Are cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) safer in captivity than in the wild?
A ludicrous question? Perhaps, but one that should direct our attention to the state of our planet, and of caretaking and stewardship of captive, non-human animals.
Anti-captivity and animal rights advocates, shareholders, and organizations such as all-volunteer nonprofit Cetacean Society International have cause to celebrate following the March 17 announcement about the partnership between SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment the Humane Society of the US to end captive orca breeding and phase out theatrical orca whale shows. Chief executive officer and president Joel Manby wrote an Op-Ed piece in the Los Angeles Times asserting the rationale for the unprecedented, historic shift: “Americans’ attitudes about orcas have changed dramatically…now we need to respond to the attitudinal change that we helped to create…”
This monumental move to transform SeaWorld’s business model is worthy of praise and commemoration as, according to Manby, the remaining orcas“… will be the last generation of orcas in SeaWorld’s care.” Wild-captured or born in captivity, Manby promises the more than twenty SeaWorld orcas will continue to “receive the highest-quality care, based on the latest advances in marine veterinary medicine, science and zoological best practices…” SeaWorld is an undeniable force for good in rescue operations, one of the largest in the world, and has committed to increase the work and focus in this area so that stranded marine mammals receive rehabilitation and care. Stocks have risen since the announcement.
Well-deserved congratulations aside, skeptics express relentless concern about the remaining marine mammals in captivity including but not limited to dolphins and belugas, and remind the world of the four people killed and 100+ aggressive acts by captive orcas, the innumerable animals who have died in capture and captivity (only 20 of the 145 wild orcas taken into captivity are alive today) ; sinking SeaWorld stock prices since the release of the documentary Blackfish, failed pregnancies and premature births/deaths, the captive orcas around the world, for example, wild caught Kiska in Canada; Morgan in Loro Parque, Spain; Kshamenk in Mundo Marino, Argentina; Lolita at Miami Seaquarium (deemed most eligible for release to a more natural environment by experts) – and most regrettable, the imminent death of beloved and infamous Tilikum, who, at the time of this writing, languishes in a med pool in SeaWorld Orlando, unresponsive to treatment for a bacterial lung infection. Little has been reported about SeaWorld’s expansion into the Asian and Middle East markets, but the probability is troubling.
Nevertheless, partnerships, collaborations and progress in captive animal care are to be applauded. Globally, groups and individuals have been working tirelessly in anticipation of the retirement of eligible orcas to a sanctuary or sea pen facility. Millions continue to call for the end of orca captivity, full stop. SeaWorld’s announcement is certainly a positive step forward, but it would be wise to also use this momentum to move toward education about and activism for protection of our planet’s dwindling natural resources, as Manby claims will be done: “…we are partnering with the Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection and advocacy organization. Together, we will work against commercial whaling and seal hunts, shark finning and ocean pollution.”
The scope of work in animal protection and environmental advocacy is massive. Again, Manby joins environmentalists and advocates by acknowledging the need for education, energy and difficult decisions “… to halt and reverse the exploitation of wild places and the extinction of wild species.”
Is protection for wild orcas and other marine mammals alone unattainable? According to an article published online January, 2016, PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters, cetacean populations in the Northeast Atlan