SeaWorld Cares?

Banner image courtesy of Banksy

Petition – “Tell SeaWorld to stop being hypocrites and end all orca shows!” – Phoebe Goldstein

SeaWorld is reporting (“”Caring” for Tilikum the Killer Whale,” SeaWorld) the sad and tragic demise of Tilikum, an orca killer whale stolen from his mother’s side in the wild (in the seas close to Djúpivogur off the east coast of Iceland) 9 November, 1983.

Held at Saedyrasafnid Aquarium prior to his transfer to Sealand of the Pacific in Canada, Tilikum was ‘conveniently adopted’ by SeaWorld and transported to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, on January 9, 1992.

“We are saddened to report that over the past few weeks, Tilikum’s behavior has become increasingly lethargic, and the SeaWorld veterinary and animal care teams are concerned that his health is beginning to deteriorate” – SeaWorld Cares, March 2016

It’s suspected that Tilikum has a lung infection – “Aspergillus niger or Aspergillus terreus which are the best-known causes of mycotic pneumonia in marine mammals are both fungi” – Dolphin Project, 8 March 2016

Tilikum has been implicated in the death of Sealand trainer Keltie Byrnes (prior to Tilikum’s transfer to SeaWorld in 1992). Within SeaWorld’s ‘care,’ Tilikum was involved in the deaths of Daniel Dukes and senior SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau.

The film ‘Blackfish’ highlights in graphic detail, the hypocrisy in SeaWorld’s claims, Tilikum’s plight and anguish at his captivity, exposing SeaWorld’s attempts to delude the public (and always will it seems) – SeaWorld, where the orca’s life expectancy is halved, not enhanced as SeaWorld would suggest.

“Why Killer Whales Should Not be Kept in Captivity,” BBC, 10 March 2016

If SeaWorld really ‘cared’ they would have released Tilikum into a sanctuary a long time ago. But, it’s not too late for SeaWorld to release all of their ‘captives’ into sanctuary and stop the animal exploitation for ‘entertainment.’ That would be the ‘caring’ thing to do.