Save the Earth

If it Looks Like Animal Cruelty, Don’t Let People Tell You It’s Conservation

Circuses and marine parks have both tried to excuse their abuses by citing conservation. But in reality it is what it looks like – animal cruelty.

But in reality it is what it looks like – animal cruelty. Claiming “conservation” can be one of the oldest forms of greenwashing – applying an acceptable environmental veneer to excuse something that would otherwise be unpalatable to the majority.

Under pressure from the Blackfish backlash, SeaWorld says it’s looking to replace its orca show with a new one “with a conservation message.” And so it goes.

When we hear the word conservation, we imagine animals being protected from suffering in the wild. We think of habitats being protected from human encroachment, children learning about the nature of animals, and how they can play a part in safeguarding their future. And so, imagine my recent despair when I saw another example of the abuse of animals in the circus being described as “conservation.” The Oriental Circus Indonesia – owned and run by Taman Safari Indonesia – claims to be an inspirational conservation experience. But it sets about trying to achieve this goal by forcing chimpanzees to ride motorcycles in front of laughing crowds, and making elephants perform tricks while menaced by handlers holding metal hooks. In what way could any part of this be either conservational or educational? How can this even be acceptable?

As long as we continue to accept the use of animals for entertainment – animals we can interact with for our own personal close-contact experiences – circuses and other animal-based enterprises will continue to exploit them, while deceiving us about what we’re engaging in.

It is time that we all take a stance against this, and challenge these institutions that are doing conservation education such a disservice. It is time for them to be honest, to label these practices for what they truly are – exploitative entertainment. Without the conservation lie, the public could make a genuine moral decision as to whether or not they agree with this use and abuse.

Cleaning the oceans one step at a time

Just one of the cool insights from my friends’ amazing visual story about the Amazon rainforest.

The good news: Brazil has already done more than most countries to protect the rain forest. The bad news: A fifth of its rain forest is already gone. What happens next has the potential to affect us all.

It’s time for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United The Supreme Court’s decisions in Citizens United and other cases opened the gates to a flood of billions of dollars that threatens to undermine our democracy.

What we need now is a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

My name is Kristina Martinez. I’m not an animal rights activist, but I am a lover of animals. My three dogs are my ENTIRE WORLD. While I do not have children, I do look at my three boys as my kids. They are an extension of my family. I am bonded to them and they are bonded to me. They rely on me to care for them and be sure to feed them and I rely on them for their emotional companionship and love they provide. I could never imagine throwing them out in the streets or the wild to care for themselves. You are probably thinking “OF COURSE NOT, KRISTINA” because dogs are our pets. But couldn’t this same principle be applied to any animal that’s lived its life in captivity!? 

Lately, I’ve been reading online (even experiencing some myself when posting a picture I took during a recent visit) all the hate aimed towards Sea World. I consider myself a very open minded individual and tend to try and see things from all perspectives. So I thought I would share a few of my thoughts to consider on the matter. 

**For the record I have never worked for Sea World**

1) Nobody speaks Orca, so how can anyone decide what they like or don’t like!? Whether you are a supporter of Sea World or someone who is working hard to speak up against them neither side can really speak for the whales. It’s an emotional response based on your own personal experiences. 

2) Trainers love their whales and are extremely bonded to them. They spend a lot of time together. They work with them for 12 plus hours a day. They provide them with mental stimulation, they study them so that we can learn from them and how to better support their counter parts in the wild. How do I know this never having worked there, you may ask? Because I have taken the time to talk to the trainers. If you actually talk to the trainers they are extremely passionate about them and can tell you their names, personalities, what they enjoy, what they don’t. Trainers are humans too and it’s sad to me to see so much hatred spewed towards them. I remember going to Sea World as a little girl and being so fascinated with the bond between the whales and their trainers. It’s sad to me that Sea World has been forced to take away some of those interactions based on an accident that happened. I can’t speak for the trainer that died, but I doubt she would have wanted so much hatred to come as a result of her death. Trainers realize that the animals they are working with are animals who may unintentionally hurt them. People say it’s for safety to not allow the trainers to interact or be in the water with the whales…but can someone explain to me how this is different than a Firefighter running into a burning building to put out a fire or a Police Officer responding to a robbery!? Are those not dangerous situations that could result in an accidental death!? My point is that trainers know the risk of working with the whales and who am I or you to say they shouldn’t be allowed to do certain things with the animals they love so much? 

3) Sea World Orcas are used to their environments. People who say #freethewhales and are trying to say Sea World should release them into the wild are basically asking Sea World to kill them. They think they are “helping” the orcas but the reality is that most of those orcas were born in captivity. It would be the same thing as taking a human who grew up in the city and throwing them into the middle of a jungle with a spear and saying there you go good luck surviving. These orcas are used to being cared for, fed, being free from threats, and are bonded to their trainers. It just blows my mind that Sea World is currently having to fight so hard to build and expand a bigger tank for their orcas because people are saying the whales should be set free. Sea World can’t win. They get accused of not caring about the whales and the whales not having a big enough space and then they say okay we will invest even more money into their environment and make it bigger and better and that’s still not good enough either. Learn more about the Blue World Project here: http://blueworldproject.seaworld.com

Help the orcas get their beautiful new home here: https://www.votervoice.net/SEAWORLD/campaigns/40968/respond

4) How is Sea World different than a Zoo?! Isn’t it the same concept!? Animals in captivity for humans to view and learn from and the animals being taken care of by humans!? There are FAR more zoos in this world than Sea Worlds, yet they aren’t being attacked the same way? What makes keeping a lion or bear in a cage any different than a whale in a tank?! Where would it stop!? Where would all these animals go that are used to having their meals handed to them? I recently read an article about a bear attack in Yosemite that resulted in a mom & cub killing a man on a trail. The article said that if the bear is found and decided to have been the one responsible for the attack it will be euthanized. For being in the wild and attacking a man who was in their home!? It just seems to me like people have their priorities a little mixed up when it comes to “animal rights”.  

No matter where you stand on the issue I think these are some important things to think about and you should take the time to read more about the facts at: http://seaworldcares.com/the-facts/truth-about-blackfish/

Sea World has done a lot of great things and have rescued and rehabilitated many animals back into the wild that would have otherwise died. Why are people not talking more about these things and instead basing their opinions on one movie that lead others to write books to try and capitalize on the uproar the movie caused?! So before you get emotionally caught up on someone else’s personal beliefs take a step back, read the facts, and think about it. 

1) You don’t have to “speak orca” to be able to notice their reactions and interpret behaviors. This is applicable to many animals, and scientists have for many years been able to deduce what particular behaviors mean in certain contexts. Animal behavior science is popular field in science. For example, we know that stereotypical behaviors in captive animals are usually a sign of poor welfare. Captive cetaceans, including orcas, are known to display several stereotypical behaviors (repetitive behaviors that serve no function) and extremely abnormal behaviors, such as picking at paint in the tanks, obsessively blowing bubbles, and lying on tank bottoms in comatose-like states. Behaviors like this are not normal and do not occur in the wild. 

2)  First and foremost, I find it extraordinarily interesting that you say the trainers know each and every one of the whales’ likes and dislikes when in your first point you literally said nobody can say what they like or dislike. I have no doubts that the trainers love the orcas, and quite honestly, my beef isn’t really with them. Trainers actually do not have much control over what happens to the whales; it’s the corporate higher-ups that are ultimately making all the decisions. However, it is not true that they are fully aware of all the risks, at least not in the past. From John Jett, a former SeaWorld trainer: “In retrospect, it’s very disturbing how little information was conveyed to me about the relative risks associated with working around captive orcas. I was never fully informed of the real risks I faced working around Tili [Tilikum], nor was I ever fully informed of the risks I faced with being in the water with any of the animals. In hindsight, I was extraordinarily naive, but my naiveté was fueled by a fabricated sense of safety constructed from a gross lack of detail.“

There is no reason for trainers to be in the water with orcas unless it is for desensitization purposes. Waterworks serve no function for the whales; they existed solely for entertainment purposes and for the enjoyment of trainers. OSHA ordered SeaWorld trainers out of the water not because they have a bone to pick with SeaWorld over orca captivity, but because it is an extremely unsafe, extremely unessential part of the job. 

And please, do not EVER compare orca trainers to firefighters or other people in the line of duty. Their jobs are to literally save peoples’ lives. It is SO grossly disrespectful to compare them to the equivalent of circus ring leaders. 

3) Nobody with an iota of sense and even the tiniest bit of knowledge about orcas wants to free them all; marine mammal experts, even those who disagree with captivity, all agree that it would be inhumane to release them. There are several proposed plans for sea pens and seaside sanctuaries that would allow the whales to remain in human care while being able to live in an environment that more closely resembles the wild. 

SeaWorld is on record stating that the BWP at the San Diego park is the test run, and depending on how much it boosts attendance, they may or may not go ahead with the BWP at the other two parks. Does that sound like something a company that cares about animals would do? Why did they wait until after their stocks had crashed in the aftermath of Blackfish to draw up elaborate tank plans? Why didn’t they do it before? Additionally, no permits have been approved for the project, start dates have been pushed back by a full year, and there is no compelling evidence that these new tanks will be built anytime soon. 

4) Honestly this whole “point” can be summed up with this photo:

But I’ll respond anyway. There are many awful zoos out there, and you’ll find that people are campaigning hard against them as well as SeaWorld. That being said, many zoos are much, much better than SeaWorld because they are able to provide their animals with environments that closely resemble their natural one and can keep them stimulated and healthy; SeaWorld cannot do this with orcas. Secondly, good zoos do not make their animals perform. Do you know who does make animals perform? Circuses. How is SeaWorld any different than a circus? PS, the bear issue in Yosemite is completely irrelevant. 

And please, if you value scientific integrity and transparency, don’t link anyone to Ask SeaWorld. I can’t even tell you how many times they’ve straight up lied on that website. If you’re going to argue from a pro-captivity stance, can you at least provide some halfway decent sources?

She has spent 45 years in this tiny, tiny pool.

Forty. Five. Years.