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    AnglKatEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 6:59pm

    I had read about the documentary but never watched it until last week. I made the mistake of putting it on right before bedtime and fell asleep crying.

    “animal rights extremists”

    That just sounds so funny coming from a company that purports to have animal’s best interests at heart.

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      Jenn still doesn't understand "following"AnglKat
      4/14/15 7:43pm

      Thanks for saving me from a similar fate. I’d been thinking about watching it, but I’m bonkers for animals and also a big crybaby, so I’ll skip it.

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      AnglKatJenn still doesn't understand "following"
      4/14/15 7:45pm

      Definitely skip it if those things make you weepy. I actually didn’t watch the last ten minutes because they kept showing a mommy whale literally moaning and wailing in her mourning for the calf they separated from her. They have stronger familial ties than people do, and the emotional turmoil that they go through is even more horrifying than hearing about the myriad of health problems that whales in captivity have.

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    FieryAntidoteEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 7:06pm

    Attendance only down 4.2%? What the fuck is wrong with people? I feel terrible that I went to Seaworld as a kid in the 90s when we didn’t know any better. I can’t believe that people still pay money to go. “ hey, kids, let’s go watch some highly intelligent creatures being traumatized by solitary confinement in a sterile environment! Plus, they’d rip their kids away from them and sell them into international markets! Yeah!”

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      Heidi HoleFieryAntidote
      4/14/15 7:07pm

      I wonder if it’s maybe people from foreign countries who might not be as familiar with the controversy? :(

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      pepperfoxmoreHeidi Hole
      4/14/15 7:12pm

      That’s what I was thinking. There’s a huge international draw to Sea World, Disney World, etc.

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    CharlieisaferalgodEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 6:55pm

    Every time I see that commercial, I think about Blackfish and how miserable those animals must be.

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      BlueberrypiesCharlieisaferalgod
      4/14/15 6:59pm
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      CharlieisaferalgodBlueberrypies
      4/14/15 7:04pm

      I hope the commercial inspires the same sadness in others and that it backfires on Seaword in a major way.

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    Avada Yo MamaEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 7:15pm

    I don't understand Sea World's position here at all. Wouldn't it be much better PR to say, "yup, the movie is right - it's now becoming clear that these whales cannot live in captivity. We're not doing the Shamu show anymore, and we will release our orcas into the wild when they're ready for that." They have so many happy dolphin shows and sea lion shows and petting pools and even rides and a beer garden - people would still go to Sea World without the killer whales.

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      lissargh: still grey on the slotAvada Yo Mama
      4/14/15 7:28pm

      Okay but like... Then you have other sad animals filling the space of the sad orcas. Dolphins and belugas and sea lions and walruses don’t do much better than Orcas in these parks, relegating Sea World’s success post orca to these other animals will likely make their existence more miserable than it already is. The dark gray marks on Dolphins are scars, usually from aggression from other dolphins in captivity. None of these animals should be kept in tiny tanks. None.

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      AnglKatAvada Yo Mama
      4/14/15 7:31pm

      I don’t get it either. They can be profitable without the whales, and they’ve been outed as fucking whale-torturers.

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    Andrew DaisukeEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 6:51pm

    I think it would be so cool if some SUPER rich person funded a national television ad campaign to take these morons to task for their commercial.

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      KaraNextWeekAndrew Daisuke
      4/14/15 7:06pm

      You are my hero.

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      Sally SassAndrew Daisuke
      4/14/15 7:07pm

      Time to get John Oliver on it?

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    tealstarEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 7:07pm

    I’ve seen that commercial so many times . The second I saw it, I knew something was going on. The thing is SeaWorld could survive and possibly thrive without the whales. They have roller coasters and other rides. And they could make a film to show about sending the whales to a sanctuary.

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      thewiredknighttealstar
      4/14/15 8:03pm

      Actually they probably woudln’t survive on this. One look at Sea World attractions and you will notice that their number of “rides” can be counted on one hand (practically). They were never known for them like their nearby counterparts of Disneyland, Knotts and Six Flags (speaking of California) so if they were to compete strictly on that they would always lose. Their claim to fame has always been Shamu and its aquatic shows.

      Mind you also the damage to Sea World’s image is so bad right now that I highly doubt a movie would be looked upon favorably - likely it would be seen as lies and propganda no matter how much truth was in it.


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      albatross_Ytealstar
      4/14/15 9:30pm

      They could focus more on being an aquarium, a lot of aquariums have conservation programs for propagating threatened wild coral samples in captivity. Or displays of neat fish that people don’t really get to see in the wild, breed-and-release programs for wild fish that are currently threatened, being able to observe trained animal care and vets helping wounded wild animals, or abandoned baby mammals and returning them to the wild. Educational info to help kids learn to be responsible consumers, and to respect the ocean and wild creatures.

      They don’t have to torture animals to have something people would like to pay to see.

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    TzaEllie Shechet
    4/14/15 6:57pm

    One thing I really started to notice after Blackfish was how almost all of their Orca’s dorsal fins are bent. And then I felt really shamed for never noticing just how many were like that before.

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      AnglKatTza
      4/14/15 7:00pm

      Even if you noticed, seaworld would have lied and said that it happens in the wild.

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      ChumtheburnerTza
      4/14/15 7:07pm

      Free Willy taught me that.

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    Setzer777Ellie Shechet
    4/14/15 6:48pm

    I just saw that commercial last night!

    I feel like, regardless of the facts, once you’ve reached the point of airing commercials saying “no, we’re not abusing animals!”, you should probably just pack up shop and sell your assets.

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      Joseph FinnEllie Shechet
      4/14/15 6:59pm
      Fuck you, Sea World. You're not a zoo and these people aren't advancing an anti-zoo agenda. You're a circus at best/worst.
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        ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ : Riot GRRR is RUNNING WILDEllie Shechet
        4/14/15 7:01pm

        SeaWorld Is Currently Being Placed In An Inhumanely Small Tank Most Of The Time By Lawsuits

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