SeaWorld Dolphin Dies While Doing Trick (by Kris Stewart)
A 30-year-old dolphin died on Saturday at Sea World’s Discovery Cove after colliding with another dolphin while performing aerial tricks.With visitors watching, two dolphins apparently slammed into one another in mid-air and one of them, Sharky, was killed in the process. SeaWorld spokespeople called it an “unfortunate, random incident.â€
Random? Baffling, maybe. I have never heard of dolphins colliding with one another under any circumstances-much less mid-air. To say such a thing is “random†is to imply that it could happen anytime; that it is part of some probability distribution-one of many events in which all outcomes are equally likely. But Sharky was in the process of performing a presumably human-crafted aerial maneuver in a concrete pool for the pleasure of human onlookers.I suppose under these circumstances crashing into your acrobatic colleague isn’t something to be too shocked about, but I can’t help but think about the tremendous athleticism, awareness, grace, intelligence, and agility of free-ranging dolphins in the open sea.I just can’t imagine something like this ever happening there.
Unfortunate? Are they kidding? Unfortunate is locking your keys in your car. Unfortunate is mistakenly hitting the send button before you actually finished typing that email. Or perhaps I’m being to loose with the word. Unfortunate is waking up with a big pimple on your wedding day. Anyway, you get my point. The violent death of a sentient, sapient creature who was kept by humans, for the pleasure of humans, and perished whiled performing tricks for those who were charged with providing his care and safety is nothing less than a tragedy.
Maybe I’m writing this too soon. Like an email dashed off in the heat of disgust, perhaps I’m pushing the send button too soon on this. But I got the news and thought it important that I share it. If I’m not as articulate as I might have been after a cooling off period, that is unfortunate. But Sharky’s death is so much more than that.
Am I making too much of words? I don’t think so. Words are powerful things. "Random and unfortunate" is what you call a paper cut or a big zit. It happens. It’s too bad. It is not this. In my view, SeaWorld screams a callouse disrespect for Sharky, the other animals under its care, and all dolphins with its words as well as its behavior.
Sharky’s death was, at the least, baffling and tragic.
For the CNN story, go to http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/28/dolphin.death/index.html
Kris Stewart :: Apr.28.2008 :: Animal Studies, Ethics :: 4 Comments »
4 Responses to “SeaWorld Dolphin Dies While Doing Trick (by Kris Stewart)”
DYING TO ENTERTAIN YOU
Kris Stewart is, rightly so, angered by the callous remarks of Sea World upon the tragic death of the dolphin Sharky. This is to be expected from an industry that regards animals as stock in trade and sees this tragedy as a loss of revenue and a decrease in their inventory.
I am a marine mammalogist and have had the opportunity to work at several marine parks in this country over the years. During this time I learned that marine parks are ruled by a Culture of Commoditization and Commercialism that belies any claims that they are interested in educating the public or supporting conservation and welfare. Places like Sea World exist for one reason – entertainment. Despite their laudable-sounding assertions there is no compelling data that demonstrates that marine parks have a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes about animal welfare and conservation.
Sea World and other marine parks that keep captive dolphins and force them to “sing for their supper” cannot be expected to suddenly become conscientious and respectful organizations. It is not in their nature. But we, as potential consumers of these commercial spectacles, can make choices about whether we want to support their continued exploitation of these beautiful, intelligent, social mammals. We can take the path of easy superficial exploitive entertainment or the path to education, environmental awareness, and responsibility. The important point is – they lead in opposite directions.
I agree with Kris Steward and Dr. Marino.
Sharky was captured from the wild then spent the last 30 years doing stupid dolphin tricks inside a concrete box.
The Sea World spin machine is hard at work once again trying to convince the media that Sharky simply had an “unfortunate accident”. This is the exact reason I left that multi-billion dollar industry. In order to be successful as a dolphin trainer, one must become a professional lier. One must lie everytime another marine mammal dies. You lie to the media, to the public, and worst of all, one must lie to oneself everyday.
This is an industry of hypocrites and liers.
Hello… I am a former marine mammal trainer with experience to varying degrees in interaction programs, dolphin assisted therapy, cetacean and pinniped rescue and rehabilitation, as well as research with captive and wild marine mammal populations. After over four years working as a trainer, I made the difficult decision to leave the industry because, like Mr. O’Barry, Dr. Marino, and Dr. Stewart, I believed it was just that – an industry.
My largest concern with the captive marine mammal industry is that it profits from compromising the freedom of another sapient being. My ultimate decision to leave was based on the realization that I was personally profiting off of the animals who I considered to be my best friends.
In my opinion, however, very few issues in this world are wholly black and white with no room for gray and that includes captivity. With all due respect for Dr. Marino and Mr. O’Barry’s positions on this, and their extensive work and expertise in this field, I would feel remiss not to call attention to some of the important and often over-looked nuances in the captivity issue.
Dr. Marino suggests that there is “no compelling data that demonstrates that marine parks have a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes about animal welfare and conservation.†I will not argue this point, but wonder what standard is being used to define compelling and if this is something that could even be quantified.
For instance, one immeasurable effect is the influence seeing marine mammal shows can have on an individual. I will use myself as an example. When I was eight years old, I traveled to Sea World Orlando for the first time. My parents agreed to stay at the park late to watch the nighttime Shamu show. The show was set to the REM song “Night Swimming†and was designed to depict a relationship between Orca and trainer. Throughout this presentation, the Orca and trainer simultaneously engaged in the same swimming behaviors and patterns. As an eight-year-old, I was completely in awe and dedicated myself to achieving that “relationship†with a marine mammal one day.
In reality, it is quite likely that the relationship portrayed at Shamu Stadium that night was merely an exhibition of a chain of trained behaviors and a skilled use of “smoke and mirrors.†I can say with great confidence, however, that the varied relationships I have built with some of the marine mammals I have been lucky enough to work with over the years are quite real. They are true relationships and those individuals – those persons – are friends I will have for life. These great friends taught me about love and forgiveness and have inspired my passion to devote my life towards improving the lives of all marine mammals, captive and wild.
To refer to all dolphin trainers as “professional liars†fails to account for the spectrum of individuality that exists among professionals in this field. Personally, in my years in the industry, I felt a personal moral obligation to answer customer questions as honestly as possible and know most of my colleagues over the years have made the same effort. I did not hesitate to honestly disclose my concerns about captivity and I think one would be hard-pressed to find a marine mammal trainer who has never questioned captivity.
I have never encountered a marine mammal trainer who chose the job for the money, as marine mammal training is not exactly a lucrative career. Can the argument be made that the corporations and private owners who house marine mammals view the animals as commodities and make every effort to maximize profit? Absolutely. Is this a practice that should be lauded or even accepted? No. In my experience, the vast majority of trainers, however, do not enter this field for the business of it, but out of a love for marine mammals. Are these trainers influenced by the “party line†at the facilities where they work? Undoubtedly. Does this mean they do not care individually about each animal with whom they work? No.
It is not difficult to universally condemn the business of captivity and the commoditization of the animals who, through no choice of their own, are the product being marketed. The challenge lies in recognizing the range of individuality, both human and non-human that exists in the captive world.
Sharky’s tragic death shocks, sickens, and saddens me. My heart goes out to all of the animals at Discovery Cove who are grieving the loss of their family member and matriarch, and to the trainers who are mourning the loss of a family member and great friend. Most of all, my heart goes out to Sharky.
(Posted by Bill Lynn for Paul Chandler, photophreak@msn.com)
“I have never heard of dolphins colliding with one another under any circumstances-much less mid-air.”
Dolphins in Scotland and Virginia have been documented ramming each other (and porpoises) to death. We’re probably talking about a tiny minority of dolphins who have that murderous tendency, probably a similar ratio to that which exists in humans. Still, it has happened, FYI.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/01/25/eadolphin125.xml
Personally, while I see the murder of animals for food (especially mammals) as an abomination on par with (perhaps worse than) the most heinous instances of human inhumanity…I don’t see much of an ethical problem (in theory) with confining most wild animals in general, as pets or as gymnasts or as zoological novelties etc., nor do I see too much of an ethical problem with exploiting animals for milk or wool or honey etc. (especially since (again, in theory — I’m aware that conditions are often brutal) they are compensated with a “wage” of shelter and food that is relatively luxurious for non-human animals).
In fact, I think any advocate for animal rights has a moral duty to ignore issues of confinement and non-lethal exploitation for the time being, and instead to focus 100% on stopping lethal consumption until it is made illegal and eradicated. Humans are exploited and confined unfairly (and involuntarily) every day, all over the world.
(Even when it comes to lethal animal testing: For centuries humans have been drafted unwillingly by governments to sacrifice their lives in wars supposedly meant to advance civilization. Just so, so long as animals are “drafted” into genuine scientific wars on disease etc. (as opposed to improving cosmetics or satisfying the sadism of a Harlow) and so long as the animal’s involvement in an experiment is truly superior to inorganic models, and so long as maximum care is taken to minimize the animal’s pain…I don’t see much of a theoretical problem with animal testing, either. We should at the very least, however, be celebrating the sacrifical animals as heroes, and build public monuments in their honor.)
But, as far as I know, despite there being the human equivalent of zoos and testing, there are thankfully no such things as slaughterhouses that murder and dismember humans and turn them into “food”. Perspective, people. Please. Thank you.