#anticaps

Don't we have the nicest people in the cetacean community? I mean, look at this. This is purely positive! I love it!

A killer whale of a tale: when peer review sometimes fail.

Photo:  Rachael Griffin - aquagreenmarine.org The extensive wear seen on the teeth of offshore killer whales may be caused by preying on sharks.

When examining claims in the scientific press one always tend to look to whether or not the evidence that this is based on has been subject to peer review.  Science journalism can be something of a mixed bag and with the ever increasing need to produce headlines that will generate attention (clickbait) and advertising revenue.

One such example is a recent news report in the web based science news outlet Phys.Org entitled: "Killer toothaches likely cause misery for captive orca". The article relates to a paper published in the Archives of Oral Biology that claims that tooth damage in captive killer whales is endemic and harmful to the animals. However a closer look at the paper and its authors give some calls for concern. Looking at what is available in the original paper it seems that the assessments made were from photographs taken by various individuals whilst visiting various facilities.  None of the authors appears to have had direct access to physically examine the teeth of any of these animals. The methodology of the data gathering is questionable and it is unlikely that all animals within the groups studied were assessed effectively. The authors clearly wanted to fit their hypothesis to the available data.

Only one of the authors, Carolina Loch, has any academic qualification in dentistry. Although Dr Lock's claim in the Phys.Org article that the animals would have to have there teeth cavities flushed out with "chemicals” unfortunately resonates strongly with the mantra of the pseudo scientists when promoting An Appeal to Nature. These do not sound like the words of an objective scientist.

It should be noted that humans regularly the clean their teeth and wash their mouths out with “chemicals” to promote oral hygiene on the recommendation of a dentist. Moreover there is a growing trend in veterinary dentistry for both domestic and wild animals which would also use various chemicals to combat disease and promote the health of gums and teeth.

Moreover, the paper does acknowledge the fact that tooth erosion is seen commonly in wild cetaceans but it's not very clear on what kind of comparative analysis was used. Tooth erosion in wild killer whales is well documented.

Further, four of the authors are actively are opposed to killer whales in captive care: Jeffrey Ventre and John Jett are former SeaWorld trainers who both left this facility in 1995 - with Ventre being dismissed for misconduct. They both appeared in the film Blackfish. Jett is now a biologists and lab coordinator and Ventre is now a physiotherapist. Ingrid Visser a scientist based in New Zealand who has undertaken work with wild killer whales. However her only direct contact with caring for a killer whale resulted in the death of a neonate killer whale due to her lack of experience in this field.

Jordan Waltz is a freelance graphic designer who has undertaken work for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Interestingly, his mailing address on the paper is the address of animal rights activist Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project in Santa Monica an organisation Waltz actively contributes to in their news blogs. In his bio on this web site he states:

“...I am an artist by day, researcher by night. I served as archivist and researcher for the documentary films "Blackfish" and "Vancouver Aquarium: Uncovered." Most of my writings cater towards the lesser-known corners of the cetacean captivity issue...”

A small example of the large number of blogs and articles written by Jordan waltz for the Dolphin Project.

These facts alone should be a red flag to the actual objectivity and underlying agenda of this paper.

Forgotten by activists: How Ingrid Visser killed orca calf Bob.

A year ago today, at 04:15 am on August 6, 2016, a young orca calf named Bob passed away in the care of well known animal rights activist and orca researcher, Ingrid Visser. Bob was estimated to be between 6 months and 1 year of age. Three weeks earlier a young killer whale calf was found alone, no pod in sight. It had been in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, since July 14, but Orca Research Trust was only made aware on July 22. Right then, DOC (which controls cetaceans) decided no action was to be undertaken. It was already dehydrated then and as time would go on, this would become worse and worse. An internation expert (Jeff Foster) was called in to assess the calf. Upon assessment, Ingrid Visser requested that the DOC let her and her team help orca Bob. A petition was started to ask the DOC to let Ingrid Visser and her team help the young orca, who was deteriorating day by day. As of July 29, DOC along with orca experts were discussing how to best manage the situation. Orca Research Trust continued to ask the public for nearby sightings of orcas. By August 2, resources for a seapen were looked at and gathered. By this time the calf was emaciated. Ingrid Visser and local tribes were discussing a naming ceremony which they hoped to do soon.

On August 2nd, a pod of orcas was spotted cirling/searching close to where orca Bob resided. Calls were made to Orca Research Trust and the DOC, but no immediate action was taken to locate the pod and see if Bob belonged to this pod of orcas.

On August 3rd, the calf was finally "rescued" and placed into a pool on land. Feeding attempts so far have been unsuccessful and the calf's health continued to deteriorate. In the next few days, Ingrid, Jeff and locals were petting the orca without gloves and hugging it. A random undergraduate student called Visser and was soon in the pool with her, touching the calf. None wore mouth masks or gloves and people who passed by were allowed to pet the calf as well. Orca Bob was never treated as a rescue, but as a mere pet.

Ingrid Visser did a great job at anthropomorphising the calf, saying it “sought reassurance by leaning against Visser and Foster.”

As care continued, the petting and hugging continued (and thus letting the orca adjust to humans, which later on can become a dangerous thing. Too attached to humans and it might not want to hunt for its own and instead prefer human contact). “Orca are more social than humans and this calf has been deprived of social contact for 21 days so providing social contact is as important for him now as is food.” On August 6th in the early morning, Bob passed away. A few hours later, without a necropsy to determine the death (hide Visser's incompetence) he was buried by a local tribe. Ingrid Visser showed that being an orca researcher doesn't mean she knows how to handle cetaceans. 

It raises the question how Visser would handle her seapen marinepark with captive orcas (if that's ever going to happen). 

US Navy Dudley Zoo, UK Marineland Antibes, France Kamogawa Sea World, Japan Marineland Ontario Miami Seaquarium Vancouver Aquarium

johnjhargrove

Kasatka is DEAD. I tried my hardest to get the media to expose it and force SeaWorld to let the media take pictures of her and what was happening to her. I urged for an independent lab to be able to take the tests-although SeaWorld would never allow that, and for a reason- I loved her and I am so sorry that for so many years a bought into all the BS and thought that THIS was ok. I look so happy in this pic and I remember this moment. If I only had realized then what was happening and how it would all end for all of them. It makes me sick to my stomach I ever supported the cruelty that captivity is. I was naive. I thought since we loved them it made it right, that it made it all ok. Then too many lies and too many cover-ups, too many deaths both the whales and trainers happened and it just all died for me. Now my responsibility is to use all my experience to expose this industry until they too are dead. And SeaWorld knows the things I have exposed are only the tip of the iceberg. What I know will stop them for good. I'm sorry Kasatka.

Whale sanctuary group eyeing B.C. coast as potential location

Sanctuary for animals a major roadblock for phasing out dolphins and whales in captivity, group says

A U.S. non-profit wants to build a sanctuary for rescued and retired aquarium whales to live out the rest of their days, and they're eyeing the B.C. coast as a possible location.

Whale Sanctuary Project president Dr. Lori Marino says a permanent sanctuary for cetaceans is a major roadblock to fully phasing out dolphins and whales in captivity

"If we are interested in phasing out the keeping of dolphins and whales in concrete tanks, we have to have somewhere for them to go," Marino told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

Marino is looking at "naturalistic" environments, such as coves, inlets and bays, to be the site of the sanctuary. It would need to offer protection for the animals and allow them to be cared for for the rest of their lives.

The opening of the natural feature would be netted off, and she envisions visitors being able to view the sanctuary. She says estimates have pegged the cost of such a project at up to $20 million.

The project will be funded through grants and endowments, Marino says, but so far the response from SeaWorld has not been positive.

"They are saying they're not interested, which is understandable," she said. "But we will continue and hope that at some point they will decide to join us. … In either case, we are going to build this, because the Sanctuary Project is filling a gap."

In addition to the coast of B.C.'s mainland, sites on Vancouver Island and Puget Sound are also being examined, as are sites on the east coast of North America, Marino says.