103 year old Orca spotted

[jimmy olsen]

My CdMesque thread of the week. 

https://www.thedodo.com/recently-spotted-103-year-old--547381307.html

Recently Spotted 103-Year-Old Orca Is Bad News For SeaWorld -- Here's Why

By Jenny Kutner
13 May 2014

SeaWorld could be in trouble because of "Granny," the world's oldest known living orca. The 103-year-old whale (also known as J2) was recently spotted off Canada's western coast with her pod -- her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But while the Granny sighting is thrilling for us, it's problematic for SeaWorld.

First of all, SeaWorld has claimed that "no one knows for sure how long killer whales live," when simple figures or even living and thriving examples -- like Granny -- can give us a pretty good idea. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation project estimates that whales born in captivity only live to 4.5 years old, on average; many of SeaWorld's orcas die before they reach their 20s. Perhaps because of their reduced lifespans, the whales are forced to breed continuously and at perilously young ages, which could also diminish their overall health.

Another key aspect of an orca's life -- which is missing in captivity -- is the ability to swim up to 100 miles per day. When Granny was spotted earlier this week, she had just finished an 800-mile trek from northern California along with her pod. According to animal welfare advocates, long-distance swimming is integral to orcas' psychological health and well-being; SeaWorld, however, has gone on record claiming that orcas do not need to swim hundreds of miles regularly, ostensibly to defend the parks' cruel practice of keeping massive, powerful orcas confined to cramped tanks.

Since Granny was first spotted (as early as the 1930s), she's believed to have mothered two calves, who in turn have had calves of their own. (One of her grandchildren, Canuck, reportedly died at the age of 4 after being captured and held at SeaWorld). As her pod has grown, Granny has kept up with them -- without being separated through human intervention -- and traveled astonishing distances with her pod annually. Orcas at SeaWorld are routinely separated from their pods, which has been known to cause huge mental and emotional strain and can prevent calves from developing normally.

Granny doesn't simply represent an impressive feat of nature; she embodies what's wrong with SeaWorld by being a living example of what's right in the wild. While it's true that most wild orcas don't live as long as Granny has, their lifespans are still dramatically longer than those of SeaWorld's whales (the NOAA estimates that wild female orcas, like Granny, live an average of 50 to 60 years). Their lives are also filled with much more swimming, exploration, variety and bonding with family -- in other words, their lives are likely filled with much more joy.

[Valmy]

Sea World is the ultimate evil in the universe.

[CountDeMoney]

My CdMesque thread of the week. 

Go out in the street and get hit by an orca.

[PRC]

Sea World is the ultimate evil in the universe.

They really need to be shut down.

[garbon]

Sea World is the ultimate evil in the universe.

They really need to be shut down.

[CountDeMoney]

All orcas should be freed from captivity.  The fact that Ideologue hates them with the passion of a Japanese fisherman would be enough, let alone the cruelty of circus abuse.

[CountDeMoney]

garbon should be in a cage with somebody with a chair and a whip, but he's probably done that before for money anyway.

[garbon]

All orcas should be freed from captivity.  The fact that Ideologue hates them with the passion of a Japanese fisherman would be enough, let alone the cruelty of circus abuse.

I could see saying that but that's quite different from saying SeaWorld should be boarded up.

[PRC]

Sea World is the ultimate evil in the universe.

They really need to be shut down.

[garbon]

garbon should be in a cage with somebody with a chair and a whip, but he's probably done that before for money anyway.

Never ceases to amaze how some people will get so riled up for animals while displaying disregard for people.

[garbon]

Sea World is the ultimate evil in the universe.

They really need to be shut down.

That's what you get when you say stupid shit.

[PRC]

garbon, Seaworld is evil.  They should be boarded up.

[garbon]

Convincing. But hey if you think the best way to get people to care about marine life is to make sure they never see any marine life - carry on.

[CountDeMoney]

garbon should be in a cage with somebody with a chair and a whip, but he's probably done that before for money anyway.

Never ceases to amaze how some people will get so riled up for animals while displaying disregard for people.

Never had an orca cut me off on the beltway.

[PRC]

Convincing. But hey if you think the best way to get people to care about marine life is to make sure they never see any marine life - carry on.

The best way for people to care about marine life may be to visit a marine entertainment park as you suggest... but that ain't Seaworld. 

Seaworld has shown consistent disregard for the animals in their care and for the people in their employ.  Putting the animals in their care and their employees at risk doesn't help marine conservation.  It hurts it.