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There has been a lot of debate regarding the life expectancy of marine creatures held in captivity, especially of big ones such as killer whales.
The treatment of these large mammals has risen a lot of questions lately. This prompted a team of researchers to release a new report about their life conditions. The conclusion was that whales that live in marine theme parks can live as long as their counterparts from the ocean.
However, the researchers also mentioned that the orcas which inhabit the southern parts of the Pacific Northwest live around 29 years, while those in the northern parts could live a bit more than 42 years.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and SeaWorld have been long at a dispute regarding orcas kept in captivity. This is what prompted the representatives of SeaWorld to carry out the study. Although they have refused to say whether the report would become available on advertisement materials, it was posted on their website.
The animal-welfare group immediately pointed out that the study has major shortcomings because it wasn’t carried out by a third party, so it lacked the objectivity necessary to bring solid arguments to the ongoing debate.
This is why there were a lot of animal conservation groups that criticized the study led by scientists at SeaWorld.
“SeaWorld’s claims simply don’t hold water”, said Jared Goodman, the director of animal law from the PETA foundation. They have accused SeaWorld of abusing and mistreating the animals.
SeaWorld recently announced that they are planning on building larger tanks for the killer whales at San Diego, which is a $ 100 million project that should be completed by 2018 and has already been passed to Coastal Commissioners. However, PETA has already asked the California Coastal Commission to reject this project.
In the request, Jared Goodman asked the commission to “consider the impact of proposed coastal development on the welfare of marine mammals, both captive and wild. Using the most fundamental understanding of marine mammals, it’s clear that these new tanks in no way support an orca’s broad range of behavior.”
Even if the representatives of the marine theme park have asked people to provide support letters for their cause, the commission has received about 50,000 emails or letters, all of which are against the proposal.
Image Source: killerwhalesinthesea
