T here is so much we haven’t learned about the sea. As much as we think we know, there is still so much that we don’t know about whales, dolphins, and other marine animals. For example, orcas, dolphins, and belugas are captured and forced into doing tricks for our amusement. SeaWorld uses them like toys in their struggle for money. On top of that, the resident orcas (they eat fish; mainly king salmon) are struggling. Dams that we built have caused the population of king salmon to drop dramatically. In response, the resident orcas barely have anything to eat. Less than 1% of the salmon population even get to breed, and this is also because of overfishing. So in return, the orcas produce less offspring.
And still, there’s more. Plastic pollution is becoming a bigger problem, and this poisons the ocean habitats. You have also probably heard about global warming, but you may not fully understand how this impacts the habitats of marine animals. Scientists even recently found a beluga whale down in southern San Diego waters by itself, which is extremely unusual. We need to do something about this instead of sitting in front of a screen all day. After all, there is no Planet B.
The Whale Sanctuary Project
Learn about what they are doing to build a safe haven for rescued captive orcas and belugas, and taking responsibility for what we consumers have done to those who served us at marine theme parks and are not requiring retirement. They are no longer adapted to live in the wild because of their poor health, isolation from their original families/pods, and age. Cetaceans are one of the few animals that live shorter lives in captivity than in the wild – typically half the years they would naturally live in the wild!
The Whale Sanctuary Project was approved in February 2020 to build a seaside sanctuary for whales and dolphins to live out the rest of their lives in peace, and in an environment as close as possible to their natural habitat. They are now developing their approved location in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, Canada. These marine animals are highly intelligent beings who have a very socially complex culture. Keeping them in concrete tanks is unusually cruel, cutting off their ability to communicate by sonar, separating them from their tightly knit families, and keeping them on the verge of starvation so that they are motivated to perform.
Unfortunately for dolphins and even orcas (killer whales), their mouth shape and markings make them appear as if they are having fun and enjoying performing for us. It’s so far from the truth.
https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/
The National Aquarium – Baltimore, MD
Through the creation of North America’s first dolphin sanctuary, the National Aquarium is introducing a new option for human care of dolphins. The sanctuary’s mission is to advance understanding and protection of cetaceans by offering a natural environment in which the colony of dolphins in our care will thrive.
Title: Orcas do not do well in captivity. Here’s why.
Summary: We need to resist the temptation and not support marine amusement parks. This article in National Geographic explains why marine amusement parks are cruel. It may not seem clear, but amusement parks shorten their LIVES! They live without family and lose the ability to echolocate.
