Miami Seaquarium, Miami > Reviews > You thought slavery had been abolished

Author's product rating:   

Prices	Poor
Is it worth visiting?
Transport links
Family Friendly

Advantages:	See Whales and Dolphins Close up
Disadvantages:	Deprived of freedom .   Animals suffer stress .   High cost .

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

You thought slavery had been abolished? Wrong! Here at Miami Seaquarium you can witness "Lolita", a Killer Whale plucked from her natural habitat off Puget Sound in 1970 as she performs tricks for food. This killer whale or orca has been confined to captivity for 33 years - longer than most murderers get in jail.

Yet this highly intelligent marine mammal has not committed any crime. Instead her captors confine her to a small tank to entertain the crowds.

However, have you ever thought what happens after the music stops and the crowds go away? Often these animals will lie listless in the pools afterwards. They shut down their natural communication systems -their sonar - because the signals become confused in an enclosed concrete tank. Many dolphins and killer whales that are captured do not even make it to their prisons - the journey is too stressful. Over 50% die within the first two years. The stress leads to ailments.

Did you ever watch the film "Free Willy" about Keiko the Killer Whale which was released back into the wild? You may have even followed the documentaries on t.v. about his rehabilitation and release off Iceland. What you may not know is the Miami Seaquarium applied for a licence to recapture him in 2002, when he was watched interacting with people off Norway. Thankfully the Norwegian Government has stopped these spurious efforts. Miami Seaquarium tried to get the US NMFS to grant a licence on the grounds that he could not fend for himself in the wild. This is untrue and there are many experts who have and will continue to dedicate time to make sure his rehabilitation is completely successful.

By visiting Miami Seaquarium, and the likes of SeaWorld (which makes over US Dollars 2bn each year) you will be encouraging the captors to keep making money at the expense of these animals freedom. Yes, the packages look very tempting, and the corporations are good at packaging nature for our consumption. Don't be fooled. They will talk about the animals as if they are part of the family. However, they won't talk about the fact that they separated these animals from highly evolved and social family groups of dolphins and whales. They will tell you what good care they take of them. Well wouldn't you if your asset (Killer Whale) is valued at US Dollars 1 million?

For further information visit our web-site: www.ci-dolphins.org.uk and watch dolphins and whales in the wild instead. The ocean is their birthright. Who are we to take away this freedom?

Thanks but no tanks!