Guest guest Posted June 30, 2001 Report Share Posted June 30, 2001 Marineland Demo Mon July 2 Niagara Action for Animals http://www.niagaraactionforanimals.com DEAR ANIMAL DEFENDERS, Earlier this month, a baby dolphin died 15 days after being born at Marineland. Chalk up yet another death at the hands of our favourite marine prison! Our next Marineland demo will be on Monday, July 2nd, from 10am-1pm. Most people have that day off so it seemed to be the best choice. Lunch will be at Xin Vego, as usual, after the demo. Let's make this one the biggest demo yet! Bring signs if you can make them something like, FOUR DEAD WHALES IN TWO YEARS, ANIMALS KEEP DYING HERE, DON'T SUPPORT ANIMAL JAILS, MARINELAND TEACHES INSENSITIVITY. You get the idea. Use your wonderful imaginations! The whales, bears, and deer desperately need your help. If everyone met at Country Style Donuts on McLeod Road, and car-pooled to Marineland (don't park IN Marineland) in just a few cars, parking might not be such a problem. Dan at: arcadia ********************************************************************** Please consider signing this petition to improve the lives of captive whales and dolphins at Marineland. It will be sent to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Niagara Falls Humane Society who conduct regular inspections of Marineland and have the ability to improve conditions for these animals. If you do sign, please forward it to everyone you know. These animals desperately need your help! If you are the 100th signature, please forward it to Dan at arcadia Thank you. PETITION TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CAPTIVE MARINE MAMMALS AT MARINELAND OF CANADA This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. So for the past four decades, the captive whales, dolphins and other marine mammals here have been forced to live in tiny, featureless tanks, in stark contrast to the enormity and diversity of their ocean homes. Their physical and emotional needs are severely compromised due to their restrictive confinement, which has altered their behaviour so much that they do not depict a true sense of their species. In the wild, orcas may travel up to 100 miles a day, swim as fast as 30 miles an hour and dive hundreds of feet below the oceans' surface. In captivity, these animals can swim for only a few seconds before reaching the sides of their tank, giving them no choice but to swim around in monotonous circles. A dolphin would have to swim around her tank more than 500 times to get the proper exercise she needs. The manufactured seawater these animals must live in is also unnatural. In the indoor dolphin tank, chlorine-treated water can burn the animals' eyes, causing vision problems and even blindness. Chlorine toxicity has been reported as a cause of death for cetaceans at other marine parks. Despite living in the newly constructed Friendship Cove, reportedly equipped with ozone water treatment, Kandu suffers from 'red eye', possibly caused by the addition of chlorine used to clean the water. To learn more about the poor conditions at Marineland, please visit http://www.zoocheck.com and read the Zoocheck Canada report, Distorted Nature: Exposing the Myth of Marineland. Orcas are thought to live up to 80 years in the wild. Belugas and bottlenose dolphins can live for 30 and 50 years, respectively. Captive cetaceans live for only a fraction of this time, an average of 11 years. Many die during or shortly after their capture and relocation. As many as 40 per cent of bottlenose dolphins captured from the wild die within the first few days of their captivity. They die from shock, heart attacks, even drowning. Some captive dolphins refuse to eat and end up starving to death or dying from opportunistic infections their weakened immune systems cannot fight. In 1999-2000, three whales died within 9 months at Marineland. Zoocheck Canada estimates that over the years, at least 2 belugas, 9 orcas and 9 bottlenose dolphins have died here. Cetaceans spend less than 20 per cent of their lives at the oceans' surface. But at Marineland, they are required, because of the petting sessions, to spend much more time above the water. This has caused Kandu's dorsal fin to permanently flop over. And because Friendship Cove and the other pens at Marineland provide no shade for the whales, they are vulnerable to sunburn. The stress of confinement and the inability to exercise natural behaviours can cause depression, aggression and even death. Stress is directly linked to the high mortality rate in captive orcas. If Marineland cannot provide the same quality of life these mammals had in the wild, and if they cannot at least match the life span of wild cetaceans, then Marineland should not be allowed to have them. Please help put an end to their suffering by providing your name below. I/We the undersigned are asking you to intervene and take action to improve the lives of captive marine mammals at Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls. It is inhumane to keep these intelligent and gentle creatures in such miniscule tanks that severely restrict the animals from performing their natural behaviours. Their confinement reduces both their quality and quantity of life. Whether born in captivity or captured in the wild, they suffer totally unnatural lives that deny their basic instincts. And whenever an animal is forced to live an unnatural life, that animal suffers. ---- Daniel K. Wilson Niagara Action for Animals P.O. Box 29002 St. Catharines, ON CANADA L2R 7P9 http://www.niagaraactionforanimals.com nafa -- Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmacafe.com Powered by Instant Portal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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