Jennifer R. (chirey) - , reviewed Death at SeaWorld: The Animal and Human Scandal of America's Most Popular Captive Spectacle on + 117 more book reviews
Ok, forgive me but this will be a long one.
First of all I knew going into this book it was going to bash Seaworld but it still made me mad. I stopped reading several times and called Naomi a few unflattering names I can't repeat here.
I understand life in captivity is not the perfect life for these animals, but I think a few whales giving up their freedom is well worth the trade off. The whales were originally captured in the 60's and 70's and was not done in the most humane way. I understand that. But I think science and the way we think and act has changed DRAMATICALLY since and because of the way things were done. Seaworld is ever evolving. They have to. Bottom line is that they are a theme park, and their goal is to make money. But not at the cost of the whales and their trainers.
One of the first debates to make me mad was Naomi's naive view that people who want to view killer whales can view them in the wild instead. Well hell yes I would rather see a whale swimming in the big, beautiful ocean, but the chances of my landlocked butt in Ohio making it to the coast are about a million to one. (unless I happen to win the lottery, where my odds might be better). She says it is a a bunch of crap that people go to Seaworld to see the whales when they can see them in the wild. Her theory is that it costs a family of four $300.00 for a day at Seaworld and you can go on a whale sightseeing boat for $140.00. However when I researched Seaworld prices you get a family of 4 in for $300.00 -the first day and your second day is free.......so that makes it $150.00 a day. Plus which of the two options is going to just about guarantee you seeing a Killer whale??? And going to Seaworld is not just about the Killer whales. You will see manatees, penguins, sharks, dolphins, and SOOO MUCH MORE. Well worth the money, unless you are only going to sit in Shamu stadium all day. By all means take the boat then. But last I checked that would only close Seaworld in California because I don't think there are any killer whales swimming around the waters of Texas or Florida.
The second irritating topic was Keiko (Willy of Free Willy) over TEN MILLION DOLLARS was spent trying to return him(UNSUCCESSFULLY) to the wild. He died after beaching himself and was surrounded by loving caretakers. He spent his time in the wild taking swims away from his seapen and returning for food. When not in his pen he approached boats and "begged" for food. people paid money to go on rides out to him and many people got in the water and swam with him. (in the wild) No injuries to people were ever recorded.
The critics of Seaworld act as if money is their only concern. I do not believe Seaworld would put their trainers in harms way. They don't see them as "disposable" and easily replaced. Most of the instances where a trainer was "attacked" was what I consider playing and rough-housing. Dunking trainers, bumping into them, mouthing trainers, etc. The whales play with their trainers the same way you wrestle and play with your dog and sometimes the dog bites or the cat scratches. The major difference is that the whales can KILL YOU. Being in a water enviroment the temperature can be dangerous, the size and weight of the animal and not to mention the lack of oxygen! I think if the whale intends to kill they can do so very quickly and easily. One bite or hard slam of the trainer to the wall or bottom will do it. But the bumping and dunking and mouthing are playing. Don't get me wrong, you couldn't pay me enough to get in a tank with a killer whale. But the trainers do it everyday and they KNOW the risks. You don't play with wild animals and act surprised when something bad happens.
I think Seaworld acts in the best interest of both the animals and trainers to make an extremely dangerous activity as safe as possible. They state that the trainers have had millions of successful interactions with the whales with just a few instances of injuries.
Seaworld maintains that they work with the whales everyday and 99% of the time a trainer had a sign the whale was about to disobey them or get aggresive.
I think the death of Dawn (who essentially started the most publicity and investigations) was a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented. I think she became too comfortable with the animal and let down her guard. By laying in the water with him (even though it was on a ledge) it showed she didn't fear him enough. After all he had killed before. I don't think they discuss his history properly though. He has killed 2 people before Dawn, but both of those deaths have back stories. The first person killed was a trainer in 1991 when he pulled a trainer in who tripped and had her foot in the water - he was not used to having people in the water so he was riveted and pulled her in and began playing "keep away" from the other people. After the 2 female in the tank came over to share in the fun he pulled her under and eventually drowned her. So not neccessarily an attack.
The second death was a low-life type drifter who snuck in after hours, stripped down to swimming trunks and got in the pool with Tilikum. Not the brightest person. He was killed but the causes were speculated to be hypothermia and drowning (the water is very cold which is why trainer wear wetsuits) but the anticaptivity groups focused on the body's postmort injuries. Tilikum obviously "played" with the body all night which I don't find surprising, because what else would any animal do alone all night with a new "toy"?
Not that any death is okay but only a grand total of 4 people have been killed by killer whales in captivity (and I don't think the drifter should count as a reason the whales are dangerous for trainers to work with.) He had no right to be there and could have just as easily snuck into a zoo to sleep with the lions or bears.
Which would be the next venue for the treehuggers if they ever succeed in their mission. Which is to have NO killer whales in captivity.
If they are ever successful getting that then you can kiss zoos goodbye next.
I don't know about you but I LOVE to go to zoos and aquariums. It is the only way to see real live animals and feel as if you are interacting with nature. You are able to see animals in a realistic habitat and see them up close to put a visual with the name. Most zoos are very educational make learning about animals and nature very entertaining and fun. As a society we have come to expect everything to be fun and entertaining. So if a few seal lions have to balance a ball on their nose and a killer whale has to do "unnatural" tricks for us so be it. The animals would not do it if they didn't want to because no one is going to MAKE a 12,000 lb animal perform. And being able to see a killer whale inches away through a clear barrier is breath-taking. Being able to actually see the animal, to see its size and be able to see what 12,000 lbs looks like, that is how I am able to truly understand its size. Imagine living in the 1900's and having a person trying to describe a killer whale or a penguin. We live such a wonderful life to be able to actually see these glorious creatures for ourselves.
I have been to Seaworld many times as a child and twice as an adult and I love it. I only wish it were still in Ohio so my children could enjoy it like I did. Instead we enjoy going to our local zoos several times a year and the wonderful aquariums and drivethru safari parks we have available to us.
Thank you for reading my review. I hope you agree with it and continue to support Seaworld, zoos and aquariums.
I know not everyone will agree with me and that is fine, too.
Be sure to read the book because it is full of actual information about Killer whales both in captivity and in the wild. Not all of it is pretty and some is just sad. But in the end they are ANIMALS. Naomi got mad at people for personifying the animals and giving them "human" emotions but she is the first to stand up for their "rights" and what makes for a better life for them. Whatever!
First of all I knew going into this book it was going to bash Seaworld but it still made me mad. I stopped reading several times and called Naomi a few unflattering names I can't repeat here.
I understand life in captivity is not the perfect life for these animals, but I think a few whales giving up their freedom is well worth the trade off. The whales were originally captured in the 60's and 70's and was not done in the most humane way. I understand that. But I think science and the way we think and act has changed DRAMATICALLY since and because of the way things were done. Seaworld is ever evolving. They have to. Bottom line is that they are a theme park, and their goal is to make money. But not at the cost of the whales and their trainers.
One of the first debates to make me mad was Naomi's naive view that people who want to view killer whales can view them in the wild instead. Well hell yes I would rather see a whale swimming in the big, beautiful ocean, but the chances of my landlocked butt in Ohio making it to the coast are about a million to one. (unless I happen to win the lottery, where my odds might be better). She says it is a a bunch of crap that people go to Seaworld to see the whales when they can see them in the wild. Her theory is that it costs a family of four $300.00 for a day at Seaworld and you can go on a whale sightseeing boat for $140.00. However when I researched Seaworld prices you get a family of 4 in for $300.00 -the first day and your second day is free.......so that makes it $150.00 a day. Plus which of the two options is going to just about guarantee you seeing a Killer whale??? And going to Seaworld is not just about the Killer whales. You will see manatees, penguins, sharks, dolphins, and SOOO MUCH MORE. Well worth the money, unless you are only going to sit in Shamu stadium all day. By all means take the boat then. But last I checked that would only close Seaworld in California because I don't think there are any killer whales swimming around the waters of Texas or Florida.
The second irritating topic was Keiko (Willy of Free Willy) over TEN MILLION DOLLARS was spent trying to return him(UNSUCCESSFULLY) to the wild. He died after beaching himself and was surrounded by loving caretakers. He spent his time in the wild taking swims away from his seapen and returning for food. When not in his pen he approached boats and "begged" for food. people paid money to go on rides out to him and many people got in the water and swam with him. (in the wild) No injuries to people were ever recorded.
The critics of Seaworld act as if money is their only concern. I do not believe Seaworld would put their trainers in harms way. They don't see them as "disposable" and easily replaced. Most of the instances where a trainer was "attacked" was what I consider playing and rough-housing. Dunking trainers, bumping into them, mouthing trainers, etc. The whales play with their trainers the same way you wrestle and play with your dog and sometimes the dog bites or the cat scratches. The major difference is that the whales can KILL YOU. Being in a water enviroment the temperature can be dangerous, the size and weight of the animal and not to mention the lack of oxygen! I think if the whale intends to kill they can do so very quickly and easily. One bite or hard slam of the trainer to the wall or bottom will do it. But the bumping and dunking and mouthing are playing. Don't get me wrong, you couldn't pay me enough to get in a tank with a killer whale. But the trainers do it everyday and they KNOW the risks. You don't play with wild animals and act surprised when something bad happens.
I think Seaworld acts in the best interest of both the animals and trainers to make an extremely dangerous activity as safe as possible. They state that the trainers have had millions of successful interactions with the whales with just a few instances of injuries.
Seaworld maintains that they work with the whales everyday and 99% of the time a trainer had a sign the whale was about to disobey them or get aggresive.
I think the death of Dawn (who essentially started the most publicity and investigations) was a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented. I think she became too comfortable with the animal and let down her guard. By laying in the water with him (even though it was on a ledge) it showed she didn't fear him enough. After all he had killed before. I don't think they discuss his history properly though. He has killed 2 people before Dawn, but both of those deaths have back stories. The first person killed was a trainer in 1991 when he pulled a trainer in who tripped and had her foot in the water - he was not used to having people in the water so he was riveted and pulled her in and began playing "keep away" from the other people. After the 2 female in the tank came over to share in the fun he pulled her under and eventually drowned her. So not neccessarily an attack.
The second death was a low-life type drifter who snuck in after hours, stripped down to swimming trunks and got in the pool with Tilikum. Not the brightest person. He was killed but the causes were speculated to be hypothermia and drowning (the water is very cold which is why trainer wear wetsuits) but the anticaptivity groups focused on the body's postmort injuries. Tilikum obviously "played" with the body all night which I don't find surprising, because what else would any animal do alone all night with a new "toy"?
Not that any death is okay but only a grand total of 4 people have been killed by killer whales in captivity (and I don't think the drifter should count as a reason the whales are dangerous for trainers to work with.) He had no right to be there and could have just as easily snuck into a zoo to sleep with the lions or bears.
Which would be the next venue for the treehuggers if they ever succeed in their mission. Which is to have NO killer whales in captivity.
If they are ever successful getting that then you can kiss zoos goodbye next.
I don't know about you but I LOVE to go to zoos and aquariums. It is the only way to see real live animals and feel as if you are interacting with nature. You are able to see animals in a realistic habitat and see them up close to put a visual with the name. Most zoos are very educational make learning about animals and nature very entertaining and fun. As a society we have come to expect everything to be fun and entertaining. So if a few seal lions have to balance a ball on their nose and a killer whale has to do "unnatural" tricks for us so be it. The animals would not do it if they didn't want to because no one is going to MAKE a 12,000 lb animal perform. And being able to see a killer whale inches away through a clear barrier is breath-taking. Being able to actually see the animal, to see its size and be able to see what 12,000 lbs looks like, that is how I am able to truly understand its size. Imagine living in the 1900's and having a person trying to describe a killer whale or a penguin. We live such a wonderful life to be able to actually see these glorious creatures for ourselves.
I have been to Seaworld many times as a child and twice as an adult and I love it. I only wish it were still in Ohio so my children could enjoy it like I did. Instead we enjoy going to our local zoos several times a year and the wonderful aquariums and drivethru safari parks we have available to us.
Thank you for reading my review. I hope you agree with it and continue to support Seaworld, zoos and aquariums.
I know not everyone will agree with me and that is fine, too.
Be sure to read the book because it is full of actual information about Killer whales both in captivity and in the wild. Not all of it is pretty and some is just sad. But in the end they are ANIMALS. Naomi got mad at people for personifying the animals and giving them "human" emotions but she is the first to stand up for their "rights" and what makes for a better life for them. Whatever!
