It was very gratifying to know that I can debate like this. The article that's commented on is here: Steno bredanensis: The Problem with The Cove They were trying to catch me off guard. Little do they know, I know a lot about cetaceans in captivity. (With the help of some friends to find sources of course.) The comment: Explain these... Federal Register | Marine Mammals; File No. 15014 My response: Okay, I will. The first article you linked is about a pilot whale named Argo who was in a stranding (not a drive hunt) back in 2004, and has been residing in an aquarium ever since. He can be found on this table in the link below as number O-1515 Google Translate 'Shipwrecked' means 'stranding' by the way. Also, it's pretty much impossible for any facility in the states to get animals from a drive fishery, since NOAA deems it as an inhumane way to capture the animals. They can still capture cetaceans, yes... but they choose not to. In the second link, with the video talking about Sea World's decisions in the 1980's, I do agree with, like I said, there were some rash decisions made back then, there's no denying the past, but what I'm debating for is the present. In the last link, it's talking about Asian marine parks and aquariums, which I am not defending, I'm defending specifically American and most European aquariums that follow strict guidelines even when taking care of stranded animals. In the first video in my article, there's a clip of J.J. the gray whale that was rescued, rehabilitated and released by Sea World in the late 90's. Tell me, if they were really such an evil company, wouldn't they just keep the whale? I mean, what other chance are you going to get? And it's not like they haven't received other rare strandings before either, just a couple years ago, they got their hands on a northern right-whale dolphin that stranded, but did they keep it? No, that would be wrong if it was healthy enough to be released in the wild, and they did release it. There are reasons that some animals are kept in captivity and others are released. It's all for the welfare of the animal, not what our hearts want. The issue isn't as black and white as some people would lead you to believe. If you can find me real evidence that aquariums and marine parks of the western world have been getting cetaceans, then I may be more inclined to stop supporting certain facilities, but not aquariums and marine parks as a whole. They are an integral part of conservation and awareness and I'm sure you've heard that spiel before in a much more 'corporate' and clean tone, but it's true.
I feel quite strongly on this issue too, and agree with you. I don't have time at the moment to read through all the literature that you've posted, but I do believe that many facts stated in the Cove are wrong or misguided. It is a real shame because the general message about the drive fishing is a good one and the style of film production is very original and interesting- it has just been saturated with the personal views of Ric O'Barry etc..
Yeah, if people want a better and more honest documentary, they should watch The Dolphin Defender by Hardy Jones: The Dolphin Defender - Introduction | Nature | PBS
