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So, my paycheck just arrived for this month and I’ve paid off everything I need to and I have a little extra left over and I wanted to do another giveaway. Rules: -MBF Me -Likes and Reblogs count -Giveaway ends 21st September 2015 -Shipping worldwide

David Stenbeck and Sara Andreasson

NEW FREE BRUSH! To thank you for supporting my Photoshop Brush Shop, I have created another fun brush as a ‘pay what you want’ product. It is free to download, but if you like my brushes (or at least, this one!), please consider donating a dollar or two. You can get it right here. Please reblog this and tell a friend! Thanks again.

Best wishes and happy painting, everyone! 

Many aquariums in the United States have already shut down their dolphin petting pools, citing their inherently abusive and unsafe nature. Captives are kept intentionally hungry, so that they are forced to interact with park visitors. The fish portions are very small, to keep the dolphins constantly coming back for more and enduring the poking and prodding of thousands of hands on their bodies.

Sometimes the dolphins are touched in rough or painful ways by well-meaning tourists. Inevitably, garbage is dropped in the pool, creating a choking hazard for dolphins. And visitors get injured by the dolphins. Clearly, the regulation of this facility is desperately inadequate, putting both dolphins and humans at risk.

Regulation of dolphin interactions can be difficult even when it involves experienced professionals. The recent death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau demonstrates that cetaceans don’t always follow the rules – especially when they are stressed, frustrated and demoralized, as captives tend to be. Expecting children to follow the rules in an uncontrolled chaotic environment such as the Seaworld petting pool is a recipe for disaster – something that they are hiding beneath a false sense of security and by laying blame on parents for not controlling their children.

You should never buy a ticket to a captive dolphin show or experience. Instead, go out to the actual sea world – the ocean – and view them in their natural home, on their terms. This is a safe, rewarding and truly magical experience.