“Anderson v SeaWorld”: Key Quotes from Expert Witnesses #6

Dec 23, 2019 | Mark J. Palmer

Topics: Captivity Industry, Cetacean Habitat, Dolphin and Whale Trade, Orcas, Rehabilitation, Release, Science, SeaWorld, Whales

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 #6 BY SEAWORLD: Our orcas live in healthy conditions.

The TRUTH: Captivity at SeaWorld is a toxic environment.

“In addition, the water is treated chemically and can cause chemical burns to their eyes.” “Captivity in marine parks also creates the risk that foreign bodies end up in the pool. These foreign bodies are harmful for captive killer whales because ingesting them can lead to gastrointestinal occlusions or perforations, which can lead to death.” -- Dr. Pedro Javier Gallego, DVM, University of Liége, Belgium

“When I first visited SeaWorld (June 2013, Orlando), I was struck by a number of things. Not only was the facility much smaller than I had anticipated, but the animals showed a large number of issues – from the subtle skin discolourations (that many people may not notice, but are clearly visible in the photographs that I took during that visit) to the extremely obvious rake marks, collapsed (and collapsing) dorsal fins and, importantly, the extent and degree of damage to their teeth.” “With regards to the teeth of the SeaWorld orca, it was clear to me that the damage to their teeth was significant and that I had not seen anything like that in orca in the wild, or in museum specimens.” -- Dr. Ingrid Visser, Director, Orca Research Trust, New Zealand

An orca with a drooping dorsal fin. Photo by Mark J. Palmer.