It’s been more than a year since I wrote something of worth.
I have been guilty of starting something with earnest interest and not
following up on it!
Having thought about 'what to write on?' for more than two
hours, I finally know what I need to key in so as to restart my blog sphere.
Ever since I relocated to the east coast, I met
this colleague who opened my eyes on the devastating incidents
the aquatic wild life faces in captivity. He is someone who holds the activism
against keeping ORCAS and Dolphins in captivity very close to his heart. We spoke on this topic for the first time when the Documentary 'Black
Fish' was about to be aired on National television. This is how I got to know
of this particular incident of immense cruelty towards Killer Whales.
Never having been to SeaWorld previously, I was really
looking forward to heading over and seeing the 'Shamu Show'. The documentary -
'Blackfish' - really changed my thoughts towards this. Here was an absolutely
beautiful animal - so much more majestic than humans can ever be - weighing
more than 5 ton being made to do all kinds of comical acrobatics for the mere
pleasure/ profit of human beings! Is it a breathtaking sight - oh sure it is!
But is it against the whole concept of humanity - hell yeah! Imagine such a
beauty of a creature, intelligent in its own ways being exploited by us humans.
Very much like the size we are when compared to the Orcas, our thought process
is also so very small and tiny!
What are the facts?
The facts are that Orcas are not meant for captivity.
Period! The mere size of these animals should have been enough for us to
understand this. If the size itself was overlooked (I don't know how that is
even possible) the fact that this particular Orca in question (named Tilikum) is the reason
behind 3 deaths during its captivity should have sealed the case. Experts are
of the opinion that cases of Orcas attacking humans in the wild are very very
rare and that there is not a single recorded incident of fatality ever! What
does this say? Leave them alone. Let them live their life in peace in the
Oceans where they are supposed to. Take a look at the Ocean and the holding
pads for the Orcas in captivity. They hardly have any space to move around!
Imagine how you would feel to be locked up without being able to move your
limbs around every single day and night! How you would feel if you are to be
starved so as to do stuff that you have no interest doing! The catch is, you don’t
do it, you don’t get fed!
With the advent of business and money being the sole reason
behind many a person's life, the concept of being tolerant and understanding to
others wishes has been thrown out of the window! With the cash registers
ringing every time an Orca performs, SeaWorld continues to harness this
tradition. Tilikum - The male Killer Whale (literally) has sired 21 calves. 11 of which
are still alive. These are sold/ shipped to different location in the world to
exploit the tendency of human beings to see something spectacular.
What was I thinking earlier?
I too was a captive under the influences of false promises
and wonderful sights seen on advertisements. Marketing is such an awesome make
belief world. How the truth can be contorted to fit your design is amazing!
When you do dig deep down, you understand that there is hardly any
credibility in the statements being made. They look awesome doing the
acrobatics and it is a sight if I ever get to see in the wild, I would savor
till my last.
During my reading up about all the abuses to Orcas, somewhere
along the way dolphins came in to the picture. If the atrocities being committed
against the Orcas can be called cruel some, I do not know how to tag the
torture dolphins’ face! Reading up, I became aware of the cove in Taiji, Japan
where they kill thousands of dolphins every single year. Why they do it? Well..
Taiji is the largest supplier of
Dolphins to the marine parks across the world. They drive all the dolphins into
a cove and handpick the 'good looking' ones to be sent across the world. The
ones that didn't get selected gets killed.. why .. so that they do not have to
go through the same 'not so good looking' dolphins the next time around! The
documentary ‘Cove’ again showcases the extent to which we as human beings are
falling lower and lower in the morality count!
It is a disturbing thought! What I wish or hope to do by
this post is merely bring to the attention of at least one new person the atrocities
that we commit. My views towards these changed overnight! If I could make even one person think for a second before they go swimming with
the dolphins or heading out to SeaWorld to see the show, I would consider the motive of this post accomplished!
Petition Site:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624/
Disclaimer: All images used are from google.
