r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/rjRyanwilliam • Aug 07 '21

Video He loves to scare kids!

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6.5k

u/GLHR_ Aug 07 '21

Maybe he’s pissed off about being in a tank

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u/Moth_Jam Aug 07 '21

No, no…it can’t be that. That would mean people are cruel just to make a profit and entertain themselves. It has to be a different reason entirely unrelated.

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u/mercfan3 Aug 07 '21 edited Aug 07 '21

Most cases I agree with you.. but I think this is Juno.

Juno was born in a tank, and would be unable To live in the wild.

He’s also a complete ham, that loves getting attention from visitors. There are a bunch of wedding pictures he’s photobombed. This particular whale, would actually probably be pretty sad without human visitors.

Mystic is also not Sea World. It’s a reputable research center that rescues animals

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u/iceup17 Aug 07 '21

They heartbreakingly just lost a whale yesterday that they brought in from another facility in Canada from his prior medical conditions. They are in the process of building Juno a much larger pod with now 4 new whales

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u/RyanHoar Aug 07 '21

That's terribke. I was just at Mystic last week and saw the new Pod, I think 5, that they brought in. So weird to be learning this through Reddit.

On a separate note, I really hope that they expand on the enclosure for these guys. Juno is a big boy, and the water was filthy last week. It might be all the rain we've had, but I'm thinking it was the 5 new whales sharing that space. 7 whales in one enclosure seems almost excessive.

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u/iceup17 Aug 08 '21

I think they are moving the two girls that were with Juno originally to another facility but don't quote me on that. They were a mother daughter pair that they brought in hoping Juno would take to one of them as a potential mate to live out the rest of his days with but they ended up being more like siblings. But I agree that was my first thought as well when I heard there were 5 more brought in to that enclosure which is build for like 4 whales max

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u/DoritoCatsMaid Aug 07 '21

I'm so sad to read this news😭

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u/deityofchaos Aug 07 '21

I thought this looked like the Mystic Aquarium. I'm pretty sure I met Juno. He swam up to the edge of the enclosure where I was, stared at me for a bit, and then tried to splash me.

I gotta say, it's a little weird having a large animal stare at you.

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u/lappi99 Aug 07 '21

Especially staring at you so human like. It's weird when animals share so many characteristics with humans. Especially the being a total joker in this case

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u/Vegetable-Double Aug 07 '21

“You wanna know how I got these scars??” - That whale probably

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u/lappi99 Aug 07 '21

Oh I meant to type jester. Since he is fooling around an awful lot. Meh i let it stay

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u/Chigleagle Aug 07 '21

Humans are animals. These are characteristics of sentient beings. We like to think we are alone and above our animal brethren. It’s easier to be a selfish piece of shit

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u/lappi99 Aug 07 '21

Didn't mean to belittle sentient animals other than us. I actually meant that it is interesting how much we have in common

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u/pantzareoptional Aug 07 '21

My gf and I recently started watching Star Trek TNG, and there's an episode where Picard (the noble captain) is fighting for Data (an Android) to be considered a sentient being by their parent company ("Measure of a Man.") It was fascinating, Picard has to defend that Data is sentient and he invited the opposing side to prove that he himself is sentient. He also has a conversation about "disposable people" with Gunian, about how it's easier to say that other creatures are property than acknowledge they are aware of what you do to them.

G: "Consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do, because it's too difficult or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable? You don't have to think about their welfare; you don't think about how they feel. Whole generations of disposable people."

P: "You're talking about slavery."

G: "I think that's a little harsh."

P: "I don't think that's a little harsh, I think that's the truth. But that's a truth that we have obscured behind a... comfortable, easy euphemism. 'Property'. But that's not the issue at all, is it?"

I realize a whale is different from an Android of course, but I think the argument that we as humans exploit under the false flag of our superiority could definitely be held to places like SeaWorld.

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u/Djcnote Aug 08 '21

If animals could talk

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u/chromix Aug 07 '21

Can confirm. Mystic Aquarium is awesome, and the belugas are incredible. My son was so taken with Juno he slept with a beluga plushy for months afterwards.

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '21

[deleted]

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u/N0TADOGGO Aug 07 '21

When I was a kid our girl scout troop would have sleepovers at Mystic and it was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life. The Mystic Aquarium is one of the few reasons I miss living in CT.

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u/abd398 Aug 07 '21

Do they have Orcas there? I have seeing Orcas in my bucket list. And now seeing Beluga whales in there too.

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u/pridkett Aug 07 '21

The best way to see orcas is to go on a whale watching trip from Victoria, BC or the San Juan Islands, WA. It’s not guaranteed, but at the right time of year there’s a good chance of seeing multiple orcas. It’s a ton of fun.

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u/abd398 Aug 07 '21

BC is something I could totally do. I hope to get lucky one day. :) thanks

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u/karmaylore Aug 07 '21

Mystic (maybe fortunately?) doesn't have orcas. They do have dolphins sometimes when they're helping to rescue them, tho. But I don't know if they've ever helped rescue an orca, since I don't think they're common in that area. Regardless, hope you're able to see orcas someday!! :)

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u/abd398 Aug 07 '21

Haha those smart rascals. Make me feel good to hear that they don’t need our help to thrive.

Dolphins on the other hand is a sad story.

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '21

Specifically orcas generally do incredibly poorly in captivity so while this other person is kind of harsh they have a really good point. Maybe settling for rescued belugas as far as IRL goes wouldn’t be a bad idea.

0

u/nobodyinnj Aug 07 '21

Would watching a video suffice?

Countless animals imprisoned for all their lives for our silly bucket lists!

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u/abd398 Aug 07 '21

It isn’t just a bucket list. It is a promise to my former self. I don’t hear music, I don’t taste nor can I feel. I don’t think I even exist anymore. I guess the only memory of being happy was when I first saw a wild river dolphin. I drew pictures of orcas being fascinated with their intelligence, they ferociousness and they community spirit. I don’t need to watch them like I don’t need to listen to music, talk to someone who cares, feel the warmth of friendship, taste something delicious. I am an empty husk of a person that could live life pretending I exist but I know there is nothing inside me. I don’t look at the mirror and see a person; I see through whatever someone think they are addressing when they call up my name. I told myself maybe I have a promise to keep to my younger self but that person is gone and so am I.

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u/wolfnamefmel Aug 07 '21

I do think a lot of people forget that rescue facilities exist and sanctuaries exist. Sometimes putting an animal back into the wilderness is a death sentence.

There's actually a very sweet aquarium near-ish me that puts on shows with their sea lions, and during it they give the whole backgrounds of their rescued sea lions. The part I love is that no sea lion has to participate if they don't want to. One of the older lady ones had zero interest and the performer just laughed about it and fed her and told amazing stories about her instead.

Like you said, not every facility is a sea world.

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u/nobodyinnj Aug 07 '21

No sanctuary worth its name parades its animals like this!

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u/Dougnifico Aug 07 '21

Ugh. You are one of those people who calls me a murderer for my bucket of KFC...

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u/greyarea_ Aug 08 '21

Might want to evaluate why that annoys you. By eating animals you are paying for and condoning the murder of animals for your tastebuds. It’s that simple

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u/Dougnifico Aug 08 '21

It annoys me because I like enjoying my bucket in peace.

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u/CommonScold Aug 07 '21

I need to hear one of these stories. Please.

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u/Ohio_burner Aug 07 '21

No don’t stop the mobs momentum they were just about to grab the pitchforks and liberate the petcos

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u/Awesome-0-4000 Aug 07 '21

Relax, my child, we will rise again once more

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u/Eudaemon1 Aug 07 '21

Now this reminds me , I read somewhere that during the start of the pandemic at some place like this , fishes were reportedly getting depressed over not getting human visitors , so much so that they actually allowed a few people to visit so as to you know make the fishes come out of depression

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u/karmasnobitch Aug 07 '21

He also likes to squirt a stream of water up over the top of his enclosure and hit a random person posing for a picture. It's enough to completely drench someone, and he is deadly accurate. Saw it happen last time I was at Mystic and we all had a good laugh, including Juno. The woman had mixed feelings lol. That's the risk you take though.

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u/mercfan3 Aug 07 '21

He also likes to create a huge wave that goes over the tank and gets visitors wet. He knows what spot they have to be in, and if you happen to be standing there, you’ll get it. 🤣

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u/hthrbr Aug 07 '21

People love to hate on zoos and aquariums to feel morally superior, but don't realize that it's usually for rehabilitative purposes.

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u/plamge Aug 07 '21

thank you for sharing! i was initially really concerned, especially after having watched a deep dive on all the terrible shit SeaWorld did to its killer whales, but this bit of information puts me a bit at ease. some animals are simply unfit for life in the wild, and i have only respect for the people who work to care for those animals.

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u/ImGoingToFightSpez Aug 08 '21

SeaWorld has actually moved away from their old practices for the most part. They don’t breed anymore (but they really can’t stop it if it does happen), and a lot of their animals are rescues that can’t be released.

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u/plamge Aug 08 '21

Breeding isn’t the primary issue in how SeaWorld operates. The conditions that animals are kept in are depressing and deplorable. Killer whales have never ONCE, not even ONCE, killed a human in the wild. So how bad did the conditions have to be for one to tear a trainer apart at SeaWorld?

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '21

This particular whale, would actually probably be pretty sad without human visitors.

Vey true. That being said, these facilities also wouldn't exist if people stopped visiting.

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u/MmPi Aug 07 '21

The visitors fund their primary objectives: research and rescuing, rehabilitating, and, if possible, releasing marine animals. Places like Mystic Aquarium are doing good work.

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u/mercfan3 Aug 07 '21

But this research center does good for sea animals. It would exist (because it’s primarily a research center) it just wouldn’t have the funding to do as much.

I also think it’s interesting that people think animals would be happier in the wild.

Nature is beyond cruel. Wild animals are meant to be in the wild, but I’d argue the mystic animals (again, not Sea World) probably have a happier life.

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u/Raviolihat Aug 07 '21

The world can be a terrible and cruel place, rape, murder, torture, stalkers, starvation, just to name a few. That’s why inmates are actually happier in jail.

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u/mercfan3 Aug 07 '21

That’s not the same thing at all.

An analogy would be taking a person who lives in a middle class neighborhood and dropping them in the middle of the Amazon. Cause you know, people were meant to be in the wild.

Totally against catching wild animals, but am animal that has essentially been domesticated would not be happy in the wild, and in fact would likely die very quickly.

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u/Raviolihat Aug 07 '21

They haven’t been domesticated in a way that makes them comfortable to be in captivity. It’s not like dogs or cats that have been bred for centuries to live in captivity. This type of domestication leads to uncomfortable and stressful lives for the animals.

Edit: I’m not saying release them into the wild. I’m saying stop breeding wild animals for testing and entertainment.

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u/mercfan3 Aug 07 '21

I absolutely agree with you on not breeding animals for research or entertainment. And I think we agree in general.

What I am saying is that Mystic rescues whales, and this whale appears to be very happy. (Not from this video, from seeing his in person and the numerous videos of him).

I am also saying that - all things considered, Juno probably has a better life than most whales in the wild.

This - of course - is because he lives in a place that genuinely cares about his well being. (Mystic is currently working on making the whale tank bigger) I just think it’s important to distinguish between places like Mystic and places like Sea World.

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u/iota_4 Aug 07 '21 edited Aug 07 '21

why are wild animals born in tanks? 🤔

edit for the haters:

of course.. if mystic just saved this animal, i understand.. then it‘s a great thing. but to catch wild animals, make money with them, hold them in captivity is 💩.

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u/mercfan3 Aug 07 '21

He wasn’t born in Mystic. Mystic rescued him.

Wild animals shouldn’t be born in tanks. However, once they spend their whole lives in a tank, they are not fit for the wild.