[Closed] 'Blackfish' Backlash: Fan Pressure Leads Willie Nelson to Cancel SeaWorld Concert

A New Threat to Whales: Snake-Oil Salesmen

In a bid to boost sales, a Japanese company is claiming that whale meat can fight dementia and other health problems.

JUL 1, 2015 John R. Platt

A Japanese company wants to turn whale meat into the next rhino horn.

Just as unscrupulous dealers in China and Vietnam started making unsubstantiated claims a decade ago that rhino horn could cure cancer and hangovers, Japan's Kyodo Senpaku is now marketing Icelandic whale meat as a way to treat dementia and fatigue.

The move comes in response to plummeting demand for whale meat in Japan. Consumers there now eat 4,000 to 5,000 tons of whale meat a year, down from 200,000 tons in the 1960s. About half of this year’s imports by Kyodo Senpaku will come from Iceland, one of the few countries killing whales under the guise of “scientific research.”

A spokesperson for Kyodo Senpaku told The Japan Times that the attempt to market whale meat as a curative “may help not only to maintain demand for whale meat but also to lower health care costs.”

So what’s the deal with the anti-dementia claim? Kyodo Senpaku’s assertions hinge on an amino acid found in whale meat called balenine. Balenine and other flesh-based compounds (collectively known as carnosines) have indeed been linked in early research to fighting depressive orders. A paper published this year in the journal Aging and Disease concluded that the “therapeutic potential of carnosine dietary supplementation towards stress-related and depressive disorders should be examined” but did not say it was ready for marketing as a health aid for humans.

The move to sell whale meat as a curative did not surprise conservationists.

“This isn't the first time balenine has been used to market whale meat,” said Clare Perry, head of the Environmental Investigation Agency’s oceans campaign. “It's been mentioned for several years by those that are desperate to sell whale meat to a dwindling market.”

An example of that desperation: Last year the whale-meat industry introduced a cute cartoon mascot called Balenine-chan to help it market its products.

So, Why Should You Care? In addition to the medical claims, which EIA called “quack medical uses,” Kyodo Senpaku is selling meat from endangered fin whales from Iceland. This not only further threatens the whales but could jeopardize the people who try to treat their illnesses with whale meat.

“There are multiple concerns about toxins in whale meat, and of course anything that might encourage people to eat more does pose a threat,” said Perry. “As well as mercury, which is linked to developmental and cardiovascular problems and Parkinson’s disease, Icelandic fin whale products have actually been rejected by the Japanese health authorities due to high levels of pesticides, as has Norwegian minke whale meat.”

Meet the World’s 10 Most Endangered Whales

Hunted to near extinction, these giant marine mammals are making a comeback—but they still face threats from marine pollution, ships, and abandoned fishing gear.

MAR 26, 2015 Emily J. Gertz
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/03/26/worlds-most-endangered-whales

Just how endangered are some of the world’s whales?

There are, for instance, only about 80 Southern Resident killer whales left on the planet.

Others, including sperm, right, and blue whales, are still trying to recover from being hunted to near oblivion during the last two centuries. Fin and sei whales are still hunted by some nations.

Pacific Coast killer whales can’t find enough chinook salmon to eat because inland river dams as well as overfishing have nearly wiped out many fish runs, while climate change is melting the Arctic habitat of the bowhead whale.

Below are the 10 most endangered whales.

Most of these whales are subject to the same modern risks, such as entanglement in abandoned fishing gear or “ghost nets,” being injured or killed in collisions with large ships, coping with noise pollution, and enduring rising levels of marine pollution.

To save these whales, nations and communities worldwide must answer difficult questions about limits on development, energy drilling, shipping, and fishing, even as billions of people around the globe try to escape poverty. Can humanity figure out how to share space and resources with these whales, some of Earth’s most mysterious and intelligent creatures, in time to save them?

In the meantime, there are personal choices people can make to help the oceans and whales, such as buying sustainably harvested seafood, using renewable energy, and opting for reusable bags and cups that won’t end up as part of the marine plastic pollution crisis.

Zimbabwe elephants flown to China
45 minutes ago
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33411475

Zimbabwe says it has too many elephants - unlike in some other African countries
At least 20 elephants from Zimbabwe have arrived in China after being flown there from the capital, Harare.
They were sold for around $40,000 (£26,000) each after their controversial capture last year.
The sale has raised money to help run the Hwange National Park and also slows the growth of the elephant herd, Zimbabwean officials say.
There are concerns elsewhere in Africa that poaching may lead to elephants becoming endangered.
The capture of the animals was criticised by the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) last year.
In a statement it said that the elephants would be "sentenced to a life of inhuman treatment".

Campaigners have said the younger elephants were forcibly separated from their mothers
ZCTF chairman Johnny Rodrigues added that the transported elephants were between two-and-a-half and five years old - not old enough to be weaned.
The elephants are due to be taken to the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, southern China, which is home to 20,000 rare animals, according to its website.
Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere defended the sale to Bloomberg news agency, saying that "there is nothing irregular with this export, this is part of elephant conservation".
There have been concerns that Zimbabwe's growing elephant population was threatening the vegetation in the Hwange National Park and damaging the crops of nearby human settlements.
The authorities have said that exporting the animals is a better than a cull.
But the ZCTF disputes the official figures for the elephant population and has called for a scientific census before any more elephants are transported.

Rare White Whale Makes Surprise Appearance in New Zealand
Alicia Graef
Jul 8, 2015

See link for pics: http://www.care2.com/causes/rare-white-whale-makes-surprise-appearance-in-new-zealand.html?onswipe_redirect=no&oswrr=4#comments

Scientists got a special thrill this week when they got to experience an unexpected encounter with a rare white humpback whale who made a surprising appearance off the coast of New Zealand.

A research team with the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) were out conducting an annual survey of humpback whales in Cook Strait to see how they are recovering after commercial whaling was banned in 1964.

The whale they spotted is believed to be Migaloo, which is aboriginal for ‘white fella,’ who was first spotted off the coast of Australia in 1991 and has continued to make appearances there every year.

According to a statement from the DOC, two whales were first spotted before the team realized one of them was very much not like the other.

“I thought, wow that whale is white, that is amazing!” said John Gibbs, the boat’s skipper, in a statement.

white-and-black-humpbacks-1200
The white humpback whale with a normal humpback whale. Credit: New Zealand Department of Conservation

Distinctive features, including his dorsal fin’s unique shape and spiny protuberances on his back led to the conclusion it was him, but they still took a skin sample with a biopsy dart to confirm it through DNA testing and will also use it to figure out whether he’s truly albino, or his unique coloring is due to something else.

“This is so unique. I have never seen anything like this in New Zealand,” said marine mammal scientist Carlos Olavarria.

According to the survey’s leader Nadine Bott, only four other white individual humpback whales have ever been documented.

“Migaloo is the most famous and another white humpback whale was spotted in Norway this year. Migaloo is thought to have fathered two white calves which have been making appearances along Australia’s eastern coast. One has been named MJ, short for Migaloo junior,” she said in a statement.

Migaloo’s appearance in New Zealand during the survey has raised more questions about how migrating humpbacks are dispersing, but the survey itself has also brought hope for these amazing creatures.

According to the DOC, this year brought a “spectacularly high count of humpback whales” with 122 spotted, exceeding the previous high of 106 in 2012 since they began counting those headed to their breeding grounds in the South Pacific in 2004.

Researchers believe it’s a promising sign the number of humpback whales is continuing to grow in New Zealand’s waters. According to the DOC, by the time commercial whaling was shut down so many had been killed that humpbacks were no longer migrating through Cook Strait and commercial whaling was no longer even viable. Hopefully with continued protection next year’s count will bring even more good news for the recovery of this species.

Check out these 2 great links:

http://www.bluevoice.org/dolphins.php

http://www.bluevoice.org/webfilms_dolphinssharks.php

PETA just uncovered a SeaWorld spy attempting to incite violence!

He called himself "Thomas Jones" and attended PETA protests against SeaWorld, but something didn't quite add up. We took a closer look and discovered that Mr. "Jones" was actually a SeaWorld employee. We gave the story to Bloomberg News and media outlets worldwide, which reported our findings that SeaWorld's infiltrator wasn't content just to show up and listen and watch—he seemed determined to try to incite PETA supporters to move beyond our effective peaceful protests and resort to violence, a common entrapment tactic used against social movements over the ages.

Our wealthy animal-exploitative opponents—like SeaWorld—are desperate to cripple PETA's ability to expose and stop the abuse of animals. They often attempt to mislead the public and shift its focus away from their own cruel deeds.

As our "I, Orca" traveling exhibit shows, marine mammals such as orcas and dolphins are among the most intelligent, complex animals on Earth. In nature, they live and play in large, intricate social groups—family "pods"—and roam for hundreds of miles in the open ocean. Yet orcas held captive at SeaWorld spend decades trapped inside tiny tanks, swimming in endless circles and forced to perform tricks—if they even live that long. They spend their lives in small pools of chlorinated water containing their own diluted waste, and many succumb to injuries, pneumonia, and other illnesses.

Orcas are the largest animals in the world to be kept in captivity for cruel entertainment. But people are upset with SeaWorld—which imprisons more orcas than any other facility in the world—and the "abusement park" has seen its attendance plummet as a result of PETA's relentless campaigning and the outcry from compassionate people. Even long-term corporate partners like Southwest Airlines have severed their ties with the company after we've drawn their attention to the facts about orcas and their miserable, impoverished lives in marine parks.

SeaWorld's executives know that they're losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, so they've resorted to spying on PETA and trying to entrap us into doing things that we have no intention of doing, such as burn the place down! This leaves no doubt that SeaWorld is a "dirty tricks" corporation—and it's one of many that would like to stop PETA from protesting their abuses.

SeaWorld’s Baby Beluga Dies After Just Three Weeks

Alicia Graef
Jul 15, 2015
http://www.care2.com/causes/seaworlds-baby-beluga-dies-after-just-three-weeks.html

In June, SeaWorld San Antonio celebrated the birth of a baby beluga born to Martha and Imaq, but after just three weeks of life the calf has already died.

Despite the warm welcome, she failed to reach expected milestones even with intervention. SeaWorld announced her death, stating:

All of us at SeaWorld are saddened by the loss of our beluga calf, who died yesterday after weeks of intensive, round the clock care. The three-week old calf was born about a month premature.

The calf was not gaining weight at the rate our veterinarians expected, even though it did nurse from its mother. To supplement those feedings, the animal care team hand fed her specialized marine mammal infant formula seven times a day. A necropsy will be performed this morning, with results expected in six to eight weeks. Losing an animal in our care is never easy, and we thank everyone for their thoughts and support during this difficult time for our team.

The loss of yet another beluga calf is sad, but unfortunately it’s not very surprising. In June, another calf died at the Georgia Aquarium less than a month after she was born, leaving her mother Maris to grieve yet another heartbreaking loss.

For Martha, who SeaWorld fails to even mention in its update, this is at least her third lost calf. Despite decades of trying to keep and successfully breed belugas, the death toll continues to rise.

Aquarium officials continue to claim they don’t understand why so many keep dying, or attribute it as a normal thing for first time mothers, but marine mammal experts aren’t confused.

Following the recent loss of Maris’ calf, Dr. Lori Marino of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy said the deaths are no mystery at all writing, “It’s a classic case of the well-known medical condition Failure To Thrive Syndrome. FTTS is seen in human children and other animals (it’s known as Fading Puppy and Kitten Syndrome in dogs and cats) when they fail to develop normally both physically and mentally.”

She further explains the detrimental effects of captivity that include denying belugas the ability to learn from their own mothers and social groups and to get assistance from relatives to raise a newborn, and to choose their own mates, among other issues. Instead they are left surrounded by humans in entirely unnatural and unfamiliar environments to which they are not adapted.

“Studies of welfare in captive belugas support the assertion that belugas cannot live, let alone thrive, in a setting in which they never evolved. In captivity their lives are shorter and mortality rates are higher. They often die of stress-related diseases which break down their immune system function. They fail to thrive,” she writes. “So, when the veterinarians and staff at the Georgia Aquarium claim to be flummoxed over the death of two infant belugas, they need look no further than any basic marine mammal ecology textbook to find the answer to why belugas will never thrive in theme parks.”

It would be one thing if these efforts were truly being done to help wild populations, but they’re not. The captivity industry is only trying to maintain a captive population for us to gawk at.

If aquariums can’t get them to breed successfully, they will turn to taking more from the wild, like the Georgia Aquarium is doing right now through efforts to import wild-caught belugas from Russia, which is clearly not in the best interest of either wild populations, or the individuals who are torn from their families, confined to tanks and subjected to the whims of the industry.

It’s painfully obvious that the answer isn’t to try harder, but that it’s time to phase out these exhibits entirely and stop keeping these intelligent, social and complex animals in captivity. Hopefully as more people are made aware of the harm this industry causes the end of this industry will become a reality.

Urgent: Help Stop SeaWorld’s Plans to Keep Orcas in Tanks

SeaWorld has submitted an application to the California Coastal Commission to build new tanks, and we need your help to stop it.

SeaWorld claims that its Blue World Project will help orcas, but we know that people like you won't be fooled by this desperate, drop-in-the-bucket move. The additional space and a "fast water current" are simply acknowledgments that orcas need more than just still water, but they'll do little to provide the animals with a natural life. The fact is that in the wild, orcas dive as deep as 1,000 feet, and the tank expansion SeaWorld has announced would have a depth of only 50 feet. Because the tank will be only 350 feet long, orcas would have to swim more than 1,500 lengths back and forth per day to approximate the 100 miles a day they may naturally travel in the ocean. This project will not provide anything close to truly "dynamic opportunities" or to "support the whales' broad range of behaviors and provide choices that can challenge the whales both physically and mentally," as SeaWorld claims. This project is windrow-dressing intended to mislead the public into thinking that the orcas are no longer suffering.

If SeaWorld really wants to improve its image, it should spend its money on projects such as innovative animal-free exhibits that will truly wow people and coastal sanctuaries where marine mammals can feel and experience the ocean, hear their families, and perhaps one day be reunited with them. It shouldn't build a slightly bigger orca prison.

Please tell the California Coastal Commission to vote AGAINST SeaWorld's Blue World Project.
Sign petition here:
http://www.peta.org/action/action-alerts/stop-seaworlds-plans-keep-orcas-tank/
utm_campaign=071515%20Stop%20SeaWorlds%20Plans%20Keep%20Orcas%20Tank&utm_source=PETA%20E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert

Peta sues Miami aquarium to demand release of Lolita the killer whale

Animal rights groups condemn orca’s 40 years in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium, leaving her unable to ‘carry out virtually any natural behaviors’

Reuters in Miami
Monday 20 July 2015

Animal rights groups seeking the release of Lolita, a killer whale in captivity since 1970, sued the Miami Seaquarium and its parent company Palace Entertainment on Monday saying her conditions violate the Endangered Species Act.

“For more than 40 years, Lolita has been unable to swim any meaningful distance, dive, forage, or carry out virtually any natural behaviors,” said the complaint, filed in the southern district of Florida by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

Activists have long bemoaned her tank, which measures 80ft (24 meters) long, 60ft (18 meters) wide and 20ft (6 meters) deep, as one of the smallest whale enclosures in the world. She has also been without another orca since 1980 when her tank mate, Hugo, died, the complaint added.

The federal government cleared a path for the lawsuit earlier this year after adding the 7,000lb orca to the endangered species list.

Lolita, who performs seven days a week, was captured in the summer of 1970 off the coast of Washington state when she was between three and six years old, according to court documents.

She was acquired by the Miami Seaquarium, a popular south Florida tourist attraction, later that year, the complaint said. Killer whales have no natural predators and can live up to 80 years.

The Seaquarium said in a statement on Monday it “provides first-class care for Lolita. She remains healthy and thriving after 45 years of residency”.

The push to free Lolita gained momentum after the 2013 documentary Blackfish described how orcas were captured and how one killed a trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.

Activists hope to transfer Lolita back to Pacific waters near where she was captured. The plan calls for her to first live in a netted-off area where she can learn to hunt and communicate with other orcas before later being released.

The Seaquarium said Lolita is well cared for and has been in captivity for so long that releasing her would be “cruel and traumatic”.

Opponents of the release plan also argue she could face a fate similar to Keiko, the orca who starred in the 1993 movie Free Willy. That orca was released off Iceland in 2002 and died the next year after being rejected by wild killer whales.

Can't post due to phorum data base error

This Could Be the Happiest Baby Orca Ever
See link for pics and video plus sign the petition!
http://www.care2.com/causes/this-could-be-the-happiest-baby-orca-ever.html

Powerful New Film Exposes the Horrors of Captive Lion Hunting
Alicia Graef
Jul 27, 2015

Lions could be about to get their Blackfish moment thanks to a new film that exposes the dark side of the captive breeding and canned hunting industry in South Africa.

The film, Blood Lions, which premiered last week at the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa, brings to light the many problems that come with the continued exploitation of these big cats for profit and the lies that continue to be told to the public in an attempt to support the idea that it’s all being done in the name of conservation.

See trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-T86GCjCpus

According to Ian Michler, who plays a leading role in the film, the industry is continuing to grow. In 1999 there were between 800 and 1,000 lions in cages, but today there are more than 200 facilities holding between 6,000 and 8,000 predators, mostly lions, in captivity.

If things keep going the way they are, South Africa could have more than 12,000 captive lions by 2020.

A lot of lions might seem like a good thing for a species that’s facing a growing threat of extinction in the wild, but these lions are only being bred to be killed. According to the film, at least two to three captive bred or tame lions are being killed in canned hunts every single day, while hundreds more are killed annually for the lion bone trade.

Supporters continue to make a number of hollow arguments in defense of this industry, saying it supports conservation and education, but the film counters that none of the lions being bred will ever return to the wild to help bolster dwindling populations and the industry has nothing to do with true conservation efforts.

In reality, they’re only being used as a revenue stream for lion farmers who offer opportunities to pet cubs and interact with older big cats, along with providing steady flow of lions for wealthy trophy hunters who will drop thousands on a guaranteed kill.

Michler told National Geographic he hopes the film will increase the ongoing dialogue about how we treat animals and that we will use what we’ve learned about wildlife, animal welfare and ecosystems to change our behavior to reflect that knowledge.

He also hopes it will help bring about the end of canned hunting. Fortunately, the tide of public opinion is turning on this industry. Major airlines are turning away from shipping trophies and the awareness being raised by this film is igniting public outrage, which has already played a significant role in Australia’s recent move to ban lion trophy imports.

This week, the of the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa announced that their current “position on lion hunting is no longer tenable” and needs to be revisited.

Unsurprisingly, people don’t have to be into animal rights to be repulsed by the idea of killing a tame lion trapped in an enclosure. Hopefully the U.S., which is home to more than half of those who hunt these lions, will step up with increased protection before it’s too late.

For more info on the film and efforts to shut down the canned hunting industry, check out Blood Lions.

Alana33 - "We are a disgusting species!"

Cecil the lion: US dentist blamed for Zimbabwe killing
1 hour ago
From the section US & Canada

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33695872 the lion -
21 October 2012

Cecil was a major tourist attraction at Zimbabwe's famous Hwange National Park

Conservationists in Zimbabwe say the man who paid $50,000 (£32,000) to kill the country's most famous lion was an American dentist.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) named the tourist as Walter Palmer from Minnesota and said he shot the animal with a crossbow and rifle.

The lion, named Cecil, was later skinned and beheaded, the ZCTF said. Two Zimbabwean men who were involved face poaching charges because the group did not have a hunting permit.
The men - a professional hunter and a farm owner - could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in Zimbabwe if they are found guilty. They are due to appear in court on Wednesday.
It is unclear whether Mr Palmer has already returned to the US but Zimbabwean police confirmed that he could also face poaching charges.
"We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case," police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told reporters. Authorities had previously said that a Spanish tourist may have been behind the killing.

Angry backlash
Mr Palmer told the Minnesota Star Tribune that "some things are being misreported". He said he would release a statement later on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the dentist told the Guardian that Mr Palmer thinks "he might have shot that lion that has been referred to as Cecil".
But he said the American "had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides".
The dental practice run by Mr Palmer was closed on Tuesday and a note was placed on the door referring visitors to a public relations firm, according to local press.
The practice's Facebook page was removed from the site after being besieged by angry comments and the company website was also taken down.

Cecil's six cubs are likely to be killed by the male lion who takes over the pride
Zimbabwe, like many African countries, is battling to curb illegal hunting and poaching which threatens to make some of its wildlife extinct.
The 13-year-old lion was a major tourist attraction at the country's famous Hwange National Park. He is believed to have been killed on 1 July but the carcass was not discovered until a few days later.
The ZCTF said the hunters had used bait to lure him outside Hwange National Park during a night-time pursuit.
Mr Palmer is said to have shot Cecil with a crossbow, injuring the animal. The group didn't find the wounded lion until 40 hours later, when he was shot dead with a gun.
The animal had a GPS collar fitted for a research project by UK-based Oxford University that allowed authorities to track its movements. The hunters tried to destroy it, but failed, according to the ZCTF.
On Monday, the head of the ZCTF charity told the BBC that Cecil "never bothered anybody".
"He was one of the most beautiful animals to look at," Johnny Rodrigues said.
The six cubs of Cecil will now be killed by the new male lion in the pride, Mr Rodrigues added, in order to encourage the lionesses to mate with him.
"That's how it works... it's in the wild. It's nature taking its course," he said.

Cecil the Lion
July 29, 2015

There are mounting calls for the prosecution of an American dentist who shot dead one of Africa’s most famous lions, as two other men involved in the hunt prepare to appear in court in Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

Walter Palmer, who runs a dental practice in Minnesota and hunts big game in his spare time, is accused of illegally killing Cecil, a protected lion, in Zimbabwe on a $50,000 (£32,000) hunt.

Cecil the lion's death prompts calls to ban trophy hunt imports to US

Two men thought to have accompanied Palmer on the hunt, professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst, and Honest Ndlovu, a local landowner, will appear in court in Victoria Falls to face poaching charges.

Cecil, a popular attraction among international visitors to Hwange national park, was lured outside the reserve’s boundaries by bait and killed earlier this month.

Dr Walter Palmer (left), pictured here with another of his kills, is accused of paying £32,000 to shoot Cecil the lion

“Both the professional hunter and landowner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt,” the Zimbabwean parks authority said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement made no mention of Palmer. But the charity Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Palmer and Bronkhorst had gone out at night with a spotlight and tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil into range.

In a statement to the Guardian, Palmer confirmed he had been in Zimbabwe in early July on a bow-hunting trip. “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted,” he said.

He is facing angry calls in the US for his prosecution.

Former speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gringrich tweeted that Palmer should be jailed.

The entire team that killed the lion cecil should go to jail including the Minneapolis dentist

Betty McCollum, a Democrat member of Congress who represents Minnesota, called on the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Justice to investigate whether the killing violated endangered species laws, according to the local Star Tribune.

Protesters placed animal toys outside Palmer’s River Duff dental practice in Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis. The practice was forced to close as protesters staged a recreation of the hunt involving cuddly toys and water pistols.

Walter Palmer’s River Bluff dental office in Bloomington, Minneapolis.
Stuffed animals on the doorstep of Walter Palmer’s River Bluff dental office in Bloomington, Minneapolis.

Cecil who was recognised by many visitors to Hwange due to his distinctive black mane. “A lot of people travel long distances coming to Zimbabwe to enjoy our wildlife and obviously the absence of Cecil is a disaster,” Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, told reporters in the capital, Harare.

See link for video:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/cecil-the-lion-calls-for-prosecution-us-dentist-walter-palmer

Palmer’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and website of his dental practice were all closed after being deluged by critical comments. Comedian Ricky Gervais, boxer Lennox Lewis and writer Neil Gaiman were among those expressing disgust.

Also read:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/07/28/american-dentist-killed-zimbabwe-famous-lion?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-07-28

Sign petition:
https://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/lions-like-cecil-aren-t-trophies-usfws-don-t-allow-exceptions-for-wealthy-hunters

We respond to the killing of Cecil the lion

http://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/news/we-respond-killing-cecil-lion
July 29 2015

It has been reported that an American dentist from Minnesota paid $50,000 to shoot Cecil the lion, a national treasure in Zimbabwe, earlier this month.

An American dentist paid $50,000 to shoot Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe earlier this month. Cecil, who was 13 years old, was a major tourist attraction at South Africa’s famous Hwange National Park. Along with being a national treasure like so many animals, Cecil was also being studied by researchers at Oxford University.

Our International Director of Programs Steve McIvor says:

“Not one penny is worth the life of Cecil, a national treasure like so many animals.

“The cruelty behind this act is disturbing – not only was Cecil cruelly shot with a bow and arrow but found alive 40 hours later, to be then shot cold blooded by a gun.

“The rearing and killing of lions in the name of ‘entertainment’ must end. Animals belong in the wild and should not prop up this sordid industry.”

Legal action

It has been stated that a professional hunter and a farm owner tied a dead animal to a car to lure Cecil out of a national park in the middle of the night, and then shot him with a crossbow. Cecil was found wounded 40 hours later, where he was then shot dead with a gun.

Despite hunting lions being legal in several countries in southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, groups must obtain a valid permit from authorities – which makes this killing illegal. The farm owner and hunter now both face legal action for poaching.

Shining a light on the issue

The cruelty behind this act is disturbing: lions are being bred for the tourist entertainment industry on a daily basis. There are as many as 7,000 lions in breeding facilities in South Africa today, not only for hunting, but for cub petting and walking in lion parks.

The story of Cecil is heart-breaking, but not a one-off. What this tragedy has done is shine a light on the cruel use of animals in entertainment.

Wildlife is a lucrative business, with animals such as lions being torn from their mothers at just a few weeks old. They are kept in small enclosures with no shade from the heat, fed a poor diet, and are abused until they become compliant enough for photo opportunities or lion walks with tourists. They may then be sold into untracked trade chains that can end in the canned hunting industry.

We oppose animal cruelty in any form and we strongly believe the rearing and killing of lions in the name of ‘entertainment’ must end.

Take action

We move the world to protect wild animals, and to keep them in the wild where they belong. Find out more about our work to end the abuse of animals in entertainment.

http://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/our-work/animals-wild/ending-wild-animal-entertainment

“The rearing and killing of lions in the name of ‘entertainment’ must end. Animals belong in the wild and should not prop up this sordid industry.”

More on Cecil the Lion:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33710613

If you missed it, please see this link on BLOOD LIONS:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-T86GCjCpus

Here's another on canned hunting:
https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=azS2nlS92tk

"“The cruelty behind this act is disturbing – not only was Cecil cruelly shot with a bow and arrow but found alive 40 hours later, to be then shot cold blooded by a gun"

Would it have better if they just let him go after being wounded?

We'll never know what condition he was in after surviving those 40 hours and whether he may have survived on his own. Bottom line is a collared lion should not have been baited out of his preserve and shot by a trophy hunter to begin with.

While We Mourned Cecil, Five Elephants Were Murdered

Judy Molland
Jul 31, 2015

http://www.care2.com/causes/while-we-mourned-cecil-five-elephants-were-murdered.html

While people around the world focused on the murder of Cecil, the 13-year-old lion, shot to death by an American hunter in Zimbabwe, poachers entered Tsavo West National Park in Kenya on the night of Monday, July 27 and slaughtered five elephants.

This might be seen as an even more devastating incident than the death of Cecil, since elephants are under a far greater threat from poachers than lions, owing to the fact that their tusks can be sold in Asia for more than $1000 a pound.

On Tuesday morning rangers discovered the five carcasses; they appeared to be those of an adult female and her four children, with blood and loose skin where the tusks had been hacked off. The poachers had likely crossed the border on motorcycles from Tanzania, situated just south of Kenya, and made their escape back there, carrying their horrific booty.

“It’s just devastating,” said Paul Gathitu, a spokesman for Kenya Wildlife Service, to the Washington Post. “It took us completely by surprise.”

Kenyan authorities are deeply disappointed, since they had been making great strides in the fight against poachers; they’ve begun to monitor herds using GPS technology, and the government has hired 550 new rangers.

Comparisons between the death of Cecil and these five elephants make no sense. All such meaningless deaths are tragic, and attention must be paid to them.

Lion And Elephant Populations Declining

For lions, it’s not just about trophy hunting.

In 2012, I wrote about the decline in lion populations: the savannah habitat that is the home of African lions has shrunk by 75 percent over the past 50 years, and this dramatic loss could threaten the survival of the species: in the same time period, the population of lions has dropped from 100,000 to roughly 32,000.

The decline in elephant populations is related to the demand for ivory in Asia, where it is used for entirely unproven medicinal purposes. Between 2010 and 2012, poachers killed more than 100,000 African elephants, a number which many experts believe is leading the species toward extinction.

And what’s happening today?

Using a striking photograph of around 50 elephants, Lydia Millet explained in the New York Times on July 26 that this is the number of elephants that die in every 11-hour period; in other words, one every 14 minutes.

These killings are driven by greed, related to unfounded beliefs that ivory contains magical medical powers.

President Obama Announces New Restrictions On The Sale Of Ivory

Ironically, while the killers of these five Kenyan elephants were planning their horrific slaughter, President Obama was himself in Kenya, and on July 25 announced sweeping regulations that will hopefully wipe out the market for ivory in the U.S.

Obama declared that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing new rules that would prohibit most interstate commerce in African elephant ivory and further restrict commercial exports. This action, combined with others FWS has already taken, will result in a near total ban on the domestic commercial trade of African elephant ivory.

The U.S. is the second largest market for ivory after China, and so prohibiting interstate ivory trade is a much-needed step to shrink those domestic markets.

This announcement comes on the heels of a petition launched by the Center for Biological Diversity to the FWS to reclassify African elephants as two separate species – forest elephants and savannah elephants – and to protect both as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act, instead of their current “threatened” status.

As Millet explains, these are indeed two separate species, and labeling them this way will bring urgently-needed help to elephant populations.

Take Action Now

If you agree, please sign the petition urging the FWS to reclassify savannah and forest elephants as separate species and afford them both “endangered” status. See above link for petition.

Whether it’s the death of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe, where as Slate suggests, “it’s likely that at least a dozen other lions have been shot by trophy hunters,” since the lion’s death, or in Kenya, the death of five elephants, creatures who are being killed at the rate of a hundred a day, these acts all reveal just how much horrendous killing of wildlife is going on, especially in Africa.

These are all despicable acts of extreme brutality, and trophy hunting is a shameful sport. Let’s hope more people will be aware of this now.

Cecil the Lion’s Death Reveals Americans’ Big Role in Trophy Hunting

A Minnesota dentist’s killing of the famous lion has sparked outrage, but it remains to be seen whether it will spur a crackdown on big game hunting.

JUL 29, 2015
Taylor Hill

With one shot of his bow, Walter Palmer went from being a Minneapolis dentist to the world’s most reviled big game hunter.

The public outcry following his hunt of Zimbabwe’s famous tourist attraction, Cecil the Lion, has not only led to the closure of his dental office but could be a galvanizing force in altering the trophy hunting industry in the United States that’s fueling wildlife loss in Africa, according to conservationists.

Killing rare animals is nothing new for the dentist, who has crossbow records for killing a menagerie’s worth of wildlife, including rhino, warthogs, buffalo, and more. But none of his kills brought a spotlight on the contentious issue of trophy hunting until he and his hired Zimbabwean hunters lured the black-maned Cecil out from the protection of national park boundaries with bait.

The heavily studied lion—he had a GPS collar on when he was shot—wandered wounded for 40 hours before finally being tracked down and shot with a gun by the hunters.

“I’ve never seen any sort of animal issue resonate like this before,” said Beth Allgood, campaigns director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. When she first heard the reports about Cecil’s death at the hands of a Spaniard, Allgood was a little surprised, but then it was revealed the hunter was an American—a story line Allgood with her 20 years in conservation work is familiar with.

“Americans don’t like to accept the role we play in wildlife trade,” Allgood said. “We like to look at China fueling demand and Africa not doing enough to protect these animals, but when it comes to lions, we have a big part in it.”

Americans traveling to Africa make up more than 60 percent of the foreign-participated lion trophy hunts carried out each year, according to John Jackson, president of the lobbying group Conservation Force. About 15,000 hunters make the trek annually, and a majority of them want to bring back a trophy, Jackson said. The group argues that lion hunts are integral to the species’ conservation, and the big game industry—worth $675 million in South Africa alone—brings in money for habitat expansion and species conservation efforts.

But those efforts haven’t stemmed the rate at which lions are dying off. Across the continent, there has been a 60 percent decline in lions over the past 30 years. Habitat loss and poaching have contributed to the demise, but hunting also plays a role, said Allgood.

Oxford University professors have also been studying the effects of big game hunting on lion populations in Zimbabwe. Of the 62 lions they tagged in the region, 24 have been shot and killed by sport hunters. Ten have died from other causes.

There were once 200,000 lions roaming Africa. Today, there are fewer than 32,000. That has prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to consider listing African lions as a threatened species.

The move could potentially limit the countries from which big game hunters can bring back lion trophies. Eleven countries currently allow lion hunt safaris, but new regulations would require these countries to show FWS officials that their lion populations are healthy and managed properly, and that plans are in place to conserve the species.

But listing the lion only puts a Band-Aid on a bigger issue, argues Eric Jensen, a University of Warwick professor who studies public engagement in wildlife issues.

“The problem is a long-standing association between hunting large animals and masculinity,” Jensen said. “While most Americans don’t support the activity, it still resonates with key ideas like Davy Crockett and Theodore Roosevelt. The fact that in 2015 people are still travelling thousands of miles to kill exotic animals and bring back trophies shows that there are deep-seated cultural problems in Western societies, where such behavior should be unthinkable.”

Pro-hunting advocates argue that removing the older lions like 13-year old Cecil, who are less prone to breed, is actually beneficial for species populations because it allows more vigorous and youthful cats to mate more successfully.

That was not the case with Cecil, however. Hwange National Park officials said Cecil had been muscled out of his pride five years ago by a younger, stronger male. He subsequently mounted a comeback by forming a coalition with another older male lion named Jericho. For the past 18 months, Cecil had been back in charge of two prides—one of which consists of three lionesses and seven cubs under seven months old. Without Cecil to protect them, researchers who have been studying the animal expect a new lion to come in, take out Cecil’s cubs, and start his own bloodline.

“It’s called the ripple effect,” Allgood said. “You take out a pride leader like Cecil, and in the fight for dominance, the other males kill the young cubs.”

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the $54,000 Palmer spent to kill Cecil pales in comparison to the millions of dollars the big cat would have garnered in tourist dollars over the course of his life.

In a report to be released by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, researchers calculated the value of a live elephant by viewing camps, safaris, and photo tours in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa, where elephants drive a growing regional ecotourism industry.

“When viewed through the ‘nonconsumptive lens’ of tourism, the report estimates a single elephant can contribute $22,966 per year to the local economy, and that grows to $1.6 million during a 70-year lifespan,” Allgood said.

Compare that to the average cost of an elephant hunt at around $20,000. The disconnect between the true conservation value of hunting animals, and the true conservation value of actually conserving animals is part of the systematic problem Jensen says will take more than one dead famous lion to turn around.

“Most likely the outrage will just die out,” Jensen said. “This [trophy hunting] is a multifaceted problem requiring some fundamental changes to actually make a difference. The crucial turning point will be if this is seen as a symbol of a much larger problem, as it is.”

And that turning point could be coming sooner than later.

Even the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa is seeing the writing on the wall, sending out an email to its members that it should reconsider its position on lion hunting—especially captive bred lion hunts known as “canned hunting.”

“From my dealings with the media and the community, it has become clear to me that those against the hunting of lions bred in captivity are no longer just a small if vociferous group of animal-rights activists,” said PHASA president Hermann Meyeridricks in a statement. “The tide of public opinion is turning strongly against this form of hunting, however it is termed. Even within our own ranks, as well as in the hunting fraternity as a whole, respected voices are speaking out publicly against it.

“I have come to believe that, as it stands, our position on lion hunting is no longer tenable,” Meyeridricks said.

International airlines like Air France and Emirates have announced blanket bans for transporting hunting trophies of elephant, rhinoceros, lions, and tigers on their flights. And South African Airways, the largest airline on the continent, banned, and then was pressured into reversing its ban on trophy transport as well.

Cecil the lion you tube video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wknDxXnmRsQ

Brother of Cecil the Lion Shot and Killed, Leaving Cubs Defenseles just one month after Cecil’s death, Zimbabwe loses another beloved lion.

Jericho (standing) and Cecil -see link for photo:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/08/01/cecil-lion-brother-killed

AUG 1, 2015 Samantha Cowan

The past week has been filled with outrage, sadness, and anger over the death of beloved Zimbabwe lion, Cecil, at the hands of an American trophy hunter. Today the African country announced another tragedy: Cecil’s older brother was shot and killed on Saturday afternoon.

“It is with huge disgust and sadness that we have just been informed that Jericho, Cecil's brother, has been killed at 4pm today,” the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force wrote in a statement. “We are absolutely heartbroken.”

The details of Jericho’s death are still under investigation, but the killing is suspected to have been illegal, as he also lived in the protected Hwange National Park.

Cecil was beloved in Zimbabwe for his relaxed demeanor and involvement in an Oxford University study that tracked him with a GPS collar. After his death, researchers turned to Jericho.

"Jericho is a very experienced male,” Oxford researcher Brent Stapelkamp told the Telegraph earlier this week. “I caught him a few days after Cecil's death. His collar had died some time before, and I put a new one on and we are watching him like hawks."

Conservationists were eager to keep an eye on Jericho as Cecil’s death left his entire pride in jeopardy. Typically a rival male lion will kill off another male’s cubs to insert its own bloodline into the pride. But in the month since Cecil’s death, Jericho has been seen defending the cubs. Without these two dominant males to defend the area, even more of Hwange's lions are in jeopardy.

Outrage of Cecil’s death surged when news surfaced that he was killed by Minnesotan dentist, Walter Palmer, who paid $50,000 for the hunt in which his guides allegedly lured the 13-year-old lion out of the reserve with bait before Palmer allegedly took the lion’s head home as a souvenir. Palmer maintains that he believed his and his guides' actions to be legal.

Trophy hunts like Palmer’s are fairly common in Africa, with Americans making up more than half of foreign trophy hunts each year. Habitat loss (to humans), poaching, and big game trophy hunts have led to the 60 percent decline of the endangered species in Africa over the past 30 years; lions have lost 75 percent of their population in just two decades.

Zimbabwe officials, along with more than 200,000 Americans who signed a petition, have called on the dentist to be extradited to ZImbabwe to face charges. In the meantime, Palmer has shuttered his business and is reportedly cooperating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Cecil the lion’s 'brother' Jericho alive and well despite rumors, say researchers

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/01/jericho-not-dead-cecil-the-lion-zimbabwe

Despite reports that Cecil the lion’s “brother” Jericho had been shot dead by a poacher, a field researcher at Hwange Lion Research said on Saturday: “He looks alive and well.” Another conservation worker said the lion had been seen with a female earlier in the day, “probably mating”.

On Sunday, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority released a photograph of Jericho that it said was taken that morning. A statement said Jericho was “still alive and being monitored” by the researcher Brent Stapelkamp, who was following Jericho’s movements with the help of a satellite collar.

In a statement emailed to the Guardian, Professor David Macdonald, director of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford, said: “Jericho was seen alive and well at 6.15am [on Sunday]. He has been feeding on a giraffe kill with the lionesses from his pride.”

McDonald also explained that Jericho is not in fact Cecil’s blood brother, but rather a partner in a “coalition” of a kind often formed by unrelated male lions to better compete for territory and prides.

On Saturday, as confusion reigned over Jericho’s health, Stapelkamp told the Guardian he was confident that Jericho was alive. “Nothing looks untoward. It looks like he’s been moving around all day and in fact he sent his last points at six minutes past eight our time,” he said.

Stapelkamp added: “Certainly, I’ve been asked to go and look for him tomorrow morning so I will confirm he is alive and send pictures to the world.”

Trevor Lane of the Bhejane Trust, a wildlife conservation group that works with Hwange national park, said in an email to the Guardian that Jericho had been seen with a female, “probably mating”. Lane added that parks were investigating another lion that was shot on 2 July, though that animal was not collared nor with a pride.

Drew Abrahamson, a wildlife photographer, said on Facebook Jericho had been sending out “normal collar movement” and posted an image showing the satellite information.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) prompted the flurry of press activity when it said on Facebook earlier on Saturday that Cecil’s brother, Jericho, had been shot at 4pm. “We are absolutely heartbroken,” the statement said.

“I think this type of misinformation is characteristic of that particular source,” Stapelkamp said.

Stephen Long, who also works for Bhejane Trust and lives in the western end of the Hwange national park, far from where Jericho holds territory, said in an email: “ZCTF has the same level of credibility as the National Enquirer.” ZCTF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, has been accused of illegally killing Cecil after the lion was lured outside a national reserve. He allegedly paid $50,000 for the hunting trip. Cecil, a 13-year-old lion with a distinctive black mane, was a popular tourist attraction at Hwange national park before he was killed earlier this month.

Zimbabwe’s environment minister has called on Palmer to be extradited from the US to be put on trial for the illegal hunt. On Saturday, wildlife authorities said they had suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants in the area where Cecil was killed.

The Zimbabwe National Parks authority also said it was investigating the killing of another lion in April that may have been illegal, and said it only received the information this week.

Palmer on Thursday wrote to to his patients to apologize for killing Cecil, saying he did not know the lion was beloved by many. Palmer also described hunting as his passion and has killed 43 different types of animals, including an elephant and polar bear, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“I don’t often talk about hunting with my patients because it can be a divisive and emotionally charged topic,” he wrote. “I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting.”

On Sunday, Stapelkamp said Cecil and Jericho oversaw two prides together. The statement from the wildlife authority said the two lions were partners in a “coalition” but were not related.

Zimbabwe to U.S.: Extradite dentist over killing of Cecil the lion
By Faith Karimi, Michael Martinez and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

U.S. State Department says it can't comment on extradition matters

(CNN)As outrage grows over the killing of Cecil the lion, Zimbabwe has called on the United States to extradite the American dentist who shot the prized big cat.

Zimbabwe has started extradition proceedings and hopes the United States will cooperate, said Oppah Muchinguri, the African nation's environment minister.

Walter Palmer "had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relationship between Zimbabwe and the U.S., Muchinguri said.

Palmer, his professional hunter guide, and the owner of the land where the hunt took place are accused of an illegal hunt under the country's Parks and Wildlife Act, Muchinguri said in a statement.

Palmer is accused of financing an illegal hunt, and he and the professional hunter are also accused of illegally using a crossbow "to conceal the illegal hunt" so they wouldn't alert rangers on patrol, she said.

The landowner allegedly allowed the hunt to be conducted without a lion quota and without the necessary permit, Muchinguri said.

"The professional hunter, client and land owner were therefore all engaged in poaching of the lion," she said.

She added, "This must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all genuine, animal-loving conservationists who believe in sustainable utilization of natural resources."

Palmer, from Minnesota, has said he relied on the expertise of local guides "to ensure a legal hunt."

"I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt," Palmer said in a statement Tuesday.

He allegedly paid $50,000 in early July to hunt the lion with a crossbow near Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe.

Cecil -- a major tourist draw at Hwange -- was lured out of the park sanctuary with a dead animal on top of a vehicle, according to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/31/world/zimbabwe-cecil-lion-dentist/index.html

August 3, 2015

Breaking News: Since the posting of this blog, Delta has announced a ban on the transport of trophies from lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo -- the Africa Big 5. This is just as we'd hoped. We urge all other airlines to follow their lead.

Dr. Walter Palmer's behavior in killing and mutilating Cecil the lion is disgraceful. But he's not a one-off character. He's a very enthusiastic participant in the larger enterprise of globe-trotting international trophy hunting, where rich trophy hunters seek out and kill some of the largest animals in the world to fill their dens or private museums, get their names in the record books of Safari Club International, and brag to their buddies that they've killed the biggest and the grandest of creatures on earth.

Now, sure as shooting, a second low-life character has come to light -- Jan C. Seski, a gynecologist from Pittsburgh -- for a possible illegal lion killing under similar circumstances in April. In addition to the lion he killed, Dr. Seski also shot his sixth elephant on that trip. (He apparently threatened to shoot his neighbor's dogs too -- as if any of us needed more evidence that this guy, too, is heartless thug.)

Seriously, what is wrong with these people? Why are they obsessed with killing the world's biggest, most magnificent animals, and denying the rest of us the pleasure of sharing the earth with these creatures? What is it about the serial killing of animals that titillates them so much?

It's been reported that after Cecil's death, Palmer requested help in finding an elephant with tusks above a certain weight. He only left the country after he was informed by his guide they could not help him with that.

The trophy hunters like to excuse their passion for killing by saying that their spending promotes conservation. That's nonsense, and more of a self-serving diversion.

A 2013 economic report demonstrated what anybody with their wits about them knows: These animals are worth more alive than dead. Kenya, which banned trophy hunting in the 1970s, has an eco-tourism economy that brings in far more than trophy hunting brings in to South Africa as a whole.

The fact is, trophy hunting of lions, elephants, and rhinos is a net revenue loser for African economies. Trophy hunters may throw around some money, but they rob parks, reserves, and other natural areas of the wonderful animals that are the real draw -- the animals that attract countless people willing to spend money to see them and to be close to them. In that respect, trophy hunters are like bank robbers who leave a little cash behind.

South African Airways suspended the transport of big game trophies from Africa several months ago, including the heads of lions killed on canned hunting operations in the country. But recently, under pressure from Safari Club International and other groups aligned with the trophy hunting industry, they resumed transports. Emirates Airlines, on the other hand, has remained steadfast in not accepting hunting trophies of lions, elephants, and rhinos.

Let's let all the major airlines know it's time to cut off the shipments for good of African lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and Cape buffalo -- the so-called Africa Big Five. This "hunting achievement" award leads to disgraceful behavior, and the airlines should not provide a getaway vehicle for trophy hunters' larceny.

Using wealth to kill the magnificent animals of the world is a misuse of the gifts these people have been given. If trophy hunters are serious about conservation they should do some real good with their wealth -- and stop spreading destruction, pain, and death.

Take action today to tell the rest of the airline industry: Don't fly wild»
https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=D5FEF7B3E948515BC448543EA4F05470.app330b?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=6997&s_src ="em_blog_fwd_080315"

The post Time for Major Airlines to Stop Shipping Africa Big Five Trophies appeared first on A Humane Nation.

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Outcry Stalls SeaWorld’s Plans to Make a Bigger Orca Prison

Alicia Graef
Aug 3, 2015

Despite the growing controversy surrounding its treatment of captive orcas, SeaWorld announced about a year ago major plans to expand its orca habitat at its park in San Diego. While SeaWorld says it’s to benefit the orcas, animal advocates continue to argue that SeaWorld is kind of missing the point of public objections entirely. Now outcry has stalled its plans to move forward.

The Blue World Project was touted as a “first-of-its-kind” environment for captive orcas which would include nearly doubling the size of its existing facility, in addition to adding an advisory panel of experts and pledging $10 million for research.

“Through up-close and personal encounters, the new environment will transform how visitors experience killer whales,” Jim Atchison, former Chief Executive Officer and President of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., said in a statement last summer. “Our guests will be able to walk alongside the whales as if they were at the shore, watch them interact at the depths found in the ocean, or a bird’s-eye view from above.”

Apparently SeaWorld thinks creating a bigger artificial habitat is going to fool orcas into thinking they’re in the ocean, and that it’s going to fool us into thinking it’s making a difference for them and that visitors are experiencing something perfectly normal. The plan quickly became fodder for jokes that would be hilarious if the orcas weren’t the ones paying the price.

Opponents of the plan argue that the expansion won’t do anything to address the inherent cruelty involved in keeping these huge, intelligent, far-ranging animals in captivity and denying them everything they would experience in their rightful place in the wild.

Strangely, SeaWorld made the announcement for the project, which it said would be open in 2018, before getting permission from the California Coastal Commission to proceed with its plans. The commission, which was supposed to vote on whether or not to approve the expansion this month, just pushed the vote back to October following an outpouring of objections.

According to the LA Times, the commission received 75,000 letters and emails, mostly in opposition, which led to the delay. A spokesman said the vote was pushed back to give them more time to hear viewpoints from both sides before making a final recommendation later this fall.

Even if it does get approval, SeaWorld still faces another major hurdle in the form of groundbreaking legislation that would ban orca captivity in the state. The Orca Welfare and Safety Act, which was introduced last year was put on hold while lawmakers weigh options for retiring SeaWorld San Diego’s 10 orcas, but it’s certainly not been forgotten.

With more and more areas pushing to end captivity for cetaceans, it’s clearly time for SeaWorld to make a meaningful change for the orcas it claims to care so much about by phasing them out, instead of wasting millions on a pointless project and pretending it’s doing something good for them by making its tanks a little bigger.

Please help keep the pressure on by signing and sharing the petition urging the California Coastal Commission to deny SeaWorld a permit to expand.
http://www.care2.com/causes/outcry-stalls-seaworlds-plans-to-make-a-bigger-orca-prison.html