home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- <text id=93TT2058>
- <title>
- Aug. 02, 1993: Should Willy Be Freed?
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1993
- Aug. 02, 1993 Big Shots:America's Kids and Their Guns
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- ENVIRONMENT, Page 45
- Should Willy Be Freed?
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p> For anyone who's seen the movie, the answer is as plain as the
- blowhole on the killer whale's head. The lovable celluloid cetacean
- has been wrenched away from his orca family, which lingers loyally
- within squealing distance just offshore, and his unscrupulous
- owner wants to kill the prisoner for his life insurance. Even
- Captain Ahab would vote to let Willy out of his watery cell.
- </p>
- <p> But when it comes to Willy's captive cousins in the real world--an estimated 466 dolphins, 34 belugas, 20 killer whales,
- 10 false killer whales and two short-finned pilot whales are
- held in the U.S.--the debate is not so simple. Because of
- government regulation and adverse publicity in the past, cases
- of outright abuse and neglect at aquariums and theme parks have
- become rare. Says Sam Sadove, of the Okeanos Ocean Research
- Foundation in Hampton Bays, New York: "By and large, the facilities
- are pretty good. Sure, there are things that are questionable,
- but that doesn't mean you should condemn the entire industry."
- Sea World, whose four parks make it one of the largest exhibitors
- of killer whales and dolphins, takes justifiable pride in how
- well its animals are treated.
- </p>
- <p> Some people argue that marine mammals--and most other animals,
- for that matter--should never be held captive, even under
- the most humane conditions. Overt mistreatment, they say, is
- only the most blatant form of abuse; another is keeping animals
- in cramped spaces. Says Richard O'Barry, who trained five Flippers
- for the 1960s TV show and then became a marine-mammal activist:
- "Whales and dolphins live in a world of sound. In a tank, their
- sounds only bounce back at them. It's like living in a hall
- of mirrors. It has to drive them crazy." In fact, dolphins have
- been known to kill themselves by banging into concrete walls;
- they also have taken up masturbation, which is rarely seen in
- the wild.
- </p>
- <p> Many marine biologists, though, think these complaints are exaggerated.
- Says Sadove: "There's no way you can produce an ideal environment
- for a 30-ft. killer whale, but you can provide an adequate one."
- And, observes Louis Garibaldi, director of the Aquarium for
- Wildlife Conservation in New York City, marine mammals don't
- necessarily prefer open spaces. "Our belugas often choose the
- smallest tank available," he says.
- </p>
- <p> Another criticism: animals shouldn't have to learn unnatural
- tricks. Says David Simser, a biologist with the Massachusetts-based
- International Wildlife Coalition: "We foster the ideology that
- these creatures should be performing for us. What kind of education
- is that? It's a gross injustice." Not so, says Kevin Walsh,
- director of training at New York's aquarium: "You can see them
- jumping and doing flips in the ocean. The flips just aren't
- as clean." Some "tricks" have dual purposes, as when beluga
- whales learn to put their tail in the air both for performances
- and for giving veterinarians access to do medical tests. Moreover,
- the narration that goes with many shows is full of facts about
- marine biology. Seeing dolphins and whales can make a particularly
- strong impression on children, teaching them the need for wildlife
- conservation.
- </p>
- <p> Activists use the marine mammals' evident intelligence as another
- argument against confinement. Well, maybe. Says Garibaldi: "Whales
- and dolphins have been put on a pedestal separate from other
- animals. But pigs and dolphins aren't that far apart in intelligence.
- People don't think about that when they're eating pork chops."
- </p>
- <p> The animal-rights forces have taken their case to politicians--with limited success. The state of Victoria, Australia, has
- banned the collection and display of marine mammals, displays
- are illegal in South Carolina, and 17 Florida counties have
- outlawed the capture of dolphins. Theme parks, in turn, are
- relying more and more on breeding animals in captivity. There
- may be no need to recapture Willy.
- </p>
- <p> By Michael D. Lemonick. Reported by Greg Aunapu/Miami and Andrea
- Dorfman/New York
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
-