ALL I WANTED YOUUUUUUUUUUUAAAHAHAAHAAHAHAHA
^Molly, drugs are bad. Stay off the cocaine Molly. You really don’t have tiger blood. Speaking of tigers, how is Mr. Woods today? Heard you were having a little get together last night at 3 in the morning ;)
I had to after that hilarious post about what cock-sucking plebians we are :)
I AM A COCK SUCKING PLEBAIN
I love you :) hahaha
COCK SUCKING PLEBIAN AND PROUD.
I’ve been holding all of this in for the longest time!
Those people who call SeaWorld out for being “unfair” to whales, when SeaWorld takes excellent care of them. The trainers adore their animals. They get exercise, plenty of food, brain stimulation, they get fucking massages, and they teach people everywhere about marine wildlife. Every day…
I LOVE YOU <3
The media and the public are declaring outrage at the fact that SW sets up this environment for them. The public criticizes SW for not making sure that the trainers are safe. The trainers are actually professionals with a deep understanding of these whales, believe it or not. They understand what…
Ah, thank you for saying it perfectly! The anti-caps are really getting on my nerves today. I just wish some of them would do some research x)
Have I ever said I love your blog? because indeed I do!
Thank you so much :) It’s nice to know I have support! I was going to go drop some messages in all the people who were supporting SeaWorld and Tilly yesterday, but I’ve been pretty busy. But thank you! It means a lot! Love the blog <3
Gosh, anti-caps really grind my gears.
Sorry that I’m just now answering this, but I had to wait until I wasn’t so motivated by my anger.
The way you worded that post implied that you feel you could do a better job. Obviously, these animals cannot be released. It’s expensive, a very long process, stressful towards the animals, and a lot of them were either born in captivity or we don’t really have an idea of which pod they came from. I understand that you don’t get all of your information from the Cove, but it still isn’t really a good source. I do suggest you watch the investigation of the Cove on youtube. It’s long, and the narrator speaks in a monotone type of voice, but if you’re going to get involved in an argument of this magnitude, I think it’s best to find the most valid sources of information. After watching them, I didn’t want to just believe what they said, or I would be a hypocrite, so I googled the information they had said, and searched through a few databases and I couldn’t find one thing that contradicted what they said.
In response to your point “D,” you did criminalize him in a way. While these animals are extremely intelligent, he can’t justify what he did to Dawn. By saying he shouldn’t be put back in shows is a punishment in it’s own. Tilly can’t just float around all day. He needs some kind of enrichment, or basically, it wouldn’t be pretty. That would be neglect. Besides, the shows are something that Tilly is used to. He’s been doing them for a while. If they didn’t put him back in shows, people would complain about him being in isolation, but no. They want him to interact with something or someone, yet the second he goes back to shows everyone has a problem with it. It’s hypocritical.
Sure, shows aren’t exactly as educational as they used to be, and they make the animals do complex behaviors, but that elicts two emotions in someone who is watching the shows:
1. It gives them a sense of awe. To think that an animal of that size could propel itself out of the water, or wave at a crowd, it gives you a curiosity and a respect for them. It inspires you to learn more about them. While being at the shows themselves may not be as educational, people still leave there with a thirst for knowledge about these animals, and when you pay attention to what SeaWorld really stands for, education, conservation and connection, you can understand how beneficial these shows are to the species.
2. The second emotion is incredibility. What the people at Seaworld do is extraordinary. Every day, they go out and do something, nobody ever thought was possible. Most children when they are very young have this idea, or this notion that they can communicate with animals. By going to SeaWorld, that’s exactly what they are doing. When you feel as if you can communicate with, and connect with an animal, it stirs a feeling inside you, that you want to do whatever you can that ultimately benefits this animal and it’s descendants.
In response to your point “F”:
You don’t have to insult my intelligence. I may not be an adult, but I think I have a pretty good sense of what is right and what is wrong. Earlier I saw a post that said something along the lines of, “Even murders go on parole.” While Tilly cannot be called a murderer, because we don’t really know why he did it, he still can’t be denied of his lifestyle. You said, “I am quite sure animals in captivity are NOT living up to their full potential of being a happy animal in the wild.,” yet earlier you said, “I never said I was an expert at Sea World, their procedures in running the park/shows, and the psychology of animals, etc.” I don’t understand how you can be so sure about an animal’s feelings, when you’ve spent absolutely no time around them or caring for them. You can’t even tell if the animals in the wild are happy. Recent research is proving otherwise. Cetaceans are under a LOT of stress right now, considering these factors:
1. 6% of the Earth’s waters are polluted. That takes it’s toll on animals, especially dolphins and killer whales.
2. There is an increase in water traffic all over the planet. While some argue that instead of seeing the “oh so stressed captive killer orcas,” we should all hop on a ferry and go whale watching. There’s a huge issue with this. If you think that the SeaWorld whales are stressed, imagine just walking around and you hear this noise. Hanging out in your neighborhood and this noise won’t go away. The sounds of boat motors are extremely annoying and stunt breeding in many killer whale communities. While many people leave from these tours with a new respect for these whales, the same thing happens at Seaworld. Another issue with whale watching tours: The more exciting it is, the more money the captain makes. This tempts people to get even closer to these whales which could affect them in ways that we don’t know about. These whales are still not fully understood, and they are quickly dying out. Everyone says that they are species that is sustaining themselves in the wild, when actually it says that it is “data deficient.”
Most of the animals, minus the killer whales, have been rescued. Many of the dolphins at Seaworld aren’t even owned by them, so they cannot release them if they wanted to. If you tried releasing Corky, she would most likely die for a multitude of reasons. Her age, is one factor. It would inevitably cause stress on her, that wouldn’t help anything. Another thing: Corky not only is blind in one eye, but she is missing all of her teeth. She would probably have the least successful release. Tilly probably wouldn’t have a good result either. Judging from his history, you can obviously assume he isn’t used to having trainers or people in general in the water with him. Could you imagine if he came across a beach because he left his trainers, and suddenly found some children, who he thought might give him food? Keiko was being trained while living in the sea pen. He had people constantly in the water with him, and they still had to feed him. With Tilly, he couldn’t have that interaction. They would have to keep a distance, and if anything happened, SeaWorld would be liable.
Whale watching tours are expensive, and there are limited areas where you can see killer whales in the wild. It costs more money to go there, and just watch a whale swim, than it does to go to SeaWorld and witness the connection that you could have with these animals.
Who knows, maybe SeaWorld is in it for the money. Maybe I am just a gullible little sheep running around believing what they tell me. But I will tell you this, SeaWorld has affected me in a way that nobody else has. It has taught me so much about our oceans, and it has given me the deepest respect for these animals, and the desire to help be a part of saving this species. While you may not agree with captivity, and I may be a hardcore SeaWorld fan girl, at least we can agree on something:
We believe in the things we do because we have the best interest of this animal in mind.
And while you may or may not have been to SeaWorld in the past, it has still affected you and made you want to do something about killer whales and dolphins. So ultimately, you are helping SeaWorld’s greatest mission; to educate people and to show them that these animals need our help.
I respect your opinion, and I apologize for the length of this post.
3,000 people have acknowledged that they were touched by one of my fondest childhood memories.
I heard about Dawn’s death about one hour before it reached media outlets, and my thoughts were wrenched between her family and fear for Tilly.
I remember the trainers showing me how to give him hand…
I just get so frustrated with people!
Thank you very much though, you’re very sweet! Today started out really well and then all of a sudden the anit-caps went wild. Kind of lost my mind for a moment x)
I have to say it was a lot of fun to watch. Putting a 23-foot whale in an enclosed space that’s not nearly as big as the ocean is pretty much tantamount to murdering him, so that’s what you get. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
I don’t know what it’s gonna take for these people to see that…
Wow. So these are the kind of people that live in our world. Shame on you for mocking the death of someone. You disgust me to no end, I can’t even think straight. What justifies this kind of comment in your mind? People are hurting, mourning, having to cope with the loss of someone very dear to them, and you sit there and mock them? Just because Tilly killed a trainer does not mean it was because of captivity. What kind of sick, vile person looks up a video like that? I mean, sure I’ve clicked on a few links myself that claimed to be the official video of it, but never in my life would I ever ridicule the death of someone. I don’t think it matters where Tilly was, whether he was in captivity or not. Killer whales have attacked people in the open ocean, but my goodness. Did you laugh at the people dying in Libya? Did you snicker when you watched a video of the torture people went through during the Holocaust? Wishing for the death of people…. I would hate to be you. Living in such a perverse state of mind, where death pleases you. When your own parents die, are you gonna say, “Oh well, they had it coming for them” and laugh about it? People get mauled by their own pets every day, animals they love, care for and bond with, and while killer whales are no where near domesticated or “pets,” they are treated with the same respect and love, and they have a bond that cannot be compared to the love one may have for their own pet. If I own a dog, and while scratching it’s back, it decides it wants nothing to do with me, and tries to dismember me, would you say I had it coming? If you were grooming your horse and suddenly it got scared or confused and trampled over you, completely shattering your sternum, and breaking your neck, would you want people to say, “Well obviously what they are doing is wrong. Horses were never meant to be ridden. They should all be set free. They had it coming for them. HAHAHA What a dumb person for thinking they could bond with a horse.” What’s the difference? Just because you don’t agree with their career does not make you a greater being. In no way, shape, or form, are you a better person than any of those trainers at SeaWorld. You are not superior to them, and you seriously need re-evaluate your ego, because frankly, it’s getting kind of nasty. Just because you think it is wrong, is no reason to go around ridiculing the death of someone who was not only loved by every one she worked with, and she loved her job, but she was loved by these whales. They have a bond that you can’t deny, and whether or not it’s “justified” to keep animals like this in captivity, does not make it right to use other people’s death as a weapon for your argument. Shame on you.
Wow. I honestly have no words for that.
What kind of sick person would say something like that?
I’m proud to say I’ve never been to Sea World & I don’t plan on it.
Here is yet another ignorant post made today about Tilly.
Animals that have been living in captivity cannot just be set free, they’ll die. So, basically what you are saying is that you are supporting the…
I saw this post too, although I thought the other one was just too ignorant to not respond too. It’s people like this that have been fooled by what the media tells them. Tilly is in a good place, with good people who love him and an exceptional home. In the wild, he would be scared, isolated, and nobody could really comfort him, as it probably wouldn’t be allowed, considering his history. He isn’t Keiko, which wasn’t even a success story either. How else do these people expect him to get exercise? They complain that whales in the wild swim 100’s of miles day. 1. They do it for food, which they obviously have ample amounts of at SeaWorld, and 2. This is how the whales get their exercise. Through training and shows, these whales are stimulated, and not bored, which is the last thing you want any animal to be. I’m not gonna go into as much detail as I did in the last post, but it really makes me angry when people bug Seaworld about keeping Tilly isolated and alone, and that nobody is working with him, and then they suddenly criticize them about putting him back in shows. They’re all hypocrites, and they need to understand that these people only want what is best for him. Frankly I would rather have him in captivity than in the wild with all of the pollution and because he’s used to people, he would probably approach boats and go near shore. That could be especially dangerous. Could you imagine if Tilly was in the wild and went looking for food, and came across some surfers or kayakers or swimmers and thought, I remember people, they always seem to have food, or well everytime I’ve had someone in the water with me, the other whales play with them. It could be catastrophic, and no he is not a monster, just misunderstood, and confused.
This is just dumb. I’m officially boycotting Sea World, because quite frankly they just don’t care about the people working there, and the animals they have in captivity. Tilikum, the orca, is finally joining the Sea World ‘family’ to perform once again. Sea World claims that all trainers would be…
Sorry to be so aggressive, but really? The Cove? If that’s all the research you’ve done on this topic, then you seriously need to reconsider your viewpoint. All of the points that movie makes about marine mammals in captivity are false, and they are based on Ric’s time at the Miami Seaquarium, an obviously outdated and dilapidated theme park.
Onto the topic of putting Tilly back in shows:
SeaWorld wouldn’t do it if they didn’t think it was safe or a good idea. They aren’t doing this just for money. Of course, everyone does want to see Tilly in person, as he s a very impressive whale, but that wouldn’t be the main reason to do that. The trainers love these whales like family, and if the trainers didn’t think it was the right thing to do, they would probably take it up with management. And yes, SeaWorld may not be some, non-profit organization, but caring for 6-7 killer whales, >20 dolphins, sea lions, seals, and the multitude of animals that they rescue each year, you would imagine that they would be in it for some sort of financial gain. They do need the profit, but not for their own pockets. The trainers don’t get paid much, and the technology/amount of fish you need to care for these animals is probably a whole lot more expensive than you think. You act like they have absolutely no common sense, but they’ve spent a whole year just pondering it, weighing the pros and cons. Killer whales need stimulation, and if they are bored, that’s when things get bad. Obviously they don’t want Tilly to be bored, so they’ve decided that it’s good for his mental and physical health to have this kind of stimulation.
I’m so glad you know everything about SeaWorld. They do care about the trainers. If you can’t see that, you’re blind. The trainers do not go anywhere near Tilly the way they used to. They have to approach him differently, and if you watch the videos from the show today, you’ll see that they are safely on the ground, and that the gate was WIDE open, for Tilly to just swim right back through, if he wanted. You said, “Tilikum, the orca, is finally joining the Sea World ‘family’ to perform once again.” Truth is, he never left. These trainers have never stopped loving or caring for Tilly, contrary to popular belief. Compared to sketchier oceanariums, SeaWorld has been pretty vocal about the processes that they’ve gone through with Tilly, and with returning trainers back into the water. I think people have a misconstrued idea of what SeaWorld means. I think the water works will solely be for medicinal/health purposes, until they feel that the whales are comfortable with where they are in the process.
Anyways, back to Tilly. “Tilikum to perform at Sea World. Yeah, the one that killed it’s trainer.” Just because he killed his trainer, you make him out to be some deranged killing machine. Tilly is anything but that. He’s an animal. He can’t justify or rationalize his choices, and these trainers are fully aware of the dangers of working with these animals. They are educated people, and they know what they are doing. Probably know a whole lot more than you do. Tilly could’ve been playing, he could’ve been showing dominance, or maybe he was doing what he’s seen other whales do in the past and thought it was just the normal thing. Whatever the reason, it happened, it’s the past, and I’m sure Dawn would still love him all the same. SeaWorld has taken extra safety precautions, and has dedicated a lot of time and money into trying to make things safer for the trainers and the animals that they love, and that they choose to work with.
But it’s nice to know that you are suddenly an expert on SeaWorld!
