB]

Did everyone see that CA is requiring them to stop the breeding program to expand the tanks. This is just silly. They want to make a better place for the Orcas to live and now they won't let them.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

Did everyone see that CA is requiring them to stop the breeding program to expand the tanks. This is just silly. They want to make a better place for the Orcas to live and now they won't let them.

California is ate up with stupid, I would have done this first in Orlando, San Antonio second and then San Diego. It was already getting hard to build rides and much of anything else in San Diego. All that energy spent there the past 10 years should have went to San Antonio.

 

[UAN17]

Did everyone see that CA is requiring them to stop the breeding program to expand the tanks. This is just silly. They want to make a better place for the Orcas to live and now they won't let them.

Absolute madness. Surely an appeal on the cards, but assuming a failed appeal, do Seaworld do away with Orcas altogether, or press ahead with Blue World at Florida?

 

[Teebin]

Absolute madness. Surely an appeal on the cards, but assuming a failed appeal, do Seaworld do away with Orcas altogether, or press ahead with Blue World at Florida?

That is a good question. It would be interesting to hear what goes on within corporate board meetings of SW lately...

 

[Donald Razorduck]

I've maintained this project was as much as competiti e answer to the proliferation of aquariums that undercuts the need to visit SeaWorld. Look at all the Shark tunnels out there in the world today from the time when SeaWorld opened theirs. Blue World really just reminded me of the big Whale Shark exhibit that opened in China a couple of years ago. They.are just using the Ocras to kill two birds with one stone, improve the holding enclosure size and asthetics while adding an over the top, hard to duplicate attraction for viewing a species that has a WOW factor. It's the giant scale of the project that adds the type of features needed to stand out from the competition like the Sealife's and the Ripley's and the Downtown Aquariums that have exploded over the past 20 years.

SeaWorld can still go after that market by coming up with it's own combo of branded aquarium and Sesame playlands, IMO.

Sea World can get rid of it's whales tommorrow and it will amount to a tick on an elephant's butt as countries like Russia still capture wild orcas and laugh at the west's overreactions to outlier causes that are overamplified due to manipulation of the modern wonder of social media campaigns that the media willing gulps up for revenue generating click bait.

 

[UAN17]

I've maintained this project was as much as competiti e answer to the proliferation of aquariums that undercuts the need to visit SeaWorld. Look at all the Shark tunnels out there in the world today from the time when SeaWorld opened theirs. Blue World really just reminded me of the big Whale Shark exhibit that opened in China a couple of years ago. They.are just using the Ocras to kill two birds with one stone, improve the holding enclosure size and asthetics while adding an over the top, hard to duplicate attraction for viewing a species that has a WOW factor. It's the giant scale of the project that adds the type of features needed to stand out from the competition like the Sealife's and the Ripley's and the Downtown Aquariums that have exploded over the past 20 years.

SeaWorld can still go after that market by coming up with it's own combo of branded aquarium and Sesame playlands, IMO.

Sea World can get rid of it's whales tommorrow and it will amount to a tick on an elephant's butt as countries like Russia still capture wild orcas and laugh at the west's overreactions to outlier causes that are overamplified due to manipulation of the modern wonder of social media campaigns that the media willing gulps up for revenue generating click bait.

Whilst I agree, in specific relation to San Diego, they surely won't build this amazing animal habitat if they're not actually allowed to put anything in it. It's business suicide.

 

[Andy]

Should of built a giga coaster...

 

[alomar]

Should of built a giga coaster...

Im sure that is sarcasm lol
If not, remember the issues they had and barely got Atlantis built?

 

[Plastic Person]

Sea World can get rid of it's whales tommorrow and it will amount to a tick on an elephant's butt as countries like Russia still capture wild orcas and laugh at the west's overreactions to outlier causes that are overamplified due to manipulation of the modern wonder of social media campaigns that the media willing gulps up for revenue generating click bait.

We're obviously not going to agree on this, as I don't tend to agree with many posters on this forum who think there's a vast, PC conspiracy against the world of entertainment, but sometimes, the world needs to tip in a different direction. Even prior to Blackfish, Seaworld's whale breeding programme was becoming to be seen as archaic. Does a contemporary scourge of clickbait, RT happy slacktivism exist? Undoubtedly. Are people also genuinely uncomfortable with the status quo of breeding large mammals in unsuitable enclosures? Equally undoubtedly, and increasingly understandably. Who cares if Russia still captures wild orcas? Should Seaworld take their cue from Russia, of all places, on anything else? I don't think compassion for animals is an 'outlier cause' these days, fortunately.

 

[tielo]

I still hope SeaWorld can continue breeding orcas.
Sure they need a huge habitat with a natural look and I can do without the sad shows. circuses with animals are outdated so take that out. But I think there is a role for these animals for people to care for them and the environment. Most of us will never be able to see these animals in the wild and seeing a real animal is so much more different then a movie of an animal that supposedly is out there.

Remember when Florida almost didn't had any gators in the 60's? Due to breeding the specie could be reintroduced to nature, together with what we learned about them in captivity.
The same goes for manatees. When the last 400 animals are dead and there is no way to correct our mistakes? Or panda's etc.
On top of that SeaWorld proved over the years to be there day and night to help animals. While PETA and other "against" organisations where partying and telling themselves they helped animals these people cleaned up birds after an oil spill, saved a manatee who got injured by a motorboat or free one from a drain pipe and operated on a turtle that had a hook in it's beak. Staying there 24/7 to keep a shark moving so it could recover and setting them out to nature if possible. Those people don't harm animals.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

Should of built a giga coaster...

Height restricted, SeaWorld has to overcome tons of cumbersome regs for anything out in Caliland for additions to that park.

Like I said, they are ate up with stupid. My.First Cousin relocated his venture capitalist firm specializing in the Biomedical field from California due to the stupid.

 

[MrRoamer]

I still hope SeaWorld can continue breeding orcas.
Remember when Florida almost didn't had any gators in the 60's? Due to breeding the specie could be reintroduced to nature, together with what we learned about them in captivity.

This is incorrect. The Florida Alligator was placed on the endangered species list incorrectly. The state did not have a good way to estimate the numbers of alligators at the time and vastly underestimated it.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

What is or isn't an unsuitable enclosure is an opinion and only that. Families with 2 and 3 kids used to make it just fine in 1,300 square foot cracker jack boxes with a single small bathroom. My kids would certainly think having to share room in a small house as inhumane treatment.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

This is incorrect. The Florida Alligator was placed on the endangered species list incorrectly. The state did not have a good way to estimate the numbers of alligators at the time and vastly underestimated it.

There's been proof that Panthers/Cougars/Pumas/Mountain Lions were living in the wild in Arkansas for over a decade but just this year did the Game and Fish fess up to it. A good friend that works for them said they simply didn't want to waste time, effort and money on having to come up with a management plan for an animal nearly all will want to kill when the encountering them in the woods. To admit they were here would draw more attention and awareness to them and that is actually bad in this case.

 

[MrRoamer]

There's been proof that Panthers/Cougars/Pumas/Mountain Lions were living in the wild in Arkansas for over a decade but just this year did the Game and Fish fess up to it. A good friend that works for them said they simply didn't want to waste time, effort and money on having to come up with a management plan for an animal nearly all will want to kill when the encountering them in the woods. To admit they were here would draw more attention and awareness to them and that is actually bad in this case.

The Florida Panther, Cougar, Puma, Mountain Lion conversation is one of those really complicated arguments. Some sides argue they are the exact same animal while others argue the opposite and compare them to different breeds of dogs. I haven't kept up on this argument for awhile so I'm not sure what the science is saying these days. If they are different breeds or if you consider the animal's geography as a factor of endangered species, the Florida Panther is an endangered animal. There were many talks years ago between people wanting to either relocate the more plentiful cats to Florida or to cross-breed them to bring the Florida Panther numbers back up.

 

[craigt]

What is or isn't an unsuitable enclosure is an opinion and only that. Families with 2 and 3 kids used to make it just fine in 1,300 square foot cracker jack boxes with a single small bathroom. My kids would certainly think having to share room in a small house as inhumane treatment.

I agree that expectations certainly have changes over the years, but don't forget with a family they can leave even the smallest houses whenever they want; the captive animals can't.

If you were going to be locked into an enclosure for the rest of your life, I'm sure you'd want that enclosure to be as big as possible.

I'm no Seaworld critic and think 95% of Blackfish was junk, but I've looked at the Orca tank in the past and though it can't be right than an animal that roams 100 miles+ a day is in an enclosure it can swim end to end in about 5 seconds.

I think too many of their critics are too narrow minded, yes it's horrible having them in captivity. But what is being learnt about them is helping us make changes to how we're ruining the planet. If to the detriment of one family, we can improve things for the entire species than I can live with that.

But absolutely I want them to have the best conditions possible, I don't think the enclosures should ever have been built so small and thus welcome any expansion. That should be done immediately, no waiting to see how things pan out. The new project is good, but I still think it could have been bigger and more ambitious.

 

[AK-Jake]

The California Coastal Commission completely overstepped its bounds in its "conditions" to allowing the Blue World to be built in San Diego. They have ZERO authority on telling SeaWorld whether or not they can breed animals. All SeaWorld has to do is file a lawsuit...and it's game over for the CCC. The whale breeding isn't going anywhere and the Blue World will come to San Diego, just like it will to the other 3 parks. The bill outlawing orca shows stalled in the California State Legislature because it didn't have enough support, so this is merely the CCC trying to stop it themselves. It'll never fly.

Again, Shamu IS SeaWorld. He's what draws the people through the gates each and every day. That's a dangerous position to be in these days. SeaWorld needs to continue to diversify their offerings so the whales aren't the main draw for the parks anymore. I'll also say that I have zero issues with the treatment of their Orcas, since most were born in captivity and only 6 (if memory serves me correctly) know what life is like outside of what they've had at SeaWorld. They receive the UTMOST in care each and every day. I have family that work with the whales and dolphins daily as trainers in Orlando. These are people that would have bailed on SW in a heartbeat and gotten VERY vocal if they were being mistreated. They shake their heads in disgust over the lies told in B*fish and try to spread the truth whenever/whereever they can. If they don't have issues with SeaWorld or their treatment of its animals, then neither do I. And I personally think the Blue World is a wonderful, much-needed expansion to the parks. They've spent a lot of time/money thinking things through to get it right.

 

[alomar]

The California Coastal Commission completely overstepped its bounds in its "conditions" to allowing the Blue World to be built in San Diego. They have ZERO authority on telling SeaWorld whether or not they can breed animals. All SeaWorld has to do is file a lawsuit...and it's game over for the CCC. The whale breeding isn't going anywhere and the Blue World will come to San Diego, just like it will to the other 3 parks. The bill outlawing orca shows stalled in the California State Legislature because it didn't have enough support, so this is merely the CCC trying to stop it themselves. It'll never fly.

Again, Shamu IS SeaWorld. He's what draws the people through the gates each and every day. That's a dangerous position to be in these days. SeaWorld needs to continue to diversify their offerings so the whales aren't the main draw for the parks anymore. I'll also say that I have zero issues with the treatment of their Orcas, since most were born in captivity and only 6 (if memory serves me correctly) know what life is like outside of what they've had at SeaWorld. They receive the UTMOST in care each and every day. I have family that work with the whales and dolphins daily as trainers in Orlando. These are people that would have bailed on SW in a heartbeat and gotten VERY vocal if they were being mistreated. They shake their heads in disgust over the lies told in B*fish and try to spread the truth whenever/whereever they can. If they don't have issues with SeaWorld or their treatment of its animals, then neither do I. And I personally think the Blue World is a wonderful, much-needed expansion to the parks. They've spent a lot of time/money thinking things through to get it right.

Sea World has actually already filed their law suit.

"Animal welfare is governed by federal and state laws that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission’s appointed board. "

Coastal Commission Decision: SeaWorld’s Next Steps

 

[Teebin]

These are people that would have bailed on SW in a heartbeat and gotten VERY vocal if they were being mistreated.

May I ask how you define the word, "mistreated"?