SeaWorld will no longer be allowed to breed Orca whales in captivity

[Bouncer]

California leading the way baby. Sea World is done and rightfully so.

SeaWorld banned from breeding Orca whales - Business Insider

[StanG]

Good to hear, its wrong and should have stopped years ago.

[Bouncer]

good

SeaWorld Stock Slumps Following Poor Earnings

[Herc]

That Documentary Blackfish had a effect.

[Mr I]

Thank goodness of awake people

[Scrumhalf]

Good.

[Bouncer]

https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-mid...ampaign=buffer

[Scrumhalf]

There were still 18 million idiots showing up at their shows this year. Damn.

[Bouncer]

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...er-whale-show/

[Scrumhalf]

The dolphin and sea lion shows aren't too much better. Dolphins are highly intelligent animals too with strong family bonds.

Bottom line is that circus shows belong to a bygone era and should be got rid of.

[Bouncer]

What about zoos scrum? Gorillas, elephants, etc..

[Scrumhalf]

Zoos and aquariums are a lesser evil IMO. If the animals are housed in natural environments and are populated by orphan animals or injured animals that would have died anyway in the wild, then these kinds of institutions can serve a useful purpose for education and conservation. For example, the American Condor would be extinct if not for the intervention of zoos to initiate captive breeding programs for the bird. I understand the sentiment from a lot of people that animals don't belong in captivity, but I think we can strike a reasonable balance if the animals are housed in natural environments that can give them some dignity to live a life that is closer to what they would encounter in the wild and not have to be part of a curcus sideshow.

[Scrumhalf]

Thinking about it some more, I guess I'm uncomfortable having any animal in captivity that has strong multigenrational family bonds, etc., like orca, elephants, etc. because I'm not sure it isn't taking a psychological toll on the animals. I think Tilikum clearly showe'd that. The confinement clearly drove him crazy.

[Bouncer]

Yea, maybe zoos going forward should be more about conservation and breeding programs of rare or endangered species rather than a confinement of species for people's amusement.

[MattG]

A zoo has it's pros and cons i suppose...but for the most part i hate going to them. I always end up seeing some type of animal there that i can tell is heartbroken due to its confinement. I saw this gorilla one time that looked so depressed i couldnt hardly look at him, and when i did i tried my best to let him know i was sorry and understood. Idk, most animals there are too "dumb" to understand-or they dont know any different way of life so it's all normal to them. But there definitely are some there that are miserable being trapped like that. There's an old Twilight zone episode where the astronauts end up getting tricked by the aliens, and get lured into a "human exhibit", where they are caged for the planet's enjoyment. I guess i'm all over the place here, but what i'm getting at is just imagine if YOU were put in a cage to be stared at every day by people every day for the rest of your life. Trust me, i'm not a crazy animal activist by any means, but the whole concept of a zoo just bothers me...