is seaworld cruel to animals?

[disney1sttimer]

Im quite worried about this now. I have arranged it for the family but one of the girls has read on another forum how seaworld is very cruel and keeps animals in poor and small enclosures including animals that should not be kept in captivity?

[Dorothy]

Seaworld is NOT cruel to any of the animals it has at any of it's parks and is a very very important leader of animal conservation efforts.

Here's some links that you can take a look at hun and you can read about some of what they are doing

http://www.seaworld.org/conservation-matters/index.htm

http://www.swbg-conservationfund.org/

[Dawn]

I always have this moral dilemma about keeping animals in captivity but it's a sad fact that in order to save them from us we have to look after them. I don't like seeing manatees swimming in enclosures but the amount that get killed or injured by human activities means that they are increasingly at risk. And Sea World does an incredible amount of conservation work that we don't normally see or hear about. I guess I reconcile myself by saying that part of my ticket money goes toward this conservation and that if there were no animals to look at we wouldn't go and they wouldn't get any money.

Aside from that, Sea World have some of the best animal environments in the world. Truly 5 star compared to many places.

[Slowhand]

The animal keepers there are so compassionate about their creatures that there is no way that they can be accused of cruelty.
Furthermore some of the creatures there [eg the killer whales which are very difficult to breed in captivity] have been bred successfully in that environment which would most certainly not happen if the animals were ill treated.

[Tink]

I am one of those obnoxiously difficult people when it comes to this issue. It's the reason I refuse to return to BG. :(

However, Seaworld (how was it possible that they were owned by the same corporation!) does a beautiful job, and I love to visit there.

In all honesty, I am a bit uncomfortable with the "acts" (and I always will be) but they in no way mistreat the animals. They are very dedicated to conservation, preservation and education. Did you know that you have to have a BA degree (usually in psych) to be one of the workers who is alongside the habitats interacting with their guests?

They take their animals very seriously. :yes:

[MystikPiglit]

If you have time, take a behind-the-scenes tour. You will get a chance to talk at length to a keeper and see what goes on backstage. :)

[Tinker]

I just visited SeaWorld . The keepers & trainers are very compassionate . SeaWorld has rescued and saved many sea creatures, birds and mammals that wouldn't have otherwise survived .

[Britchick]

what they said!!!

[Skywatcher]

Again I agree that Seaworld does a lot for conservation and I have no hestation on visiting on each occasion - I too though am a little down on the shows - in particular blue horizons - I would rather they did a talk on the animals and discussed their behaviours and their plight in the wild rather than the arty farty stuff - just my opinion and i am sure I am in the minority.

[cathydisneynut]

If you have time, take a behind-the-scenes tour. You will get a chance to talk at length to a keeper and see what goes on backstage. :)

Agree with that, we did one a few years ago and it was very informative.

[josh.p.]

I am one of those obnoxiously difficult people when it comes to this issue. It's the reason I refuse to return to BG. :(

However, Seaworld (how was it possible that they were owned by the same corporation!) does a beautiful job, and I love to visit there.

In all honesty, I am a bit uncomfortable with the "acts" (and I always will be) but they in no way mistreat the animals. They are very dedicated to conservation, preservation and education. Did you know that you have to have a BA degree (usually in psych) to be one of the workers who is alongside the habitats interacting with their guests?

They take their animals very seriously. :yes:
I am the same. I'm not sure i'll even go back to busch gardens!

Their elephant enclosure leaves a lot to be decided... and they where doing this trunk swishing thing which made them look as if they hadn't had any stimulation what-so-ever.

Their tortoises where over-crowded and they mixed species too :(.

SG, however, i would definatley visit again. The blue horizons did seem to push me to my limits of seeing animals perform though.
I'd be much much more interested in seeing them perhaps perform some natural behaviors and have screens with good facts about them.

Although, I don't think they are cruel in the way that they train their animals, I just don't think they'd do it in the wild....

Their animal knowledge astounds me, and they have gotten killer whales to breed in captivity... I think that says it all really.