Activists oppose import of whales to Six Flags

Protesting at Six Flags/Sea World is nothing new.  Every year since I can remember there have been a dozen or two people standing on the road near Sea World protesting for animal rights during opening weekend.  It is nothing new now.

I don't often defend SFWoA management but there is no question in my mind that they will meet all requirements for the animals and do so willingly.  If the whales were in any danger you wouldn't find trainers who would be willing to work there.

supermandl: You make a point that whales haven't been captured for decades, but that's also the point of keeping those already in captivity. Like I said, see how Keiko has no desire to return to the wild. Also keep in mind that they're not being naturally selected for extinction, we're killing their natural habitat.

On one hand there's the issue that I'm not opposed to having the whales there, on the other hand, I am not comfortable with Six Flags taking care of them, for the reasons stated above.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

The way i feel about it is that the whales that are currently in captivity should stay there.  Anybody ever seen The Shawshank Redemption?  Eventually, when captivity is the only thing you know, and that is suddenly taken away from you, its practically impossible to survive in the outside world.  On the other hand, sea life should be allowed to live in their natural environment, and hopefully someday there won't be any whales in captivity.  It seems as though we are headed that way eventually anyway, so i suppose things are going in the right direction.
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Kicking screamin' Gucci little siggy.

Should we eliminate zoos, aviaries, aquariums, etc.?  I mean, the goldfishes natural habitat is not a round bowl.  My personal feeling is that if a park makes a significant effort to educate as well as to entertain then there is little if any harm.

For many people, zoos and the like are the only way they will ever see animals.  In many cases, zoos are the only way we are going to keep some of our species.

Now, if Six Flags is bringing in the whales just to make a buck then I would not support that.

I am more concerned about a animals rights than i am about a prisoners rights and ability to survive. Animals dont have alot of choice if they are held captive while prisoners are in jail due to their intentional acts and are treadted more humanely then the victims of their crimes were.

Goldfish aren't endangered. ;-)

Zoos, aquariums and the like are usually non-profit organizations.  Their core competency is wildlife, not rollercoasters.

Of course Six Flags wants a whale to get a buck.  I sincerely doubt they want to get an orca because they're very kind.

I think that if it wasn't for places like Six Flags WoA, Sea World, the Zoos and Aviaries, some people would never have the chance to interact with these animals. If the people never had the chance to interact with those animals, they might not have the same passion for them that they do. I know if I hadn't gone to the zoo or somewhere like Sea World, then I wouldn't know half these animals exsisted.

You can't have a passion for something you've never really seen. These places give people a chance to interact with animals they wouldn't normally be able to see. Activists that share a passion for animals may have never decided to pursue their love for them.

 

-Josh (hoping I'm making sense)

I'm not saying we shouldn't have these types of places... but I am saying that I feel Six Flags and pretty much every theme park doesn't have a place in taking on such a huge responsibility.  They're concerned about their bottom line, not the animals.  Leave them in care of agencies and organizations geared more toward their protection like zoos, aquariums, and the like.  SF should concentrate on coasters, not orcas.