by interestingword » Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:08 am
Having read through this thread, I've seen good points on both sides. Yes, Seaworld does take in injured animals to take care of, offering longer lifespans than the open ocean could. However, there's many things they don't do well, such as tank size. Here's what I can add on the subject.
First thing I can think of is the fireworks show. While it doesn't seem to occur daily, closer to once a week, it must be indescribably stressful! Considering they use echolocation to hunt, and so are extremely sensitive to noise, it's got to be terrifying for big explosions of light and sound going on above their heads.
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The oldest known Killer whale is 103. The average lifespan for a Seaworld orca? About 9.
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Many, if not all their orcas, exhibit injury. Ranging in severity from scars on their hide to full bite wounds, this is from being forced to spend 24/7 with their adopted pod. Since they cannot go and sulk in their own personal space, they're forced to attack, and several orcas have died from the stress and fighting. It's worth noting that this is rare, though.
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Floppy dorsal fins. While not a sign of impending doom or anything of the like, it is a sign of either stress, age, or improper temperatures. It's found in the wild as well, mainly in elderly or sick individuals. What keeps the fin upright? Water pressure. These animals dive fairly deep (not incredibly deep tho), and the depth and pressure encourages the fin to stay upright. Excessively spending time at the surface or in shallow waters will cause the onset of this. A large amount of Seaworld killer whales exhibit floppy dorsal fins.
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Tank size is the largest concern, and indeed it should be. In the wild, they do naturally swim between 75-100 miles per day. To translate that into tank terms, that's over one thousand laps around their concrete habitat, and an underwater treadmill isn't going to solve this problem.
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Ever since it became illegal to collect wild orcas, Seaworld has been inbreeding their killer whales, leading to unhealthy and rarely alive calves. The few that do make it are removed from their mother at a young age in order to be trained for shows.
That's what I know for certain, anyway. Carry on.
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