what do u think of seaworld

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I hope to some day go north and see orcas in the wild. I have seen humpbacks in the wild and it was the experience of a lifetime. Nothing in a zoo gives quite the same magic.

But I still go to zoos and aquariums. I love going. I love seeing the animals and learning more about them.

As for seaworld, well I don't think the are 100% evil or 100% good. They are a business but the also do a lot for conservation. I won't go, it just seems too much like a theme park and less like a educational experience. But that's me.

Personally I think they should not be breeding these whales but should continue to keep the ones they have. Give them the best care they can in captivity and leave it at that. Whales are big. That's the bottom line. I just don't think we can give them enough space. That's not even considering their intelligence and complex social lives.

I don't see seaworld changing anything. It's too profitable for them. Maybe if less people end up going they would change things. Who knows. With the internet you can learn just about anything you want and don't need to see these animals in person to appreciate them.
It is still fun to see animals though :)
 
I still.havent gotten a number on how many have been released im sure its miniscule

Im also not an activist but we are all activists supporting whatever side is right in our own mind
 
Its all about the bottom line $$$. Seaworld is here to make money and increase value for their shareholders first and foremost. Please dont be fooled by anything otherwise. All the saving, campaigning, and conservation is because it helps them to be even more profitable. We know this because they are a corporation traded on the NYSE... Its major shareholder is The Blackstone Group, you know the hedge fund / private equity guys. If it becomes unprofitable to keep the Orcas they will get rid of them... quickly. And it looks like thats the trend. The stock is tanking and I dont believe it is coincidence. WE are making a difference whether it is misguided or misinformed. I feel better by not contributing to Seaworld and lining the pockets of their shareholders. I will continue to support this cause as it stands.
 
Remember if you ban the keeping of the whales, then you also are losing the genetic bank in case there is some sort of natural whale disaster. Even though social pack animals that were born in captivity and had constant human contact, cannot survive release to repopulate, having uninfected animals to do research on could prevent calamity.
 
thenewguy997 said:
I still.havent gotten a number on how many have been released im sure its miniscule

Im also not an activist but we are all activists supporting whatever side is right in our own mind
Click to expand...

Yes, it's not a large number. Mostly because experts working with them realize that they won't live.


maoiwowie said:
Its all about the bottom line $$$. Seaworld is here to make money and increase value for their shareholders first and foremost. Please dont be fooled by anything otherwise. All the saving, campaigning, and conservation is because it helps them to be even more profitable. We know this because they are a corporation traded on the NYSE... Its major shareholder is The Blackstone Group, you know the hedge fund / private equity guys. If it becomes unprofitable to keep the Orcas they will get rid of them... quickly. And it looks like thats the trend. The stock is tanking and I dont believe it is coincidence. WE are making a difference whether it is misguided or misinformed. I feel better by not contributing to Seaworld and lining the pockets of their shareholders. I will continue to support this cause as it stands.
Click to expand...

This is only true to a point. Yes, SW and many other places are 'for profit'. However, it's not "all about money". In fact the "saving, campaigning and conservation" is not a money maker at all. It wouldn't be happening without the money coming in from ticket sales. Things don't always have to be one sided. In reality, you have it backwards. All of the fund raising and attempts to make more money is so they can be more effective at caring for the animals and expanding the rehab/research end of it.

I base my career on animals. I am 'for profit' - as it puts food on the table and a roof over my family. Does that mean I'm NOT doing it because I love animals, and want future generations to have them around? No, not at all. Does that mean I'm NOT going to fight for what is in the best interest of the animals? No, not at all.

------------------------------------------------

Lose facilities like SW that are willing to spend their money on saving animals, and we lose animals. Period. The number of saved/rehab'd animals is in the thousands yearly just from that one company. As someone who has stood at the front lines, we would be far worse off when it comes to our ability to protect the wild populations of animals if places like this didn't exist. Sea turtle clings to life twisted up in a loose net, who do you call? Manatee hit by a boat and bleeding out, who do you call? Mass whale standings on the coast, who do you call? Dolphins showing up sick from pollution, who do you call? Shark found laying almost dead on a beach with hooks lodged in it's stomach, who do you call?

Say what you will, SW is very stable. They aren't going anywhere any time soon.
 
I understand all the good will in individuals. After all i do believe most of us are good at heart, but my point is I believe everything that a corporation does at its baseline, is driven by profits... If it doesnt make help make money, its not part of the business plan. Shareholders are not investing in charities, if that were the case they would simply donate their money. The good-will, research programs get us in the gates. The programs may look pure with their feel good intentions, but again i believe it helps make the parks money in the long run.

Most of us truly care for the animals along with the scientist, the conservationist, etc... im not disputing this... im only basing my view that when these individuals are in a corporate collective and are also getting paid, it is and must be profit driven, and this is easily corrupted... and unfortunately I believe we are all drinking the Kool-Aid when we actually think that the people that run Wall Street and Seaworld cares more about the animals than dollars, when all is said and done.
 
maoiwowie said:
I understand all the good will in individuals. After all i do believe most of us are good at heart, but my point is I believe everything that a corporation does at its baseline, is driven by profits... If it doesnt make help make money, its not part of the business plan. Shareholders are not investing in charities, if that were the case they would simply donate their money. The good-will, research programs get us in the gates. The programs may look pure with their feel good intentions, but again i believe it helps make the parks money in the long run.

Most of us truly care for the animals along with the scientist, the conservationist, etc... im not disputing this... im only basing my view that when these individuals are in a corporate collective and are also getting paid, it is and must be profit driven, and this is easily corrupted... and unfortunately I believe we are all drinking the Kool-Aid when we actually think that the people that run Wall Street and Seaworld cares more about the animals than dollars, when all is said and done.
Click to expand...

The problem with many 503c organizations is they have a great mission and want to do wonderful things to improve an area or aspect of the world.

The problem is some don't understand that even though they are "for non-profit", it takes being a business mentality to operate as one.

When the economy tanked non-profits took a hit because people had to stop giving. Then everyone was looking at the same places such as federal grants and programs. The number of applicants increased ten fold and that made it even harder.

For a nonprofit to be considered an efficient organization the magic number is 35% overhead. If you went over and hit say 50% you were out of the running.

Furthermore if you are leading an environmental cause vs a human one that human one has a face and that pulls on people's heart strings and wallets more so than animals or clean water.

At least orcas are highly intelligent and have a face to get people interested in their cause.

Back to your point yes there are people who work at SW that care little for the animals but how different is that than any other business?

It is good to have a heart and have passion for something but that doesn't pay for necessities at the end of the month.
 
well blackfish was huge about my decision on big stuff in aquariums, most are breed in captivity but for the first ones it was sad. as far as it goes for all of us i have been in this hobby since i was 10, and i was not very good at it i killed off my first tank! but it made me tare it down and read and started over and now i run my very own shop with over 1,777 gallons in the shop and i take care of every dang tank like it was a science project testing changes dosing list goes on i do have help but in my opinion all this should still be left in the ocean at the same time tho if we are bringing this stuff in to put into our little glass boxes, we need to try and take care of it to the best of our knowledge and care , i feel we can try and save or help the ocean just by us fragging are own stuff and cutting back on the collection of our reefs, or we could also help by re-populating the oceans reefs where needed just in case something crazy in the ocean was to happen. but again im not an expert i know what i know and try and continue to learn from my experiences.
 
Reading the article, I note that while attendance has declined (likely due to ticket prices more than anything) and the stock has dropped, revenues have actually increased...
 
Seaworld can spin it anyway they like. But i do not think that this "revolutionary" shift and the need to spend millions on new facilities has anything to do with the good-will and animal welfare. You are correct... they made money, but they are not meeting expected revenue and growth.
 
maoiwowie said:
Seaworld can spin it anyway they like. But i do not think that this "revolutionary" shift and the need to spend millions on new facilities has anything to do with the good-will and animal welfare. You are correct... they made money, but they are not meeting expected revenue and growth.
Click to expand...

Some people are never happy
 
How did you know? I am unhappy... but it has nothing to do with Seaworld. I was just opining. I have real problems like hair algae, poor polyp extension, and poor colors on some of my sps. "Never" is a long time... i hope this changes for me.
 
SeaWorld is giving its killer whales a little more space.

The amusement park company said it will double the size of the animals' habitats at its three parks. The first of the new killer whale exhibits will open to the public*in San Diego in 2018.

New habitats will roll out at its other two locations in Orlando, Fla., and San Antonio will follow at some point after that.

The move comes amid a backlash following the release of*Blackfish, a documentary aired by CNN that examined SeaWorld's treatment of the animals in a heavily critical light and questioned whether they should be held in captivity at all.

Related: SeaWorld responds to CNN's questions about its orca treatmentIn a news release, SeaWorld said that the new enclosures, dubbed the "Blue World Project," will add 5 million gallons to the killer whale tank create a maximum depth of 50 feet and simulate underwater currents as well.The new exhibit will also feature a simulated shoreline.

The company also said it will donate $10 million to study the welfare of killer whales in the wild and start a yet-to-be-disclosed "multi-million partnership focused on protecting the ocean."

http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/15/news/sea-world-whale-habitats/
 
Like I said, they aren't hurting financially and they are working towards always improving. The bottom line is they are making money to do better for the animals. If you want to think the bottom line is money - then yes, it is....because they need it to do the work for the animals.

SW's website (info and artist concept drawings)
http://blueworldproject.seaworld.com/

CNN's article:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/15/news/sea-world-whale-habitats/


They are also donating $10 million to wild orca preservation and research along with another large scale multi-million dollar partnership to be announced.
 
Zoodiver... I respect your position; your profession. We can agree to disagree on what drives their money machine whether altruistic or corporate greed. Either way we are evolving and our understanding of this world is growing. Cirque du Soleil revolutionized the circus and with it the advent of non-animal focused entertainment. I hope SeaWorld can do something of the same. It looks like they are responding to the public's changing attitudes of animal welfare, even if i believe its money driven. They are moving in the right direction and that is a good thing.
 
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