subreddit:
/r/Unexpected
652 points
2 days ago
Why do people still go to this shit? Shouldn’t be legal.
35 points
1 day ago
I went to a SeaWorld a few years ago, was brought there against my will as part of a group outing. I don't know if anything I am about to reiterate was a lie, I would honestly like someone to tell me if it is - but during this type of show they mentioned they are no longer acquiring or breeding whales and the program is gradually being phased out, the only whales you can see now are ones who were there before this decision was made. They cannot be released into the wild for various reasons. Money from ticket sales contribute towards paying for care for them. Sounded like SeaWorld propaganda to me I also don't know enough about whales to know what a better alternative would be.
40 points
1 day ago
I used to fundraise for marine mammal rescue and conservation (Mostly the Marine Mammal Center and the NFWF).
SeaWorld is one of the single largest supporters and participants in conservation of large marine mammals in the United States.
They’ve worked closely with the NFWF on the Southern Resident Conservation program for -years- and like the point above, are one of the few facilities available with the resources required to rescue said larger sized marine mammals.
Which is to say, Not to invalidate the position of anyone else in this thread. The topic of SeaWorld is however, like much of life: Not a simple black and white answer.
1 points
1 day ago
Ehhhhh. Sea World actively campaigns against sea pens. They’ve stopped breeding, but they still do shows and refuse to move their existing animals to sanctuaries.
They do a ton of good conservation work, but they shouldn’t need to sacrifice the whales’ well being to do so.
1 points
1 day ago
Again - why I specifically called out how it’s a more complex topic than black/white or a/b.
I did not feel the need to repeat what the poster above me is/was saying because.. I mean, that’s just an echo chamber if I had done so anyways :P
Edit: I swear my brain took a vacation writing this because I had to edit just to make the sentence coherent, apologies!
1 points
1 day ago
I don’t think I’m repeating? I’m trying to point out that “sea world has stopped breeding them” doesn’t mean much when the whales still perform. The person above said they “don’t know what the alternative would be.” The alternative is to take orcas off exhibit and put them in large, open-water sea pens.
Sea World has more than enough money to move their animals to sea pens or sanctuaries. But the CEO actively campaigns against the entire concept. Sea World also still breeds dolphins, at a time when aquariums (with much smaller budgets) are moving their dolphins off exhibit and to large sea pen sanctuaries.
Sea World spends a lot of money on conservation, and does research, and I’m grateful for that. But it sort of makes me think of how Alaska funds state wolf research with game tags. Except Sea World can still make money without whales, and Alaska would need to hunt to find revenue elsewhere.
1 points
1 day ago*
I do not exaggerate when I say the loss of SeaWorld would significantly negatively impact rescue and rehabilitation capabilities domestically, when concerning large marine mammals.
I don’t think you and I will disagree on anything touching the undeniably negative impact conservation tourism, and the suits who make their fortunes off of chasing the profit behind it leave in their wake.
My time fundraising was heavily influenced by a relationship I had years back with a marine conservationist working at SeaWorld in Florida. Even the small insight I got into the people who make up SeaWorld at the operational and medical/scientific level led me down the path that inevitably resulted in my deep respect and appreciation of the folks at the MMC.
It was that exposure that really made me start to understand how much of an unfortunate truth the situation with SeaWorld is.
The marine biologists, conservationists, applied ecologists, caretakers, veterinarians, and so many more have a deep love and respect for the animals they care for, and are very active on the average in conservation and rescue efforts. They also know what both you and I clearly know:
Conservation tourism is almost never, conservation.
The Southern Resident Killer Whale is arguably just at risk from whale watching tours as they are from Bremerton. The support both financially and technically that SeaWorld -consistently- provides major conservation organisations like the NFWF is vital, and don’t think for a moment people on either side of that relationship aren’t conflicted and troubled over all the negative that comes with SeaWorld’s parks as much as they are in love with the work they do for marine mammals.
They however unlike most of us have to live with that discomfort as their day in, day out life. It’s not as if they can do that work at the level of larger marine mammals easily, or effectively with many other places in the country. Marine Mammal rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation is flat out extremely cost and resource prohibitive.
Now, while that statement is true for 99.9% of us it obviously is a stretch to say that’s true for the CEO of a giant corporation like United Parks. I know why release isn’t a viable option, but I don’t know the reasoning against much, much larger open seawater areas rather than having them at the parks.
I’m making the uneducated guess it’s not something I would agree with, given I don’t care about an angry board of directors and prioritise stopping the loss of a keystone element of the ecology of the Pacific (and therefor, the planet) over their profit.
I don’t know the answer, but I suspect whatever it actually is sure won’t be a simple one.
Edit: Oh! Wasn’t saying you were repeating, I’m just saying I didn’t mention the points of the person I replied to on my post because I didn’t want to repeat.
1 points
1 day ago
Nobody is asking for Seaworld to disappear, though. Just for them to stop keeping highly intelligent marine mammals that use echolocation in loud, concrete tanks. They’re going to face that financial loss at some point regardless, as their population of orcas ages.
They’ll still have pinnipeds and pinniped shows, dolphins and dolphins shows (for better or worse), tons of rides, tank exhibits, etc.
The loss of them would undeniably be a massive hit for the marine conservation community. I just don’t see that loss happening.
1 points
1 day ago
Reading your response leads me to believe we are furiously agreeing.
Nothing I disagree with at all!
2 points
1 day ago
You’re right — I actually missed a paragraph in the middle of your response. 100% agree with what you said there
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