For those of you who may not be aware of SeaWorld - it's a marine zoological park in the U.S. which is owned by SeaWorld Entertainment. It features killer whale, sea lion, and dolphin shows featuring various other marine animals, along with dolphin and penguin up-close tours. You also have quite a few rides there, both for kids and adults. I'm sure you must have seen pictures of celebrities kissing/hugging dolphins at SeaWorld - it's all over the internet. Up until a few years ago, I didn't really have a negative view of SeaWorld and other marine or zoological parks. As an animal lover myself, I'd always get jealous when I would see pictures of people hugging dolphins because I wanted to hug them too! Then, I happened to watch The Cove and it really opened my eyes. Learning that wild dolphins were being herded into a cove in Japan, the handsomest stolen for marine parks and then the rest murdered (and it really is nothing but cold blooded murder) was shocking.
You wouldn't want to live in a bathtub for your entire life, right? That's basically what life is like at SeaWorld for the orcas and other marine animals who are forced to live there and perform "tricks" for noisy crowds. Instead of living freely with their families in the ocean, these intelligent, social animals spend their days swimming in endless circles in tiny tanks. They are denied everything that is natural and important to them. Here's a brilliant video that will further elaborate the plight of these beautiful creatures:
Sea World is a "for profit" entity that keeps and trains these animals "for profit". They are not a rescue or a charity in any way. It's a wet circus of the lowest caliber. What bothers me the most is their vile PR campaign portraying their employees as nurturers and them "rescuing" these animals from the dangers that they would face from their natural habitat. SeaWorld wants people to think it's helping animals, but that's just not true.
The following are a few facts about SeaWorld from seaworldofhurt.com:
1. Their Sunburns Are Covered Up With Black Zinc Oxide
Orcas at SeaWorld spend most of their time floating listlessly at the surface of the water with little to no shade from the hot blistering sun. In the wild, orcas spend up to 95 percent of their time submerged and would find shade in the depths of the ocean, but at SeaWorld their tanks are far too shallow. Their deepest tank is 40 ft deep—not nearly deep enough to give them a reprieve from the harsh elements. Because of this, orcas have perpetual sunburns, which are shielded from the public eye with the help of black zinc oxide, which matches their skin. Although zinc oxide is also used as a sunblock, orcas almost always have sunburn before it is applied.
