Slave the Whales ?
Sea World Orlando: A US Court will decide whether or not the Killer Whales at Seaworld Parks should have the same rights as humans in a bizarre Slavery Case.
From Rob P
Posted February 8, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Is this as ridiculous as it seems ? Whilst fully respecting animals rights to be treated humanely I cannot believe that the US Courts can seriously consider PETA's plea that Whales should have the same constitutional rights as humans (13th amendment).
What are your views on this ?
From Aaron M.
Posted February 8, 2012 at 1:51 PM
Is it just Whales or all mammals?
I do have an opinion on this, and its one that comes from me being a bit of an internal paradox.
I am a fully paid up member of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and yet Seaworld is my favourite park.
I firmly believe that the way to 'save' whales and dolphins for the future is to get children excited and educated about them now. This geuninely happens at Seaworld. (although the eductaion side has somewhat lagged from the major shows since they were themed)
This to me seems an effort on Peta's part to get their name in the news again.
I am all for animal and trainer safety and believe that has to be priority without question. But this isnt the way to get it.
But why don't Peta put effort into the slaying of hundreds of dolphins every year in the Faroe Islands for sport, or the (largely illegal) hunting of whales by Iceland (not the shop UK TPI'ers) to send to Japan and Norway for meat? Causes that the WDCS have been fighting for years.
I'm sure a Peta affiliate will come along at some stage here....
I realise I went way off topic there - I dont really believe this has any hope in the courts at all. It will cost millions of dollars and achieve little if anything.
From Rob P
Posted February 9, 2012 at 3:32 AM
Kelly..........that Kerry Katona has a lot to answer for :>)
( please excuse a Brit in-joke )
hahahaha indeed....bites tongue from mentioning prawn rings....DOH! :-)
So if PETA thinks that dolphins and orcas should have the same constitutional rights as humans does that mean that other rights and responsibilities apply?
I can see it now....
"Mr. Shamu, we understand that you have fathered at least 3 juvenile killer whales who are residing with their mothers in other tanks yet you have not contributed a single harbor seal or walrus for their care or upkeep over the last three years. Therefore according to the laws of the State of Florida, we are going to garnish 40% of your daily allotment of sardines and mackerel."
Boy, Tim's on a roll! I dunno what you do for a living, but if you're not a stand-up comedian, you should be moonlighting as one.
From N B
Posted February 9, 2012 at 7:45 AM
LMAO at Tim's post......
I have a long commute to work, so when I get bored with calculating things like the future return on an investment, I start thinking about things I've read on sites like TPI.
I really need to start subscribing to satellite radio. ;>)
I'm sure there are plenty of much worse cases of animal mistreatment in the world where PETA could come in and try to stop them. Dolphins, whales, and other sea life are slain all over the world every day, and yet they go after the company that promotes education and conservation of these wonderful creatures. Pretty hypocritical stuff... considering that while they pontificate about animal rights and flaunt half naked celebrities in the media, they run an animal shelter that's little more than a slaughterhouse. A reported 25,000+ dogs, cats, and other pets have been killed there in the past dozen years or so. Hypocrisy is quite abundant in PETA, all one has to do is scratch the surface a little.
The reason they are doing this has very little to do with treatment of animals. Their real motivation here in attacking Sea World isn't to "save the whales" (who are very much alive and well in the park), it's to draw attention to themselves and put more money in the coffers. What better way to get your name in the news than by filing a frivolous lawsuit against a high profile multimillion dollar company...one that has taken a bit of a beating in the press fairly recently because of the tragic death of a trainer. More press means more donations, and more donations means more in their pockets and more to fund BS celebrity campaigns. Even though the lawsuit will be thrown out, their real goal will be accomplished. They get more money, and they give their followers the illusion that they are really trying to make a difference.
From Aaron M.
Posted February 9, 2012 at 1:15 PM
I agree with Derek. Sea World really isn't that bad when It comes to treating the animals, There are other places that are way worse. Sea World isn't perfect but compared to places like for example: The Miami Seaquarium. Did I spell seaquarium right? It looks wrong o.O
Well said Derek.
From Rob P
Posted February 10, 2012 at 4:54 AM
The feedback here on TPI supports my view that this could be a cynical PR move by PETA.
As both Kelly and Derek have stated , PETA has been pretty ineffectual in stamping out some of the very serious, but less high profile, episodes of animal cruelty.
Perhaps it is, as has been suggested, that they see this as an opportunity to raise funding through media recognition. They do say that there's no such thing as bad publicity. However this action appears to be backfiring as people may perceive them, rightly or wrongly, to be self promoting rather than genuinely concerned for animal welfare.
I actually looked at the 13th Ammendment and I do not believe it says "humans" or "man".
I think its all a bit silly. I agree that the best way to get conservation of whales is to get kids and people excited about them. I have a degree in biology and I think Sea World is just great!
This discussion has been archived, and is not accepting additional responses.
