SeaWorld park to redesign controversial whale tank

[ELVIS]

BBC

US marine theme park SeaWorld has announced it is to build a bigger tank for its killer whales, amid criticism of its treatment of the animals.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/76980000/jpg/_76980144_76980143.jpg

But the Florida company said that the plans were not in response to last year's documentary film "Blackfish".

The film suggested that captivity and SeaWorld's treatment provoked violent behaviour in the killer whales.

The high profile death of a trainer in front of a live audience in 2010 sparked worldwide outrage.

SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchinson said in a statement on Friday that the new tank, to be completed by 2018, would "transform how visitors experience killer whales".

[Von Halen]

The high profile death of a trainer in front of a live audience in 2010 sparked worldwide outrage.



By the way, why haven't we seen video of this?

[ELVIS]

Maybe Seshticle didn't approve and deleted it...

[Von Halen]

Why wouldn't he approve?

[Angel]

By the way, why haven't we seen video of this?
Tilikum killed a trainer in Victoria in '91. It was horrible, and thankfully I got my son out fast enough that he didn't even realize what was happening...

[Angel]

Maybe Seshticle didn't approve and deleted it...
Why are you still here?

[twonabomber]

violent behaviour in the killer whales

I'm no marine biologist...

[ELVIS]

Why wouldn't he approve?

I dunno, drunk and cuntrolling ??

You tell me...

[ELVIS]

Why are you still here?

Why are you ??

Don't you have something useless to teach ??

[Angel]

I'm no marine biologist...
Let's keep all the trainers in an oversized bathtub for 20+ years and see if they get violent...

[Angel]

Why are you ??

Don't you have something useless to teach ??
If you think teaching literacy skills to young adults with complex physical disabilities is useless...frankly, I think it's awesome that my one-on-one student can now read the texts her sister sends her...

[twonabomber]

Let's keep all the trainers in an oversized bathtub for 20+ years and see if they get violent...

Well it's not like they're called docile submissive whales or anything.

[Angel]

Well it's not like they're called docile submissive whales or anything.
Have you interacted with them in the wild? I have...They are NOT killers, and there has never been a human killed by one in the wild...

"Killer whale" is such a silly nick-name for these giants...

[twonabomber]

No, but I've seen 'em eat the fuck out of a seal! :D

http://www.gowhales.com/PhotoGalleries/KillerWhales/images/80340ElephantSealInKillerWhaleMouthDB.jpg

MMMM, lunch!

[Angel]

I love watching footage of them going after seals. Amazing hunters.

I've seen the shows in the aquariums. Loved them when I was a kid and didn't know better.

There's nothing like seeing them in the open ocean though. Straight dorsal fins and all! Granted, if you're in a small boat, it's terrifying...they create quite a wake when they breach!

Sigh...I miss the Coast...

[twonabomber]

They have it easy in the wild...if I want seal I have to club it!

[PETE'S BROTHER]

the sharkweek episode of them towing a camera and the great whites comin' outta nowhere and bitin' it was cool

[Seshmeister]

If you think teaching literacy skills to young adults with complex physical disabilities is useless...frankly, I think it's awesome that my one-on-one student can now read the texts her sister sends her...

Plus the work you do here with the hard of thinking... :)

[vandeleur]

the sharkweek episode of them towing a camera and the great whites comin' outta nowhere and bitin' it was cool

I watched that it was cool , colossus .
The mythbusters shark week episode was great as well .

[PETE'S BROTHER]

I watched that it was cool , colossus .
The mythbusters shark week episode was great as well .

we were diving in honduras that week, had our own nurse shark swim with us for about ten minutes. very cool

[vandeleur]

we were diving in honduras that week, had our own nurse shark swim with us for about ten minutes. very cool

Very cool , well am pleased for you . It would scare the crap out of me .
I went shark fishing when I was in Morocco years ago , and some nob caught one .
Scared the shit out of me , diving with one is my idea of a nightmare but a good way to warm my suite up :)

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Very cool , well am pleased for you . It would scare the crap out of me .
I went shark fishing when I was in Morocco years ago , and some nob caught one .
Scared the shit out of me , diving with one is my idea of a nightmare but a good way to warm my suite up :)

water temp was 85 F, no suit needed. ;) i was still more afraid of the eels :biggrin:

[VetteLS5]

we were diving in honduras that week, had our own nurse shark swim with us for about ten minutes. very cool

Making her rounds?

[vandeleur]

Making her rounds?

Hahaha

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Making her rounds?

si :biggrin: her name was florence

[ELVIS]

Have you interacted with them in the wild? I have...

Hahahahaha...:biggrin:

[ELVIS]

Plus the work you do here with the hard of thinking... :)

You're in deep shit...

[Seshmeister]

You're in deep shit...

Why??

[ZahZoo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYTIZxiIXc8

[ELVIS]

Why??

Look around you...

You need hip boots...

[Seshmeister]

Most of my clothes are hip.

[ELVIS]

Most of my clothes are hip.

http://www.thestranger.com/binary/a819/drunk-570.jpg

[Angel]

Plus the work you do here with the hard of thinking... :)
The hard of thinking... :lmao: Love it.

[Seshmeister]

I watched that it was cool , colossus .
The mythbusters shark week episode was great as well .

Mythbusters should do a program on Shark Week.

Discovery are making a lot of shit up these days...

http://io9.com/shark-week-lied-to-scientists-to-get-them-to-appear-in-1619280737?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[vandeleur]

Yeah not sure if the discovery channel ever had much of a reputation but that article mirrors others I have read .

[Seshmeister]

If you take out the preview of what's coming in the show the boring preachy summary at the end and then all of the recaps of what has just been after commercial breaks, some of these docs must only have a 1 page script.

[Seshmeister]

Going back to the original post, I'm a bit shamefaced about having gone there a couple of times. I just assumed that a country so in love with animals like the US plus Seaworld being so high profile that I didn't need to do any research on them before going.

I posted here a while ago that the second time I went 7 years ago the Orca show had a really weird vibe to it - 'Everyone stand up to support the troops in Iraq' kind of thing. I thought then I probably wouldn't go back but the stuff that has come out in the last year or 2 is shocking. I feel sorry for a lot of the staff though as I guess their jobs will come under threat.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2713445/Southwest-Airlines-ends-25-year-partnership-SeaWorld-Blackfish-fallout-continues-hit-besieged-water-park.html


Southwest Airlines ends 25-year partnership with SeaWorld as Blackfish fallout continues to hit besieged water park

Contract between the companies expires in December and will not be renewed, Southwest said Friday
More than 30,000 people had signed one petition asking Southwest to 'stop promoting SeaWorld animal cruelty'
Blackfish is a 2013 documentary that charters SeaWorld's 39-year treatment of killer whales in captivity
It culminates in the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was drowned by famous orca Tilikum during a training session at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010

By ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 18:31, 1 August 2014 | UPDATED: 21:35, 2 August 2014

Southwest Airlines and SeaWorld Entertainment are ending their 25-year-old marketing partnership, officials with both companies said Thursday, after the airline was urged by animal rights activists to terminate the relationship.
The partnership won't be renewed at the end of the year when the current contract expires. As part of the partnership, three Southwest airplanes had various SeaWorld animals painted on their bodies.
Those planes will be painted over to Southwest's traditional look.
SeaWorld also had Southwest signs in its parks, and Southwest offered vacation packages to SeaWorld, as it does to other tourist destinations.

SeaWorld officials said the decision was mutual.

SeaWorld wants to concentrate on growing markets in Latin America and Asia, the marine park company said in a statement.
'Southwest and SeaWorld have enjoyed their long relationship, and wish each other continued success,' the statement said.
SeaWorld has parks in Orlando, Florida; San Antonio and San Diego.


Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said it was a business decision as the airline intends to focus on international service.
Earlier this year, animal rights activist held a rally and dropped off a petition at Southwest, urging the airline to end the relationship.
The activists cited the documentary Blackfish, which explores what may have caused the killer whale Tilikum to kill SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
The documentary argues that killer whales, when in captivity, become more aggressive to humans and each other.

Since the documentary, several entertainers have pulled out of planned performances at SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. parks.
Regarding the pressure from the activists, McInnis said Southwest has been in 'listening and education mode'.
'We ... have engaged and heard from conservationists, SeaWorld supporters, and others on all sides of this issue,' McInnis said.
The president of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a statement that workers in her office were delighted to hear the partnership was ending.

'Champagne corks were popping at PETA today when we heard that Southwest will no longer support SeaWorld and will repaint its planes,' said Ingrid Newkirk.
'The second I heard the good news, I knew that I'd be booking my next trip on Southwest.'

[twonabomber]

I had been to the old SeaWorld here about six times, but I was young and back then no one was protesting anything.

[Angel]

we were diving in honduras that week, had our own nurse shark swim with us for about ten minutes. very cool
Now you need to swim with one of these:

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/19/9de671d9f936acfb3b86b8c0adb64862.jpg

[PETE'S BROTHER]

donno bout that

[Angel]

donno bout that
Well...you'd have a cage at least...

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/20/58ad20d10c69edfbcb95504eb644fda3.jpg

...if you can call it that.... ;)

Okay, go for this big boy:

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/20/4283f5f9cc0fdd577d9a89d7fc8d296c.jpg

[Seshmeister]

I swam with dolphins once in Key Largo.

Chose the place because they said the dolphins were free to leave any time as the tank opened out into the sea but in hindsight I'm not so sure...

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Okay, go for this big boy:

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/20/4283f5f9cc0fdd577d9a89d7fc8d296c.jpg

these were part of the draw to utila, we missed ideal conditions both times, but we will someday :thumb:

[Angel]

Right on! My brother had an encounter with a Beluga off Nova Scotia that was really cool. Unfortunately, that was before he had this camera equipment.

Ocean critters will always hold a special place in my heart. <3

[ZahZoo]

I swam with dolphins once in Key Largo.

Chose the place because they said the dolphins were free to leave any time as the tank opened out into the sea but in hindsight I'm not so sure...

Did the same this last March in Cozumel... fun and interesting but I didn't feel right about it...

The trainer we worked with was an older woman who said she'd been working with captive dolphins about 25 years. They originally bought their stock from Japanese dealers who most likely farmed juveniles from their massive dolphin roundups/slaughters... they are then trained/domesticated to work with humans and sold on the open market. Once they are domesticated and separated from their family pods... few would survive in the wild and may even be killed by competing pods who rarely accept strangers into the pod.

[Seshmeister]

Well the Japanese don't have a great reputation for sea mammal welfare.

[vandeleur]

We had a dolphin off our coast couple of years ago but it moved on after divers kept wanking it off :D

[VetteLS5]

donno bout that

Her name is Florence

[VetteLS5]

We had a dolphin off our coast couple of years ago but it moved on after divers kept wanking it off :D

PB, have you been to the UK recently?

[PETE'S BROTHER]

PB, have you been to the UK recently?

nope, that dolphin's name was floyd

[VetteLS5]

nope, that dolphin's name was floyd

:baaa:

[PETE'S BROTHER]

:baaa:

12048

[vandeleur]

There is a toss a fish gag in there ......... Yeah it's not a fish :)

[PETE'S BROTHER]

speakin' of tossin' a fish.. today is my last day at my current work location.

[Angel]

speakin' of tossin' a fish.. today is my last day at my current work location.
Mine is next week. :( I love my job, but alas it was a summer student position...

[ZahZoo]

nope, that dolphin's name was floyd

He has quite a reputation...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j75KdkV7n2o

[twonabomber]

That girl is way too big to be wearing a bikini.

[VetteLS5]

That girl is way too big to be wearing a bikini.

Dolphins like 'em that way.

[twonabomber]

Maybe he thought she was a whale!

[VetteLS5]

Maybe he thought she was a whale!

Floyd's a Chubby-Chaser.