Sea World And Killer Whales
Today a woman died at Sea World. It’s terrible and shocking whenever there is a senseless death. My heart aches for the family of the trainer.
I’d like to discuss just a few things with you today.
Did you know that whales migrate thousands of miles each year? How would whales recreate that experience at a place like Sea World?
Did you know that whales (and many other ocean mammals you find at places like Sea World) communicate via sonar? Whale sounds travel hundreds of miles so one pod can communicate with another. Imagine being a whale at Sea World and making noises within the cement swimming pool that is your new home. Now imagine that sound echoing back at you. It’s the equivelant of putting your children in a mirrored room, for years.
I am told that whales and dolphins in captivity have wilted Dorsal Fins. I am looking for a reliable source to credit, please leave one here.
The dolphins? They’re not smiling, our anthropomorphizing of these fabulous animals has led us intro tricking ourselves into believing they are happy. They are not necessarily happy or unhappy. Whales, Orcas, Dolphins and other life under water do not smile. They are not us, and they do not belong to us.
My friend Holly at Ocean Futures Society was telling me about a dolphin trainer whose dolphin committed suicide. It happens, these are mammals who need to be social, to migrate, to hunt and to mate. I’m terribly sorry that anyone has to be hurt, much less die, but today should be a lesson for us all.
If your children need to see dolphins, whales and the like go visit Jean Michel Cousteau and find out how you can become an Ambassador of the Environment.