Not Everyone Loves Marineland

Holy Free Willy! A report has been released into the findings about conditions for the creatures which are part of  the Marineland facility in Niagara Fall Ontario. For decades we have listened to the jingle claiming that "everyone loves Marineland." Apparently not everyone. A trainer who left Marineland in August offered strong concerns about the cleanliness of the water and the opportunities for the animals to have a stimulating environment. We were shown the photos of a near-blind seal and heard about the death of a young beluga and dolphins swimming in "green" water. The performer who warbled that jingle asked that it no longer be used with her voice. The Toronto Star did a series in the summer in which it found:

a dozen former employees, including trainers and supervisors, cited severe eye problems in sea mammals blamed on sporadically unhealthy water and attributed the death of a baby beluga to short staffing. As well, the series described the plight of deer kept on gravel, bears living in overcrowded pens and reports of unnecessary suffering when an animal had to be put down.

The just-released report is not damning, but does raise concerns about water quality and other questions remain. Marineland had plenty of time to clean up before inspectors arrived.

Perhaps the bigger question is our choice to keep animals in captivity for our curiosity and enjoyment. I have visited large aquaria in Boston and Baltimore and Portsmouth, Britain, and they are really cool. I was fascinated each time, but I could live without them. When our kids were young we took them to zoos and it was educational, yet they were actually disturbed by the listlessness of many of the animals and the constant pacing of others. They decided that they didn't want to go to zoos anymore.

The Creation story in Genesis tells of a God who made a variety of creatures and assigned humans to name them and care for them. Do zoos and aquaria fit into that myth? Will we come to the point where we realize that this is a form of cruelty? Of course zoos and aquaria do have breeding programs which can be benefiical for endangered species. But could we do this another way?

Since I wrote this a boisterous protest happened at Marineland http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1267987--marineland-stormed-by-protesters