Not Swimming With Captive Animals!!
By:Ricardo Sandoval
Dangers Of Captive Animals
Adam Roberts, senior vice president of Born Free USA, said on “Good Morning America” that it’s not good for animals to be put in unnatural settings. Wild animals can become aggressive and attack without warning. Mark Beckoff, a former professor of ecology at the University of Colorado, said on “20/20” that captive animals work nonstop to escape their “prisons.” A former SeaWorld trainer, Jeff Ventre, points out in in “Wired” magazine that not one person has been killed by an orca in the wild. Ventre believes known attacks are precipitated from the stress of being held captive. “It just doesn’t work” to keep large-brain animals or large animals captive, Mark Berman, associate director at California’s Earth Island Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes ecological sustainability, told CBS News. The animals can become bored and dangerous.
Benefits Of Swimming With Captive Animals
- Over the years, millions of people have visited zoological parks such as the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks to see animals. Most people do not have the opportunity to observe these animals in the wild. Visitors are not only entertained, but also educated. The unique ability to observe and learn directly from live animals increases public awareness and appreciation of wildlife.
- The animals are trained to present various parts of their bodies for examination, measurement, and blood sampling. They are trained to get on a scale, and even to urinate when signaled to do so. Most importantly, they are trained to hold still and remain calm throughout any examination. Trainers and veterinarians also are able to perform delicate procedures, such as taking x-rays and obtaining sonogram data.
- HSWRI researchers also were able to conduct studies on the vocal development of killer whale calves. Researchers verified that killer whale calves learn vocalization repertoires from their mothers, and pass them from generation to generation.
- With the help of trainers, researchers were able to record calf vocalizations and track the development of the calf's vocalization repertoire. They compared the calf's repertoire to its mother's and those of the other whales in its environment.
- The results of the study supported the hypothesis that a killer whale calf learns vocalization types from its mother.