FL - Dawn Brancheau, Female Trainer Killed at Shamu Stadium

A lot of our attitudes about dolphins have been shaped by FLIPPER, as you mention, and other films and TV shows about dolphins PLUS the numerous aquatic parks in the U.S.

I'm not sure Japanese culture has portrayed dolphins in the same light; the public there may not see them as we do.

Which is why international pressure is so important. The Japanese have a history of sensitivity to being "shamed" by the international community. (Unfortunately, that same tendency may encourage the Japanese to cover up the slaughter rather than to end it.)

Nova, one of the most interesting things I noticed while watching The Cove, a key point really..........is that while those participating in the yearly dolphin hunts were proclaiming their actions a part of some Japanese tradition.........when the average "man on the street" was asked about/ informed of these hunts, nobody had ever heard of this so-called "tradition".
You make a wonderful point about keeping up international pressure, and an equally valid point of this very action may drive the "hunters" further underground in their attempts to cover things up/save face. I wish I had some idea of what we, just average but concerned citizens, can do to aid in an end to this barbaric practice?
 
Nova, one of the most interesting things I noticed while watching The Cove, a key point really..........is that while those participating in the yearly dolphin hunts were proclaiming their actions a part of some Japanese tradition.........when the average "man on the street" was asked about/ informed of these hunts, nobody had ever heard of this so-called "tradition".
You make a wonderful point about keeping up international pressure, and an equally valid point of this very action may drive the "hunters" further underground in their attempts to cover things up/save face. I wish I had some idea of what we, just average but concerned citizens, can do to aid in an end to this barbaric practice?

It didn't occur to me that anyone would claim the Japanese have made a cultural "habit" of killing dolphins. I just meant that they may not think of dolphins as "near human", the way we Americans have come to do.

I too wish I knew what we could do, other than refusing to take our kids to SeaWorld. (I have to admit that's an easy one for me. I hate theme parks in general.)
 
Not sure if this has been posted, just seen this tweet

@TMZ: REO Speedwagon -- 'Blackfish' Moved Us ... We're Quitting SeaWorld Gig Too http://t.co/NdSvDxPV9f
 
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/...ackfish-is-still-creating-waves-for-seaworld/

The Documentary Blackfish Is Still Creating Waves at SeaWorld
Musical acts are canceling SeaWorld shows, citing the unsettling documentary's influence

Then, on Dec. 9, long-time animal rights advocate Joan Jett sent SeaWorld a cease-and-desist letter asking the park to stop playing her 1982 track “I Love Rock’n'Roll”, writing, “I’m among the millions who saw Blackfish and am sickened that my music was blasted without my permission at sound-sensitive marine mammals.”
 
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/11/showbiz/seaworld-joan-jett-blackfish/

Joan Jett to SeaWorld: Stop rockin' whales

(CNN) - Rocker Joan Jett warned SeaWorld to stop blasting her music at "sound-sensitive" orcas or they'll see her protesting at their gate.

"I was surprised and upset to see on YouTube that SeaWorld used "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" as the opening music for its cruel and abusive 'Shamu Rocks' show," Jett said in a letter sent this week to SeaWorld President Jim Atchison.
 
Nova, one of the most interesting things I noticed while watching The Cove, a key point really..........is that while those participating in the yearly dolphin hunts were proclaiming their actions a part of some Japanese tradition.........when the average "man on the street" was asked about/ informed of these hunts, nobody had ever heard of this so-called "tradition".
You make a wonderful point about keeping up international pressure, and an equally valid point of this very action may drive the "hunters" further underground in their attempts to cover things up/save face. I wish I had some idea of what we, just average but concerned citizens, can do to aid in an end to this barbaric practice?

There is something we can do! Spread the word to everyone you know. Use social media. Ask your local library to purchase Blackfish and Death at SeaWorld. My library has a 'request a book/video' link on their site. Any park that displays large marine mammals helps drive the slaughter because there is profit to be made. When people know they won't go.

Almost all (if not all) false killer whales in captivity in the US came from the cove slaughter. People just don't know.

Sea Shepherd is live streaming the slaughter. Sometimes it takes a visual for people to understand that it's happening right now and if they purchase that ticket they are fueling the demand for captive cetaceans. Here are a few tweets from Sea Shepherd today:

Cove Guardians ‏@CoveGuardians 2h
Killers continue to drive the pod towards the cove. Watch live at http://livestream.seashepherd.org 8:30a #tweet4taiji

Cove Guardians ‏@CoveGuardians 2h
Waters of the cove turn redder and redder as Taiji murders a family of dolphins. 9:05a #tweet4taiji http://livestream.seashepherd.org

Cove Guardians ‏@CoveGuardians 2h
Cove is now an erie quiet as the lifeless dolphin bodies are being taken to the butcher house. 9:
 
I have had the Blackfish Netflix DVD for more than a week and I have been trying to get in the mood to watch it because I am sure it is going to upset me and anger me. The trailer almost did me in. Maybe I should drink some wine while I watch it. I need to send it back to Netflix soon!

Please watch Blackfish then let us know what you think.
 
Martina McBride cancelled!!!
I love her and have been hoping she would.

http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/14776

http://m.billboard.com/entry/view/id/75463

There are three left...wonder if they'll cancel too.

Feb. 1 -- Willie Nelson CANCELLED
Feb. 2 -- TBA
Feb. 8 -- Cheap Trick CANCELLED
Feb. 9 -- TBA
Feb. 15 -- Barenaked Ladies CANCELLED

Feb. 16 -- REO Speedwagon CANCELLED
Feb. 22 -- TBA
Feb. 23 -- Justin Moore
March 1 -- Scotty McCreery
March 2 -- TBA
March 8 -- Martina McBride CANCELLED
March 9 -- 38 Special
 
A lot of our attitudes about dolphins have been shaped by FLIPPER, as you mention, and other films and TV shows about dolphins PLUS the numerous aquatic parks in the U.S.

I'm not sure Japanese culture has portrayed dolphins in the same light; the public there may not see them as we do.

Which is why international pressure is so important. The Japanese have a history of sensitivity to being "shamed" by the international community. (Unfortunately, that same tendency may encourage the Japanese to cover up the slaughter rather than to end it.)

Hi Nova,
I'm sure that this has been posted before, but the trainer of Flipper became an activist. Flipper suicided in his arms. He said on Oprah that because Dolphins have to make a conscious decision to breath they can decide when to stop breathing. Flipper went to his arms and looking in eyes took her last breath and didn't take another.

Just something else that needs more attention so it can contribute to people's understanding of what is REALLY going on.
 
Hi Nova,
I'm sure that this has been posted before, but the trainer of Flipper became an activist. Flipper suicided in his arms. He said on Oprah that because Dolphins have to make a conscious decision to breath they can decide when to stop breathing. Flipper went to his arms and looking in eyes took her last breath and didn't take another.

Just something else that needs more attention so it can contribute to people's understanding of what is REALLY going on.

Thank you, daisy. I did read about the decline of Flipper after the TV series ended. The trainer blamed it on boredom, saying Flipper didn't adjust to doing simple circus tricks after the years of complex stunts for the TV show.

This broke my heart. I grew up in South Florida and watched the show religiously. The boy who played the older brother (Luke Halpin) attended the same elementary school as I and I knew some of his friends.

But I never heard what happened to the dolphin until now.
 
I have had the Blackfish Netflix DVD for more than a week and I have been trying to get in the mood to watch it because I am sure it is going to upset me and anger me. The trailer almost did me in. Maybe I should drink some wine while I watch it. I need to send it back to Netflix soon!

Watching a brief portion of the trailer made me want to vomit. I saw a poor, Orca thrashing around in agony and fear as he or she was being grabbed and restrained by humans. It fills me with horror and I will NOT watch that film.

But thank God it was made. People need to see it.

I haven't been to one of those hell holes in decades, since I was a young, daycare worker taking our kids for the day during summer camp. It horrified me then and I would never go to such a place or bring any child of mine.

ETA:

Nothing is more horrible to me than imprisonment in a tiny cell. It would make me go insane and I would rather be dead.
 
38 Special cancelled SeaWorld:

"Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary 'Blackfish,' 38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at Seaworld. We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/16/showb...cbride-cancels/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter
 
Edgar Winters found out SeaWorld is using his song 'Free Ride" during the orca show. He posted this message on facebook:

"To all who wrote and alerted us to the fact that SeaWorld is using FREE RIDE in the orca whale show:

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We had no idea that this video existed, or that "Free Ride" was being used on it. We will do everything in our power to see that it is stopped.
Thanks and Gratitude,
The Winters"


Video below of one of the shows using Free Ride. Could they make it any more stressful on these orcas? It's pathetic with the blasting music, flashing lights, circus tricks for food, and trainers trying to get the crowd to clap together like they're at a rock concert. There is absolutely zero respect for the life of these animals.



[video=youtube;QkL65stT0pE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkL65stT0pE[/video]
 
There are three left...wonder if they'll cancel too.

Feb. 1 -- Willie Nelson CANCELLED
Feb. 2 -- TBA
Feb. 8 -- Cheap Trick CANCELLED
Feb. 9 -- TBA
Feb. 15 -- Barenaked Ladies CANCELLED

Feb. 16 -- REO Speedwagon CANCELLED
Feb. 22 -- TBA
Feb. 23 -- Justin Moore
March 1 -- Scotty McCreery
March 2 -- TBA
March 8 -- Martina McBride CANCELLED
March 9 -- 38 Special

.38 Special is out!!!
:)

http://www.digitaljournal.com/enter...ation-battles-blackfish-effect/article/364120


http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78575741/

.38 Special is 8th band to cancel SeaWorld concert

"Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary "Blackfish," .38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at SeaWorld," the band said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. "We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future."




Scotty McCreery and Justin Moore are the only acts from the original lineup that have not publicly withdrawn amid the controversy.
 
I have had the Blackfish Netflix DVD for more than a week and I have been trying to get in the mood to watch it because I am sure it is going to upset me and anger me. The trailer almost did me in. Maybe I should drink some wine while I watch it. I need to send it back to Netflix soon!

Please watch Blackfish then let us know what you think.

I finally watched Blackfish. Very well done and the whales' stories are so heartbreaking. I was touched by the trainers' love for the whales.

I went to SeaWorld San Diego about 15 years ago and I remember feeling so sad for them in that small tank. swimming in circles. At the time, I thought that SeaWorld had taken in ill/injured whales to care for them and it was not in their best interest to be returned to the ocean. HA! I had no idea that the babies had been kidnapped or that there was a breeding program. <modsnip> Gross, horrible to make new baby whales for entertainment $$ purposes.

I see that Netflix is streaming Blackfish now so I think more people will watch it.

I loved the ending, very heartwarming.
 
.38 Special is out!!!
:)

http://www.digitaljournal.com/enter...ation-battles-blackfish-effect/article/364120


http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78575741/

.38 Special is 8th band to cancel SeaWorld concert

"Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary "Blackfish," .38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at SeaWorld," the band said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. "We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future."




Scotty McCreery and Justin Moore are the only acts from the original lineup that have not publicly withdrawn amid the controversy.
Other then the great Willie, I've never heard of these "bands"? I think the "bands" are pretty uninformed in this matter. I love Willie, but he supports lots of causes. I find Sea World a terrific place. When there is a water animal hurt or sick, Sea World helps them.
I found Blackfish very deceptive having read lots of reports about the company and the odd accident. I don't care what some disgruntled minimum wage ex-employee has to say. Do some band doesn't want to got to Sea World, well then don't. They will find lots of others to play.
Sea World is not going to mistreat it's star multi million dollar animals. The whales are a huge investment on their part. I am sorry about the trainer. From the videos I have seen, I think her swinging long braid caused the accident. Does Sea World have a policy about hair? Even I know that whales are wild animals not humans. There are 44 whales in captivity. I wish they were all in a closed ocean space for life. Should we be lobbying to stop this practice? Maybe, but a band cancelling isn't changing that.
 

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