In favor of rights to our fellow non-human persons
I have a confession. I grew up in Florida and went to SeaWorld probably a half a dozen times in my childhood. Watching the dolphins and whales do tricks, seeing the trainers work with them...OMG! as a child it was mesmerizing. I was one of the brainwashed kids who was sold an idea that these wonderful creatures thrived in captivity and loved their lives. I wanted to BE a SeaWorld Trainer! How could I think any different? It was magic.
Flash-forward to the release of the documentary, The Cove, several years ago. I was made aware from the man that was once Flipper's best friend that dolphins aren't smiling, it's just their natural facial expression. And they are cruelly rounded up, most are bloodily massacred, and some sold to sites around the world. "Come swim with the dolphins!" To understand their limbic system and their emotional capacity, it makes me think that having dolphins and whales in captivity is as wretched as the sex trade industry. It's just sleazy.
I lived in Seattle for 10 years before coming to the Bay area. The orcas up there are very special, there's at least 3 pods, maybe more, and they've lived there a long time. They have their own languages and customs that are very different from orcas in other areas. I went on a whale-watching tour and I remember the guide showing us the oldest whale, a female, in the J pod was 99 years old. That's much longer than what SeaWorld told people the orcas in captivity could live. They said in captivity the whales live to be up to 35 years old, which is much longer than in the wild. I cringe now to think that we once bought into their lies. I am glad that California has a bill to ban the shows, and I do hope it passes and a message is sent out into the world that SeaWorld needs to stop. They are running a slave trade and need to free those highly intelligent beings.
I could go on an on about this, but I have finals to study for. So I will leave this entry by saying I believe India has it right in making dolphins "Non-human persons" and they deserve rights like humans. (Whales should be in there too.) And, if you haven't seen The Cove and Blackfish, definitely put them in your queue. The world deserves to know the truth!
Being a Floridian too, I thought SeaWorld was so cool! But now I cringe at the thought about some of the things that happen in order to hold them, and I'm sure the animals aren't enjoying it =( I agree with you though that India has the right in deciding what they think it's best. I'll have to watch the Cove and Blackfish!!
ReplyDeleteHi Noelle, if you watch Blackfish, be prepared to cry for days and see what lies SeaWorld really told us. And how they covered up 3 deaths by one whale who was horribly abused for years, taken away from his family when he was a baby (which is very bad for whales!), and now, though he no longer performs, they use his sperm to impregnate other whales at SeaWorld. It's awful awful awful! In the wild there has never been one attack on humans. I liken it to having to spend your life in the backseat of a tiny car with a person on either side of you with your hands tied down and someone from the front seat has to feed you for your whole life....as long as you tell funny jokes. No jokes, no food. At some point you're gonna snap. Anyway, you'll see if you watch the movie. Thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Laura It's really informative. I heard something about Seaworld miss treating dolphins before but did not know the severity of it until reading your post.
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