Sick killer whale getting better at Sea World

Good, glad to see Shamoo's pulling through.

-----------------

Shamu is fine, this one they haven't named. The day before I went to Sea World last week, she had been sunburrned, so they covered her with bull frog sun block. She was the saddest looking Whale I've ever seen. When she tries to blow out her blowhole, puss comes out. There's a crusty foam that surrounds her blow hole. Very Depressing.

:) :) :) Thats good to hear!!  Thats really sad how she had a sun-burn.  At least shes fealing better!

-----------------
B&M King of Coasters!

Good!!  hope he gets better!
-----------------
"Fly like the American Eagle"

Go whale! :)
Happy days are here!

-----------------
Got a problem with RWB? you've got a problem with me! Rollercoasters are the secret of life!
http://www.woodencoaster.com

This is good to hear. After all, great parks have more than coasters.
-------------
"Those were rose-colored times on rides with your eyes closed"....Lisa Loeb
www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173

I don't think that they should keep whales in captivity like this. It's cruel and it's not right. They should leave the whales in the ocean where they belong.

Cruel? Would the wild animal get antibiotics?

-----------------
Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow: http://www.sillynonsense.com/subdivision/

No but it would live a natural life.

But if it lived a natural life...... it would probably die because it can't get antibiotics to help it live. It's better to have a captive whale that does not have to have fear in the ocean and be able to receive treatments to live than a wahle in the ocean that has to live with some fear and may die with a lung infection.
-----------------
Dave

Fact: Whales at Sea World live on average twice as long as their natural living counterparts.  Greenpeace can shove it! Additionally, all of Sea Worlds whales are from previous captive homes and/or are born in captivity. They no longer capture whales. Now, if the treehugger hippie crap community would stop driving 1970's cars, a diesel smoker boat, and flying cheap old poluting single engine aircraft everywhere they go to protest, they might have some kind of argument. Until then... Go Shamu! and Go Sea World.
-----------------

Al Gore wears "Depends". *** This post was edited by Snoopy on 8/23/2001. ***

Snoopy, you are full of it. I don't know where you get your facts from but you have no idea what you are talking about. The fact is that animal's life spans are cut short in captivity because unnatural environment  causes disease, infection and stress.
 

Wrong... I ran this by my biologist wife. While "twice" the life span might be a bit much, and varies by animal, there's no reason the animal can't live as long or longer.

She's not the biggest fan of captive animals, but in the case where they are born in captivity or kept as a conservation measure (and the Busch parks have done a lot in that area), it's a good thing.

Busch treats their animals very well. That's the reputation they have.

-----------------
Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

Current life expectancy for wild orcas is 50 to 60 years for males, up to 80 years for females. No killer whale in an aquarium has lived over the age of 30.

Okay...i love killer whales and love sea world.  Right now, the current life expectancy for wild orcas is not 50-60 years.  I even have it printed in a Sea World Book that i purchased at the park.   It is about 30-40 years.  That 50-60 years was what they used to think, but now, with the teeth rings (counting rings of the teeth to see how old the whale is) Sea world beleives its only about 30-40 years.  And Buzzo, i need to correct you on one more thing.  Sea World's Oldest whale is about 35 years old and her name is Corky who came from Marineland of the Pacific around 1988-1989.  And another whale, Lolita, who lives at the Miami Seaquarium is about 36 years old (the oldest in captivity).  So whales in captivity are living full lives.  About half of Sea World's whales were born in Captivity, and some DID come from the wild, but lived at other oceanariums for short periods of time until Sea World bought them out and shipped the whale to their parks.  yes, Jeff..you are right.  Sea World treats its whales wonderfully.  The whales get daily check ups and vet check ups every week or so.  The whales even get teeth x-rays and dental care.  A whale living at sea world would have to be one of the happiest in the world.  All of Sea World's whales get everything they need and could possibly want.  Sea World has the largest pools in North america and has many killer whales at each of its parks (about 21 total!).  Sea World also keeps bottlenose dolphins (about 100 with all its parks!) and has had a sucessful breeding program with them along with its killer whales.  As you can see, whales at Sea World DON'T suffer. 

To add to what has been said already- the sick whale in captivity if left in the wild would have died a long time ago from it's infection. It wouldn't be living a "wonderful life in it's natural habitat", it'd be dead!

Additionally, if you were to release most of the animals in captivity (the vast majority of which have been born in captivity), then they would die from lack of being able to take care of themselves, since many do not know how to do that.

Animals in captivity have had huge benefits- especially for their cousins in the wild. People get to see them up close, learn about them and why we should help them, and take more interest in animal conservation as a whole than if there weren't any in captivity. Not only is educating the public with them beneficial, but much has been learned about the animals in capitivity that would have been impossible to learn if there weren't any.

And how many speicies have been saved from extinction because of zoos and other "captive" breeding programs? I can think of a ton offhand. So your whole idea that there shouldn't be any animals in captivity really doesn't work.

BTW, when are you going to let your dog, cat, bird etc out to live in the wild? :-)

-------------
Willow? Yes, my name is Willow. Would you stop pecking on me on this big droooopppppppppp......

Did I say that all animals that are currently in captivity should be set free? No. But I think when a whale dies at Sea World or some other aquarium they should'nt run out and get another one to replace it. But it does'nt matter what I think because leaving the whales in the ocean is not going to make anybody any money.