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| A whale and calf swim free in Prince William Sound. |
So the International Court of Justice ruled the Japanese whaling industry has
nothing to do with science and ordered the hunts stopped. So far Japan says the
country’s hunters will abide by the decision.
Now, if the pretense of doing science is grounds for abolishing
cruelty to whales, is Sea World far behind? That's the excuse the amusement
park's executives use most often to rationalize holding whales in swimming pools.
Perhaps a challenge along the same lines as the Japanese court case would
succeed. After all, even if they do produce a little science, the main job of
Sea World is to make money off the display of killer whales and other marine
mammals. Perhaps they could be subpoenaed to produce proof of any scientific
advancement made at their shows.
Of course, any science they can produce is based on whales
in captivity not in the wild, so is immediately suspect. Now a new revelation
has come to light that could further compromise any science produced.
According to the website The Dodo. com, Sea World has admitted
giving anti-anxiety drugs to the whales in their amusement parks. Specifically
the drug is benzodiazepines, which includes human compounds commonly named
Valium and Xanax. Also according to the
website, quoting animal advocates, the drugs are used to ensure stable mental
health, in mental stress caused by captivity. There's another solution to that mental stress, of course:
freedom.
Sea World defended the practice.
The charge this time emerged during a lawsuit between Sea
World and Marineland over the handling of a killer whale transported between
the two. The drug use came to light in an affidavit provided by Lanny Cornell
who was fired by Sea World in 1987 after an accident in which a Sea World
employee was seriously injured by a killer wale in one of the company's
theaters. The dates seem right and
if memory serves me Lanny Cornell is the fellow I almost had a fist fight with
in Valdez Alaska, over the company's plan to capture killer whales in Prince
William Sound. But that's another story.
Earlier the Dodo had reported Sea World often used diazepam
(valium) on whales to ease the stress when mothers were separated from calves. Incidentally
that article documents all
incidents of those separations.
So, on the excuse of furtherance of science, Sea World is
actually drugging the whales it holds so they will function better as
performers in their expensive shows. How is science furthered by that? How does
that help the whales in general, particularly the ones who still enjoy their
freedom?
Perhaps it is time to challenge Sea World on the same basis
as Australia challenged Japan's whaling: Where's the science?
About all you can say for Sea World at this point is at
least, unlike the Japanese, they are not killing the whales, not on purpose
anyway.
Japan cancels whale hunt for first time in 25 years
Japan cancels whale hunt for first time in 25 years
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