Last year, Brie Larson posted a throwback photo to Instagram when she played with captive dolphins in 2004. Brie handled the fallout from that picture particularly well, as I’ve learned is typical for her. She posted a follow-up photo stating that she did not endorse animal cruelty and that she was interested in learning about the plight of captive dolphins, who are herded, slaughtered and separated from their families before being sold into captivity.
Seaworld, a particularly cruel marine zoo, was the subject of the documentary Blackfish, which exposed the way Seaworld put marine mammals and trainers at risk by mistreating orcas, or killer whales. They kept a killer whale performing which had killed several trainers. They used that orca’s sperm to breed over half of their orcas in captivity. Regardless it’s somewhat well known that performing sea mammals are kept under poor, often abusive conditions, and that Seaworld is a perpetrator of this.
Jana Kramer is a country singer and actress who was on Dancing With The Stars last year. She’s had some issues with mommy shamers on Instagram in the past, when she first posted photos of the jarred baby food she was buying for her daughter, Jolie, now 14 months. Jana recently posted photos with Jolie at Discovery Cove, a Seaworld property. When people tried to tell her how bad it is for the dolphins there, she wasn’t having it and posted this rant:
She lost me toward the end when she equated visiting captive dolphins with eating meat and having wine. Her post also reads like some kind of sponsored deal with Discovery Cove, and that seems to be the case because in another post, which is below, she thanked them for comping her visit. Of course they told her how great it is for the dolphins, there are trainers at Seaworld who weren’t warned that Tilikum the orca had killed two trainers before he killed a third. They kept the orca performing after that, after he had been responsible for the death of three people. It’s not a humane situation at Seaworld for the animals. Of course people can continue to support them and believe that it’s fine if they want. If a celebrity posts about it on social media they’re going to get called out for it. I’m sure Jana didn’t mind too much, she got a free day out with her daughter, they probably paid her for her trouble and she also got a bunch of press.
photos credit: WENN, Getty, Instagram/Jana Kramer
“I didn’t SEE the dolphins being mistreated, so it wasn’t happening!” Lol. Stay woke, girl.
I don’t f*ck with zoos or aquariums or anything like that anymore. Even if you don’t see animals being abused, by your standards, they’re still caged wild animals? To me, that’s mistreatment right there. They’re being mistreated right in front of your face. These are sentient beings who deserve to be roaming the earth in their natural habitats, not in cages or tanks. It’s cruel and unnatural, imo. The only things I support are animal sanctuaries, where animals are taken care of/healed and then integrated back into their natural environment.
Yep, Shambles, agree on all counts.
A thousand thanks, Celebitchy, for posting this story.
May I mention Big Cat Rescue in Florida?
They are the ultimate in sanctuaries..Any animal born in capitivity in the US cannot be set free..
They have areas on their website that explain this and Facebook info too
Please check the US Act they are sponsoring to stop pay for petting and roadside zoos…
Unfortunately I am not clever enough to give you the links but please try to support the law by contacting your local politicians
There is lots on the website..They rehab Florida born bobcats and care for many cats..from lions and tigers to servals,bobcats and lynx
If you live in Florida why not visit..they are in Tampa..
Many Thanks for reading this and any support you can give..you won’t regret it!
I will second the rec on Big Cat Rescue. I lived down the road from them in Tampa and they are a wonderful organization. As is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, whose goal is to rehabilitate animals and release them, not make them captive performing pets like SeaWorld. (Sorry, my bias showed there).
Here in Texas we have C.A.R.E. / Care Rescue Texas. It is an AWESOME organization if you have some extra money to donate. Follow BIGCATDEREK on instagram to see them interacting with the cats. It’s one of my favorite feeds.
May I please also shout about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium? They rehabilitate injured and stranded sea life and return all animals that can be returned to the wild. They have two ‘permanent’ dolphins but they both would not survive in the wild (one of them lost her tail due to a fishing line — they gave her a prosthetic tail, the other was rescued as an orphan at such a young age she couldn’t be released).
They are a non-profit conservation charity and do some amazing work, and they are right there in Florida only a two-hour drive from Sea World!
What an ignorant woman.These people choose to support the abuse out of convenience. If you want to see marine life go see them in their natural habitat, there is nothing natural about sea world. Disgusting woman.
Seaworld has some of the best marine tanks in THE WORLD. People rail on places like seaworld, seaworld shuts down, and then all the animals that cannot be rereleased in the wild and that are important for science, are put in the much smaller, crappier marine lab tanks. Zoos, like trophy hunting, are somewhat of a necessary evil. They bring visibility, connection, and in turn money, which is then used to save many more animals. There is no perfect solution.
Sea World could still do all that without whale shows or abusive live animal shows in general. Might cut into their profits a bit but I’m sure they could make money as an ethical aquarium and education centre rather than as a weird 19th century water circus.
Finally a voice of reason!
She lost me with “yalls” and the full face of makeup while in a dolphin tank.
Ha! So true.
I agree, “yalls”. Let’s just double down on the ignorance in every possible way.
I used to love legit zoos for a variety of reasons, preservation topping the list. Last summer, the day my boyfriend and I were traipsing around the Louisville Zoo, Harambe the western lowland gorilla was shot and killed at my hometown zoo. As Harambe was dragging that child around his enclosure in Cincinnati, my boo and I were looking at primates. Some primates were behind glass, looking slightly sad. Other primates were in front of the glass, looking in their other direction as their runny-nosed kids pounded on it. I am not sure we deserve the animals anymore. Maybe we never did.
I visited a ‘reformed’ zoo in Poland recently. It was the city zoo but is now a kind of park with only some farm-type animals (like chickens and rabbits) on display. The empty tiger and elephant cages have been left as a kind of monument and it’s very moving and sad.
I am a huge advocate for dolphins. I have been at many protests here in Florida including trying to free Tilikum and Lolita. These mammals are ripped out of the sea in the most heinous way. There is no excuse to be this ignorant, and the worst part about it is people actually think the dolphins are “happy” in captivity doing tricks and swimming with humans just to get some dead fish as a reward and make some resort rich.
cant she be honest and say, i’m d list at best and cant afford morals or scruples when i could get my picture taken
jerk
Right? Pic snapped in a face full of make up alright. Stop posting your every move on Instagram and social media if you don’t want opinions. Now crawl back to obscurity.
WHO??
Never heard of her. Nor want to again, based on her thirsty crap.
I don’t go to zoos anymore, let alone places like this one, but somestimes I do wonder how much of a hypocrite I am – I eat meat and wear leather. And being argentinian is not an excuse anymore. I draw the line at zoos, fur and cosmetics tested on animals but I do wonder why I can’t take a further step and drop everything else.
@Cee like you I am torned and probably a hypocrite as well. I do go to zoos, I do eat meat, wear shoes made of leather and on occasion wear make-up.
I don’t think all animals held in captivity are properly being taken care of and should probably be left in their natural habitat. Then there’s a part of me that would love to swim with dolphins.
I also think that most people, including the ones on this site are hypocrites as well. They eat meat but would argue but these are the animals that were ruled to be for eating and they are killed in humane ways. They wear make-up that has been animal tested but will say, no I check to make sure the make-up I buy isn”t animal tested( yeah right). They will say yes I wear sneakers or shoes made of leather but it comes from an animal that has already been killed for food so that makes it ok.
I’m against animal cruelty as well and I love animals but we all contribute to it in one form or another. Even animals killed in the most humane ways are subject to a form of cruelty. Killing something to eat it is cruel. We can say F you to this woman or call her ignorant all we want but unless you don’t eat any type of meat or fish, wear shoes or clothing made of leather or wear a certain type of make-up you shouldn’t be throwing stones.
I gave up all that animal stuff years ago, so I’m hurling boulders at her!
I’m sure you did. 🙂
If you obsess over everything you do “wrong” every day you’d drive yourself mad. I wear leather, I eat meat (but I raise it myself as I’m a farmer), but I respect animals and don’t think they should be kept like they are in zoos. In some instances they seem safer, until you get a Vince the rhino situation or a Harambe one. Especially with the ocean being poisoned each and every day by Fukushima, this may be the least cruel solution. But I just don’t know.
I guess if you just do your best it’s all you can do. I work every day to reduce and eventually eliminate our dependence on any corporation, or conglomerate. I am to the point where I tan my own hides and am saving up for a hand pump for my well, and solar panels one day. But I don’t think that makes me better than anyone else that doesn’t have those options. We all do what we can and hopefully that will get us somewhere. I don’t think screeching and shaming others for their choices is in any way helpful though. Just my opinion but if anyone did that to me I’d completely ignore them and tell them to F O. So if a person truly cares about an issue maybe they should consider that you get more flies with honey than vinegar?
All I read was “I really don’t give a crap about animal cruelty, as long as I can’t see it!”
Some people prefer ignorance. No idea who she is, but fuck her. Sea world needs to die out along with zoos and the circu
Stupid grin says it all.
I liked zoos until I began learning about what happened at them. I went to South Africa and they educate you quite a bit if you go to the right places. They talked a lot about preserving animals and protecting disappearing species. About how zoos can stifle the animal instinct and what they do to prevent poachers (on the reservation). I haven’t been to a zoo since
You know, I get the desire to go visit these animals. I love the water and all that comes with it, these are amazingly beautiful animals that I’d be around everyday if I could, but it’s not about me and my wants. It’s about what’s best for the animals, and when we pay to go see them it only keeps these places in business and in the end hurts the animals. Donate your money to organizations that work to keep animals safe, not put them on display to make a profit. I’m sure she had a fabulous day with her daughter, but that’s extremely selfish and close minded, she needs to get her head out of her ass and look at the bigger picture, the world does not revolve around her and her precious snowflake. Ugh, once I knew better I started doing better, and that includes missing out on zoos and aquariums, my daughter understands though, and hers would too!
If you are ever in Florida go and visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a conservation and rehabilitation non-profit. They have two (or three – not certain) dolphins you can see and ‘meet’ but they are rescues who would not survive in the wild.
It’s a really wonderful way to see dolphins up close and know it is 100% ethical and that your money is going towards conservation.
I couldn’t read all her babble….
ugh, this nobody..
poor orcas with their collapsed fins and short lives.all because of ‘ oh, if we didn’t have them here, you’d never be able to see them in real life’ crap. why don’t they bring back freakin’ dinosaurs real jurassic park style then too. cuz so many kids love them and get to see them only in cartoons and books.boohoo..
i avoid any sort of animal institutions all the way down to those mickey mouse petting zoos with sad ponies and scraggly looking chickens.
I do eat meat and drink milk and wear leather. but i do so consciously and second hand. a little good quality goes a long way.
our society is very much spoiled with instant gratification, with bigger, better, louder, brighter, cheaper.
You do realize that Fukushima is still dumping millions of gallons of highly radioactive water into the ocean every day and has been doing so since 2011? I do not go to zoos or aquariums or anything other than county and state fairs but as we have no way of stopping Fukushima, the oceans are doomed and we may not ever see any more sea life in the ocean. But I guess it’s a moot point because we are all doomed really. One reason I’m completely and utterly anti nuke. At least coal can be cleaned up and it doesn’t destroy the planet and doesn’t create waste to the level of nuclear power.
yes, I do know what is happening with fukushima. and what boggles my mind is that nobody is really talking about it. and that also ties in with the spoiled society that needs everything now – build something that you don’t know how to even stop like this godawful nuclear reactor. look everybody, we have nuclear power and it’s all dandy until it’s not…
to me captive marine animals because fukushima a great point does not make. you won’t expire if you don’t see a particular animal in real life. there are so many animals that are extinct or on the verge of extinction thanks to human greed and you are still fine without having seen them in real life. how about getting to know your immediate surroundings and animals (and I mean more than neighbourhood squirrels and raccoons). I can spend a lifetime learning about my environment and taking care of it that I don’t feel deprived if I don’t see a kiwi or an aardvark or something more pedestrian like a grizzly instead of looking at them through bars or glass.
Tilikum killed one trainer, then a man who broke into his enclosure, and then a second trainer not three trainers. In any case, I don’t see how SeaWorld is still running let alone making a profit. The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach
You are correct. And Sea World blamed the last trainer for her own death, and actually had the nerve to say that “Dawn” would agree with them. Absolutely disgusting. Tilikum mercifully died. His life was horrific, per Blackfish. A man who took part in the capture of Tilikum was moved to tears at the memory of the traumatic capture. They deliberately continued to use him as the prime breeder, with absolutely no care of his violent past. And after the last death they isolated him and confined him to an even smaller tank. No wonder he developed pneumonia. The whole thing was a debacle.
I have no idea who this person is, and after reading this, my only thought is to avoid her music. How would she like it if a concert promoter held her captive at a stadium, or more likely a county fairground, where she performs every night for adoring fans, but can never leave or see her family again.
I don’t know much about her music, but I know she had three failed marriages by the age of 32. She’s 33 now.
It’s not surprising that she’s unwilling to admit she’s wrong here or open her mind to new information!
I use to work at a zoo and towards the end, I felt guilty about it. I have to say that the zoo keepers take care of the animals so well. They put a lot of time and energy into their work.
When I was younger, I always had a problem with the killer whales in their environment. It looked way too small.
SMH at that armadillo pic. Way to expose your young child to a critter known to spread LEPROSY to humans…not to mention, you know, salmonella, rabies, tapeworms, and more. Fun times 🤦♀️
Omg yes! We have them here and they are a pest. I haven’t seen one on my land but my neighbor is constantly shooting them. But I’m sure the ones there must be vaccinated, right?
You think a captive armadillo has leprosy, rabies, salmonella, and tapeworms?
The Natural History Museum in London sometimes has a ‘live animal show’ with mainly arthropods, but he also has an armadillo. It doesn’t have any diseases.
My only issue with everyone bashing sea world is that when there is an emergency with an a sea animal in the wild (injured whale, dolphin or turtle stuck in a fishing net, stranded and sick otters or sea lions)…. Seaworld is ALWAYS called to respond. Seaworld is more than just a theme park. To people bashing Seaworld… take a look at the labels on your clothes, shoes, and purses and makeup. I am sure you are wearing something or using a product that is sourced from an animal and you have NO CLUE how it was sourced or the manner in which the animals lived or were killed for your product.
But does that mean we shouldn’t call out cruelty when we are aware of it? Or that we shouldn’t demand they be better? The self-righteousness of it all can be left behind, for sure, but they are a publicly-held, for-profit company that should be accountable to consumers. They bungled the whole Blackfish PR nightmare and then misled shareholders about rapidly dropping attendance rates. It’s not just about animals in captivity for me.
I don’t know about that. I know the CMA maintain their own rescue team who work with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to rescue sick and injured marine life on the West Coast of Florida. So it’s not like Sea World is the only option.
Entitled and willfully ignorant, what a lovely combination.
I don’t know her so I might be off base here (and I’m sure as hell not taking up for ‘mommy shamers’) but I do have to wonder if she’s trolling for attention. On the above link to the article about her feeding her daughter bottled baby food, there’s an Instagram pic of hers of the baby in a Bumbo seat…on top of a table…with the seatbelt hanging, unused. Lots of accidents over the years from incorrectly used Bumbos – I would think by this point the word is out (I mean for people who are parents and/or caregivers).
Ok, serious question for you guys, and I apologize if this has been covered in the comments already… I didn’t read the whole thread. I watched Blackfish, and I will never go to SeaWorld. But this summer I am planning on taking my son to the Baltimore Aquarium when we are in town visiting family. Is going to an aquarium unethical? I don’t know how to say this, but to me, fishies swimming around in tanks is not the same thing as keeping orcas in tanks.
Opinions, please.
In my opinion, aquariums are far less problematic than theme parks where animals are expected to perform for audiences. To me it’s zoo vs circus, though I’m not a big fan of zoos either. There are people that will say keeping animals or marine life in captivity is cruel. Aquariums can replicate natural environments a bit better than zoos, I think.
I’d look into that specific aquarium and the work they do. A lot of them spend quite a bit of money on conservation efforts, so you can feel good about that. And they are very educational, as well.
I agree with you about the circus. I will try to avoid taking my son to a circus. I like going to zoos, I do feel guilty about it. It’s like, these are wild animals… they shouldn’t be here… but I will take my son to the zoo. I think the educational factor is too important to ignore. Same with the aquarium.
I’m sure the fish aren’t bothered much by the captivity, but they probably have dolphins and seals who are.
please don’t ask for permission.
that would be tragic. You answered your question all by yourself. Enjoy the fishies.
LOL!