PETA Accuses SeaWorld Of Animal Slavery

[coaster_junky]

http://www.wesh.com/...826/detail.html

http://www.thenewame...g-killer-whales

i had no idea that letting an animal willingly perform, with no repercussions if they choose not to, was slavery.

[jcgoble3]

PETA is a bunch of hypocrites.

[kingsrattler]

I'm for putting a stop to animal cruelty as much as the next person, because mistreating them is just wrong. But when you try to sue maybe the biggest company that does its own animal conservation efforts (between SeaWorld and Busch Gardens) for animal rights, someone has lost their mind. Does Sea World make money off of said killer whales? Yes. Does that make it slavery? No.

[74Gibson]

^^Not necessarily. Unwanted/stray animals only breed more unwanted animals. I hate killing but the real problem with pets is irresponsible owners failing to spay/neuter their pet and then neglecting the offspring.

I'm not defending PETS wholesale, just animal control... a fair/ accurate debates

Edit to add: Good point Kings! Logic is a god thing

[kingsrattler]

^ I think his main point was that PETA is for animals to have equal rights to humans. While I have nothing against putting animals down for animal control, I am not for putting down children for human population control. To PETA, with their views, they should be one in the same.

[TTD-120-420]

My black lab is used to retrieve ducks that my dad kills. (We eat them...its not for sport reasons) Does that make my dog a slave? I think this is stupid.

[XGatorHead 8904]

^In PETA's view, yes it would. As would seeing-eye dogs, dogs used to herd animals, animal actors, sled dogs, etc...

Sea World does a lot of good in conservation, rehabilitation and education. This is just another ploy by PETA to get themselves in the limelight again.

[Beast1979]

PETA - People Eager for Too much Attention.

[jdawg1998]

PETA is definitley full of a bunch of attention getters. You just can't sue a huge company like that. Plus, Sea World does not enslave killer whales. "Enslave" is possibly the funniest word to use for this.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I would like to see a peta person in the ocean with great white shark and pray that the shark is religious as after the shark says grace, it is dinner time.

[coaster_junky]

truly, if peta is out to get anyone regarding seaworld, it needs to be osha.

osha is the one preventing the trainers from having full contact with the orcas (something they had up until february 2010).

[74Gibson]

^ I think his main point was that PETA is for animals to have equal rights to humans. While I have nothing against putting animals down for animal control, I am not for putting down children for human population control. To PETA, with their views, they should be one in the same.

Agreed, and understood then.

I just want to make the point that animals are mistreated by not controlling the population. It's a philosophical disagreement I have with some but, kill one stray and save the ones that would have been bred and killed later.

It's a harsh reality but true. I love animals and have always been known for that so don't misinterpret. I've got some good neighbors who love the stray cats but catch them, get them fixed and then release them. It's better but not something you could make state policy.

As far as working dogs, that's a symbiotic relationship. We provide food and shelter and they provide (historically at least), herding skills and other work. I won't ever defend PETA but, trapping a wild animal in a small area is very different.

[muppetfan1999]

I love reading news stories about PETA bordering on insanity.

[RingMaster]

^ I think his main point was that PETA is for animals to have equal rights to humans. While I have nothing against putting animals down for animal control, I am not for putting down children for human population control. To PETA, with their views, they should be one in the same.

What about putting down adults for human population control? 'Cause I've got quite a list of folks we could do without to thin the herd, such as, but not limited to:

• The Kardashians
  
• Justin Bieber
  
• Paris Hilton
  
• the cast of Jersey Shore
  
• the many casts of The Real Housewives
  
• K-dollar sign-HA
  
• the creator of Autotune
  

[bkroz]

I think PETA has the right idea from time to time. For example, we probably should know the quality of what we're eating, and it's fair to say that when discussing what fast food chicken nuggets are comprised of, "shock" is really the only way to get it across since it truly is shocking. But the scare tactics, the ambushes, the preaching, the out-of-line behavior, the misuse of the court system... Somehow, PETA members fail to realize that in being so very boisterous, loud, and preachy, their often-legitimate message is lost. And in fact, it causes a sense of revulsion and opposition in people who would otherwise agree (like me).

Some frequently-absent members here use the same methods, and just as blindly, fail to see how it diminishes their message.

Sort of like how the Catholic church truly and adamantly decrees that same-sex marriage is the number one social issue on the planet at present bar none, and that all attention must be diverted towards combatting the legal equality of same-sex couples. It's like... really? Think what you will about same-sex couples or homosexuality, but is that the best use of time and energy? In the same way, it's a shame that PETA's representatives find this an adequate use of time, money, court resources, and advertising dollars. Again, regardless of how you feel about animals (and I am very pro-animal, if that's a classification), one can't help but say, "Really? I mean... Really?!"

[HTCO]

We should pay animals people! Thats the solution! What they do with it, is their own thing.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I will write more about PETA after I make a field trip to The Outback Steakhouse and sample the New York Strip steak (medium rare).

[bkroz]

And of course, there's the age old arguement: If SeaWorld released those killer whales into the wild, they would die. Like, within days. And any offspring they have in captivity will be in the same boat. SeaWorld is in the business of rescuing hurt animals and raising them to respond to positive reinforcement just like a zoo. And sure, they use the structure of performance to make money and keep the animals mentally and physically stimulated. But slavery implies there's no pay off for their performance. That isn't true. They're housed, fed, and loved. We can't pretend that SeaWorld doesn't make money of it, but it's certainly not criminal.

And that goes back to what I said before - even if SeaWorld did work its animals beyond their desire (which I don't think they do), they're still fed, housed, given medical care, and undeniably given attention and love. As such, there are animals (and PEOPLE) in WAY worse situations and in need of WAY more help.

[sheikra_rocks]

So the real question here is: When does PETA not have beef with a place like Sea World?

Excuse the pun!

[RingMaster]

Yeah, I don't see the park getting a seal of approval from them anytime soon...

[Browntggrr]

PETA is certainly fighting a battle with SeaWorld that will only make them look even worse than they already do.

SeaWorld (and all formerly owned Busch parks) have been, and still are, very animal friendly. Not only do they have conservation funds set-up, they are among the Worldwide leaders in animal preservation & education.

It is too bad PETA uses the media to make a fantastic organization look bad for publicity. If anything, PETA should be praising SeaWorld for they have accomplished & learned through ther years.

[RingMaster]

Didn't want to make a new thread about it considering we technically already have a PETA-centric thread right here, so:

http://www.gameinfor...nooki-suit.aspx

[...]The game, which is available to play on PETA's website, puts players in control of a skinned raccoon as they hunt down Mario wearing his tanooki suit.

"Tanooki may be just a "suit" in Mario games, but by wearing the skin of an animal, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur. We created our game to help inform people that in real life, Mario would be wearing the skin of an animal who was beaten, strangled or electrocuted, and it wouldn't give him any special powers other than the power of self-deception," PETA says.

[Browntggrr]

I have not yet seen any raccon fur coats.

Is it popular out west?

[XGatorHead 8904]

Didn't want to make a new thread about it considering we technically already have a PETA-centric thread right here, so:

http://www.gameinfor...nooki-suit.aspx

[...]The game, which is available to play on PETA's website, puts players in control of a skinned raccoon as they hunt down Mario wearing his tanooki suit.

"Tanooki may be just a "suit" in Mario games, but by wearing the skin of an animal, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur. We created our game to help inform people that in real life, Mario would be wearing the skin of an animal who was beaten, strangled or electrocuted, and it wouldn't give him any special powers other than the power of self-deception," PETA says.

Wow... now they're taking on video games! How does PETA know that Mario's Tanooki suit is made from a real raccoon and isn't a faux raccoon suit? What next? Are they going to raise a fuss over including Dry Bones in Mario games? Dry Bones is a turtle skeleton, which means a turtle died! And then there's all those poor live turtles that Mario jumps on then throws their shells... Mario is one evil plumber!

Of course, it's all Donkey Kong's fault for starting this whole mess. Mario didn't ask for Donkey Kong to steal the girl and start throwing barrels at him! If Donkey Kong hadn't of done that, Mario & Luigi would most likely lived there lives as normal plumbers, oblivious to the existence of all those other worlds and galaxies. So forget person-on-animal cruelty, it all started with animal-on-person cruelty!

And don't even get me started on that evil giant turtle Bowser and his atrocities against humanity!

[Titan]

What does PETA even mean? I was always told it was People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.

[The Interpreter]

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Or so they claim.

That or People who will do Everyhing To get Attention.

I forget.

[Cpt Crunch]

I believe in what PETA does. Protecting animals. But they have turned themselves into freaks. I do not like animals being tortured, caged, or abused. But to be mad over:

1. Starting fire over the Cooking Mama video game because it had no vegan - friendly food in it!??!

2. Suing Sea World because "they practice animal slavery".

3. (the worst one)-because Mario wears a fur coat in the game?!?

WHAT?

[The Interpreter]

Hearing held:

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/06/10333101-are-seaworlds-killer-whales-slaves-judge-weighs-case

[WesReviews]

Does anyone actually take PETA seriously anymore?

[faeriewench]

^No, at least not me.

PETA been trying to get SW to retire the group of killer whales that were captured in the 60s-70s for years to a sea pen if reintroduction to a pod fails (sea pen is captivity too..) One of said killer whales is about 45 years old now (been in the care of man since the 60s), blind in one eye (albeit killer whales don't rely so much on eyesight as sound but..) and has kidney problems. Also we know most of her family is dead too. Why release her? PETA and other some other real loud individuals I'm thinking of conveniently leave important bits out when they talk about the releases of Keiko and Springer. Keiko's story was a disaster, he ran away from a calf (a baby!) even seeking protection with the boat his human caregivers were on to give an idea. Springer's release wasn't a success because her natal pod (grandma, aunts and uncles) rejected her, rammed her and chased her away. She was taken in by a distant relative after being on her own for a good while.

One of PETA's international groups recently attacked the food menu for patrons at SeaWorld Gold Coast in Australia (not connected to the SeaWorld/Busch gardens in the US) for using fish. " fish are intelligent, sensitive and interesting animals".