Bubbles the pilot whale has been a favorite of audiences for a long time and I remember her from the days when I worked at Marineland.
In fact, she was recently discussed by former Marineland employees who are gearing up for a reunion in September at the old location of the now defunct marine park.
People have mixed feelings about marine parks and captive marine mammals but I can tell you that in my lifetime I’ve seen people change from not being interested in these animals to being enthralled by them.
In some cases this is a good thing but in other cases the close exposure to marine mammals in captivity and the media driven snippets has caused a false impression of who and what marine mammals are.
People are in love with the idea of who and what they are and the perpetual smile of the dolphin and the trainer kissing the whale are part of the false impressions people develop about these animals.
It isn’t that they are not stunning or smart but that people believe they should feed them, swim with them and connect with them instead of respecting them for the powerful predators that they are.
Most people don’t know about the tales of the marine mammals that chomp the snorkeler, push the surfer out to sea or those that get aggressive or exhibit sexual overtures at the humans in the water with them.
They want to believe that these are not normal behaviors but aberrant variations from the norm.
Care to share your impressions about marine mammals and how you formed them? Please leave your comments below.
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Some days I just hate the media for what they have done to the reputations of these majestic animals. I believe that all animals from the smallest bug to the giants of the ocean deserve our absolute and total respect. We have so much to learn about marine life it’s unreal. Then we have activist groups that have lead others to believe totally in the little bit of information we have gained in the last 40 years of research. Unfortunately, that has lead us to today’s messy debates and protests and the well being of the animals is overlooked and people loose the right focus points…
I love to watch the shows, they are fascinating, but we can never forget these are wild animals and it is our responsibility to do what is best for them at all times.
Thanks for chiming in Peggy and for visiting Ark Animals. Hope to see you around more. I have your blog in my feed reader….yes, if people had a better handle on just who and what these animals really were like it would be a better world–but I am not holding my breath.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Kelly. I think the problem is not just the media but also the marine parks for creating a mystique about the animals and not helping people have a more balanced view.