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

TRIO OF DEATHS: THE PORTRAYAL OF DANIEL DUKES

06 MARCH, 2017

Part four in a series revisiting human deaths caused by SeaWorld orcas and the OSHA-SeaWorld case. See part one, part two and part three.

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/trio-of-deaths-the-portrayal-of-daniel-dukes/?utm_content=bufferfb114&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

SeaWorld's last orca calf will be born soon

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/07/seaworlds-last-orca-calf-born-soon/98843878/

So sad that one more must be born into a lifetime of captivity!

SeaWorld Plays Dumb in Attempt to Block PETAs Proposal

March 17, 2017

David Perle

As you may recall, PETA is working to present a shareholder resolution at SeaWorld’s annual meeting calling on the company to retire all captive orcas to seaside sanctuaries and replace captive-orca exhibits with virtual and augmented reality ones. The company’s attempts to thwart our efforts have reached a laughable new low.

SeaWorld’s lawyers are now complaining that the term “seaside sanctuaries” is vague and misleading because PETA has also referred to them as “coastal sanctuaries” and “ocean sanctuaries.” But as any third-grader (or anyone with access to a thesaurus) knows, these terms are synonymous. The company itself even used several other terms to refer to seaside sanctuaries at its last annual meeting, in response to a question submitted by actor Gillian Anderson on PETA’s behalf.

SeaWorld also makes the threadbare claim that the continued captivity of orcas can be excluded from a shareholder vote because it isn’t a “significant social policy issue”—even though it has been the subject of state and federal legislation and concern is so widespread that it has resulted in the company’s poor financial performance. SeaWorld also says that it’s addressing this significant policy issue by ending orca breeding, but as PETA points out, this does nothing to improve the lives of the 28 orcas it holds in the United States and abroad, who could potentially spend decades in cramped tanks.

PETA has sent the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a letter objecting to these and other claims made by SeaWorld in the company’s latest attempt to omit our proposed shareholder resolution from its proxy materials.

“SeaWorld is desperately fighting every attempt to give the orcas languishing in its tanks the decent retirement that they deserve,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “But nothing will reverse the sea change of public opinion about the cruelty of keeping these animals in captivity—and SeaWorld’s profits will continue to suffer as a result.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—was among the first to purchase stock in SeaWorld when it became publicly available in 2013 so that we could challenge the corporation’s confinement of highly intelligent, social orcas to concrete cells. Since then, we’ve asked a question at every annual meeting, and we withdrew our last resolution when SeaWorld complied with the resolution to stop breeding orcas.

WATCH EPISODES OF BLOOD DOLPHIN$
Blood Dolphin$ is a 2010 three-part miniseries from Animal Planet, continuing Ric’s journey advocating for dolphins across the world.
Activist Ric O’Barry first shocked the world by exposing Japan’s annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins when the Academy-Award winning documentary, The Cove was released. Now, O’Barry returns to Japan with his filmmaker son, Lincoln O’Barry, appalled to discover that even with the worldwide attention The Cove garnered, the brutal dolphin hunting continues.

First, the O’Barry’s return to Taiji, Japan — site of The Cove — and then head to the Solomon Islands, where they try to put a stop to a lucrative and inhumane captive dolphin trade.

“The most important thing I can do…that my son can do…is show the world through projects like Blood Dolphin$ just how threatened dolphins are so we can all do something about it,” Ric O’Barry

Watch the trailer here:
https://dolphinproject.net/media/watch-episodes-of-blood-dolphin/?utm_content=buffer6f0bb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

WILL IT NEVER END!

China embraces killer whale shows, even as SeaWorld ends them
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/03/26/china-aquariums-killer-whales-animal-safety/99541052/

This Chinese Company Is Now SeaWorld's Largest Shareholder

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-24/seaworld-says-zhonghong-zhuoye-to-buy-21-stake-from-blackstone-j0nqgyma

What is the Future for Marine Parks After ‘Blackfish’?

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/future-for-marine-parks-after-blackfish/

The future of these amazing creatures is really in our collective hands.
When we all say, "NO!" to the sentence of a lifetime in cruel confinement
of any wild animals, for the sake of greed and ignorant entertainment, only then will things change for the better.

THINK OF DOLPHINS DURING ‘WORLD AUTISM-AWARENESS WEEK’

28 March 2017

http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/marine/hisaronu-dolphins/dolphin-news/article/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2474

During Autism-Awareness Week, the Born Free Foundation seeks to expose the truths about so-called Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT), the apparent exploitation of vulnerable people by captive dolphin facilities and the risks to public safety during direct interaction experiences with captive dolphins.

Captive dolphin facilities, or dolphinaria, across the world promote the opportunity for people with disabilities to engage in a reportedly therapeutic experience through direct contact with dolphins. Referred to as Dolphin Assisted Therapy, or DAT, vulnerable people are seemingly lured by the commercial captive dolphin industry under false pretences and required to pay premium prices to take part. Research undertaken by the Born Free Foundation, the findings from which are supported by medical professionals and leading autism experts, indicates that direct interaction with dolphins is no more beneficial than interaction with any other animals, including domestic dogs and cats (Marino & Lilienfeld, 2007).

The risks of direct interaction with dolphins also need to be considered. Dolphins are large, fast, powerful and unpredictable predators. They have been known to bite and attack unsuspecting swimmers during these staged interactive sessions at captive facilities. Dolphin species also carry a number of known diseases (i.e. brucellosis and mycobacteriosis); also known as zoonoses (can be transferred between animals and humans). Swimming with dolphins is certainly a risky business. The only obvious preventative measure is to stop direct interactions.

The Born Free Foundation is urging all people considering swimming with captive dolphins, as well as children charities considering the promotion of Dolphin Assisted Therapy, to consider seeking a different, low-risk experience with animals; particularly where the animal’s welfare is also guaranteed.

This campaign, focused on so-called Dolphin Assisted Therapy is part of Born Free’s #SanctuariesNotTanks campaign to end the exploitation of captive dolphins and whales for entertainment. Join Born Free to end the exploitation of dolphins and the people who love them.

Sea Shepherd Operation Ice Watch
Exposing the Climate Change effects on ice flows in Canada
Without ice, seals lose vital grounds to birth and feed their babies.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8TxXweRTS58&feature=share

$1 Million Donation from Baby Company Will Help Free SeaWorld's Orcas For Good
BY KELLI BENDER

POSTED ON MARCH 30, 2017 AT 11:06AM EDT

http://people.com/pets/seaworld-whales-sanctuary-munchkin-donation/

Munchkin is dedicated to helping babies have the best start in life — and now the brand is working to give SeaWorld’s orcas a fresh start, too.

The company’s CEO Steve Dunn has pledged $1 million toward the building of a seaside sanctuary for the killer whales currently kept in SeaWorld’s parks. Since whales living in captivity aren’t capable of surviving in the wild, these sanctuaries would provide a home that resembles the orcas’ natural habitat, where the animals would be given expansive spaces to swim, the chance to interact with other whales and freedom from being forced to perform.

Dunn was motivated to donate the sum after watching the documentary Blackfish and learning more about the life of captive whales.

“I was really disturbed on a number of fronts when I watched the Blackfish documentary,” he says in the clip above. “About a month later I had an MRI, and I was claustrophobic. On the way back into the office, it really dawned on me — that that’s how orcas must feel in captivity, in these concrete tanks.”

Dunn pledged his $1 million to the The Whale Sanctuary Project, which is working to build the first whale seaside sanctuary in North America. (He even removed the orca out Munchkin’s bath set as a further sign of solidarity.) And thanks to Dunn’s contribution, the first stage of site selection is complete: After surveying spots in Maine, British Columbia, Washington state and Nova Scotia for the perfect geographical and environmental fit, five potential sites for the sanctuary have already been identified. The Whale Sanctuary Project expects to announce the primary site in the fall.

Thirty-nine orcas have died at SeaWorld, the most recent being controversial Blackfish subject Tilikum, who died in January. Dunn hopes through the work of Munchkin, The Whale Sanctuary Project, PETA and animal lovers, Tilikum will be the last orca to die in a tank.

Seaside sanctuary supporters can help this initiative by learning more about and donating to The Whale Sanctuary Project. Additionally, Munchkin.com is donating all of its profits from March 30, 2017, sales to The Whale Sanctuary Project to make sure SeaWorld’s whales finish their lives in the ocean.

Coral World is at it, again!

New Sea Lions, Freddie and Rose, Arrive at Coral World Ocean Park
March 31, 2017

http://stthomassource.com/content/2017/03/31/new-sea-lions-freddie-and-rose-arrive-at-coral-world-ocean-park/#comment-567

"Assistant Curator Scott Hjerling said, “Freddie and Rose are well-trained, but they aren’t currently trained for the type of things that our boys do. Coral World sea lions participate in unique and high-level interactive programs. In addition to the programs in which the public participates, the sea lions voluntarily engage in their own veterinary and medical care

In other words, they're FORCED to participate in high level, stressful situations, encounters and interactions just so Coral World can make money off of marine mammal slavery.

See my replies to this ongoing atrocity.

Former Captive Dolphin Gives Birth in the Wild Proving There is Life After the Tank

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/former-captive-dolphin-gives-birth-in-the-wild/?platform=hootsuite

TRAVEL FIRMS TAKE A STAND AGAINST ANIMAL SUFFERING

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/travel-firms-take-a-stand-against-animal-suffering/?utm_content=buffer60939&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

https://dolphinproject.net/campaigns/save-japan-dolphins/what-are-the-alternatives/?utm_content=bufferde5c6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

No evidence zoos and aquariums foster education or conservation, committee told

When it comes to educating people about sea life and inspiring conservation, aquariums and marine parks are “unhelpful to the extreme.”

http://ipolitics.ca/2017/04/05/no-evidence-zoos-and-aquariums-foster-education-or-conservation-committee-told/

That’s according to Dr. Naomi Rose, a cetacean biologist with the U.S.-based Animal Welfare Institute, who’s been studying whales and dolphins for 25 years. She came before the standing Senate committee on fisheries and oceans last night, which is examining Bill-203, the aim of which is to end the practice of keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity in Canada and protect them from suffering the physical and psychological harms caused by spending their lives in a concrete tank.

Although facilities have long touted their educational role and insisted people only protect what they know and have seen up close, Rose disagreed.

“If this is true, that means there are an awful lot of species doomed for extinction. Humpback whales are not held in captivity, but they are loved and they are recovering … To say you need to see the living animal and touch it is just not true. And thankfully so.”

In fact, she said, many of these facilities present their patrons with false information about the lives and habits of whales and dolphins, she said — on everything from how far whales and dolphins swim in the wild to how deep they dive.

“I can tell you a lot of what these facilities, Marineland in particular, what you’re hearing about these animals once you’re inside the gate is almost all incorrect,” Rose said.

“When a child sees a show, they don’t see reality. They’re seeing a facade. Something that is false. I find it really disturbing,” she said, adding she thinks it’s part of the reason conservation efforts are having trouble.

“People think everything is fine with whales and dolphins. They’re happy, and jumping around … Zoos and aquariums are making it worse for these species because they pretty much have to lie to the public to make it seem okay that these animals are in this box of water.”

Conservative Sen. Thomas McInnis asked Rose what the public would lose without access to whales in aquariums and marine parks. “I don’t think we’d lose anything,” Rose said. “I think we’d gain.”

Rob Laidlaw, executive director of Zoocheck, a Canadian-based international wildlife protection charity, said there have been dozens and dozens of research papers that have studied casual visitors to zoos and aquariums and they haven’t found people are learning the way the facilities say they do. Nor are these facilities turning their customers into conservationists.

“There’s no evidence of that at all,” he said. “People don’t change their behaviour one iota.”

Laidlaw told the committee he’s done surveys and has found that the amount of time people look at animals in these facilities runs roughly eight to 90 seconds. Even at the most charismatic of attractions — the Toronto Zoo elephants that eventually were moved to a California sanctuary — people stopped an average of only 77 seconds.

“People didn’t care if the elephants were there or not,” he said. “I challenge anyone to show me that you can learn much from looking at an animal that long.”

Even academic literature produced in the zoo world acknowledges the educational argument doesn’t wash, so facilities have moved on to the notion that they’re connecting people with wildlife.

“It’s the idea that when you stare into the eye of a beluga, there’s this magical transformation, so you leave the zoo and try to help wildlife,” Laidlaw said. “But it doesn’t happen.”

There are far better ways to connect people with wildlife that don’t cost the animals anything, he said. In Japan, the recently-opened Orbi Zoo has no animals, but it is immersive and technology-based, with theatres where all the seats move and smells are pumped in. Another facility features life-size whales and dolphins on giant, interactive screens.

Laidlaw is also a children’s author whose books tell stories about animals and the issues and challenges they face. He told the committee that’s given him the chance to talk to tens of the thousands of kids.

“I can tell you they don’t need to see the animal in the cage.”

Rose said she was inspired to go into marine biology after watching a really good nature special growing up. The alternatives to zoos and aquariums — animatronics, responsible whale-watching, even a coffee table book with fantastic photos — all offer far better experiences, she said.

Not so, said Conservative Sen. Don Plett. He cited the fact that Kiska, the lone orca at Marineland, has been observed by 30 million people and argued the experience taught those people about killer whales. He also cited a report by former SeaWorld vice president and Marineland animal care committee member Dr. Lanny Cornell that was published earlier this year. Plett said the report found the Kiska was stress-free and psychologically fit. (Marineland faces 11 charges related to animal cruelty; the case goes to court in May.)

“Kiska is completely abnormal,” Rose replied. “I’m a killer whale biologist. I’ve spent hours watching her and there is nothing about her that teaches a child an accurate picture of killer whales. I actually think Kiska is hampering our ability to show people what these animals need.

“(Cornell is) simply defending his own career. It isn’t true that those 30 million people learned anything at all.”

Plett then held up his cell phone displaying a photo of Kiska at the pool surface, with her mouth open, waiting to be fed.

“I’ve met her. She looked pretty normal to me, smiling when I touched her,” he said.

“They smile even when they’re dead,” Rose said.

“That photograph is of a stance you never see in the wild. Head out of the water, that ‘smile’ — she’s begging for food. Food comes from the sky in captivity.”

To which Plett responded: “That’s what people do — you go where the food is.”

That comparison with humans follows a committee meeting last week where Plett took issue with testimony from Dr. Lori Marino of the Whale Sanctuary Project, who said that — given their intelligence and self-awareness — she considered cetaceans non-human persons, deserving of more rights and protection than the law currently affords them as ‘property’.

Documentary:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/movies/review-in-unlocking-the-cage-a-struggle-to-raise-the-legal-status-of-chimpanzees.html?_r=0

Stunning New Documentary Shines a Light on the Plight of Captive Beluga Whales

http://linkis.com/onegreenplanet.org/pfa2b

2 dolphins back to the ocean after 20 years at Seoul Grand Park

http://english.donga.com/List/3/08/26/904363/1

Baby whales whisper' to mothers to avoid predators,study finds

Scientists reveal unique, intimate form of communication between humpback mothers and calves as well as silent method to initiate suckling

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/26/baby-whales-whisper-to-mothers-to-avoid-predators-study-finds

Truth About Aquariums/Don't Lie To Our Children Video
Dr. Naomi A Rose

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bN7eYpfsKwA

Here's something a little different but important.

Sea Legacy - The Thin Blue Line video

https://vimeo.com/137293533/recommended

Shocking' levels of PCB chemicals in UK killer whale Lulu

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39738582?SThisFB

" Rescued killer whale calf is thriving 15 years later – “Celebrate Springer!”

http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/2017/05/03/this-rescued-killer-whale-calf-is-thriving-15-years-later-celebrate-springer-events/

Like the idea of swimming with dolphins and cuddling tigers?
Campaigners reveal the dark side of the animal tourism industry

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3866346/Peta-reveals-dark-animal-tourism-industry.html

(Baby steps)

Captivity conditions for whales and dolphins set to improve

New decree imposes a ban on whale breeding and guarantees larger basins for animals

An order to "guarantee the welfare" of animals in France’s dolphinariums and marine mammal parks – including banning whale breeding in capitivity - has been signed off after almost two years of discussions.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/Mag/Nature/Captivity-conditions-for-whales-and-dolphins-set-to-improve