“Anderson v SeaWorld”: Key Quotes from Expert Witnesses #1

Nov 20, 2019 | By Mark J. Palmer, International Marine Mammal Project

Topics: Captivity Industry, Orcas, SeaWorld

Orcas Do Not Belong in Captivity

The 7 Truths SeaWorld Does Not Want You to Know!

The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute helped develop and is consulting on a lawsuit against SeaWorld (Anderson v SeaWorld), contending that the mega corporation has been deliberately lying to the public about the health and welfare of their orcas in captivity.

SeaWorld is being called-out on these lies, as never before, because of the groundbreaking legal battle we’ve been waging on behalf of captive orcas for more than five years!

Usually SeaWorld bullies their way through litigation. They’re a multi-billion dollar company and pay multiple aggressive hired-gun attorney teams to do their bidding.

But this time, all five of SeaWorld’s attempts to have the case, Anderson v SeaWorld, dismissed have been denied. Their efforts to further delay and drag out the case and keep scientific expert witness reports sealed by the court and kept secret, are crumbling.

As part of this lawsuit, four world-renowned marine mammal scientists have prepared Expert Witness Reports for Anderson v SeaWorld.

These reports, in redacted form, have recently been made public through the legal efforts of our lawyers.

By pulling back the curtain on SeaWorld, we’ve uncovered startling new evidence of just how false their key claims are. SeaWorld is terrified about this material becoming public and will still try every legal trick they can to twist their way out of this mess.

But the simple truth is shining through: SeaWorld’s entire business model is predicated on the abuse of whales and dolphins.

The case is scheduled for trial early in the new year.

Over the next few weeks, we will bring you some of the facts that SeaWorld wants to keep hidden from the public:

FALSE CLAIM #1 BY SEAWORLD: Orcas “thrive” in captivity.

THE TRUTH: SeaWorld strips orcas of their ability to manifest natural behavior.

“By keeping orca in captivity, SeaWorld removes the environmental facets that drove these adaptations to develop, and also strips each individual animal of the opportunities to express its natural behaviours, eradicates its prospects to make choices, and eliminates variation in its life. Instead, its life is completely controlled by its captors: from the time of the day they get fed, what food they receive, what they must do to get that food, to whom they can mix with and whom they can mate with." - Dr. Ingrid Visser, Director, Orca Research Trust, New Zealand

The TRUTH: Captivity Leads to Boredom and Stereotypic Behavior in Orcas

“Being top predators with elaborate hunting techniques, and traveling and hunting representing the biggest part of their occupation, killer whales show boredom and frustration in captivity which can often lead to stereotypical behaviours. The pools killer whales are kept in can be compared to Victorian cages as they are completely devoid of natural enrichment: there are only concrete walls, there is no substrate, no waves or tides, no algae, no fish or other animals to chase or play with, and there is chlorine in the water. These barren environments in which they are confined for their entire lives lead to extreme boredom and frustration [...] Boredom and frustration, as well as social stress due to repetitive aggressions and other factors will lead to chronic stress in some individuals. This leads to the production of cortisol in high levels. In extreme cases these situations can lead to distress. The chronic production of cortisol will lead to an impaired immune system (immunodeficiency) which will make the individual more susceptible to diseases it would be able to fight under normal conditions." - Dr. Pedro Javier Gallego, DVM, University of Liége, Belgium

“I have observed 54 captive orca (at 16 different facilities) and I have observed stereotypic behaviour (abnormal, repetitive behaviour) in every one of these individuals. One of the more common stereotypies is gnawing/chewing on the enclosure (commonly termed ‘cribbing’, particularly when referring to horses)." - Dr. Ingrid Visser, Director, Orca Research Trust, New Zealand

READ THE FULL EXPERT WITNESS REPORTS (REDACTED VERSIONS):

Dr. David Duffus, Associate Professor, University of Victoria

Dr. E.C.M. Parsons, Research Affiliate, University of Glasgow

Dr. Ingrid Visser, Director, Orca Research Trust, New Zealand

Dr. Pedro Javier Gallego, DVM, University of Liége, Belgium

Photos by Mark J. Palmer/Earth Island Institute.