will sea pens work for captive whales?

[TheMightyOrca]

Too many sanctuaries are only open to high rollers (not that aquariums are necessarily cheap) which to me is wrong. For example the Tennessee elephant sanctuary will give you a behind the scenes tour if you give them some ridiculous amount of money over a period of years. Plus their website tell you this after shaming you for going to see captive elephants anywhere else and giving you misinformation about the state of elephant husbandry in the United States.

The whole point of an animal sanctuary is to give the animal a place where it can relax and not have to deal with humans, so it's understandable that normal guest visits are often very limited to sometimes not allowed at all. (I also want to point out, I'm pretty sure the VIP elephant sanctuary tour doesn't guarantee that you'll see an elephant. Similar situation if you volunteer; you go into the sanctuary and you might see one, but no guarantee. Just as well, the elephant sanctuary is very large and having lots of tours would be difficult to do) Though I've always said that if I started making obscene amounts of money (lol as if) I'd want to open an animal sanctuary, and if so I'd want it open to the public at least part of the time. Might have to be limited to guided tours, and of course there's no guarantee that an animal will be seen. But I'd want to do some educational stuff, ya know? Use the facility to promote conservation and awareness, have fundraisers and festivals, etc.

 

[wensleydale]

I can understand having a place where humans generally don't visit, but allowing someone in for whatever reason just because they paid an obscene amount of money just doesn't sit well with me.

 

[joe99]

Sea pens are just another form of captivity and the whales would still rely on humans for feeding more than likely. Plus, they would be exposed to bacteria that could potentially be fatal, like what happened with Keiko.

I used to be very supportive of Sea World, but that has changed over the past couple of years, especially when they made the choice to artificially inseminate an 8 year old whale. I still support their rescue and rehab work of seals and sea lions, but I would rather they stop the breeding program and shows and just allow the animals to live out their natural lives.

Captivity is not a good option, but it's better than the certain death they would face with release or being put in sea pens. The majority of the whales in captivity were born there and have never lived in the wild. They could not survive in the wild. Even though Keiko had learned how to hunt for himself again, he was still seeking out humans.

In a nutshell, I'm anti-captivity, but I'm even more anti-release. I was a long-time visitor to Sea World hand enjoyed many benefits of being an 'insider' so I'm able to see things from both sides of the equation.

I've stated it in other threads and will do it again here...if anyone ever had any questions about what really goes on behind the scenes, especially if you've seen Blackfish, do not hesitate to send me a PM. surprisingly (or maybe not) nobody has ever asked me anything after I've made that comment, but I still leave that door open. I've been there. I've seen a lot. I know a lot about the goings on.

I think seaworld is a great place and strive to make their lives as best they can but they cant really provide the space and social beavouior and enrichment the really need. plus when Keiko was reexposed to sea water is immune system recoverd . im not saying rerlesase but a larger home ant to live there lives back in the ocean