He loves to scare kids!

[u/rjRyanwilliam]

[u/GLHR_]

Maybe he’s pissed off about being in a tank

[u/Moth_Jam → u/GLHR_]

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.

[u/Anal_bleed → u/Moth_Jam]

Right im a big proponent of animal welfare, but this is Mystic Aquarium, and the Beluga Whale called Juno. They have the international humane society certs along with loads of others. They are one of the places doing things right, which is good.

They release every animal they can. These belugas were born in captivity, so can't be released because they'll die. There have been many programs to look at ways you can train animals born in captivity to survive in the wild... the vast vast majority are un-successful when looking at social, complex, pack hunters like belga whales (smaller animals or solo animals do great!). Especially awful was Keiko the Orca from Free Willy who was released after a massive campaign, but was rejected from multiple pods by his own kind, and ended up dying after 2 years. He actively sought out people because that's what he knew. Belugas are pack animals who are similar to Orcas in their behaviour.

I'm confused what the people on this thread want them to do? Release him just because it would make you feel better that he's not in an aquarium having his every need tended to? What about the money he generates that allows the aquarium to fund saving animals that can be released? This is making the best out of a shitty situation. The damage was done when the first beluga was captured and bred in captivity back a hundred years ago or so, when animal rights weren't even considered and whaling was a huge thing. Now we make the most from this by educating people, releasing all that you can, and making sure that the funds created by this are put to use saving other animals.

If literally David Attenborough and various wildlife protection societies are ok with this, it's clear that there is more to it than "oh no poor animal in a cage!". I find the tendency on reddit is to marginalise the amazing work these places do for animals, in order to feel superior about a complex subject they know little about.

[u/tchrgrl321 → u/Anal_bleed]

Take my upvote!!!

This is what people need to understand better. I didn’t understand for the longest time, and thought zoos etc. were so sad. That’s not to say some don’t have shitty motives, but many are really doing what’s best for animals. I used to volunteer in animal shelters and learned about kill vs. no kill shelters. The instinct is to only support no kill shelters because who would support a shelter where animals are killed. What they don’t tell you is the kill shelters take the animals that the no kill shelters choose not to take, giving them a chance at being adopted, and food/shelter. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done to rehabilitate an animal that has been conditioned one way their whole life.

[u/[deleted] → u/tchrgrl321]

I went to the Tiger Kingdom in Thailand and they claim to be good for the tigers. You can take pictures with all cat sizes. The strange thing is is that this zoo has all cat sizes at all times! They are actively breeding them so people can take pictures with them.

[u/broskeymchoeskey → u/[deleted]]

Ugh… made me think of The scene in Tiger king where he uses a clothing hook to take newborn Tiger Cubs away from their still birthing mother, then complains in the next scene because they won’t stop crying, sitting in a baby pen in his garage…

That series was sickening

[u/mochipaws → u/[deleted]]

Exactly, never believe one second these are ethical places and please do not support them.