How awful and so sad.
3 Killer Whales die within 4 months at Sea World
- Thread starter Candy
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Horrible 
RIP Nami!
RIP Nami!Killer whale trainers won't be in water for new SeaWorld show
'One Ocean,' which replaces 'Believe,' will debut in late April at SeaWorld Orlando
A new killer-whale show that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will open this spring in its three U.S. marine parks will not include any in-water interaction between trainers and whales.
Dubbed "One Ocean," the performance will debut in late April at SeaWorld Orlando, on Memorial Day weekend at SeaWorld San Diego and in June at SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld was to announce today. It will replace the nearly 5-year-old "Believe" show as the showcase attraction in the company's marine parks.
Plans for the new show have been deeply influenced by the Feb. 24, 2010, death of SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was battered and drowned by a company killer whale, and by the months-long safety review that has followed the tragedy.
The most significant adjustment: The new show has been designed for trainers to work exclusively from the stage, instead of in the water with the killer whales. Instead of "rocket hops"  the iconic maneuver in which a whale propels a trainer out of the water  "One Ocean" will feature highlights such as multiple orcas performing in unison and maneuvering amid giant fountains.
SeaWorld hasn't let its trainers swim with the animals since Brancheau's death. It has said it will reinstitute such "water work" only if it can make sufficient safety improvements.
"We are now staying out of the water. We don't know when or how that's going to change. So we said, 'Let's design this one to facilitate that and go in that direction,' " said Julie Scardina, SeaWorld Parks' curator of animal training. "This show was designed to create the interconnectedness with the whales without having to be in the water."
"One Ocean" will also have a more explicit conservation theme than "Believe" did, with images and messages that "revolve around the ocean, the environment, what people can do to make a difference," Scardina said.
She said the new show will emphasize the individual personalities of each of the roughly two-dozen killer whales in SeaWorld's corporate collection. During the show, for instance, trainers will have some guests interact with the animals through the glass surrounding the show pool. Trainers will also have more latitude about what behaviors to use than they did during the tightly choreographed "Believe."
"With the last show, we probably focused a little bit more on the fact that these are amazing performers. Now, we want to introduce them to the audience," Scardina said. "We want to bring them [guests] down to the glass and get close, and let people see that the older whales actually do teach the younger whales, that when they interact together they have fun."
The new themes have been crafted following months of heavy criticism from animal-rights activists who say marine parks provide no genuine educational benefit and that keeping the world's largest marine predator in captivity is inhumane. Critics contend that Brancheau's death  and a similar death in December 2009 of an orca trainer at a Canary Islands marine park  were the result of killer whales enduring extreme stress in captive environments, a conclusion that SeaWorld vehemently disputes.
To prepare for "One Ocean," SeaWorld's three Shamu Stadium orca complexes will undergo significant construction, as crews install fountains, paint new color schemes and, in some of the parks, replace oversized video screens. Scardina said the physical improvements will be comparable to what SeaWorld did to prepare for "Believe," on which the company reportedly spent more than $10 million.
Scardina said SeaWorld is also incorporating new safety features developed as part of the internal review launched following the Brancheau tragedy. But she declined to discuss specific measures, citing the ongoing legal fight in which SeaWorld is contesting a citation issued last year by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A hearing before an administrative judge with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Review Commission is scheduled for April 25.
The new killer-whale shows are among 10 new attractions SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will add at its 10 U.S. theme and water parks this year. SeaWorld says the construction spree, which is expected to approach nearly $200 million in 2011, is the largest single-year capital investment in company history.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...ld-killer-whale-show-20110203,0,5206150.story
'One Ocean,' which replaces 'Believe,' will debut in late April at SeaWorld Orlando
A new killer-whale show that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will open this spring in its three U.S. marine parks will not include any in-water interaction between trainers and whales.
Dubbed "One Ocean," the performance will debut in late April at SeaWorld Orlando, on Memorial Day weekend at SeaWorld San Diego and in June at SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld was to announce today. It will replace the nearly 5-year-old "Believe" show as the showcase attraction in the company's marine parks.
Plans for the new show have been deeply influenced by the Feb. 24, 2010, death of SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was battered and drowned by a company killer whale, and by the months-long safety review that has followed the tragedy.
The most significant adjustment: The new show has been designed for trainers to work exclusively from the stage, instead of in the water with the killer whales. Instead of "rocket hops"  the iconic maneuver in which a whale propels a trainer out of the water  "One Ocean" will feature highlights such as multiple orcas performing in unison and maneuvering amid giant fountains.
SeaWorld hasn't let its trainers swim with the animals since Brancheau's death. It has said it will reinstitute such "water work" only if it can make sufficient safety improvements.
"We are now staying out of the water. We don't know when or how that's going to change. So we said, 'Let's design this one to facilitate that and go in that direction,' " said Julie Scardina, SeaWorld Parks' curator of animal training. "This show was designed to create the interconnectedness with the whales without having to be in the water."
"One Ocean" will also have a more explicit conservation theme than "Believe" did, with images and messages that "revolve around the ocean, the environment, what people can do to make a difference," Scardina said.
She said the new show will emphasize the individual personalities of each of the roughly two-dozen killer whales in SeaWorld's corporate collection. During the show, for instance, trainers will have some guests interact with the animals through the glass surrounding the show pool. Trainers will also have more latitude about what behaviors to use than they did during the tightly choreographed "Believe."
"With the last show, we probably focused a little bit more on the fact that these are amazing performers. Now, we want to introduce them to the audience," Scardina said. "We want to bring them [guests] down to the glass and get close, and let people see that the older whales actually do teach the younger whales, that when they interact together they have fun."
The new themes have been crafted following months of heavy criticism from animal-rights activists who say marine parks provide no genuine educational benefit and that keeping the world's largest marine predator in captivity is inhumane. Critics contend that Brancheau's death  and a similar death in December 2009 of an orca trainer at a Canary Islands marine park  were the result of killer whales enduring extreme stress in captive environments, a conclusion that SeaWorld vehemently disputes.
To prepare for "One Ocean," SeaWorld's three Shamu Stadium orca complexes will undergo significant construction, as crews install fountains, paint new color schemes and, in some of the parks, replace oversized video screens. Scardina said the physical improvements will be comparable to what SeaWorld did to prepare for "Believe," on which the company reportedly spent more than $10 million.
Scardina said SeaWorld is also incorporating new safety features developed as part of the internal review launched following the Brancheau tragedy. But she declined to discuss specific measures, citing the ongoing legal fight in which SeaWorld is contesting a citation issued last year by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A hearing before an administrative judge with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Review Commission is scheduled for April 25.
The new killer-whale shows are among 10 new attractions SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will add at its 10 U.S. theme and water parks this year. SeaWorld says the construction spree, which is expected to approach nearly $200 million in 2011, is the largest single-year capital investment in company history.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...ld-killer-whale-show-20110203,0,5206150.story
Seaworld Has a Whale of a Debt in Their Financial Tank
According to the Wall Street Journal, Seaworld has accumulated a mind-boggling $1.2 billion dollar debt, and is taking steps to refinance in hopes of saving itself $14 million a year in interest. Standard and Poors, the company that evaluates the credit-worthiness of businesses, gives Seaworld a moderately low BB- rating, in spite of Seaworld’s efforts to restructure:
"The 'BB-' corporate credit rating reflects SeaWorld's low profit margin
compared to its theme park operator peers, cyclical and seasonal operating
performance, and geographic concentration in Florida," said Standard & Poor's
credit analyst Ariel Silverberg, "and management's plan to increase capital
spending this year, which may reduce discretionary cash flow." These factors
are only modestly offset by SeaWorld's position as a distant second-largest
U.S. theme park company in terms of revenue (after The Walt Disney Co.) and
moderate debt leverage.
"While the proposed refinancing transaction will slightly reduce fixed charges
and extend maturities," said Ms. Silverberg, "we view the transaction as
neutral to the credit risk of SeaWorld."
Seaworld alternately blames the bad economy and public reaction to the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau last year for it’s financial woes, and has taken steps to modify their shows in hopes of bringing back tourist dollars. The newly redesigned show will keep trainers out of the water, and is touted to place more emphasis on education (yet as activist Ric O’Barry points out, the logic of keeping whales in tanks to illustrate the natural world is a bit twisted) and they are counting on the public to somehow be seduced into giving up it’s hard earned money to keep Seaworld afloat.
As a commenter to this public relations video noted: If it is educational, why are they referring to female orcas as ‘he’?
Ric O’Barry counters this point of view in talking about the captive whale “Lolita†whose family still swims free in the waters near Seattle, and includes remarks by the Center for Whale Research senior scientist, Ken Balcomb:
Last year Costco ran a survey of it’s members, and reported that only around 17% feel that keeping wild animals in captivity for our amusement is right. It is time for the amusement parks to stop capturing and breeding whales and dolphins, there is nothing amusing about it.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewh...as-a-whale-of-a-debt-in-their-financial-tank/
According to the Wall Street Journal, Seaworld has accumulated a mind-boggling $1.2 billion dollar debt, and is taking steps to refinance in hopes of saving itself $14 million a year in interest. Standard and Poors, the company that evaluates the credit-worthiness of businesses, gives Seaworld a moderately low BB- rating, in spite of Seaworld’s efforts to restructure:
"The 'BB-' corporate credit rating reflects SeaWorld's low profit margin
compared to its theme park operator peers, cyclical and seasonal operating
performance, and geographic concentration in Florida," said Standard & Poor's
credit analyst Ariel Silverberg, "and management's plan to increase capital
spending this year, which may reduce discretionary cash flow." These factors
are only modestly offset by SeaWorld's position as a distant second-largest
U.S. theme park company in terms of revenue (after The Walt Disney Co.) and
moderate debt leverage.
"While the proposed refinancing transaction will slightly reduce fixed charges
and extend maturities," said Ms. Silverberg, "we view the transaction as
neutral to the credit risk of SeaWorld."
Seaworld alternately blames the bad economy and public reaction to the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau last year for it’s financial woes, and has taken steps to modify their shows in hopes of bringing back tourist dollars. The newly redesigned show will keep trainers out of the water, and is touted to place more emphasis on education (yet as activist Ric O’Barry points out, the logic of keeping whales in tanks to illustrate the natural world is a bit twisted) and they are counting on the public to somehow be seduced into giving up it’s hard earned money to keep Seaworld afloat.
As a commenter to this public relations video noted: If it is educational, why are they referring to female orcas as ‘he’?
Ric O’Barry counters this point of view in talking about the captive whale “Lolita†whose family still swims free in the waters near Seattle, and includes remarks by the Center for Whale Research senior scientist, Ken Balcomb:
Last year Costco ran a survey of it’s members, and reported that only around 17% feel that keeping wild animals in captivity for our amusement is right. It is time for the amusement parks to stop capturing and breeding whales and dolphins, there is nothing amusing about it.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewh...as-a-whale-of-a-debt-in-their-financial-tank/
Love, Love, Love this article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8703043.stm
New research is showing that whales and dolphins possess intelligence and culture more complex that we had previously assumed, says Margi Prideaux. And, she argues, this raises anew the question of how we should relate to them - including whether it is ever right to hunt them.
Despite long held preconceptions of human pre-eminence, scientists are discovering sophisticated intelligence beyond the boundaries of our own species.
It may surprise us, but dolphins and whales have such qualities.
Is it possible that 2010 could be remembered as the year when we faced our insecurities and embraced other highly evolved species, with all the responsibility that entails?
This year, which is set to be an eventful one, started with a physical clash between whalers and activists in the Southern Ocean.
Perhaps our unfulfilled anticipation of action on climate change late last year made us reach for progress somewhere else - namely biodiversity.
The confrontation between whalers and campaigners sparked a global debate about how we regard other species on the planet.
In this case, it was asked whether whales and dolphins exist as a resource for humans, or whether they have an inherent right to their life, their liberty and their home.
Meeting of minds
In February, the 2010 Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) addressed the unprecedented subject of "intelligence in dolphins: ethical and policy implications".
A panel of three well-regarded academics discussed whether the emerging scientific knowledge about the cultural and cognitive processes of whales and dolphins should influence international policy decisions and ethical considerations for their treatment.
Their conclusions were that yes, it should.
Within days of the AAAS conference, a veteran animal trainer in the US drowned when a male orca dragged her underwater.
Surprisingly, there was not a media or public outcry against the whale itself.
Instead, attention was focused on the appropriateness of keeping this mighty, complex and intelligent species captive for human entertainment.
In March, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) met to discuss the details of a "deal" about the future of whaling activities.
The global discussion then erupted into sharp debate, with some favouring a return to whaling, and others saying such a precedent should never again be set.
Governments in both camps suddenly found themselves under significant pressure from their constituencies, and the political dance for positions began.
At the same time, The Cove - a documentary investigating the annual slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises around Japan - unexpectedly received the Academy Award for Best Documentary 2010, mainstreaming another example of our need to confront our relationship with these species.
By the end of March, a Los Angeles restaurant was closing its doors as a self-imposed penalty for serving whalemeat.
In late April, an unprecedented US Congressional oversight hearing was held to review the education and conservation value of keeping marine mammals in captivity.
The hearing came about through a convergence of important events, including the orca incident, public uproar about the link between the dolphin drive hunts in Japan and the international zoo and aquaria industry, and a timely regulatory review process.
April also marked the second major oil spill in six months seriously to threaten habitats of whale and dolphin populations in different parts of the world.
Setting the agenda
With four eventful months behind us, we now look towards the IWC meeting in June where governments will formally consider the proposal that could usher in the return to whaling.
This meeting will, in some ways, conclude the six-month conversation and set the tone for our relationship with these animals for decades to come.
Will our consideration of whales and dolphins be based on numerical calculations of abundance, or will we recognise them as highly evolved mammals living in complex societies?
The fact that discussion is even taking place indicates we are on the road towards a position of respect.
Many whale and dolphin researchers now agree that they are studying sophisticated, evolved intelligences, born of a differently constructed sense of self; without necessarily needing to be an "intellect" directly comparable to ours.
We now understand that dolphins and whales, in various different ways, have distinct personalities and identities; that they can think about the future, and have the innate ability to learn language.
Much of whale and dolphin behaviour is cultural, learned and passed down through generations.
They have complex decision-making and communications structures, and an independent evolution of social learning and cultural transmission appropriate to the radically different environment they live in.
Decision time
Blinded by the limits of our own imagination, historically we have found it difficult to envisage another entity with capabilities that rival our own.
It has been our own insecurity that impedes our recognition of the impact of our actions on animals that society could otherwise regard as having moral significance.
In so many ways, they are as complex as we are.
Acknowledging that at least some animals are "beyond use" brings forward implications spanning philosophy, law, science and policy.
However, the evidence suggests that a challenge to the status quo is the next logical step.
No-one is suggesting that whales and dolphins be granted a right to vote, to hold a driver's licence, or to receive a free and fair education.
But in this short half-year we have had enough examples posed to evoke a deep and thoughtful global conversation about our collective moral compasses.
Perhaps it is time for us to decide that we believe whales and dolphins do have a right to their lives, their liberty and the protection of their home and family.
Or will we return to a world that accepts whaling? Will whales and dolphins, like the orca in the US marine park, continue to circle pools for our entertainment?
The choice is ours to make.
Margi Prideaux is strategic policy director for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) International
The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental issues running weekly on the BBC News website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8703043.stm
New research is showing that whales and dolphins possess intelligence and culture more complex that we had previously assumed, says Margi Prideaux. And, she argues, this raises anew the question of how we should relate to them - including whether it is ever right to hunt them.
Despite long held preconceptions of human pre-eminence, scientists are discovering sophisticated intelligence beyond the boundaries of our own species.
It may surprise us, but dolphins and whales have such qualities.
Is it possible that 2010 could be remembered as the year when we faced our insecurities and embraced other highly evolved species, with all the responsibility that entails?
This year, which is set to be an eventful one, started with a physical clash between whalers and activists in the Southern Ocean.
Perhaps our unfulfilled anticipation of action on climate change late last year made us reach for progress somewhere else - namely biodiversity.
The confrontation between whalers and campaigners sparked a global debate about how we regard other species on the planet.
In this case, it was asked whether whales and dolphins exist as a resource for humans, or whether they have an inherent right to their life, their liberty and their home.
Meeting of minds
In February, the 2010 Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) addressed the unprecedented subject of "intelligence in dolphins: ethical and policy implications".
A panel of three well-regarded academics discussed whether the emerging scientific knowledge about the cultural and cognitive processes of whales and dolphins should influence international policy decisions and ethical considerations for their treatment.
Their conclusions were that yes, it should.
Within days of the AAAS conference, a veteran animal trainer in the US drowned when a male orca dragged her underwater.
Surprisingly, there was not a media or public outcry against the whale itself.
Instead, attention was focused on the appropriateness of keeping this mighty, complex and intelligent species captive for human entertainment.
In March, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) met to discuss the details of a "deal" about the future of whaling activities.
The global discussion then erupted into sharp debate, with some favouring a return to whaling, and others saying such a precedent should never again be set.
Governments in both camps suddenly found themselves under significant pressure from their constituencies, and the political dance for positions began.
At the same time, The Cove - a documentary investigating the annual slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises around Japan - unexpectedly received the Academy Award for Best Documentary 2010, mainstreaming another example of our need to confront our relationship with these species.
By the end of March, a Los Angeles restaurant was closing its doors as a self-imposed penalty for serving whalemeat.
In late April, an unprecedented US Congressional oversight hearing was held to review the education and conservation value of keeping marine mammals in captivity.
The hearing came about through a convergence of important events, including the orca incident, public uproar about the link between the dolphin drive hunts in Japan and the international zoo and aquaria industry, and a timely regulatory review process.
April also marked the second major oil spill in six months seriously to threaten habitats of whale and dolphin populations in different parts of the world.
Setting the agenda
With four eventful months behind us, we now look towards the IWC meeting in June where governments will formally consider the proposal that could usher in the return to whaling.
This meeting will, in some ways, conclude the six-month conversation and set the tone for our relationship with these animals for decades to come.
Will our consideration of whales and dolphins be based on numerical calculations of abundance, or will we recognise them as highly evolved mammals living in complex societies?
The fact that discussion is even taking place indicates we are on the road towards a position of respect.
Many whale and dolphin researchers now agree that they are studying sophisticated, evolved intelligences, born of a differently constructed sense of self; without necessarily needing to be an "intellect" directly comparable to ours.
We now understand that dolphins and whales, in various different ways, have distinct personalities and identities; that they can think about the future, and have the innate ability to learn language.
Much of whale and dolphin behaviour is cultural, learned and passed down through generations.
They have complex decision-making and communications structures, and an independent evolution of social learning and cultural transmission appropriate to the radically different environment they live in.
Decision time
Blinded by the limits of our own imagination, historically we have found it difficult to envisage another entity with capabilities that rival our own.
It has been our own insecurity that impedes our recognition of the impact of our actions on animals that society could otherwise regard as having moral significance.
In so many ways, they are as complex as we are.
Acknowledging that at least some animals are "beyond use" brings forward implications spanning philosophy, law, science and policy.
However, the evidence suggests that a challenge to the status quo is the next logical step.
No-one is suggesting that whales and dolphins be granted a right to vote, to hold a driver's licence, or to receive a free and fair education.
But in this short half-year we have had enough examples posed to evoke a deep and thoughtful global conversation about our collective moral compasses.
Perhaps it is time for us to decide that we believe whales and dolphins do have a right to their lives, their liberty and the protection of their home and family.
Or will we return to a world that accepts whaling? Will whales and dolphins, like the orca in the US marine park, continue to circle pools for our entertainment?
The choice is ours to make.
Margi Prideaux is strategic policy director for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) International
The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental issues running weekly on the BBC News website
I love all animals. And it's so so sad that people would do that to such beautiful creature for their own selfish needs and entertainment.
Very good information Kalina. I tell everyone that I come across to boycott Sea World and any other marine park that holds killer whales or dolphins. I also post it on Facebook so others can read the truth about these disgusting parks and what they really are all about. Noah is half way through his science project on killer whales so it won't be long before he influences a few more kids not to support these places.
Great post Kalina!!!
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