Save the Cetceans : Anti-Cap

Showing posts with label Anti-Cap. Show all posts

Friday, November 22, 2019

Their Story; Kasatka.

My name is Kasatka, I was born in 1976 and captured off the coast of Iceland on October 26, 1978, with my pod-mate Katina. I lived in SeaWorld San Diego with Katina from 1976 to 1984 until we were separated and she was shipped to SeaWorld Orlando. I have been imprisoned in SeaWorld San Diego for four decades (and shipped between the other SeaWorld parks 14 times in 8 years) and am forced to perform upwards of eight shows a day. I have been known to show aggression toward my trainers. In 1993 I tried to bite my trainer Ken Peters and again in 1999. On November 30, 2006, I grabbed Ken Peters again and dragged him underwater twice. He sustained minor injuries.

I have been bred multiple times since living in SeaWorld and I have given birth to 4 calves. I am a grandmother or great-grandmother to eight other SeaWorld orcas. My first calf was Takara, she was born on July 9, 1991. Her mating partner (also her father) Kotar died when Takara was only 3 years old after a pool gate closed on his head and fractured his skull. In the wild mothers and their calves live together for their life, Takara and I were separated when she was 12 years old. In 2001 I gave birth to Nakai. Nakai was the first orca to be bred with Tilikum's sperm. I tried to protect him but Nakai was kept in a small concrete tank with incompatible orcas. In 2012 Nakai lost a chunk of his jaw after being attacked by other orcas in the tank. On December 21, 2004, I gave birth to my third calf Kalia after mating with Keet. Lastly, on Valentine's Day 2013, I gave birth to Makani after being inseminated with Kshamenk who lives alone in Argentina at Mundo Marino.

In 2008 I was diagnosed with pneumonia but still, was inseminated in 2011 with my fourth calf. I suffered endlessly with pneumonia until my euthanization on August 15, 2017. I was the third orca and the sixth marine mammal to die at one of the parks in that year.

Rest In Peace Kasatka

Friday, January 19, 2018

Their Story; Katina.

My name is Katina, I was born sometime in 1975. In October 1986 I was captured in Iceland and sent to Marineland, Niagara Falls, Canada. I was originally named Kandu 6, but in 1979 I was sent to SeaWorld San Diego and then again in 1982 I was sent to Ohio with another female named Kasatka. For two years we would perform in Ohio in the summer and then when winter came around we'd be moved to San Diego to perform. Finally, in September 1984 I was sent to SeaWorld Orlando where I lived the rest of my life.

I became pregnant in early 1984 in San Diego, that summer I was sent to Ohio where they realized I was pregnant and then sent me to Orlando where I gave birth to my first girl Kalina. Since many other Orca calves had been born in captivity in the past, and not survived, when I birthed Kalina, I became the most successful and prime whale for breeding. In 1987, I mated with Kanduke and gave birth to my second calf, November 4th, 1988 named Katerina. They took both Kalina and Katerina away from me and sent them to different facilities.

When Tilikum showed up in 1992, I became pregnant again and gave birth to my first son Taku in September 1993. My next calf came in December 1996 called Unna. My fifth calf Ikaika came in August 2002. Taku, Unna, and Ikaika all had the same father which was Tillikum. I gave birth to my son Taku's calf in 2006 named Nalani and she performs in shows with me. In 2010 I gave birth to Makaio who is my seventh son.

Currently, I am living in SeaWorld Orlando with two of my calves, Nalani and Makaio and one of my grandchildren Trua. I am still performing daily and I am SeaWorld's most reliable performance whale. This isn't the life I wanted for myself though, almost all of my children have been taken from me and most of them are passed on. I want to be in the ocean with my family, my pod. Swimming free, not performing.

Friday, March 31, 2017

Their Story; Kalina

My name is Kalina, I was born September 25, 1985, in Seaworld, Orlando and I was the original Baby Shamu! My mom was Katina, she was captured from Iceland and her dad (my grandfather) Winston spent all of his life in the UK before being bought to Seaworld, San Diego where he died at 15 years old. When I was just 4 years old I was taken from my mom to be at another facility. They say my mom cried sounds never heard by whales before because she was so upset I was separated from her.

I was sent to Ohio in 1990 where I didn't stay long, ten months later I was moved to San Diego. I was then taken from San Diego to San Antonio just eight months after. It was in Texas I was bred and became pregnant with my son Keet, I was only 7 years old. In the wild, we wouldn't start calving until we were at least 12. A little over a year later I had my second son Keto.
FINALLY, I was reunited with my mom Katina in Orlando but she didn't remember me. I then gave birth to two stillborns Tuar and Skyla. I was constantly being bred and giving birth but never allowed to bond with my babies because they would take them and move them to other facilities just like they did me.
Shortly before my death, I was being bullied by another female in the tank called Kayla. We had many physical fights that interrupted shows and they always left me injured. In October 2010, I died from septicemia.

Rest in peace Kalina

Friday, January 6, 2017

Heart Broken.

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It is with a heavy heart I make this blog post today. This morning Seaworld announced Tilikum has passed away at the hands of captivity. My soul aches knowing he never got the freedom he deserved, taken from the ocean at only 2 years old he never saw his pod or the deep blue ever again. Tili was 36 years old, far too young to go, though SeaWorld claims it is "average," (The average life expectancy for a male Bull Orca is 70 years in the wild.) Tilly struggled with a bacterial infection for months on end, SeaWorld says it could happen in the wild or in "zoological settings."

"While today is a difficult day for the SeaWorld family, its important to remember Tilikum lived a long and enriching life while at SeaWorld and inspired millions of people to care about this amazing species." - SeaWorld Cares

Tilly was taken from his home in Iceland in 1983, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia. He took is first victim, a trainer by the name Keltie Byrne, pulling her in and drowning her. Soon after the incident, Sealand closed its doors and Tilly was sold to SeaWorld Orlando. He lived out the rest of his life in a 35-foot pool, he was 22 feet long. He performed for years until he took two more victims, a man who trespassed into the park and then in 2010 he took the life of his trainer Dawn Brancheau. After the death of his trainer, Tilly was sentenced to isolation and eventually in March 2011, returned to performing.

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On March 19, 2016, Seaworld released their first statement about Tilly's illness, and on June 29, they claimed he was making progress. If they had just let him go to a sanctuary he could have at least been in the ocean one last time, felt the freedom of being home once again. But now it's all over, his passing was unethical, indecent and inhumane, this could have likely been prevented had they shut down the breeding program sooner and got him "world-class" care at a sea sanctuary.

I am deeply saddened and affected by the passing of this beautiful and sensitive, caring creature. There has to be more we can do, we need to work even harder this year to prevent more casualties, fight harder for what we believe in and start a movement. We've gotten the breeding program shut down and the shows canceled but let's take a step further, let's get these whales to the ocean where they belong, we can't wait any longer.

RIP TILIKUM. NOVEMBER 1981-JANUARY 6, 2017

NEVER FORGET.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Whalecoming 2017!

vinyardvines.com

Happy 2017, we are whalecoming it with open arms are getting ready for bigger and better achievements and accomplishments to come in this new year. Here's your 2016 overwhalming recap, the achievements, and downfalls.

- January

NOAA expands Critical Habitat for Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales
The DOC has started a 3-year research project on the Taranaki coast, studying Blue Whales
Taiji Dolphin hunt continues
Manatees are no longer endangered
Pollution could drive UK Orcas to extinction
Victory for WDC in the battle against commercial whale hunting
Seaworld Orlando stops Beluga Whale interaction program
Nearly 40,000 square miles of protection granted for 500 Right Whales

- February

Seaworld admits their employees spied on PETA
Seaworld reports they've lost $11 million in their quarterly earnings
A new film looks at the issue of whale and dolphin rights
Toxic chemicals found in brains of beached whales
Beachgoers cause the death of a baby dolphin

- March

Seaworld announces they will be phasing out their killer whale shows
Seaworld is ending their breeding program
National Dolphin Awareness Month
Japan to resume Antarctic whaling despite a court ruling
New maps reduce threats to whales and dolphins

- April

Seaworld reveals Tilikums state of health
Seaworld withdraws plans for expansions of Orca Tanks
Green Sea Turtles no longer endangered in Florida
Gulf of Mexico perinatal deaths likely a result of oil exposure

- May

Seaworld San Antonio announces new plans for dolphin habitat
Seaworld reports more than an $84 million loss
Whale Sanctuary Project to create seaside sanctuaries for whales and dolphins

- June

Orca Awareness Month
WDC in the UK held "Walk for Whales"
Seaworld releases a new update on Tilikum's health
Sea Turtle recovering after being stepped on and beaten for selfies
Captive dolphin facility to close in Singapore
Pilot whale dies at Seaworld
US aquarium wants to create a sanctuary for captive dolphins
Georgia Aquarium will no longer take whales or dolphins from the wild

- July

Rare fin whale spotted in Puget Sound, WA
Sea Turtle Awareness Month
115 whales killed for "science"

- August

Seaworld's stock hits an all-time low
Whale older than the Titanic seen off the coast of Washington
The FFWCC has reports Florida boaters are killing Manatees at a record-setting pace

- September

California bans Killer Whale shows and breeding
Most Humpback Whales are no longer endangered
Seaworld cuts dividends

- October

Adventure Aquarium to release Sea Turtle back into the wild

- November

Manatee Awareness Month

- December

Captive dolphin park to be sued after dolphin death
Seaworld announces a plan to build a park in the Middle East

Friday, October 14, 2016

SeaWorld: Their Reason For No Freedom

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On March 17, 2016, SeaWorld announced they were ending their captive breeding program and the orcas currently held in captivity would be the last. Later on, in the month SeaWorld announced that they would not be sending their orcas to Sea Sanctuaries.

"While most are celebrating these announcements, some critics want us to go further; they believe we should simply 'set free' the whales and release them into the ocean. We

believe that would likely be a death sentence for our whales."- SeaWorld Cares

SeaWorld claims that "sea cages" are dangerous for the whales because they would be helpless to contagious diseases, that they'd be "sitting ducks" stuck in one place. A captive Orcas' current living conditions sound about the same, stuck in a tank with nowhere to go. These whales have more dangers living in the state they're in right now than they ever would in a sea sanctuary.

Orca whales need to swim and dive down far below the surface but in their tanks, there is nowhere to go, many suffer sunburn from the lack of depth in the tanks. Lack of space also causes a backlash, whales will get frustrated and become violent, when this happens there is nowhere to go. Many whales and dolphins as well have suffered from the skin being ripped off, being pushed out of their tanks and some have even died from the violence. This is what these whales endure every day and what they will continue to endure for the rest of their lives if they are not released.

In the article, SeaWorld Cares wrote they bring up Keiko. Keiko is a whale who was born into the wild and then captured and used for entertainment before being retired to a sea sanctuary. SeaWorld Cares, states that sea sanctuaries for whales are not a concept and there is not one sanctuary around the world. This is a false statement. They continue to say that Keiko was released into the wild and then died soon afterward. This is a false statement as well. Keiko lived years after being rehabilitated into the wild and reunited with his family; the point is that he died happily.

SeaWorld can make all these claims and a lot of people will believe them, but we can't, in order to make a difference you have to see right through them. There is multiple, factual evidence out there that this can happen. SeaWorld could make this happen if they wanted too, but they don't care, they care about one thing; the money.

Read More About This Topic Here:

- https://seaworldcares.com/2016/03/Why-Sea-Cages-Are-Dangerous/
- https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-orcas-sea-sanctuaries-pens-1700373682.html

Friday, October 7, 2016

My Visit To SeaWorld.

I went to SeaWorld, and I'm not proud of it. In April 2016 my family and I took a trip to Florida and one of the stops on the way was SeaWorld. Now I have to say that this wasn't my choice and I preferred to go to Disney or Universal but this decision was heavily outweighed by the rest of my family. To avoid distress and family arguments I decided that I had to go. Though I'm not proud that I was a SeaWorld visitor, I am glad I was able to experience it as an insider...

The first question of the day as if the whales would perform because of the recent announcement that shows would be ending, after being reassured that the show would go on, my family happily proceeded into the park. We started the day at the dolphin rehab where a lot of unsanitized hands touched the vulnerable dolphins. The caregivers feeding them did not advise cleanliness but rather that you could pet a dolphin if it came close to you. Next, we moved over the Blue Horizons show where multiple dolphins performed vigorous routines for close to an hour. After that, it was immediately to the Sea Lion and Otter show where we then watched a Sea Lion and Otter do very unnecessary tricks that you would never see in the wild. Then to Shamu Stadium for the big event.

I remember sitting there and wishing and hoping the show wouldn't start. That they would cancel the show and it would all be over and we could go home. From the beginning I knew this wasn't right, the feeling in the pit of my stomach was almost unbearable. The show started and ended but it seemed like an eternity in between the start and finish. Don't get me wrong, seeing one of my favorite animals of all time up close was really cool, but it was not the ideal circumstance and I wouldn't wish it on any Orca, nor will I ever go back to witness it again.

At the end of the show, we went back to the viewing area where the most beautiful creature to live on this planet swam inches away from me, it was the most fulfilling and depressing moment of my life. This wasn't how I imagined it. I wanted the freedom to see this in the wild, much how he wants the freedom to live in the wild, this was the moment I met Tilikum.

The "expert" that was standing by was answering the questions everyone was asking. A young child asked if Tilly was Shamu, "No that's not Shamu but we call them all Shamu because it is like their last name, they're all family." If only that young child knew the truth behind that horrifying statement. Tilly swam by a few times before being released into a different pool so the other whales could come in. Someone else asked why Tilly's dorsal fin was collapsed and the "expert" told us that it's 'natural,' that all males have collapsed dorsal fins in the wild.

My dad then proceeds to ask about the baby Shamu that was born in 1985, the "expert" blatantly lied to my fathers face claiming that there was no "Baby Shamu" born in 1985 and she had no idea what he was talking about. My dad visited the park just days after the birth of Kalina (baby Shamu.) Kalina was baby to Katina and was taken at only 4 years old and moved to SeaWorld San Diego.

SeaWorld lies, they tell you what you want to hear because it sounds good. Wild Orca males never have collapsed dorsal fins unless injured or ill. Kalina was the original baby Shamu who was ripped from her mother at a very young age. All the whales' last names are "Shamu" because almost all of them have the same dad, Tilikum.

I will never step foot back into SeaWorld, I felt sad for the animals and mad at the world for letting this happen, for letting humans take these beautiful creatures away from their homes. They deserve a life worth living where they belong, in the ocean.