Captive orca 'Unna' is still under intensive care according to SeaWorld.
Read more: http://seaworldcares.com/2015/10/unna-under-intensive-care/
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Dr. Ingrid Visser (orca researcher, Orca Research Trust) and former SeaWorld trainer John Hargrove visited one of the SeaWorld parks on October 7th 2015. Watch the video to find out what they saw. "Banning whale sex legal, ethical," an article by Dayna Bochco, member of the California Coastal Commission panel, which presided over the recent SeaWorld hearing: "The commission has always been forward-thinking in its protection of the environment, and the Coastal Act is a broad law...Researchers and eyewitness experts made a compelling case that the stress and anguish associated with confining such large, social, intelligent animals creates aggressive behavior among whales that results in terrible wounds or death...we felt that our approach was a compromise solution, benefiting both SeaWorld and the whales."
Read more: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/oct/15/coastal-commission-banning-whale-sex/ Animal welfare organisations are asking why Marineland Antibes did not have preventative measures in place to protect its animals prior to last week's flooding, when the marine entertainment park in France has been flooded before - in 2011.
Read more: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/captive-orca-valentin-dead-marineland-antibes/ "We are incredibly concerned for the four remaining orcas at Marineland Antibes, now more than ever. Over a week has gone by and the orcas are still languishing in dirty tank water," says Sam Lipman, chair of Dolphinaria-Free Europe [and Orca Aware Founding Manager]. "The facility still hasn't released any information about how it is planning to resolve this horrific situation, which has caused the deaths of many animals that it is responsible for."
Read more: https://www.thedodo.com/valentin-dead-orca-france-1402918960.html?utm_source=BfishFB2 "The captive industry insists that killer whales get the highest standard of care, and that the whales are safer in tanks than they would be in the ocean (where dangerous things like sharks lurk). Repeatedly we are told that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums are self-monitoring organizations that ensure that orcas are kept in standards that meet or accede government regulations – yet there were no backup measures in place at Marineland even though the park has been flooded and closed in the past."
Read more: http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/2015/10/12/killer-whale-dies-following-the-muddy-disaster-at-marineland/ Code Animal in France have written a blog about Valentin's life and death. They have also released a video of Valentin displaying stereotypic behaviour at Marineland Antibes, recorded by the organisation when they visited the park on August of this year. You can read the blog (French) & watch the video here: http://www.code-animal.com/valentin-1996-2015/ The BBC have also released an article about Valentin's death and the horrific situation in France that still continues for the remaining orcas: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34515872/french-water-park-marineland-criticised-after-killer-whale-dies ![]() Following last week's flooding that damaged 90% of its site, Marineland Antibes has today released the tragic news that one of its captive male orca known as Valentin has died. The post announced (translated using Google Translate) that: All Marineland teams are extremely sad to announce today, Monday, October 12 at 12pm, the death of Valentin, a killer whale born in the park. We experienced an extremely difficult and unprecedented situation last week and have made every effort to secure the infrastructure devastated by the weather. Trainers, experts and emergency services did everything to save the animals and secure facilities. We have at this time no explanation on the cause of death, we will do everything to understand. Analyses will be conducted by a team of veterinary experts. Valentin, who was born at Marineland Antibes on February 13th 1996, is the second orca to have died at the French entertainment facility this year. His mother Freya, a wild-caught Icelandic orca, died in June from a long, unidentified illness. She was in her early thirties. His wild-caught Icelandic father, Kim 2, died at Marineland Antibes in November 2005 at 23-24 years of age. Valentin was only 19 years-old. In the wild, male orca have an average life-expectancy of 29.2 years and can live as long as 50-60 years, (females have an average life-expectancy of 50.2 years and can live for more than 90 years). Male orca survival has also been linked with the survival of their mothers in some free-ranging populations. Valentin's dorsal fin was partially collapsed and would have likely fully collapsed in time. He was intermittently put on medication for safety during orca water work sessions (he was aggressive towards his trainers on several occasions), as well as to curb excessive sexual behaviours with his half sister and brother, Wikie and Inouk, as well as his own mother, Freya. Semen samples were also collected from Valentin as part of the facility's Artificial Insemination programme. Valentin displayed several stereotypic behaviours (abnormal, repetitive behaviours indicative of stress), including burping, chewing concrete and bumping his head against tank walls and gates. He also had a pronounced skin condition on his chin. Valentin leaves behind four captive-born Icelandic orca at Marineland Antibes. Inouk, Wikie and Wikie's two calves, Moana and Keijo, are still at risk of infection and other health problems as a result of the dirty water in their tanks caused by the flooding and the facility's notoriously ineffective water filtration system. Click on the image to enlarge - all photos © Orca Aware Former SeaWorld & Marineland Antibes trainer John Hargrove talks about his time working in France Read about the California Coastal Commission hearing outcome regarding the permit for SeaWorld's orca tank expansion project in this article by 'Death at SeaWorld' author, David Kirby:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/10/09/california-tells-seaworld-stop-breeding-orcas You can also read "Unanimous Coastal Commission Ruling Breathes Life into #Blackfish Bill AB2140" by Voice of the Orcas, a group formed by four former SeaWorld orca trainers: http://voiceoftheorcas.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/unanimous-coastal-commission-ruling.html Latest on the flooding at Marineland Antibes: former SeaWorld & Marineland Antibes orca trainer John Hargrove has written a letter to the park condemning the quality of the water at its orca stadium. In the letter, Hargrove says, "Incredibly, the horrific water quality at the killer whale stadium today is not much worse than when I was a trainer there, when the subpar filtration system was ill-equipped to handle the volume of water and bioload of, at that time, seven orcas."
Read more: http://www.economicvoice.com/former-seaworld-trainer-asks-marineland-to-free-orcas/ SeaWorld's response to the conditions placed on its Blue World Project application: “We are disappointed with the conditions that the California Coastal Commission placed on their approval of the Blue World Project and will carefully review and consider our options...Breeding is a natural, fundamental and important part of an animal’s life, and depriving a social animal of the right to reproduce is inhumane.”
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-seaworld-orcas-20151008-story.html |
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