Can you explain your stance on Empty the Tanks? Why would you WANT to be in captivity?
Empty the Tanks is not a science-based movement. It anthropomorphizes the animals to give them needs or wants that we cannot say they have.
Empty the Tanks also advocates for the either the release or euthanasia of all captive whales, neither of which are "animal-first". Whales that have lived their whole lives in captivity will never be able to survive in the wild by themselves. There are no sanctuaries.
Captive whales at SeaWorld (etc) have mental stimulation and trainers that love and care for them. They are not being "tortured" (of course there will always be exceptions of animal abuse cases such as with Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut). And life in the wild isn't perfect either, which I find is a common mentality among movements like these.
I do not agree with capturing wild whales for entertainment, but ultimately, the end goals of these kinds of movements are not activism. They are performative.
another post I have made on this topic
