Wild they may be.. but violent we are!

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.