SeaWorld turns tables on PETA

[NightHawkeye]

From the "goose and gander", files: SeaWorld Employee Masqueraded as Animal Activist, Peta Says | Bloomberg

A SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. employee posed for years as an animal-rights activist, joining protests against the company over its use of captive killer whales, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Peta, based in Norfolk, Virginia, said that a California activist who identified himself as Thomas Jones has been taking part in the group’s activities. He protested a SeaWorld float at New York’s Thanksgiving Day parade in 2013, held anti-SeaWorld signs outside the company’s San Diego theme park, and got hauled away by police at the 2014 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, Peta said.
...
SeaWorld, in its statement, provided a link to a Peta job posting for an undercover investigator.

“Peta itself actively recruits animal rights activists to gain employment at companies like SeaWorld, as this job posting demonstrates,” company spokesman Jacobs said. “Safety is our top priority, and we will not waiver from that commitment.”
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LOL, what's the problem, PETA? He's no different from your other undercover employees. As long as he did his job for you it would seem that you've got little to complain about.

 

[TerranceL]

PETA really is the last group to be talking about how animals are treated.

 

[Oafman]

I rarely agree with the crazies at PETA, but they're right about keeping Orcas in captivity, it's a horrible practice which should be stopped

 

[NightHawkeye]

I rarely agree with the crazies at PETA, but they're right about keeping Orcas in captivity, it's a horrible practice which should be stopped

Why?

 

[Vylo]

Why?

To me its more that the conditions that are standard for those whales are very poor. Killer whales, despite their name, have never killed a human in the wild. There aren't even any real attacks recorded, just minor incidents where an orca mistook a human for prey, or grabbed something a human was holding. They've never even bitten a human.. Orcas are essentially dolphins, aka not considered a threat to humans.

Their behavior is dramatically different in captivity, they often become violent and depressed, and have purposefully killed humans, sometimes in horrifying ways that pretty much amount to torture. While probably not on the level of humans, orcas are extremely intelligent, and they know when they have been wronged. It is cruel to make them suffer in captivity as they do.

 

[NightHawkeye]

To me its more that the conditions that are standard for those whales are very poor. Killer whales, despite their name, have never killed a human in the wild. There aren't even any real attacks recorded, just minor incidents where an orca mistook a human for prey, or grabbed something a human was holding. They've never even bitten a human.. Orcas are essentially dolphins, aka not considered a threat to humans.

Their behavior is dramatically different in captivity, they often become violent and depressed, and have purposefully killed humans, sometimes in horrifying ways that pretty much amount to torture.

Not everyone shares that opinion ... http://www.livescience.com/9848-killer-whales-kill-people.html

But this killer whale at SeaWorld probably didn't intentionally kill the trainer.

"I just think the killer whale may have wanted a social companion and just held her under too long," Black told LiveScience. "I would think the killer whale didn't do it intentionally but more as a play thing. They're so powerful." She added killer whales don't have to come up for air as often as a human might and could reasonably hold someone underwater for 15 to 20 minutes.

Possibly the killer whale just got bored, she said, since their lives in captivity are more confined than at sea where they spend time swimming hundreds of miles while hunting or playing.​

While probably not on the level of humans, orcas are extremely intelligent, and they know when they have been wronged. It is cruel to make them suffer in captivity as they do.

Is it cruel to help them survive the 50% or higher mortality of young Orcas in the wild?

Is it cruel to offer them an environment where they will not be hunted and killed?

Is it cruel to attempt to reestablish depleted Orca populations which amount to no more than a handful of individuals?

 

[Vylo]

Not everyone shares that opinion ... http://www.livescience.com/9848-killer-whales-kill-people.html

But this killer whale at SeaWorld probably didn't intentionally kill the trainer.

"I just think the killer whale may have wanted a social companion and just held her under too long," Black told LiveScience. "I would think the killer whale didn't do it intentionally but more as a play thing. They're so powerful." She added killer whales don't have to come up for air as often as a human might and could reasonably hold someone underwater for 15 to 20 minutes.

Possibly the killer whale just got bored, she said, since their lives in captivity are more confined than at sea where they spend time swimming hundreds of miles while hunting or playing.​

Is it cruel to help them survive the 50% or higher mortality of young Orcas in the wild?

Is it cruel to offer them an environment where they will not be hunted and killed?

Is it cruel to attempt to reestablish depleted Orca populations which amount to no more than a handful of individuals?

It is cruel if they are not treated properly.

Do you think it would be cruel to keep a person from birth in a 6X6 cell? But hey, they are safe from crime and most infectious disease! .

These orcas aren't just getting bored. And they aren't stupid. Orcas are dolphins and every bit as intelligent as the more commonly recognized varieties. Dolphins know about humans drowning, in fact they have gone out of their way to save humans from drowning. People making the assumption that the orcas were "bored" are grossly underestimating their intelligence.

 

[Tallguy88]

I'm a meat eating, leather wearing, deer hunting, Southern country boy. I'm no fan of PETA. However, I agree completely that Orcas are too intelligent to be kept in captivity.

Part of our God given responsibility as stewards of the earth is to use animals as humanely and efficiently as possible. That means only keeping them when there is a legitimate reason, such as food production, pest control, etc.

Making an extremely intelligent and magnificent animal jump through hoops for entertainment and live in what is basically solitary confinement for 20 hours a day for decades is cruel. I feel similarly about elephants and some apes.

 

[NightHawkeye]

I'm a meat eating, leather wearing, deer hunting, Southern country boy. I'm no fan of PETA. However, I agree completely that Orcas are too intelligent to be kept in captivity.

They should be treated like people?

Part of our God given responsibility as stewards of the earth is to use animals as humanely and efficiently as possible. That means only keeping them when there is a legitimate reason, such as food production, pest control, etc.

No pets?

Making an extremely intelligent and magnificent animal jump through hoops for entertainment and live in what is basically solitary confinement for 20 hours a day for decades is cruel.

I like zoos ...

I feel similarly about elephants and some apes.

Personally, I feel that viewing animals as only existing in either an absolutely wild existence or a "prison" existence is way over-simplified.

 

[Tallguy88]

They should be treated like people?

People can leave if they don't like their conditions.

No pets?

Depends on the kind of pet. Domesticated animals are fine, dogs, cats, etc.

I like zoos ...

Personally, I feel that viewing animals as only existing in either an absolutely wild existence or a "prison" existence is way over-simplified.

Again, depends on the animal and the conditions of their captivity. Ever hear what happens when a chimp snaps? It never turns out good.

 

[NightHawkeye]

People can leave if they don't like their conditions.

Captivity of people seems to be common around the globe.

Depends on the kind of pet. Domesticated animals are fine, dogs, cats, etc.

As are snakes and turtles and fish and gerbils and ferrets, etc.

Again, depends on the animal and the conditions of their captivity. Ever hear what happens when a chimp snaps? It never turns out good.

Kinda like with pit bulls, huh? Powerful animals do powerful things.

 

[Tallguy88]

Captivity of people seems to be common around the globe.

You presented a picture if people working in an office, now you are labeling it as "captivity"?

As are snakes and turtles and fish and gerbils and ferrets, etc.

Yes, if kept properly, though I'm iffy on the snake. They're neat, but most people aren't up to a 30 year commitment in a relatively non interactive animal.

Kinda like with pit bulls, huh? Powerful animals do powerful things.

The problem isn't their physical power. It's the denial of the natural needs of animals with almost human level intelligence for no purpose other than our own entertainment.