Well
folks its that time of year again, Shark Week. All of last week the Discovery
Channel brought us almost non-stop programming about these very misunderstood
creatures, ideas which have been commonplace since “Jaws” was released in movie
theaters in the 1970s.
I must
confess I do love Shark Week but the programs I end up watching usually take me
by surprise. I love seeing sharks up close, on my TV, in their natural habitat
while some brave scientist dives underwater in a cage so he will not be eaten
alive. Here I must also confess I don’t mind watching a show like that either
because there use to be one with a similar central plot on Animal Planet called
“Fatal Attractions.” I miss it so.
However
interactive the shows during Shark Week seem, they are among the least
controversial ways we can commune with nature without interrupting a natural
environment. Sadly this is not something we can take for granted anymore.
When it
comes to the subject of animals, specifically in the wild, we have not properly
recognized the damage the human race has done by keeping them in captivity
purely for our amusement in zoos or aquariums. But now the harm is exceeding to
humans as well.
One of
the few humans that have spent any real time in the wild with positive effects
is undoubtedly Jane Goodall (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2012/04/for-jane-of-jungle-jane-goodall.html)
who I was lucky enough to meet a few years ago. Her work in Africa learning
about chimps and promoting their well-being are just a few of the causes she
has dedicated her life to. Ms. Goodall’s life experiences are an even rarer
story that won’t be possible for future generations. We seem to only get in the
way and follow trends that are only harming those we seek to understand.
It is
along those lines where I must repeat my mantra; I hate people. No I really do.
I always have and always will. Sure there are the handful that I am related to
and friends with that are the exception to the rule but those people have been
carefully selected. I find that most people are ignorant, idiotic, or even
worse, immoral. The more I read about the crazy way in which people interact
with wild animals the more I am sure I am right.
As the
title of this blog claims, I have a secret SeaWorld shame to share. That being;
I have never been to SeaWorld AND I really am sad I no longer have a chance to
experience that magic.
The rest
of this blog discusses the reasons why.
In 2013
CNN debuted the documentary “Blackfish” and pretty much changed my world
forever. The film addresses the murder of Dawn Brancheau by the now infamous killer whale Tilikum, an innocent victim in the
midst of this truly tragic story.
Sure it
doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that SeaWorld was not a joy ride for
the animals imprisoned there. But my mind was seriously blown by the extreme
abuse suffered by the brilliant creatures by those claiming to love them.
This film
cracked a whole in my soul. I cannot stop watching it. I have always known that
zoos and the like were not in the animal’s best interest. I just didn’t realize
the extent of the harm and abuse they suffered at the hands of commercial
venues such as SeaWorld. Watching “Blackfish” led me to research this subject
further and my first stop was John Hargrove’s book, “Beneath the Surface”.
Sadness, anger, and shock are the least of what I felt. It was an education of
the worst kind.
My
sympathy for Tilikum stems from what I learned about his life. Now more than
ever, I want to visit him in his torturously small pen to pet him and somehow
comfort him. He is being cruelly punished even more for an act that was not his
fault. How much can someone or something take before it finally reacts with its
basic instincts?
Former
animal trainer, Bruce Stephens said it best:
"If
you fail to provide your animals with the excitement they need, you may be
certain they will create the excitement themselves."
Of
SeaWorld he continued:
“They
basically ran it like you would run McDonald's….It just can't be good for an
animal that is so intelligent to do the same thing every day."
Needless
to say this was the crushing final blow to my SeaWorld dreams. It was kind of
like I didn’t know what I was missing until I did and now morally I cannot step
into any of their facilities. I have to remember that I have always felt
strongly about elephant abuse in circuses and have never nor will ever go. I
know how wrong they were to steal, berate, and train wild animals. But the
thought of seeing one of these magnificent orcas up close still makes my heart
flutter, right before the guilt surfaces.
Two other
films about elephants and dolphins respectively, that I recommend are “TYKE
Elephant Outlaw” and “The Cove”. The latter stars Richard O’Barry and his
monstrous mission to save dolphins from the hands of poachers in Japan.
Coincidently
it was the Discovery Channel once again that provided the beginning inspiration
for this post. Their show “Sonic Sea” was another source of education for me on
the damage we are inflicting onto wild life, even those that we let remain
there.
“Sonic
Sea” has provided it’s viewers with too much information for me to provide
here. Safe to say I didn’t realize that noise pollution was effecting animals
so severely leading some whales or dolphins to become beached as they are
driven out of the depths of the oceans because of the sound made by ships.
Whales have an ability to hear sounds of the Indian Ocean all the way to
Washington State. Hearing is how these animals survive especially as visibility
decreases in the water. As a chronic migraine patient sound plays a large part
in how I can function each day. It only takes one instance of sounds my brain
can’t handle to trigger a migraine attack out of nowhere. I can’t imagine if
sound played a bigger part in my daily life how I would cope. No wonder the
whales in SeaWorld are suffering. They are in tiny immobile tanks listening to
the crowds and shows happening all around them. It sounds like a recipe for
disaster, no big surprise there.
As I
process all of my thoughts about SeaWorld I realize there is one other event I
feel shame about, specifically that I missed it but still wish I could see and
that is the Siegfried and Roy show at The Mirage in Las Vegas. Their shows
ended on the night in 2003 on which Roy was almost mauled to death by one of
the couple’s beloved white tigers during their act. Roy insisted it was not the
tiger’s fault but rather that he was instantly reacting to Roy’s energy during
the performance. Roy maintains that he was about to have a seizure or other
medical trauma that caused the tiger to pounce attempting to protect instead of
hurt Roy. The men refused to let the tiger be put down instead allowing him to
continue to live at the home they all share. I like to use a Chris Rock joke
where he said: “That tiger didn’t go crazy. That tiger went tiger”. This is
perhaps the most intelligent statement I have heard about the whole ordeal.
One of
the few movies that I have truly enjoyed in the recent past is “Jurassic World”
(http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2015/06/for-my-return-to-park-jurassic-world.html).
While this is a fictitious story there is a lot of take a ways we can relate
to. The first being that there is no place for us in this world to remain safe
as we continue to engage in works that are out of this world. Sure we aren’t
making custom designer dinosaurs but allowing trainers to jump into pools with
killer whales doesn’t seem to make much sense anymore, but it really should
have been that way from the beginning. In this movie we can see the absurdity
if we would continue on this paradigm.
In a
perfect world I would have a home with the capability to have an orca, dolphin,
and a panda as pets. They would each revel in their natural habits and we would
all live in harmony together. But of course that is only possible in my
imagination.
The
closest I ever came to this dream was back in 2001 during a trip to Cancun,
Mexico over college spring break. It was there when I had an opportunity to
swim with dolphins. Those majestic creatures were so much bigger up close than
you can ever appreciate when you are outside of the tank. They seemed so smart
and at ease. We each took a turn taking a kissing picture as well as a dorsal
pull swim. I have saved that photo all of these years. It is one of the things
I am proud to have accomplished already off of my life’s bucket list. Now
though, I have to acknowledge that I would never do it again. So much has
changed since then so I know I have to refuse activities like this to do my
part in protecting wildlife. Even if this gesture seems too small I still do
not want to continue to act in an irresponsible way.
Animals
are a very trendy topic now. They are stars of their own television show. CBS
has created a new show called “Zoo” based on the novels by writing legend James
Patterson. It is oddly addicting for a work of fiction but I find the topic
fascinating. The core plot centers around a world where the animal population’s
instincts have been rewired and they are all focused on hunting and killing
humans. It is a world that is easily pictured if we were to let those in zoos,
etc. the chance to express what they really feel about us as a species. It
wouldn’t really even be their fault.
Despite
all of this negativity there are many out there trying to do good by the animal
community. The best way to make sure the facilities you are visiting are up to
code please go to the websites for Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the
Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums.
This all
may have started with SeaWorld, but as we can see it sadly and certainly
doesn’t end there.
For Much
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