I can't believe Marineland (and the like) are still allowed to exist. They've always had horrible, abusive practices and should be held criminally liable.
It is absolutely pathetic what that place and Seaquarium and other places have done and how they've been operated. An orca names Kiska recently passed away at Marineland.
Tokitae, otherwise known as Lolita, recently died a Seaquarium in Florida. She had been in captivity for 53 years and spent 43 of those years alone as the sole orca in an enclosure basically the size of a moderate swimming pool, only sharing the tank occasionally with dolphins that would harass her. Her last tankmate, Hugo, committed suicide in 1980 by repeatedly ramming his head against the tank walls until he eventually had a brain aneurism. Upon Tokitae's death, the Seaquarium immediately performed a necropsy, leaving Tokitae in 50 gallon buckets after being quartered up, which was against the wishes of the Lummi Nation. Apparently the Seaquarium thought it important to know why she died, when apparently the decades of abuse, bacterial infections, drilling her teeth, being attacked by dolphins in her enclosure, damage to her teeth and skin from rubbing against walls, etc. wasn't enough to know.
Here are some videos that show absolutely heartbreaking behavior for any animal, much less an animal where females can weight up to 8,000 pounds and an animal that can dive up to 100-200ft and swim for 75-150 miles in a day out in the wild ocean.
For reference, her tank enclosure has a depth of 10-20 feet (yes, they even lower the tank depth at times by removing water).
Honestly, the people responsible for this should be put in prison for the entirety of their lives. If I was in a position of power, I would immediately grant orcas and likely other animals non-human person status, giving them the same life rights we attempt to give most humans. This behavior is absolutely psychotic.
And because the U.S. has shown how much money can be made from it, other countries have taken up the practice of capturing orcas and putting them on display, namely China. It's beyond heartbreaking and saddening.
bmitc|2 years ago
Tokitae, otherwise known as Lolita, recently died a Seaquarium in Florida. She had been in captivity for 53 years and spent 43 of those years alone as the sole orca in an enclosure basically the size of a moderate swimming pool, only sharing the tank occasionally with dolphins that would harass her. Her last tankmate, Hugo, committed suicide in 1980 by repeatedly ramming his head against the tank walls until he eventually had a brain aneurism. Upon Tokitae's death, the Seaquarium immediately performed a necropsy, leaving Tokitae in 50 gallon buckets after being quartered up, which was against the wishes of the Lummi Nation. Apparently the Seaquarium thought it important to know why she died, when apparently the decades of abuse, bacterial infections, drilling her teeth, being attacked by dolphins in her enclosure, damage to her teeth and skin from rubbing against walls, etc. wasn't enough to know.
Here are some videos that show absolutely heartbreaking behavior for any animal, much less an animal where females can weight up to 8,000 pounds and an animal that can dive up to 100-200ft and swim for 75-150 miles in a day out in the wild ocean.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/141md...
https://twitter.com/peta/status/1424390106761228288
For reference, her tank enclosure has a depth of 10-20 feet (yes, they even lower the tank depth at times by removing water).
Honestly, the people responsible for this should be put in prison for the entirety of their lives. If I was in a position of power, I would immediately grant orcas and likely other animals non-human person status, giving them the same life rights we attempt to give most humans. This behavior is absolutely psychotic.
And because the U.S. has shown how much money can be made from it, other countries have taken up the practice of capturing orcas and putting them on display, namely China. It's beyond heartbreaking and saddening.
orionex_sigma|2 years ago