How Can You Help Captive Orcas in 60 Seconds?
The California Coastal Commission recently decided that if SeaWorld wants to build its new Blue World Project tanks, it cannot continue to breed orcas into a life of captivity and deprivation. This victory was partly fueled by more than 120,000 supporters who voiced their concerns about the project. Now, we need you to lend your voice to help orcas even further.
All you need to do to help orcas is text a keyword to 73822* for each action below, and you’ll be signing a pledge or sending an e-mail to a CEO on behalf of captive orcas.
*Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to end, text HELP for info. Periodic messaging. For Canada, text keywords to 99099. Full terms are available at http://peta.vg/txt.Here are five ways that you can help orcas in 60 seconds:
SeaWorld’s attendance has tanked, and corporate partners—including Virgin America, STA Travel, Taco Bell, Southwest Airlines, and Mattel—have severed ties with the company. With business failing in the United States, SeaWorld wants to take its abusive business model to Dubai, a tourist destination known for its innovative and exciting architecture, luxury shopping, and beautiful beaches—not animal abuse. Please urge the government of Dubai not to allow SeaWorld to taint its reputation by allowing this hideous company, which has been condemned around the world, to set up shop.
1. Keep SeaWorld out of Dubai.
SeaWorld’s attendance has tanked, and corporate partners—including Virgin America, STA Travel, Taco Bell, Southwest Airlines, and Mattel—have severed ties with the company. With business failing in the United States, SeaWorld wants to take its abusive business model to Dubai, a tourist destination known for its innovative and exciting architecture, luxury shopping, and beautiful beaches—not animal abuse. Please urge the government of Dubai not to allow SeaWorld to taint its reputation by allowing this hideous company, which has been condemned around the world, to set up shop.
NMFS Stands Firm on Ship Speed Limits to Protect Right Whales. With fewer than 500 whales left, the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale cannot afford to lose a single individual to a deadly collision with a large vessel. The right whale is a shore-hugging migratory species, and ship strikes pose one of the most significant threats to its survival and recovery. Last week, the National Marine Fisheries Service denied a petition that wanted to strip some of the most effective protections for right whales against ship strikes – common sense speed limits.
NMFS gave the ship speed limits a five year test run, and after review and
public input, the agency made the rule permanent in 2013. Since the rule’s inception in
2008, no right whales have died from ship strikes in or near the designated
areas. Before the rule, two right whales (often migrating females) died each
year due to collisions, proving the speed limits a resounding success for right
whale protection. Defenders and our partners worked to get the original rule
established and made permanent, amid heavy opposition from the shipping
industry. Despite the resistance, studies have shown the economic impact of the
speed limits has been negligible Slowing down when coming into port after an
ocean-spanning journey costs the ships less than five minutes off their travel
time. Speed limits can even save shipping companies money by cutting down on
fuel consumption. All in all, the economic impact comes out to a fraction of a
percent. The benefits to right whales and other marine mammals from the ship
speed limits far outweighs the trivial expense to the shipping industry.
SeaWorld Is No ‘Adventure’ for Orcas!
But this Halloween, I came across some pictures taken by the humans at Shedd Aquarium who wanted to get the beluga whales they’re holding prisoner in on the fun … and I found it way more scary than anything I’ve seen this season (and I’m an avid scary movie watcher).
How could a human see this and be all “aww! Baby beluga sees his first pumpkin!” ?? Does no one else realize that nowhere on the planet would a beluga whale EVER need or want to see a pumpkin?
He may look like he’s smiling, but he’s probably really screaming, “Help us, alien pumpkin! Tell your leader to set us free!”
“We thought the whole trick part happened after they took us from the ocean and tried to convince us this bathtub is ‘home.’ When’s the ‘treat’ AKA letting us go part happening?”
beluga
The fact is, these whales don’t have just one day devoted to nightmares, they live it every single day in captivity. I know humans pretty well and I am sure they would never be “okay” with being separated from their families and thrown into a crate for the rest of their lives. So, why on Earth, would they think it’s fine to do this to animals. Ugh, people. All image source: Shedd Aqaurium
What We Can Learn From the Life and Death of Valentin the Orca. Deadly storms swept through the southern coast of France during the first week of October, causing severe flooding and extensive damage at Marineland Antibes, the largest marine park in all of Europe. Initial reports from witnesses claimed animals had escaped from their tanks, many were found dead, and that most of the orca tanks were inundated with mud and debris. Manager of Marineland, Bernard Giampaolo, assured the public that “our killer whales are not dying on the parking lot” and that the “situation with the animals was beginning to stabilize.”
Pictures, however, portrayed a heartbreaking and grave scene; all but 90 percent of Marineland was completely devastated.
In the days following the flooding, the parks oxygenation and filtration systems were overwhelmed, causing water quality to plummet as mud and debris began to infiltrate the system. Although they attempted to maintain that the animals were all healthy despite the state of the park, on October 12th, Marineland confirmed a report that 19-year-old male orca named Valentin had died. The park has not yet released a cause of death, though the flooding is thought to have played a pivotal, if not the singular, role in it.
Like many other captive orcas, Valentin did not survive into his adult years. The circumstances surrounding his death might have been extreme and unusual given the occurrence of the flood; however, looking back at his life in captivity as well as that of his parents, it seems that his story is not an anomaly but rather all too similar to that of many – if not all – captive orcas.
Valentin’s Beginnings
In 1982, two one-year-old orcas, Kim2 (a male) and Freya (a female), were captured from Icelandic waters and shipped to Marineland Antibes. Taken from the wild, and their families, when they were just a year old these orcas spent the greater part of their lives in captivity performing for the public in a concrete tank.
Freya and Kim2 were bred repeatedly during their time at Marineland, but of Freya’s five pregnancies, only one of her calves was not stillborn –they named this calf Valentin.
Valentin’s father, Kim 2, died from pneumonia in 2005 at just 23-years-old. Freya, Valentin’s mother, was known for being a headstrong matriarch and would often refuse to perform, leading the other whales to refuse as well. Freya was suffered from depression during her time in captivity and was given medication to “ease” her suffering. She died in the summer of 2015 at Marineland of an alleged heart attack.
Neither of Valentin’s parents lived to be anywhere close to the life expectancy for wild orcas, which can range from 40-90 years old. Sadly, the same fate was destined for Valentin.
Life at Marineland for Valentin
Valentin was considered one of the more gentle and mild-mannered orcas, favored by his former trainer, John Hargrove. He had the opportunity to grow up alongside his mother Freya, a natural progression in the life of wild orcas but something captive orcas rarely get to experience. Yet, despite the bond he shared with his mother and his pleasant disposition, Valentin still suffered from the tell-tale physical and mental ramifications of captivity.
At the young age of 19 Valentin’s dorsal fin was beginning to collapse, an occurrence that is thought to be associated with limited space to swim, along with a diet comprised primarily of frozen fish. Additionally, he displayed stereotypical symptoms of stress such as chewing on the bars and banging his head on the walls of his tank.
Valentin also began to exhibit signs of aggression. In an interview with The Dodo, John Hargrove stated that he would give Valentin drugs, “to suppress his testosterone levels when we swam with him because management was so fearful of an aggression by a sexually mature male.” Like Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando, semen samples were routinely taken from Valentin, in spite of his aggressive tendencies and the stereotypic behaviors he displayed in captivity.
Marineland has yet to release the official cause of death for Valentin, but the fact that he, along with four other orcas, was left to languish in dirty and polluted flood waters for days on end seems to have played a major role in his passing. The facility already had a history of flooding and their lack of quick and pointed response to remedy the situation does not bode well for the future of the animals Valentin leaves behind.
What Can We Learn From This Tragedy?
The truth is, most marine facilities have not succeeded in raising or fostering healthy, stable animals, begging the question of why breeding in captivity is allowed to continue. Although the flooding that took place at Marineland is out of the ordinary, it’s obvious the facility wasn’t prepared or equipped to deal with an emergency to such a degree; still, marine mammal parks continue to insist they provide the highest quality of care possible. Since the 1960s, 151 orca whales have been captured from the wild for captivity. Of these 151, 127 are now dead – most of which died prematurely. Over 30 calves have been miscarried or stillborn in captivity, and countless instances of mental and physical distress have been observed in the captive orca population. Does this really seem like a healthy, thriving industry?
SeaWorld, the largest and most well known and of all marine mammal parks, was conveniently absent when the news of Freya broke, and interestingly enough, have yet to comment on this heartbreaking news both of the flooding and of the death of Valentin.
Though marine parks all over the world have remained relatively the same in the past decade, we have made great strides in our understanding of these complex and sentient beings. With that knowledge, we’ve also begun to understand how damaging captivity is to their well being. It’s time we begin to look towards the future and do what is in the best interest of the animals being held in captivity, and in this case like many, that is to retire them and move them to sanctuaries.
We can all play a pivotal part to ensure that this becomes a reality for orcas by sharing this article and helping to raise awareness for the animals suffering in captivity. Marine parks are funded by consumers who buy tickets to see these animals perform. By boycotting marine parks and all animal attractions that profit off of the exploitation of animals, we can cut the funding needed to continue this abuse. No animal should suffer for the sake of our entertainment. Once the marine captivity industry realizes this and puts an end to their practices, then, perhaps, the death of Valentin will not be in vain. Lead image source: orcas.world/Flickr
The California Coastal Commission recently decided that if SeaWorld wants to build its new Blue World Project tanks, it cannot continue to breed orcas into a life of captivity and deprivation. This victory was partly fueled by more than 120,000 supporters who voiced their concerns about the project. Now, we need you to lend your voice to help orcas even further.
All you need to do to help orcas is text a keyword to 73822* for each action below, and you’ll be signing a pledge or sending an e-mail to a CEO on behalf of captive orcas.
*Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to end, text HELP for info. Periodic messaging. For Canada, text keywords to 99099. Full terms are available at http://peta.vg/txt.Here are five ways that you can help orcas in 60 seconds:
SeaWorld’s attendance has tanked, and corporate partners—including Virgin America, STA Travel, Taco Bell, Southwest Airlines, and Mattel—have severed ties with the company. With business failing in the United States, SeaWorld wants to take its abusive business model to Dubai, a tourist destination known for its innovative and exciting architecture, luxury shopping, and beautiful beaches—not animal abuse. Please urge the government of Dubai not to allow SeaWorld to taint its reputation by allowing this hideous company, which has been condemned around the world, to set up shop.
1. Keep SeaWorld out of Dubai.
SeaWorld’s attendance has tanked, and corporate partners—including Virgin America, STA Travel, Taco Bell, Southwest Airlines, and Mattel—have severed ties with the company. With business failing in the United States, SeaWorld wants to take its abusive business model to Dubai, a tourist destination known for its innovative and exciting architecture, luxury shopping, and beautiful beaches—not animal abuse. Please urge the government of Dubai not to allow SeaWorld to taint its reputation by allowing this hideous company, which has been condemned around the world, to set up shop.
2. Help free Lolita.
Lolita the orca was torn away from her family and natural habitat decades ago, and almost 45 years later, she’s still stuck at the Miami Seaquarium—in the smallest orca tank in North America—while the rest of her pod swims freely in the ocean. You can help free her by urging Palace Entertainment to retire her to a coastal sanctuary that’s already available for her rehabilitation.
3. Tell AAA to stop promoting SeaWorld.
AAA continues to promote the cruel park, which profits from forcing highly intelligent orcas to perform silly circus-style tricks and keeps them in concrete tanks that are, to them, the size of bathtubs. AAA says that feedback from its members and the public is its most valuable source of information, so please ask it to do the right thing and stop promoting SeaWorld.
4. Urge Virgin Group to cut ties with SeaWorld.
Virgin America has already done right by orcas and cut ties with SeaWorld, but Virgin Group—the multinational conglomerate that formed Virgin America (but is now a separate entity)—continues to have a relationship with the marine park. Help us keep the pressure on, and ask company founder Richard Branson to do the right thing by ending Virgin Group’s relationship with SeaWorld.
5. Tell the Florida Department of Education to end its SeaWorld promotions.
Just a few days after receiving information from PETA about the cruel treatment of orcas at SeaWorld, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) removed the marine park from its list of “Fun Florida Fieldtrips” and teacher discount webpage. But then politics intervened. According to e-mails obtained by the media, after the governor’s office and a SeaWorld lobbyist (and former aide to the governor) contacted the DOE, it subsequently reinstated its SeaWorld promotions. Please urge the DOE to honor its word and stop promoting SeaWorld’s cruel confinement of marine mammals—then forward this alert widely!
Have more time to speak up for animals?
NMFS Stands Firm on Ship Speed Limits to Protect Right Whales. With fewer than 500 whales left, the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale cannot afford to lose a single individual to a deadly collision with a large vessel. The right whale is a shore-hugging migratory species, and ship strikes pose one of the most significant threats to its survival and recovery. Last week, the National Marine Fisheries Service denied a petition that wanted to strip some of the most effective protections for right whales against ship strikes – common sense speed limits.
The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) conducted a study from 1990 through 2008 and found
that ship strikes killed 13 right whales. Using its authorities under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, in October 2008, the agency set ship speed limits
requiring vessels 65 feet or larger to slow to 10 knots (about 12 mph) in
particular areas at particular times, to give whales time to swim out of harm’s
way. The zones and times are based on the right whale’s migratory route from its
summer feeding areas off the New England coast to its winter calving grounds off
the coast of Florida and Georgia. The speed limits apply when right whales are
likely nearby, or when they are spotted in an area.
NMFS gave the ship speed limits a five year test run, and after review and
public input, the agency made the rule permanent in 2013. Since the rule’s inception in
2008, no right whales have died from ship strikes in or near the designated
areas. Before the rule, two right whales (often migrating females) died each
year due to collisions, proving the speed limits a resounding success for right
whale protection. Defenders and our partners worked to get the original rule
established and made permanent, amid heavy opposition from the shipping
industry. Despite the resistance, studies have shown the economic impact of the
speed limits has been negligible Slowing down when coming into port after an
ocean-spanning journey costs the ships less than five minutes off their travel
time. Speed limits can even save shipping companies money by cutting down on
fuel consumption. All in all, the economic impact comes out to a fraction of a
percent. The benefits to right whales and other marine mammals from the ship
speed limits far outweighs the trivial expense to the shipping industry.
Despite the tremendous benefits to right whales and the miniscule cost to
industry, the American Pilots’ Association mounted a further attack on the rule.
The group requested exemptions to the speed limits in various areas surrounding
ports from New York to Jacksonville, Florida. Its petition claimed that slower
speeds might impair a vessel’s safety and maneuverability. Yet the rule already
has precautions built in, allowing a ship’s pilot or master to exceed the speed
limit if necessary to ensure the ship’s safety; they need only explain the
reason in the ship’s log. Records from ports show that ships have used this
precaution successfully. In the more than six years the rule has been in effect,
the speed limits have not caused any navigational accidents or mishaps.
To combat this attack on the rule, Defenders and our partners urged the
agency to reject the petition, emphasizing the value and success of the speed
limits. We also met with congressional staff members of key stakeholder states
and committees, informing representatives about the issue and asking for their
support to show NMFS that the speed limits are a no-brainer to protect right
whales from collisions. Whale-watching is an important part of many of these
states’ economies, and we received an overwhelmingly positive response to keep
the rule in place to protect the critically endangered right whale.
Last week, NMFS stuck to its guns and denied the pilots’ association’s
petition, staying strong for right whales. The agency’s decision came as
fantastic news and a payoff for all our hard work. Thanks to NMFS, the ship
speed limits have been a huge success. Looking forward, our next step will be
continuing to advocate for ship speed limits across a greater area of right
whale habitat and the species’ migratory route to protect the whales from
extinction and put them on the road to recovery. The post NMFS Stands Firm on Ship Speed Limits to Protect Right Whales
appeared first on Defenders
of Wildlife Blog.
 |
| Humpback Whales and Wilson Petrel, Photo R Moir |
This week on Moir's Environmental Dialogue Rob spoke with Alexander Zamarro. Alex is ORI's Fall Intern, a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a resident of Worcester.
We talked about protecting essential fish habitats in the Atlantic Ocean for oil, gas and mineral mining. This undersea area includes Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine, five canyons of the continental slope waters off Georges Bank and four blue water seamounts. Cashes Ledge has lush kelp forests with six foot fronds and an indigenous cod that is red in color, not gray. This underwater mountain range has four distinct ocean floor (benthic) habitats. Gravel ocean floors are essential habitat for the demersal fish: cod, haddock, pollock and hake. Sandy bottom has monkfish that bury into it and lure fish in. The muddy bottom areas are where Acadian redfish and sea anemones live. Finally there are boulder reefs where lurk the toothy wolfish. We know Cashes Ledge is of great ecological importance because at times there are more humpback whales feeding there than anywhere else.
Oceanographer Canyon and four further east are where sperm live and feed on squid. Further offshore are four pristine deep seamounts, each with its own distinctive assemblage of deep sea corals and marine life. To listen to Alex and Rob, click here.
Success in The Arctic
Obama Administration Revokes Drilling Leases. Now Let's Protect the Gulf and the Atlantic
In a momentous reversal for the future of Alaskan offshore drilling, the
Obama administration recently announced its cancellation of two oil lease sales
and further denied lease extensions for oil exploration. The two cancelled sales
involve the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea for 2016 and 2017, while the lease
extension denials will ban Shell and Statoil from continuing oil exploration in
the Arctic Ocean. This news, announced earlier this month, comes in tandem with
oil giant Shell announcing that it will no longer be drilling offshore in
Alaska’s Arctic Ocean.
Whereas just last year, the amount of Alaskan oil available for exploitation
was predicted to quadruple, these announcements mark a decline in offshore
drilling in Arctic waters and with it, the removal of a significant threat to
Alaskan wildlife. Offshore drilling frequently leads to major oil spills, which
harm countless numbers of marine animals, such as dolphins, whales, sea turtles,
birds, and fishes. Harmful effects can include damage to reproductive systems,
internal organs, and overall long-term health and vision issues. Drilling and
oil exploration perpetuates dependence on fossil fuels which also exacerbates
climate change, a threat that affects all animal species, including humans. Click here to read more and take action.
Adventure Student Travel—a company that helps coordinate trips for students—still promotes SeaWorld as a great place for students, Girl Scouts, and other groups to go, despite hearing from PETA that the park enslaves orcas, forces them to perform ridiculous tricks, and denies them everything that is natural and important to them.
Like many humans, orcas love an adventure. In the wild, they travel up to 100 miles per day in close-knit groups, exploring, hunting, and sharing food. At SeaWorld, however, life is anything but an adventure. Orcas float listlessly or swim in endless circles, confined to tiny tanks—which, to them, are equivalent to the size of a bathtub—full of chemically treated water. They are torn away from their families and often housed in incompatible groups, which often results in injuries and stress.
Let Adventure Student Travel know that there's nothing to be learned from watching captive animals forced to perform pointless tricks and swim laps around tiny concrete tanks. Several studies have concluded that the unnatural portrayal of animals used for entertainment actually undermines the scientific, welfare, and conservation goals of those who seek to protect them.
Educational institutions like the University of California Irvine and California State University Long Beach as well as Baylor University's alumni group—among many other organizations—have already cut ties with the disgraced park, and various elementary schools have canceled trips there. Other travel companies, including Virgin America, Independent Traveler, and JetBlue, have ended their relationships with SeaWorld as well, and STA Travel is refusing to offer trips there. Please urge Adventure Student Travel to join the tide of businesses severing ties with SeaWorld—then forward this alert widely!
The Scary and Sad Truth About These Beluga Whales Celebrating Halloween. Who doesn’t love Halloween? It’s an entire holiday devoted to eating treats – and you don’t even have to sit, stay OR roll over to get them! Part of why I love Halloween is all the spooky fun and the fact that hoomans love getting animals involved in the tricks and treat giving too (just wait until you see my sweet costume!).But this Halloween, I came across some pictures taken by the humans at Shedd Aquarium who wanted to get the beluga whales they’re holding prisoner in on the fun … and I found it way more scary than anything I’ve seen this season (and I’m an avid scary movie watcher).
beluga
The fact is, these whales don’t have just one day devoted to nightmares, they live it every single day in captivity. I know humans pretty well and I am sure they would never be “okay” with being separated from their families and thrown into a crate for the rest of their lives. So, why on Earth, would they think it’s fine to do this to animals. Ugh, people. All image source: Shedd Aqaurium
Pictures, however, portrayed a heartbreaking and grave scene; all but 90 percent of Marineland was completely devastated.
Like many other captive orcas, Valentin did not survive into his adult years. The circumstances surrounding his death might have been extreme and unusual given the occurrence of the flood; however, looking back at his life in captivity as well as that of his parents, it seems that his story is not an anomaly but rather all too similar to that of many – if not all – captive orcas.
Valentin’s Beginnings
In 1982, two one-year-old orcas, Kim2 (a male) and Freya (a female), were captured from Icelandic waters and shipped to Marineland Antibes. Taken from the wild, and their families, when they were just a year old these orcas spent the greater part of their lives in captivity performing for the public in a concrete tank.
Freya and Kim2 were bred repeatedly during their time at Marineland, but of Freya’s five pregnancies, only one of her calves was not stillborn –they named this calf Valentin.
Neither of Valentin’s parents lived to be anywhere close to the life expectancy for wild orcas, which can range from 40-90 years old. Sadly, the same fate was destined for Valentin.
Life at Marineland for Valentin
At the young age of 19 Valentin’s dorsal fin was beginning to collapse, an occurrence that is thought to be associated with limited space to swim, along with a diet comprised primarily of frozen fish. Additionally, he displayed stereotypical symptoms of stress such as chewing on the bars and banging his head on the walls of his tank.
Valentin also began to exhibit signs of aggression. In an interview with The Dodo, John Hargrove stated that he would give Valentin drugs, “to suppress his testosterone levels when we swam with him because management was so fearful of an aggression by a sexually mature male.” Like Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando, semen samples were routinely taken from Valentin, in spite of his aggressive tendencies and the stereotypic behaviors he displayed in captivity.
Marineland has yet to release the official cause of death for Valentin, but the fact that he, along with four other orcas, was left to languish in dirty and polluted flood waters for days on end seems to have played a major role in his passing. The facility already had a history of flooding and their lack of quick and pointed response to remedy the situation does not bode well for the future of the animals Valentin leaves behind.
What Can We Learn From This Tragedy?
The truth is, most marine facilities have not succeeded in raising or fostering healthy, stable animals, begging the question of why breeding in captivity is allowed to continue. Although the flooding that took place at Marineland is out of the ordinary, it’s obvious the facility wasn’t prepared or equipped to deal with an emergency to such a degree; still, marine mammal parks continue to insist they provide the highest quality of care possible. Since the 1960s, 151 orca whales have been captured from the wild for captivity. Of these 151, 127 are now dead – most of which died prematurely. Over 30 calves have been miscarried or stillborn in captivity, and countless instances of mental and physical distress have been observed in the captive orca population. Does this really seem like a healthy, thriving industry?
SeaWorld, the largest and most well known and of all marine mammal parks, was conveniently absent when the news of Freya broke, and interestingly enough, have yet to comment on this heartbreaking news both of the flooding and of the death of Valentin.
Though marine parks all over the world have remained relatively the same in the past decade, we have made great strides in our understanding of these complex and sentient beings. With that knowledge, we’ve also begun to understand how damaging captivity is to their well being. It’s time we begin to look towards the future and do what is in the best interest of the animals being held in captivity, and in this case like many, that is to retire them and move them to sanctuaries.
We can all play a pivotal part to ensure that this becomes a reality for orcas by sharing this article and helping to raise awareness for the animals suffering in captivity. Marine parks are funded by consumers who buy tickets to see these animals perform. By boycotting marine parks and all animal attractions that profit off of the exploitation of animals, we can cut the funding needed to continue this abuse. No animal should suffer for the sake of our entertainment. Once the marine captivity industry realizes this and puts an end to their practices, then, perhaps, the death of Valentin will not be in vain. Lead image source: orcas.world/Flickr
