Putting an End to Dolphin Exploitation at Aquatic Theme Parks

Yes, that title was copy pasted straight from the this article [1]. This makes me feel so sorry for the dolphins. They're so cute... Why?

...Don't human actors have to suck it up and perform if they're not feeling right too?

Ah, another animal cruelty thread.

I'll start buying that when we get someone who can talk to animals and actually ask them if they mind the way they're being treated. Until then, whatever.

"A number of years ago I visited Sea World in Orlando, Florida. The experience proved to be a formative one, as it would mark the last time I would ever visit an aquatic theme park.

What I saw there at the dolphin show that day shattered all illusions I had about the treatment of dolphins at these parks, while at the same time demonstrating to me the obvious ways in which they can express their individuality and intentions—and how this is conveniently ignored by us in ways that are completely self-serving.

The show got off to a rocky start. As the cheesy performance music blared through the loudspeakers, the trainers enthusiastically marched to the stage and assumed their positions. They blew their high-pitched whistles and waited for the dolphins to do their part.

But the dolphins ignored the cue. They swam nervously in their holding tank, circling and circling.

The trainers tried again, but the dolphins remained steadfast. They weren’t going anywhere.

So, the trainers stopped the show and addressed the audience. We were told that, as a hierarchical species, the leaders of the troop were preventing the rest of the dolphins from partaking in the show. The reason, they suspected, was on account of a looming storm.

Indeed, hurricane Ernesto was slated to hit the region in the next 24 hours, and it’s likely that the dolphins, sensing the low pressure system, were in a state of agitation. The last thing they wanted to do at that moment was to follow commands and perform tricks.

Unfazed, the trainers said they weren’t about to let the dolphins have their way and that they were going to try and try again until they performed the show as expected.

Once again, the trainers marched to their stations and the cheesy music began anew. After another short delay, the dolphins finally decided to take part. But I have to say, it was the most half-assed effort I’ve ever seen put on by dolphins. They consistently missed their cues and went about their jumps and tricks as if they were just going through the motions.

What was happening was blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention: Their hearts were simply not into it.

As I sat there watching this spectacle, I started to feel ill, and I suddenly regretted coming to the park. I was hit hit with a glaringly obvious realization.

These dolphins are slaves.

Indeed, we are making these highly intelligent and emotional animals perform tricks against their will. They are confined to ridiculously small tanks and expected to perform on cue—and should they refuse, they’re beaten back to submission by an unrelenting crew of trainers who simply won’t take no for an answer—even if it’s in front of a live audience.

Now, I realize that the dolphin show brings a lot of money to these parks—but the dolphin tank has got to go. It’s cruelty through and through. As nonhuman persons, dolphins need to be protected from these kinds of abuses. They are not ours to play with.

We have no right to compel dolphins to entertain us. They deserve better than that. Moreover, we have no right to contain them in this way. Dolphins need to swim. In fact, in the wild, dolphins swim an average of 65 to 85 kilometers per day. The tanks at these theme parks must feel intensely claustrophobic to them. It’s torturous.

And as I learned on that day at Sea World, dolphins are also capable of expressing their discontent. They can show us when they’re not happy and they can express their will. We need to start paying attention and put aside our petty desire to watch dolphins jump through hoops.

It’s time to stop this kind of animal exploitation."

edited 26th Feb '11 6:53:41 PM by LoveHappiness

"Ah, another animal cruelty thread.

I'll start buying that when we get someone who can talk to animals and actually ask them if they mind the way they're being treated. Until then, whatever."

Gee, I wonder? Dang, I really didn't think about that. *SARCASM*

edited 26th Feb '11 6:56:41 PM by LoveHappiness

Right now I might be able to talk to animals... I need to go find out.

edited 26th Feb '11 6:57:43 PM by DrunkGirlfriend

@Love: All right, let's talk about the cruelty of humans being forced to perform for our amusement despite not feeling well.

You going to hate on fans who riot at concerts because the lead singer's all but dropping dead of pneumonia and can't perform? Are they entitled as well?

Oh, and In B 4 "Animals don't get paid". In terms of their lives, they eat waaaaaay better than their wild counterparts, and don't have to work near as hard for it.

My point is that until we develop the means to communicate with them, we'll never know for sure which they prefer; captivity or freedom to join the savagery of nature.

edited 26th Feb '11 7:01:17 PM by drunkscriblerian

How is that a bluelink?

The blue link got me hopeful, but the page was empty

I wanted to see if it had this◊ page image.

So yeah...my earlier comment. I mean, the show must go on, what hole you're breathing through be damned. Sure there's probably stuff we can do to make things better — always is — but if anything they've got a better work day and health plan than the park workers.

edited 26th Feb '11 7:03:37 PM by Pykrete

"You going to hate on fans who riot at concerts because the lead singer's all but dropping dead of pneumonia and can't perform? Are they entitled as well?"

This is not about "hating" on "fans". And, yes, I'd say they need to rest.

"Oh, and In B 4 "Animals don't get paid". In terms of their lives, they eat waaaaaay better than their wild counterparts, and don't have to work for it."

Um, you do realize they withhold food to force them to do tricks? And they beat them into submission too. And they're inside a tiny tank. Need I go on?

edited 26th Feb '11 7:08:13 PM by LoveHappiness

This post was thumped by the Stick of Off-Topic Thumping.
Stay on topic, please.

slaps DG Knock that off, I'm trying to make a point here! Get back in the kitchen and make me a sammich!

@Love: Uh...varies by theme park, actually. Cite your source.

Um, you do realize they withhold food to force them to do tricks? And they beat them into submission too.

Er. Citation needed. Very needed. Unless you're in Mexico or something.

I'm sure they withhold treats, but that's a far cry from withholding basic sustenance.

edited 26th Feb '11 7:13:05 PM by Pykrete

Ahem.

Humor aside, though, the English language is incapable of expressing the scorn and derision in which I hold fuckwits like Dvorsky. If he doesn't like the way an aqua park manages its property, he can leave. Beyond that, it's none of his business.

[1]

[2]

So sad.... ooops no, that was me thinking about all the legitimate environmental concerns about dolphins rather than that gushing cardiovascular hemorrhage about a wonk issue.

"Humor aside, though, the English language is incapable of expressing the scorn and derision in which I hold fuckwits like Dvorsky. If he doesn't like the way an aqua park manages its property, he can leave. Beyond that, it's none of his business."

OK...I'm going to resist the urge to reverse that statement back on you. First, you shouldn't view any sentient being as property to be used as you please, much less a dolphin. "They are property, property is sacred, so fuck off." Seriously, that is just... It just amazes me, the lack of empathy people can have.

"So sad.... ooops no, that was me thinking about all the legitimate environmental concerns about dolphins rather than that gushing cardiovascular hemorrhage about a wonk issue."

Oh my...

edited 26th Feb '11 7:38:21 PM by LoveHappiness

@Love: Okay, disregarded the first source because it was obviously a propaganda site. The second, I would like to point out that Sea World is actually breeding an endangered species instead of going out in the wild to capture it. As a person who lives in the Pacific Northwest, I am not unaware of the plight of the "Killer Whale".

Also, neither article proves there's anything wrong with animals in captivity.

Oh, and I'd like to ask...do you own cats? Well, then you're part of the problem, because you've trained a wild species to adapt to our urban environment.

Ah shit, there's a lot of years separating wildness from domestication, that makes it all okay...

Dude. You've owned cats. We didn't domesticate them, they domesticated us.

"OK...I'm going to resist the urge to reverse that statement back on you."

By saying "I could say X, but..." or "I want to say X, but...", or something similar, you are saying it, but at the same time saying you're too much of a coward to take responsibility for your opinions. If you want to say something to me, say it. I'm a big boy, I can take it. Don't just pussy out and say you want to say it but won't.

"First, you shouldn't view any sentient being as property to be used as you please, much less a dolphin. "They are property, property is sacred, so fuck off." Seriously, that is just... It just amazes me, the lack of empathy people can have."

I've got plenty of empathy, for people. Animals are not people. If sentience was the sole criterion for rights, swatting a housefly would be murder.

@wanderhome. Sigged.

And fucking well agreed with. You want to say something? Say it. Or damn well don't mention it. That is all.

@DG: Oh shit, I forgot. Good point.

I don't have empathy for animals or people, do I get a medal?

"By saying "I could say X, but..." or "I want to say X, but...", or something similar, you are saying it, but at the same time saying you're too much of a coward to take responsibility for your opinions. If you want to say something to me, say it. I'm a big boy, I can take it. Don't just pussy out and say you want to say it but won't."

OK, fine. You are a fucking asshole. There, you happy? I wanted to express that, and did before. I just know from experience that conversation tends to degenerate if you put it like that.

"I've got plenty of empathy, for people. Animals are not people. If sentience was the sole criterion for rights, swatting a housefly would be murder."

As I see it, sentience is the sole characteristic that makes a being worthy of moral consideration. If they can feel pleasure and pain, well then there you go. I don't see species as directly relevant.

edited 26th Feb '11 7:53:11 PM by LoveHappiness

@KCK: I'll give you a medal. You can have admission into "the order of teenage nihilism".

For serious, I cannot see why people are campaigning so hard for animal rights when there are members of their own species who are suffering just as badly.

I think we have to be the only species on God's earth that is that dumb.

@Love:

OK, fine. You are a fucking asshole. There, you happy? I wanted to express that, and did before. I just know from experience that conversation tends to degenerate if you put it like that.

...And you're a whiny hippie douche-bag, since apparently we've degenerated into throwing insults around. I don't see how it's productive, but it sure is fun!!!

edited 26th Feb '11 7:52:49 PM by drunkscriblerian

As I run my tongue from left to right I touch on two jagged spurs of dentin and enamel and I am reminded that I was not built to care.

edited 26th Feb '11 7:51:59 PM by Shrimpus