How Many Animals Does Seaworld Save A Year

As whatsoever regular OGP reader will have figured out past now, we've never been able to ascertain ourselves as hardcore SeaWorld enthusiasts. Whether the entertainment behemothic is misleading their own employees or members of the public on the prevalence of trainer injuries and deaths, pumping their orcas with psychoactive drugs, or failing to speak out against horrific dolphin hunts, they have done picayune to demonstrate that they are all that concerned about the plight of cetaceans in captivity – except where profits are involved.

However, one of the recurring arguments that SeaWorld uses against their critics is that they are deeply committed to the conservation of marine wildlife through their diverse rescue, education, and enquiry funding programs.

SeaWorld'southward official rescue and education-based website, SeaWorld Cares, claims that the corporation has "inspired more than 24 meg guests in 2012 to celebrate and conserve the natural world."

Leaving aside the question of how, exactly, every guest who witnesses one of SeaWorld's lavish whale or dolphin shows can exist inspired to conserve the "natural globe" – afterward witnessing one a highly unnatural spectacle – permit's take a look at some of the statistics.

What Exactly Accept Their Rescue and Conservation Programs Accomplished?

A total of over 22,000 injured or ill marine animals have been rescued and released by SeaWorld's rescue programs (the equivalent of one animate being per solar day over a fourth dimension span of 45 years). In 2012, SeaWorld contributed more than $2.5 million toward wild animals conservation initiatives.

Last year, their main funding torso, SeaWorld / Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, donated over $1.two million to wild fauna protection initiatives throughout the earth.

They also claim to back up more than 100 environmental organisations worldwide, including the National Wildlife Federation, WWF, and The Nature Conservancy.

Other notable achievements by the Fund include a collaboration with the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey on a successful Raptor Rescue and Rehabilitation project, and an evaluation of human-elephant conflict in Amboseli, Kenya.

However commendable these efforts may be, the central question remains: why is it necessary for SeaWorld to engage in the exploitation of Tilikum and other orcas and dolphins, when a large variety of non-profit organizations take proven that rescue and rehabilitation schemes tin be carried out successfully without recourse to lavish performances?

What Are the Subconscious Motives Behind SeaWorld'due south Rescue Plan?

1 major effect that has been raised with regard to SeaWorld's rescue operations is the corporation's trend to add animals information technology has "rescued"to its collection of captive animals, when it is deemed profitable to exercise and then. Crooks and Liars journalist David Neiwert has described the situation thus:

"SeaWorld manages to obtain orcas for its inventory that are 'rescued' from the wild, because as the dominant effigy in the captive-orca industry, information technology is able to admission any orcas that are captured for other venues. A classic case of this is Morgan, the wild orca dogie recently rescued in the Netherlands; she was placed temporarily at Loro Parque off the coast of Spain until a court could decide her disposition. In the interim, equally Gabriella Cowperthwaite noted in an interview, SeaWorld began listing her every bit i of its corporate 'assets.' Certain enough, the Dutch court eventually ended that Morgan was legally in their possession."

SeaWorld supporters might maintain that the continued captivity of their orcas, dolphins, and other marine mammals is a necessary sacrifice to support the greater goal of their rescue operations. But as support for cetacean captivity continues to refuse – leading customers to turn abroad from SeaWorld in droves – information technology may soon finish to be viable to go along with their dolphin and whale shows for the sake of supporting "rescue" efforts.

The Future

A recent analysis of the revenues taken in by U.South. theme parks over the past year showed that while nearly other parks – including Six Flags, DisneyWorld and Universal Studios – had seen their incomes rise, SeaWorld's revenue had noticeably declined. Public doubts nearly the validity of using marine animals for profit and entertainment are now widespread.

Marine conservation group Whale and Dolphin conservation (WDC) have stated that, "today'southward engineering science, virtual displays, holographic exhibits, and other sophisticated attractions can provide a much more interactive, educational, and fulfilling orca encounter without belongings them earnest in small tanks for their whole lives."

And Peter Vocalizer, one of the major founding figures of the brute rights motion, said, "Basically SeaWorld teaches that nosotros tin can capture animals and go on them in concrete pools, it doesn't teach people anything beyond that. There'southward incredible footage of cetaceans and we can learn a lot more (nigh the animals) in their natural environs, and even if someone does acquire something, is it worth the stress of the animal in exchange?"

So while SeaWorld may fund conservation work in other areas, it seems that their efforts to continue whale and dolphin glasses in the name of this adept piece of work is just simply not enough to justify cetacean captivity.

What exercise you lot think, Green Monsters? Let us know with a comment!

Epitome Source: dicau58/Flickr