PETA’s Animal Abuser Accuses SeaWorld of Abuse
Once again Eric Davis spits out his venom against people asking for an investigation into SeaWorld San Diego.As usual his comments are in black my responses in red.Today in San Diego, PETA is holding another press conference (note: shocking!). What makes this latest stunt particularly laughable are the claims being made and the people making the claims.
Basically, PETA has hit the bottom of the barrel with this one
.
The claims are -
- has found scars and lesions on dolphins, orcas, and other animals;
- witnessed unprotected and unsupervised contact between visitors and aggressive animals;
- and observed listless animals engaging in abnormal, repetitive behavior likely caused by stress, among other apparent violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
These are all breaches of the Animal Welfare Act
- Orcas, dolphins, belugas, and pilot whales are suffering from marks and scars that are likely the result of unsafe enclosures or of housing incompatible animals together, leading to interpersonal aggression.
- Visitors are put into unsupervised direct contact with dolphins who appear aggressive (and could bite) and who suffer from skin conditions indicative of depressed immune systems.
- A highly social walrus, sometimes confined alone, swims in endless circles and repeatedly regurgitates his food—established signs of stress and deprivation.
- Orcas also exhibit abnormal behavior that indicates psychological distress, including floating listlessly and repeatedly opening and closing their mouths.
Without the vet report, people have seen these things for themselves
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| Orkid after being raked. |
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| 2nd time a young girl has been bitten |
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| Tekoa, still a Seaworld orca. Ingrid Visser described as the most raked orca in captivity. |
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| dolphin rake marks |
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| dolphin pox and rakes at discovery cove and Seaworld |
PETA is calling on the USDA to investigate SeaWorld San Diego based on observations by PETA's veterinarian, who has only been a vet for 5 months She has done the training and is still a qualified vet and the head of The Dolphin Project, who was convicted of abusing dolphins under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Ric's version shows a different story of deliberate sabotage. He had taught the dolphins to catch and eat live fish but knew they were coming to put them back in a tank. See here
Yes, you read that correctly.
PETA the organization that has killed over 30,000 cats and dogs. PETA's explaination not just using numbers
PETA the organization that in 2013 killed 82% of the animals that were left at its shelter.
PETA the organization whose employees were found guilty of illegally dumping the bodies of the cats and dogs that they killed. The link says they were found not guilty of cruelty but guilty of littering , it was the choice of the two people to remove them from the van
This same organization is breathlessly calling for an investigation based on the observations of Dr. Heather Rally, barely out of veterinary school, but still a qualified vet and Richard O'Barry, who was actually convicted of dolphin abuse. This guy was actually convicted of abusing animals. He is now accusing someone of abusing animals. Everyone knows who Ric OBarry is, because of him the Cove was made, he has been a trainer and after realising it was wrong as many do he then fights for dolphins and whales across the world and has been doing for 40 years.
Much better to do that than do what Fred Jacobs said when asked about Taiji. ‘We stopped [buying] and have not resumed, not because we are ashamed, but it was not something that we cared to be involved with any more.’ And the reason they say they cannot condemn other parks
“We do not want to be accused of being disingenuous,” Jacobs explained. “If we go to an aquarium in China and say ‘You guys should not be involved,’ the first thing out of their mouths will be, ‘Well, you did it,’ and we cannot argue that point.” See full interview here
For the last 40 plus years O’Barry has spoken about the harmful effects of captivity on dolphins at lectures and conferences around the world. In 1991 in recognition of his contribution to the protection of dolphins, O’Barry received an Environmental Achievement Award, presented by the US Committee for the United Nations Environmental Program. In 2007 he became a marine mammal specialist for Earth Island Institute and director of the Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project. Working with DolphinProject.org , O’Barry leads an international effort to stop the killing of dolphins, end the trafficking in live dolphins to theme parks and captive swim-with-the-dolphins attractions and continues to lecture and speak out against the captivity industry
Ric O Barry has also written about the press conference on his own blog
It's a head scratcher. It certainly is, if Seaworld have nothing to worry about why waste your time trying to discredit those who have asked for the inspection?
But it gets better.
What PETA either doesn't know, or doesn't want you to know is that SeaWorld is regularly inspected and governed by two federal agencies and two 3rd party accreditation groups. On top of it all, PETA has made numerous allegations in the past to the same government body.
They have all been thrown out as frivolous. WRONG
They actually haven't been thrown out at all. See below each agency you list
Repeated citation, so does Seaworld not bother what those governing bodies have to say then?
So despite PETA's never-ending idiocy, let's turn this into a learning opportunity. There are many governing bodies that regularly inspect and oversee facilities like SeaWorld San Diego. They are charged with making sure these facilities meet a high standard and that animals at these facilities are well cared for.
Let's take a look at the respectable entities that really care about the wellbeing of these animals:
Lets see what they cited Seaworld for
USDA - APHIS
This department of the Federal Government performs unannounced inspections at all facilities that have licenses to ensure that they are operating and complying with standards of care.
- Animal care inspectors regularly conduct pre-licensing and compliance inspections. The Animal Welfare Act requires that regulated research facilities be inspected at least once per year. Additionally,
- Animal care inspectors use a risk based inspection system to determine inspection frequency at all regulated facilities.
This is the governing body that has to deal with these frivolous complaints.
- on January 13, 2014, SeaWorld was cited for failing to maintain the flooring at Sea Lion and Otter Stadium—the rubber flooring on which the animals walk during shows was dangerously dislodged and littered with paint chips. The park had been issued a citation in 2007 for the same problem in the same location
- 2013, it had been cited for failing to keep a dolphin tank and an area surrounding an orca performance tank in a safe condition.
- During the January 2014 inspection, SeaWorld was also cited for continuing to keep dozens of expired surgical sutures—which can become unsterile, result in premature suture failure, and lead to life-threatening infections in the animals—in its surgery room despite a previous USDA directive to develop a protocol for disposing of expired sutures.
- The 2013 disrepair-related violations at SeaWorld include allowing a dolphin tank’s concrete to become cracked and crumbling, with rusty beams overhead, and allowing the flooring surrounding the orca performance tank to become loose, worn, and chipped away. The USDA warned that the unsafe conditions “might create a health risk if these pieces of concrete fall off into the pool and get ingested, or if they become abrasive.”
- Seaworld were sued
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a “repeat violation” and a fine of $38,500 against SeaWorld Florida for ignoring a federal court order and continuing to run a workplace with “recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to struck-by and drowning hazards.”
- Congress has also asked that USDA update the Animal Welfare act stating
“Sound, modern science should inform our regulations on marine mammal captivity,” Huffman and Schiff said in a joint statement. “Unfortunately, USDA has refused to act for nearly two decades, endangering humans and orcas alike. It’s unacceptable that our regulations protecting orcas and other marine mammals have not been updated to reflect the latest science. It is past time for USDA to address this issue.”
- births
- wild captures
- imports
- deaths
- escapes
- releases
- transfers/transports
Seaworlds permit to import from Kamogawa Japan
The US Marine Mammal Inventory Report (MMIR) records the Miami Seaquarium, Sea Life Park Hawaii, Indianapolis Zoo, Sea World Inc. and the US Navy as having imported live cetaceans from Japan's drive hunts in the past.
Permit application for Seaworld to collect body parts from dead or conditioned animals
Georgia Aquarium application showing Belugas being flown straight into Seaworld parks.
Importation of Beluga from Marineland Canada
Import of 3 male Belugas from Canada
Application for fish farm 5 miles off San Diego
Sea Turtle information - all turtles in US waters are protected - hence them having to be released.
Letter requesting permit to conduct research on Hawaiian monk seals captured from the wild in 1995
Permit request for Walrus from Kamogawa 2012
There is a seemingly endless list of things between NOAA and Seaworld mainly for importation.
AZA
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is an voluntary organization that Zoological organizations like SeaWorld can choose to be part of. If they choose to be seek accreditation by the AZA, they have to meet guidelines far stricter than the federal guidelines laid out by the USDA and NOAA. All SeaWorld parks are AZA accredited through a strict accreditation process that includes submitting its facilities to inspection.
Seaworld Orlando and San Diego are up for review and AZA are asking for comments good or bad to be submitted. Information Here
Anyone wishing to offer comments, positive or negative, should submit them in writing as soon as possible to Jennifer DiNenna, Manager, Accreditation Programs, AZA, 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 710, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Comments can also be e-mailed to Jennifer DiNenna. jdinenna@aza.org
AMMPA
The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums is another voluntary organization that Marine Parks and Aquariums like SeaWorld can choose to be a part of. With its focus strictly on Marine Animals, this organization has even stricter guidelines for Marine Animals than the AZA, NOAA and USDA. All SeaWorld parks are members of the AMMPA and continue to innovate with the AMMPA organization on new ways to set the standard of care.
The things on their website are almost identical to those on Seaworld websites, so we all know where they stand
Let's recap.
An activist organization with a track record like PETA, uses a veterinarian fresh out of college still trained and qualified and an activist who has been convicted of crimes of abuse, neglect and endangerment against dolphins see his statement above to make claims against SeaWorld with no proof. There is plenty of proof . They call on the USDA to investigate. Yes investigate as you lied above and Seaworld DID get cited after the last investigation.
However, the USDA regularly investigates SeaWorld and has previously thrown out multiple claims from PETA. Provide proof of the claims they have thrown out as I have found and proved the ones that weren't, as you are very good at blank statements.
This is harassment. PETA just thinks you are too stupid to notice. And you think that people will take you on face value with no proof what so ever
So who do you trust?
Yes who do you trust Ric O Barry who has campaigned for and freed dolphins for the past 40 years, or Eric Davis a Seaworld fan who makes blank statements with either half the information or totally lies as he has again here saying PETA cases were all dismissed as frivolous?
From an International respectand inspiration point of view
which would you choose to
trust
Eric Davis or Ric OBarry
I know which one I would choose
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