Shedd Aquarium Dolphin & Beluga Whale Transport

[LivLivJM]

WAIIITT! so the dolphins and beluga's arnt at shed anymore!! OH NO!

[zeeshawn15]

Animals just seem happy during the transport. Love it!

[MargaretRosemary13]

Those trainers choose to remain ignorant of how obviously miserable captive dolphins and whales are. No amount of "familiar voices" can make up for the lack of the unbreakable social bonds that keep family pods together for life. Cetaceans are more intelligent than chimpanzees; they do not belong in concrete tanks. Captivity drives the annual capture of over 2000 dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Some dolphins are sold to places like the Shed Aquarium for huge profits; the rest are slaughtered.

[elpatriotaLX]

@MargaretRosemary13

Shed Aquarium has many animals that have been rescue. A friend of mine works at Shed Aquarium and let me tell you: Those animals there are treated better than any human. The level of care, detail and money they expend on those animals is incredible. They have veterinarians 24/7, super clean facilities and company.

The dolphins and belugas seem to love their trainers. Trust me, the trainers LOOOVE those animals like their own children. I know that for a fact.

[MargaretRosemary13]

@elpatriotaLX

I don't really care about how much care those animals are given or how much their trainers 'love' them; it is impossible for a tank to fulfill the physical requirements of animals that travel thousands of miles a day, and those trainers will never replace the bonds between pod members. Unreleasable rescues are one thing, but people who promote the capture or breeding of such intelligent animals in such an unnatural environment are selfish and ignorant of the damage they do.

[elpatriotaLX]

@MargaretRosemary13

You are right and I totally agree with you. It is sad to see that people don't understand how complex a cetacean can be.

(Mostly because fucking people destroy everything) What are you going to do with the animals that would otherwise die? Many aquariums in the U.S. are part of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Many of these animals are rescue or born in captivity.

Captivity Dolphins are practically domestic and need interaction with humans.

[MargaretRosemary13]

@elpatriotaLX

Cetaceans are wild animals with a need for socialization which they will seek from any source they can find, i.e. humans, if they cannot get it within their own species. They are the only animals that are as curious of us as we are of them, but humans manipulate this curiosity into a willingness to perform and use that to justify captivity. Unlike rescues, breeding calves for captive purposes is immoral and irresponsible. A calf born in a tank is like a child born in a jail cell.

[Cranma5678]

aww i love belugas and dolphins :D

[skywater2010]

wooow... thanks for sharing. pretty amazing =)

[treasuretay]

No... They are in water the entire time... Those big blue crates were filled and they even said the trainers sit on them with their feet in the water to be with the animals

[TamilianPonnu]

How the whales survive without water for 90 minutes during transportation?

[BradSaidItFirst]

@TamilianPonnu they are mammals, which mean they breathe air? why wouldnt they? there skin wouldnt dry up in an hour and a half.

[BlackOrb458]

@TamilianPonnu there is water in the transport crates. They are never really without water. :)

[Njviper101]

Mystic Aquarium is awesome!

[caustic128]

Today I participated in a training exercise for whale transport for the new Hawaiian Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center in Hilo Hawaii. We used inflatable pool dolphins but the methods and tools were the same. Its the first and only beached cetacean rescue and rehab facility in the Pacific basin and is going online next month! Almost all work is done by UHH students and volunteers.

[wickednestle]

Helloo!!!! I just came from Shed Aquarium today! The beluga whales are amazing! A video was shown before the show of the whales and dolphins... i was just wondering what song the video used??? it was really beautiful :))

[shortcake7200]

I emailed them and they told me it was Smile by Crystal Method, but the one i was thinking of was more acoustic. Smile is techno/electronic. I'd appreciate if anyone else knows..

[bonosloveslave]

I emailed them and was more specific about the song because I was curious what it was too - it is "Sweet Afton" by Nickel Creek.

[missalyssxs]

It might have been Sweet Afton.

[GWRevolution2008]

this could actually act as a source of environmental enrichment by giving them a change of scenery, while their exhibit is being rennovated

[mygiantrobot]

Saw these guys at Mystic Aquarium a few weeks ago. Seeing all of them together is great! I got to experience a whale program where my boyfriend and I interacted with a beluga while she was being fed. It was awesome.

[fatedragon101]

i was lucky enough to get to see a dolphin show and belugas at Shedd

[sillychildhood]

I was sad when i heard that the dolphin and beluga whales exibits where going to be closed. My class is going to the Shedd on Friday 2/27/09

[kerseyb1]

Thanks gives me a head start!

[Orcalinkinpark]

its nice to let us know how you do the whole transport and make the animals comfortable. Thank you for sharing its a wonder that so many people care fo such an amazing animal.. the only funny this is you fed-ex'ed the animals..