Sea World, Orlando, Florida
Our last day before driving back to Toronto, we spent at Sea World in Orlando. Any visit to a zoo or aquarium raises again in my mind the ongoing debate of the role these facilities play towards conservation, and the captivity of animals and fish away from their natural surroundings. In this case killer whales or orcas are a great example. Although much of Sea World seems to be set-up for pure entertainment value and to bring in the crowds, we certainly left enthusiastic and touched by some of the great exhibits. I am still convinced that these places offer opportunities to people that would not otherwise have any chance of seeing these creatures in the wild, and at least get some exposure to conservation challenges and the importance of these ecological systems to the world. Sea World obviously plays a big role in conservation, the manatee exhibit being an example, where injured manatees are captured and looked after and maybe released. In addition, the successful breeding of killer whales over many years has contributed significantly to the understanding of the species and to the conservation of the killer whale populations in the wild. Some exhibits literally brought tears to our eyes, including the young killer whale calf born Oct, 2010.
Our last day before driving back to Toronto, we spent at Sea World in Orlando. Any visit to a zoo or aquarium raises again in my mind the ongoing debate of the role these facilities play towards conservation, and the captivity of animals and fish away from their natural surroundings. In this case killer whales or orcas are a great example. Although much of Sea World seems to be set-up for pure entertainment value and to bring in the crowds, we certainly left enthusiastic and touched by some of the great exhibits. I am still convinced that these places offer opportunities to people that would not otherwise have any chance of seeing these creatures in the wild, and at least get some exposure to conservation challenges and the importance of these ecological systems to the world. Sea World obviously plays a big role in conservation, the manatee exhibit being an example, where injured manatees are captured and looked after and maybe released. In addition, the successful breeding of killer whales over many years has contributed significantly to the understanding of the species and to the conservation of the killer whale populations in the wild. Some exhibits literally brought tears to our eyes, including the young killer whale calf born Oct, 2010.