Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
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Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#2A welcome decision but I dislike the self-congratulatory "humane country" tone. Canada is still one of the worst countries in the world in terms of per capita ecological footprint.
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#3Do they not still allow quite a lot of whale hunting?
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#4"Monday's vote notably impacts Marineland, the Niagara Falls amusement park and zoo that is considered the last Canadian park committed to keeping cetaceans in captivity."
Wow, so they passed a national law that essentially targets just a single park? How often does that happen anywhere? (I know the back story but I never knew Marineland was the only place... not saying this is wrong or right, just surprised)
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#5Do they not still allow quite a lot of whale hunting?
I think they allow First Nations to hunt a certain amount —don’t know how that affects sustainability though; it’s for sustenance.
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#6Seems like a move in the right direction but are there any exceptions to this rule? Surely there are some dolphins being kept in captivity for good reasons (health, conservation programmes), if such is not the case I don't see much of a downside to this apart from the obvious impacts on employment in that industry...
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#7Seems like a move in the right direction but are there any exceptions to this rule? Surely there are some dolphins being kept in captivity for good reasons (health, conservation programmes), if such is not the case I don't see much of a downside to this apart from the obvious impacts on employment in that industry...
From TFA: "The bill has exceptions: cetaceans can be kept in captivity if they're receiving care or rehabilitation after an injury, or for scientific research."
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#8Is there evidence all these creatures dislike captivity and would prefer fending for themselves in the wild? Genuinely curious. Not that it means anything, but dolphins have always seemed happy in captivity so long as they are being cared for appropriately.
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#9Is there evidence all these creatures dislike captivity and would prefer fending for themselves in the wild? Genuinely curious. Not that it means anything, but dolphins have always seemed happy in captivity so long as they are being cared for appropriately.
That would depend on our ability to assess the creatures likes and dislikes, which is unlikely to be perfect. They might appear fine that doesn't mean they actually are. For that reason I suggest it would make more sense to only allow keeping animals in captivity if we can prove they're not being harmed rather than assume they're alright and only ban keeping them when we can be prove it harms them.
Re: Canada to ban keeping whales, dolphins in captivity
#10Is there evidence all these creatures dislike captivity and would prefer fending for themselves in the wild? Genuinely curious. Not that it means anything, but dolphins have always seemed happy in captivity so long as they are being cared for appropriately.
> It is not a matter of opinion that orca whales, bottlenose dolphins and beluga whales die prematurely when kept in captive settings, but rather a potent and recurring reality. Marino & Frohoff (2011) show that this is especially and most dramatically seen in the orca whale, with males living on average 29.2 years in the wild with an observed maximum of 60 years, and females living 50.2 years on average with an observed maximum of 90 years. Their naturally extensive lifespan is shortened severely when they are placed in captive environments, with few orcas living past the age of 20 in captivity (p. 3)
> Many cetaceans in captivity develop stereotypies, or unnatural, often purposeless behaviors that can be a manifestation of poor mental health. Such behaviors include repetitive pacing, swaying, head-bobbing or circling, and bar-biting (Cetacean Inspiration, 2011). One of the most prominent stereotypies noticed in these whales is an activity known as slide outs. The whale will slide out of the water and sit motionless, sometimes for 10 minutes at a time (Cetacean Inspiration, 2011). This creates safety issues for the guests of marine mammal parks like SeaWorld. If a whale did this in the wild for too long of a time the weight of the whale could crush its own internal organs (Cetacean Inspiration, 2011).
https://blogs.umass.edu/natsci397a-eross/the-detriments-of-c...