[FORUM] What do you think about zoos?

[rfmcdonald]

I've fond memories of my Niagara Falls' Marineland. Almost everyone in Ontario does: it's an iconic marine park with a memorably theme song ("Everyone loves Marineland") that provides most Ontarians with their only chance to see cetaceans, belugas and orcas held in captivity.

That popularity is one reason why the ongoing scandal about conditions for the animals held at MarineLand, including the cetaceans, has been sustained for the past month, via front-page articles in the Toronto Star claiming a distressing history of neglect and poor health that has led to some of the animals dying in captivity. Today, the park's final day of operation for this year, saw the ongoing protests taken up a notch as described by the Star's Steve Russell in his "Marineland stormed by protesters".

The last day of Marineland’s operating season drew hundreds of protesters outside the Niagara tourist attraction’s gates on Sunday and escalated when about 150 people stormed inside, yelling “shut it down.”

Organizers said they hadn’t planned to enter the park but set up a demonstration outside in hopes of keeping attention on sea mammal captivity in Canada, even after Marineland shuts down for the winter. The protest, which appeared to draw a crowd of at least 500 at its peak, follows a Star investigation that reported accounts by former trainers who blamed poor water quality and short-staffing for animal sickness and death.

[. . .]

The demonstration began shortly before noon, with speakers including Demers, NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo and activist Ric O’Barry. In the midst of the organized demonstration, some people stormed the gates, saying they were following Marineland owner John Holer inside. They chanted as they ran and carried placards with messages including “Every dolphin haaaaates Marineland.”

[. . .]

Niagara Regional Police Const. Derek Watson said about 150 people got through the gates into the park but officers stopped many others.

Protester Dylan Powell said one person was ticketed for trespassing. Police would not confirm that.

Once inside, before police ushered them out, protesters gathered by a pool and in the stands where a show was going on and marched through the park. “(It was) to make a point, to make all the people gawking at the animals realize that we’re not here to gawk at the animals, we’re here to free them,” said Mishelle MacDonald, of Toronto.

[. . .]

Famed environmentalist O’Barry, founder of the Dolphin Project and star of the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove, said he had a promising conversation with Ontario Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur last week. He recalled her saying she’d be looking into the issue of lacking regulations. O’Barry said the attention is desperately needed in Canada.

“My fear is, this place will close tomorrow and it will be forgotten,” he said.

[. . .]

Last week, Marineland agreed to an external evaluation of its water management system and a thorough update of its water management protocols in the wake of an investigation by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums. DiNovo said she doesn’t have high hopes for the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigation because the organization has said they can’t investigate animals under veterinary care.

As much as I appreciate having had the chance to see the orcas and belugas in captivity, if conditions for these--apparently--quite intelligent creatures and others are as bad as claimed, I'd have to lean towards liberating them. The ethical questions surrounding zoos are becoming increasingly fraught, all the more so for those creatures that have superior cognitive abilities and considerable needs for the society of their own kind and a comfortable environment. Can the questionable benefits of exposing people to these menaced species outweigh the harm likely to be done to them even in a best-case scenario?

Discuss.