Activists to Orca Enslavers: Thanks, but No Tanks

June 25, 2013 By David Kirby

Confining the planet’s second smartest mammal to aquarium tanks is cruel and unusual punishment.

July is shaping up to be a tough month for the captive marine mammal industry. My book, Death at SeaWorld, Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity, comes out in paperback in one week, on July 2, followed by the release of the critically acclaimed documentaryBlackfish, which opens July 17. The double-punch against orca captivity has been duly noted by major media around the world, including an upcoming feature article in Business Week.

Then, on July 27, comes a global day of protest against marine mammal facilities, taking place in at least 21 locations around the world. Empty the Tanks Worldwide is billed by the group’s Facebook page as “a day for everyone around the world to stand up against marine mammal captivity. The abuse and exploitation of these sentient beings has no place in the 21st century.” 

Recently, I caught up with Empty the Tanks organizer Rachel Greenhalgh from her home near Seattle, not far from the San Juan Islands, Washington—one of the world’s premier places to see orcas in their natural habitat: the vast and open sea.

TakePart: How did you come up with this idea?

Rachel Greenhalgh: I was in Taiji, Japan, as a Cove Guardian in January of this year. On one of my last days there I was thinking that I wanted to find a way to be productive and proactive in this fight against the captivity industry after I returned home. That’s when and where this whole idea began. The captive animals floating listlessly in their tiny sea pens in Taiji are a sight that cuts you to your core. I wanted to come home and continue fighting for them.

How did you get the word out?

I began messaging other activists around the world, asking if they would become event coordinators. It took time but I eventually found passionate and dedicated individuals to help carry out this important event with me. Once I had about a half dozen participating locations, I began getting messages from people all over the world who wanted to host their own Empty the Tanks event. Facebook has created amazing connection opportunities for activists like myself.

How many people in how many cities are now signed up to take part?

We have 21 locations in nine countries participating in the Empty the Tanks event. I am expecting a few hundred people to participate in these events around the world. Those numbers will hopefully grow each year that this annual event continues.

What is the most unexpected place where a protest is taking part?

I don’t know that there is an unexpected place. I think it is amazing we have 21 locations in nine counties. The two events taking place in Japan are very meaningful to me simply because of the time I spent in Taiji, Japan. I think it is incredible to see such commitment in the Japanese activists.

Do you want to retire marine mammals over time, or close down marine parks altogether?

Ideally, I would want these parks to close down. I do not feel marine mammal entertainment parks have any place in the 21st century. We know the level of awareness these animals have. We know their social connections, their eating habits, and natural wild behaviours. You cannot breed natural instincts out of an animal in a handful of generations. These are incredibly social, intelligent beings that are being used to make money. It is animal slavery, and it needs to be brought to the general public’s attention.

Empty the Tanks is not a radical movement requesting the release of all the captive whales and dolphins. Some of these animals might be great candidates for release, but those that are not should be retired into sea pens, where they can enjoy the rest of their days in natural seawater, feeling the waves of the ocean around them. They should not be worked until their last breath is taken and then thrown out like trash and replaced.

Why Is SeaWorld Allowing Its Killer Whales to Live in Crumbling Pools?

What do you expect to happen outside these facilities and how will guests get the message?

These events are about getting a message to the general public. We are trying to reach those going to the ticket counter. We are not the ones buying the tickets and keeping these parks in business, and we need to reach the public and get them to understand what they are supporting. We have some great informational postcards that will be handed out to anyone willing to take one as well as some powerful banners with images that speak for themselves.

Have you received any response from the captive display industry?

I have not heard from anyone in the captivity industry so far. I have been banned from most of the marine parks’ Facebook pages so I haven’t been able to post event information on them. (Someone claiming to be a SeaWorld educator, and another person says she used to work at the company, have posted comments the EET Facebook page.)

Where can people get more information?

If someone would like to host an event on July 27, or get more information, please send me an email to Rachel@emptythetanksworldwide.com. They can also contact me via thewebsite.

What do you think will come of this and what can concerned citizens do next when it’s over?

I think we will reach new people who were unaware of this issue. Even if we only get one family to turn away from that planned day at the park, well that is one more family on our side of this fight. Every person matters and eventually we will win this fight. We will see an end to marine mammal exploitation and to places like SeaWorld. We have already seen other countries ban shows using dolphins, so it is only a matter of time before the whole world catches on. I will not stop until we do. The best thing concerned citizens can do is continue to spread the truth about the captivity industry. Never stop talking about this issue until we empty the tanks worldwide.

TAKE THE PLEDGE:- Don’t Buy The Ticket! Whales & Dolphins Shouldn’t Be in Captivity:- Please click link to sign :- http://www.takepart.com/actions/dont-buy-ticket-whale-show?cmpid=tp-ptnr-tab-d84909c52edcceb20c7bba62052b1b01

Atlanta Aquarium wants to import new whales into confinement

Translated text:-The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA, is under fire because of the plan to import 18 beluga whales, captured in Russia, submitting them to a life in captivity and exploit them as if they were machines that have more to play and more pups, which are then utilized in marine parks around the country.

In a National Geographic article entitled ” We import belugas for display ? “Virginia Morell disagrees with the idea that aquariums need more beluga whales in captivity. “Those who are in captivity now go stale, perhaps alone, and die. Replacing them will cause damage and distress to other whales, which are torn from their families, who live very well in the natural environment, “said Virginia.

She describes for readers the life that belugas lead in their natural homes:

“Whales are highly sociable and gregarious. They make long journeys of migration, they have an impressive range of communication and, as the Dolphins (distant relatives), are able to use this feature in a variety of ways, including imitation of each other (a newly published study shows that the belugas can even mimic human). They like to hang out in the summer, shallow coastal waters, in large groups (sometimes gather in thousands) formed by close relatives – mothers, fathers, babies, aunts, uncles and cousins. Sometimes they travel alone to visit other members of the clan apart.

If we compare this to a life where their droppings are diluted in a water tank of a cement where the belugas and other marine mammals spend their days swimming in circles, deprived of everything they like, even the ability to vocalize.

Visitors come from aquariums, spend a few hours in the park, buy some souvenirs and then return home to continue with their lives. The animals aquarium tanks remain the same until the day they die.

Mobilization

Your voice is needed! Help stop the cruel plans of the Georgia Aquarium. Please contact the National Marine Fisheries Service of the United States and inform employees why they should deny permission for the import new aquarium whales.

Please use this link , there is a suggestion message to be sent to the agency.

Information provided by PETA.

News Link:-http://www.anda.jor.br/31/10/2012/aquario-de-atlanta-quer-importar-novas-baleias-para-confinamento

First Baby Born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary

Indonesia – The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is pleased to announce the birth of a bouncing baby malerhino born to Ratu, a twelve-year-old Sumatran rhino living at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia’s Way Kambas National Park.

 The birth helps ensure the future of one of the world’s most endangered species. There are fewer than 200 Sumatran rhinos living in Indonesia and Malaysia. This is the first birth of a Sumatran rhino in an Indonesian facility and the first birth in an Asian facility in 124 years.

At 12:40 am on Saturday, June 23rd, Ratu, one of the three adult female rhinos at Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, gave birth to a 60-lb male calf.  Not only was this Ratu’s first baby, but it was the first Sumatran rhino ever born in captivity in Indonesia and only the fifth ever born in captivity worldwide.

The baby was born after a 16-month gestation period, which is about average for African and Asian rhino species.  Indonesian veterinarian, Dr. Dedi Candra, managed Ratu’s pregnancy on a daily basis, with help from Dr. Terri Roth of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which has bred more Sumatran rhinos in captivity than any other institution.

This was the third pregnancy for Ratu, who miscarried her first two calves.

 Dr. Dedi Candra, head veterinarian and animal collections manager at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary has been monitoring Ratu’s pregnancy by weighing her weekly and conducting regular ultrasound exams, using methods developed by the Cincinnati Zoo, where the father, Andalas, was born in 2001.

To assist her in having a successful pregnancy, Ratu was prescribed a hormone supplement that was given orally every day. It was gradually withdrawn as the expected delivery date neared. Dr. Terri Roth, director of Cincinnati Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife and the vice president for IRF’s Asia programs, provided the protocol and dosage. Andalas’s mother, who also experienced pregnancy complications prior to his birth in the Cincinnati Zoo, was given the same hormone.

The Sumatran rhino is seriously threatened by the continuing loss of its tropical forest habitat and hunting pressure from poachers, who kill rhinos for their valuable horns. The IRF operates Rhino Protection Units in two of the three remaining habitats to ensure that the wild population and its habitat are protected.  Every successful birth is critical for the survival of the species, which runs the risk of extinction by the end of this century

The baby’s father, Andalas, in fact, was born there in 2001.  After spending several years at the Los Angeles Zoo, Andalas was sent to Indonesia with hopes that he would breed Ratu and the other female rhinos in residence.

 The new baby was born in an enclosure (boma) constructed especially for this event, but he and his mother have access to a small forest garden as well.   Both remain under 24-hour video surveillance for health and safety reasons, and also have the benefit of visiting rhino specialists from Australia and the United States, who will remain at the sanctuary for the next few weeks.

Published on 25 Jun 2012 by IntlRhinoFoundation

http://www.rhinos-irf.org/

Ratu has handled the long pregnancy extremely well and is now proving to be an attentive, even-tempered mother.  Her keepers and veterinarians will keep a close eye on mother and baby in the months ahead, gathering critical information about maternal care and infant development, which is very sparse for this critically endangered species.

News Link:-https://www.rhinos.org/news-room/first-baby-born-at-the-sumatran-rhino-sanctuary

https://www.rhinos.org/latest-news/rare-sumatran-rhino-gives-birth-at-indonesian-sanctuary

Blog: Update on Captivity Issues in Turkey | Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project

Image via Wikipedia

By Laura Bridgeman, Program Associate, Dolphin Project, Earth Island Institute 

The Dolphin Project has been working with Freedom for Dolphins and other groups in assessing the growing issue of captivity in Turkey. The governing authorities, namely the Turkish Prime Ministry and the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, have been ignoring the flagrant legal and ethical transgressions regarding dolphins within their borders and coastal waters. 

Despite pressure from a growing local and international movement of dolphin-welfare advocates, government officials and powerful members of the captivity industry insist on illegally exploiting dolphins for profit.

Read more….

Blog: Update on Captivity Issues in Turkey | Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project.

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