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“Anderson v SeaWorld”: Key Quotes from Expert Witnesses

| 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.

This is the final segment of our series on the facts that SeaWorld wants to keep hidden from the public:

FALSE CLAIM #7 BY SEAWORLD: Orcas are healthy in captivity.

The TRUTH: SeaWorld’s use of drugs to repeatedly treat orcas results in serious health problems.

“Drugs used therapeutically are metabolised by different organs, the most important one being the liver, and excreted mainly by the kidneys. Some drugs can have some degree of impact or even toxicity on the liver or/and the kidneys, their function being increased by the metabolisation and excretion of these drugs. The repetitive and/or prolonged use of drugs increases this impact. In addition, this repetitive use can lead to the creation of resistant strains of bacteria or yeasts and fungi, which can lead to situations where animals will suffer infections with germs that will not be sensitive to common antibacterial or antifungal treatments.” - Dr. Pedro Javier Gallego, DVM, University of Liége, Belgium

THE TRUTH: Tooth damage in SeaWorld’s orcas is severe.

"The extent to which captive orcas wear down their teeth exposes the pulp and nerves, and veterinarians must then drill the teeth out. Drilling the teeth empties the pulp cavity, removing some of the living tissue that is prone to infection and opening the cavity for disinfection. This leaves open holes, as the aquatic environment apparently precludes using amalgam fillings.” - Dr. Ingrid Visser, Director, Orca Research Trust, New Zealand

READ THE FULL EXPERT WITNESS REPORTS (REDACTED VERSIONS):

Dr. David Dufus, 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

Photo by Mark J. Palmer/Earth Island Institute.

The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute has been working on the SeaWorld lawsuit (Anderson v SeaWorld) for almost five years. The case will be coming to trial at last this coming spring. .

Please donate to fuel this effort and to support IMMP’s orca conservation campaign work. Your tax-deductible contribution will help us bring justice to captive orcas and get out the truth to the public: Orcas do NOT belong in captivity. Thank you for your continuing support!