in the News
Type of news:
Editorial/opinion
Date
September 1, 2000
Originally appeared in:
San Francisco Chronicle
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto
Mill Valley
CA 94941
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
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THE SAD and untimely death of Vigga, the Vallejo amusement park killer whale, is an opportunity for management of Six Flags Marine World to stop displaying orcas in an obviously alien environment for wild marine mammals.
Until her death of heart problems on Aug. 14, the 5,000-pound, 16-foot-long Vigga, was the park's premier animal attraction. She was 23 years old and the second orca to die at the park in the past three years.
The deaths of the black- and-white leviathans added momentum to animal rights activists who say it is inappropriate -- even cruel -- to display wild killer whales in an amusement park tank.
Orcas in the wild are magnificent creations of nature; in captivity they are merely another carnival act in a big swimming pool.
Marine World claims to be ``America's only combination wildlife park, oceanarium and theme park.'' The place has 31 rides (some of them hair-raising), 10 different shows and a menagerie that includes eight elephants, four camels, four walruses, 11 tigers, one lion, seven sea lions, three seals and an orangutan -- 3,000 animals in all, if you count the fish and butterflies.
The park can be a lot of fun, even without Vigga. But her death and the death of a 3-week-old dolphin in June raised serious questions about the ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity, especially in the racket and chaos of an amusement park.
Park spokeswoman Kristi Vonne speaks eloquently about the educational value of seeing orcas close-up in the park. She insists they are well-treated, well-fed and happy in captivity, much like pet dogs.
Yet, they are not pets. Killer whales are sentient, wild mammals that live in extended family pods, communicate with each other and swim vast distances. Their brains are just as complex as humans' and four times larger.
Vigga is dead after 19 years as a lead attraction at Marine World. The park should honor her memory by not replacing her with another killer whale.
What you can do:
Please write to the San Francisco Chronicle and thank them for taking a compassionate position on this issue. Point your web browser to http://www.sfgate.com/select.feedback.html.
Also, send a letter similar to this one to Marine World and its parent company Premier Parks, Inc.