SeaWorld is crying “extinction” – at least for its orcas being forced to entertain the public. SeaWorld officials had agreed earlier not to increase its orca population except through occasional captive births or rescues authorized by government agencies. SeaWorld won the approval of the Coastal Commission.
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“Each day, there are husbandry exercises, learning, relationship, play, and research training sessions that keep the whales enriched and stimulated”, said Henrik Nollens, senior veterinarian at SeaWorld. “I speak on behalf of the 150 members on my team”.
He urged the commission to approve “a bigger, better home for our whales”.
SeaWorld brought dozens of employees on a bus from San Diego while People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals bused supporters in from Los Angeles. He said the project is a good use of coastal land, inspiring the next generation of marine biologists. “These orcas are robbed of everything that is natural to them”.
SeaWorld insists, however, that its whales are neither stressed or depressed. The second one ended up dying in the first year of its life, one activist said. “SeaWorld hurts orcas”, said another.
Her sentiments were shared by Pamela Anderson.
SeaWorld helps the plight of orcas, which were hated and feared before SeaWorld began opening its parks, spokesman David Koontz said in an email to The Associated Press. Eight of them were born in captivity. The expansion includes orca-friendly pools 50 feet deep that contain spots where the killer whales can rub and scratch themselves. The film focused on Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca at the park’s Florida location, and the death of trainer Dawn Bracheau in 2010. SeaWorld wants to greatly expand the tanks it uses to hold kill…
Campaigners praised Thursday’s decision, which will see 11 orcas remain at the tourist attraction. Essentially, the whales that SeaWorld has in park, are the whales that they will have until those whales die. In other words, they would quickly die.
The California Coastal Commission added that amendment on Thursday as it approved a controversial expansion that would triple the size of the current killer whale enclosures.
The panel has been flooded by tens of thousands of emails against the project that opponents also say represents a marketing ploy to boost plummeting park attendance. The report goes onto say: “Therefore, the project avoids the possibility that approval of this facility could contribute to demand for capturing orcas that frequent California’s coastal waters”. Animal activists, however, urged the panel to consider the negative impact that captivity has on orcas. After all, the animals should be the concern in these proceedings.
The commission has authority over construction projects along the state’s coast.
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“This is torture”, she said.
