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QuickSilver · 03-04-2010, 07:16 PM

I honestly think that's very unfair to SeaWorld, but I've stated my piece on the contributions that organization has made to animal research.

Training for most animals is done both to benefit us humans as researchers and for the animal. This is one reason I love animal training so much - it's a mutually beneficial activity.

Zoo keepers spend a tremendous amount of time thinking up ways to keep their animals engaged and fulfilled. For instance, there was a lion in the small NYC zoo who appeared to be depressed. His keepers started to hide his meals so he could "stalk" them, and his demeanor improved tremendously.

I believe the book "Animals Make Us Human" lists a scale of animal "freedoms" we are obligated to provide to those we care for, starting the with the freedom from pain and fear, and ending with the freedom to engage in natural behaviors. That might be in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" - I can't remember now.

In any case, many animals live longer lives in captivity than they do in the wild, and you can make a good argument that many animals are better off. It's very easy to anthropormorphisize, or to hold romantic views about the wild, but for a lot of nature, life is nasty, brutal, and short. It may be that some animals thrive in captivity and some cannot.

In the case of this particular orca, I don't think anyone can say why he has killed humans. Who knows? It really could be anything. He may not have even realized that his actions would kill this woman, given his tremendous strength and non-human perspective.

I've seen good arguments as to why this whale should not be released, namely that he has been in captivity since he was two years old. He has lived in captivity for over twenty years. In addition, killer whales generally spend their lives in the same pod as their mothers. Keiko, the whale on which "Free Willy" was based, was never accepted into another pod after his release into the wild. He eventually sought out human contact again in Nova Scotia and died of pneumonia.

Again, this is not to say that he MUST be kept in captivity, but releasing him is not a simple process, nor does it guarantee that he would be "happier". It's quite possible that he would not be accepted to into a wild pod, and he would have no social contact at all. He currently has bonded with his human trainers, and with the other whales he lives with.

03-04-2010, 07:16 PM	#45
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	I honestly think that's very unfair to SeaWorld, but I've stated my piece on the contributions that organization has made to animal research. Training for most animals is done both to benefit us humans as researchers and for the animal. This is one reason I love animal training so much - it's a mutually beneficial activity. Zoo keepers spend a tremendous amount of time thinking up ways to keep their animals engaged and fulfilled. For instance, there was a lion in the small NYC zoo who appeared to be depressed. His keepers started to hide his meals so he could "stalk" them, and his demeanor improved tremendously. I believe the book "Animals Make Us Human" lists a scale of animal "freedoms" we are obligated to provide to those we care for, starting the with the freedom from pain and fear, and ending with the freedom to engage in natural behaviors. That might be in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" - I can't remember now. In any case, many animals live longer lives in captivity than they do in the wild, and you can make a good argument that many animals are better off. It's very easy to anthropormorphisize, or to hold romantic views about the wild, but for a lot of nature, life is nasty, brutal, and short. It may be that some animals thrive in captivity and some cannot. In the case of this particular orca, I don't think anyone can say why he has killed humans. Who knows? It really could be anything. He may not have even realized that his actions would kill this woman, given his tremendous strength and non-human perspective. I've seen good arguments as to why this whale should not be released, namely that he has been in captivity since he was two years old. He has lived in captivity for over twenty years. In addition, killer whales generally spend their lives in the same pod as their mothers. Keiko, the whale on which "Free Willy" was based, was never accepted into another pod after his release into the wild. He eventually sought out human contact again in Nova Scotia and died of pneumonia. Again, this is not to say that he MUST be kept in captivity, but releasing him is not a simple process, nor does it guarantee that he would be "happier". It's quite possible that he would not be accepted to into a wild pod, and he would have no social contact at all. He currently has bonded with his human trainers, and with the other whales he lives with.