One could argue that perhaps you're the one who needs to do some soul searching - is it really better for these whales to be in this "sanctuary" than to simply have a humane, pain/stress free ending and just not exist anymore? There is absolutely an argument to be made that this is all being done for several reasons not involving the best interest of the whales.
Captive Beluga Whales in the U.S. & Canada
- Thread starter Spixii
- Start date
One could argue that perhaps you're the one who needs to do some soul searching - is it really better for these whales to be in this "sanctuary" than to simply have a humane, pain/stress free ending and just not exist anymore? There is absolutely an argument to be made that this is all being done for several reasons not involving the best interest of the whales.
If you choose to quote my post, please quote the whole part for context, not just what you want to fit your narrative. "not likely much better"
Completely agreed.
I can’t fathom how people will perfectly accept whenever captive cetaceans develop ulcers, get their teeth drilled after excessive gnawing, die from a bacterial infection, die from West Nile virus after getting bit by mosquitoes, die from cracking their skull after hitting their tank, etc… but then suddenly condemn the entire concept of a sanctuary because just two belugas (who are so far the first and only belugas brought to this setting) are having difficulty adapting
we don’t even have enough cetaceans in sanctuary settings to form a remotely representative sample. somehow, a park where 20 belugas died since 2019 is being equated to a facility with two belugas and zero cetacean deaths. sheer insanity and hypocrisy
I don't think that's even close to people's entire issue with the sanctuary method, and I'd argue the majority of folks here do not wish to see the whales stay at ML.
The issue is that these whale sanctuaries all seem to be, for lack of better words - very sketchy. The one in NS has drummed up an enormous amount of money with nothing to show for it, is trying to strong arm their way into using a certain piece of land, and all the while - there has been no actual agreeance from ML (or the province/country for that matter) that they'll actually send the whales there. Furthermore, it does not have the capacity to solve the issue.
In short - the WSP is a very expensive pie in the sky of questionable operation, just a different flavour than ML. I think the consensus I get here is that folks would rather see the whales sent to reputable facilities in the US, or simply be euthanized. It's not that folks are particularly anti-sanctuary, it's just that all attempted sanctuaries seem to be a flop - and flops aren't any help to the situation right now.
It's worth noting - the original whistleblower in this situation doesn't even believe in the sanctuary approach anymore... which is saying something as he is often quite militantly anti-captivity. If even he can be pragmatic and see that perhaps we need a realistic but less than optimal solution such as US facilities, then I think we ought to take a page out of his book.