Main > Everything Else
killer whale kills someone
AtomSmasher:
--- Quote from: Hoopz on February 25, 2010, 02:09:42 pm ---There's a video, almost assuredly on Youtube now, of a sea lion that was supposedly in captivity either hurt or just in a zoo, that was being released into the wild again. A group like PETA had a bunch of people there to celebrate the poor thing being finally released.
They let it go and it swam away free at last. A minute later, you see a killer whale flip the little bastard or another sea lion and eat it. It's fairly comical because of the PETA morons.
--- End quote ---
I seem to remember this (or at least something very similar) happening after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, it was the first otter who had been cleaned and released back into the wild. The newsman made a comment about how the otter flipped on his back and waved goodbye to the crowd....then chomp.
Vanguard:
This is all just proof that our justice system is broken. The whale had a rap sheet, he'd killed before. Twice! What was he still doing swimming the streets? He should have been locked up for life after the killing the first victim.
shmokes:
Um . . . you don't consider the whales at Sea World to be locked up? ;D
Vanguard:
Pffft, Sea Worlds is like a federal prison. All the seafood you can eat, big screen T.V. in your cell, swimming pool, chicks, (The whale's had 13 chilren in captivity).
I say we make him do hard time.
Howard_Casto:
Been follwing this thread for a while now and I was unsure how to respond. There's lots of mis-conceptions and skewed opinions on both sides. I can only add a few statements and opinions of my own.
I've been to several seaworld's and I've always found them to be strangely double-sided. On the one hand they rescue animals and use millions of dollars of funding towards research and study of both the animals and their habitat. They also prove to be a very useful classroom environment for school children, marine biologists and everything in-between. And then you look at the killer whales and larger marine mammals.... It's just sad. A relic of the parks past when they were just in it for the money that they just can't seem to get rid of. Like it or not the "shamus" are the main draw of the parks and pretty much fund all the good work they do. You have to ask if it's worth it though considering orca's are so highly intelligent and the pools they put them in are so small. Personally I wish they'd do away with the practice and I'd be glad to continue visiting the parks for their smaller, happier exhibits. Then again I don't know how that would affect them financially. Sea World has already went bankrupt once and the entirety of the parks was purchased by Bush a few years back.
With that being said, there is a reason the animal in question simply wasn't released into the wild... they can't. Don't let movies like free-willy fool you, orcas born in captivity can't been released into the wild as they won't survive.
Also I need to point out the fact that the term "killer whale" was coined by whalers in the 1800's and generally speaking all species of whale and aquatic mammal are extremely gentle towards man. They are still wild animals though and with orcas being particularly agressive predators that feed on people -sized animals so they can hurt or even kill you if you provoke or scare them. The term "killer" is a tad harsh though and I don't like how it's being thrown around in this thread so casually. Sure it makes for a great punchline for your favorite late-night talk show, but it's really mis-leading.
The discussion of sympathy towards the diver and as a offshoot guys like steve irwin is something I have an opinion on as well. I think this argument might be more about the language used than anything else. I don't like the way the term "sympathize" is being used and I certainly don't sympathize with the diver, who's typically a college intern who has no business around anything alive much less a full-grown orca, or Mr. Irwin who was well-aware of the risks involved when he died. I do however feel sad about it, I just can't sympathize because these weren't freak accidents and the parties involved were aware of the danger. That being said, in both cases the individuals were well trained (well I'm assuming the diver was) and weren't doing anything irresponsible in the context of their occupations. I take extreme offense when guys like stever irwin are portrayed as some dumb brute poking animals with sticks for fame, when he and his family has done more for wildlife conservation and protection in their lives than more "legitimate" organizations like the WWF will ever hope to achieve. So do I sympathize? No, they knew the risks, but it is down-right dispecable to treat these people like some kind of animal exploiting nazis who got what was coming to them.
Also it's a misconception to think that the whales are being "teased" to do tricks. All members of the dolphin family are EXTREMELY intelligent. As in they are attempting to teach them sign language intelligent. If they aren't willing to do the trick then they'll let you know in their own way. It's why seaworld typically has several of each species and some aren't involved in the shows at all. Those simply don't want to perform. Of course this makes it even sadder that they are in captivity considering their intelligence, but it is by no means reckless to be around them. Of course ANY animal is dangerous, even man. Also the food they are given during shows is just a treat, it has virtually no impact on their caloric intake, so they aren't being starved to perform.
Well that's all I've got for now. I might comment on zoo's and marine parks in general later on if this thread keeps going but I'd need to collect my thoughts on the matter first.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version