Close "Sea Lions Rock" show and send the sea lions home!
The Issue
After the death of three adult dolphins and five calves, and a breif period of the tank at West Edmonton Mall remaining empty, three California sea lions were imported and were forced to be part of an entertainment show in the middle of the shopping mall.
They are forced to perform twice a day during weekdays (often the mall is not busy and there is very few people to nobody watching the show, but they still must perform anyway) and three times a day on weekends (in the middle of a very loud, crowded mall).
Why the Sea Lions show should be closed and these animals sent home:
1. In physical terms, the captive environment of sea lions is profoundly limited and impoverished.
Although sea lions tend to be relatively sedentary on land, they have evolved to make annual journeys of hundreds, if not thousands, of miles through the oceans.
The coastal environment of sea lions is rich in biodiversity. Public display facilities provide a sterile environment.
2. In social terms, too, the captive environment is impoverished and artificial.
California sea lions congregate in groups of dozens of animals when on land, occasionally achieving aggregations of hundreds of individuals. When in the water, they float together in large "rafts" to thermo-regulate.
In captivity, these gregarious animals are forced to exist in small groups, of sometimes no more than 2 to 3 individuals.
Rebuttal to statements used to justify the captivity of sea lions:
Justification #1: Sea lions bred in captivity cannot be released into the wild.
Fact: Although at present there are few rehabilitation facilities for captive-born animals, statement #1 ignores the root of the problem. Because baby sea lions are popular with zoo and aquarium visitors, baby sea lions continue to be born. Sadly, when these animals reach adulthood, many of them are shunted into holding facilities or sold off, replaced by a seemingly endless stream of new babies that appeal more to the public. Unfortunately, there are currently more captive-bred sea lions than there are places to adequately house them. As long as baby sea lions attract the public, there will be more sea lions bred, perpetuating the problem. (Zoocheck Canada)
Justification #2: The sea lions are well-cared for in public facilities.
Fact: Sea lions are not domesticated animals, meaning that they have not been bred for hundreds or thousands of generations for characteristics that make them amenable to living in human environments. They maintain their natural instincts, which include the need for large social groupings, the need to hunt fish, the need to vacate stressful situations by water. To deny these animals their innate biological and behavioral needs is to cause suffering. (Zoocheck Canada)
Justification #3: The sea lion is not an endangered species.
Fact: The fact that the sea lion is not an endangered species does not justify its captivity. Sea lions suffer in captivity because they cannot engage in their natural behaviors. Their captive environment is impoverished and limited.
Justification #4: The sea lion is responsible for shrinking fish stocks.
Fact: The sea lion has been made a scapegoat by the fishing industry. "There are no data to support the contention that sea lions are responsible for the decline of fisheries." (Dr. Toni Frohoff, behavioral biologist and noted marine mammal expert)
Justification #5: The sea lion is protected in captivity, whereas its natural environment could be dangerous to its survival.
Fact: To use the rigours of the wild as a justification for the conditions of captivity is misleading and disingenuous. This argument implies that the natural environment is an evil to be avoided and that the captive environment is the preferred state. The suggestion is that the animals must be protected from the very environment that sustains them. To suggest that the lives of these animals are better because they have been spared-or in truth, prevented-from having to do exactly what evolution shaped them to do is absurd. (Humane Society of the United States)
3. Sea Lions belong in the SEA, not in a SHOPPING MALL!
Some additional links on the awful nature and consequences of animals held in captivity:
http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2010/03/10-facts-about-zoos
The Issue
After the death of three adult dolphins and five calves, and a breif period of the tank at West Edmonton Mall remaining empty, three California sea lions were imported and were forced to be part of an entertainment show in the middle of the shopping mall.
They are forced to perform twice a day during weekdays (often the mall is not busy and there is very few people to nobody watching the show, but they still must perform anyway) and three times a day on weekends (in the middle of a very loud, crowded mall).
Why the Sea Lions show should be closed and these animals sent home:
1. In physical terms, the captive environment of sea lions is profoundly limited and impoverished.
Although sea lions tend to be relatively sedentary on land, they have evolved to make annual journeys of hundreds, if not thousands, of miles through the oceans.
The coastal environment of sea lions is rich in biodiversity. Public display facilities provide a sterile environment.
2. In social terms, too, the captive environment is impoverished and artificial.
California sea lions congregate in groups of dozens of animals when on land, occasionally achieving aggregations of hundreds of individuals. When in the water, they float together in large "rafts" to thermo-regulate.
In captivity, these gregarious animals are forced to exist in small groups, of sometimes no more than 2 to 3 individuals.
Rebuttal to statements used to justify the captivity of sea lions:
Justification #1: Sea lions bred in captivity cannot be released into the wild.
Fact: Although at present there are few rehabilitation facilities for captive-born animals, statement #1 ignores the root of the problem. Because baby sea lions are popular with zoo and aquarium visitors, baby sea lions continue to be born. Sadly, when these animals reach adulthood, many of them are shunted into holding facilities or sold off, replaced by a seemingly endless stream of new babies that appeal more to the public. Unfortunately, there are currently more captive-bred sea lions than there are places to adequately house them. As long as baby sea lions attract the public, there will be more sea lions bred, perpetuating the problem. (Zoocheck Canada)
Justification #2: The sea lions are well-cared for in public facilities.
Fact: Sea lions are not domesticated animals, meaning that they have not been bred for hundreds or thousands of generations for characteristics that make them amenable to living in human environments. They maintain their natural instincts, which include the need for large social groupings, the need to hunt fish, the need to vacate stressful situations by water. To deny these animals their innate biological and behavioral needs is to cause suffering. (Zoocheck Canada)
Justification #3: The sea lion is not an endangered species.
Fact: The fact that the sea lion is not an endangered species does not justify its captivity. Sea lions suffer in captivity because they cannot engage in their natural behaviors. Their captive environment is impoverished and limited.
Justification #4: The sea lion is responsible for shrinking fish stocks.
Fact: The sea lion has been made a scapegoat by the fishing industry. "There are no data to support the contention that sea lions are responsible for the decline of fisheries." (Dr. Toni Frohoff, behavioral biologist and noted marine mammal expert)
Justification #5: The sea lion is protected in captivity, whereas its natural environment could be dangerous to its survival.
Fact: To use the rigours of the wild as a justification for the conditions of captivity is misleading and disingenuous. This argument implies that the natural environment is an evil to be avoided and that the captive environment is the preferred state. The suggestion is that the animals must be protected from the very environment that sustains them. To suggest that the lives of these animals are better because they have been spared-or in truth, prevented-from having to do exactly what evolution shaped them to do is absurd. (Humane Society of the United States)
3. Sea Lions belong in the SEA, not in a SHOPPING MALL!
Some additional links on the awful nature and consequences of animals held in captivity:
http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2010/03/10-facts-about-zoos
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on December 3, 2014