Free Tilikum!...or at least don't isolate him from the other whales.

Orca whales are one of my favorite animals of all time. I saw Free Willy at the theater when I was five, and I've been hooked ever since. I've been to SeaWorld once. I loved getting to see my favorite animal up close. I wanted to work there one day and train the orcas--that was my ultimate dream. I didn't think about how sad it is that the whales are taken from their natural environment and put on display in tanks. I think that's why I liked Free Willy so much--they FREED him. Willy was taken from his family and put into a small tank where he was expected to perform. When they finally figured out that what he wanted was to be back with his family, they gave him that.

Orcas are one of the most social, family-oriented creatures on this planet. One of the reason whalers are so successful is because whale pods stay together--a whale won't leave an injured family member. If only all humans were so compassionate. Orcas have gotten a lot of criticism in light of the recent death of a SeaWorld trainer by Tilikum, the park's largest orca whale. Apparently Tilikum "has been valuable property for the resort through the years, both as a stud who has fathered 13 calves and as a performer who delights audiences with outsized splashes." (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-02-25/news/os-shamu-kills-trainer-tilikum-20100225_1_killer-whale-orca-network-curator-of-animal-behavior)

He was often kept away from the other orcas in an isolated tank--the complete opposite of how he would live in his natural environment. Furthermore, the fact that he has been used extensively as a breeding device also plays into his apparent aggression--thank you, testosterone.

I understand that sea animals in venues such as SeaWorld are good educational tools. But obviously they are not domesticated and can be unpredictable. I cannot see how anyone can put blame on Tilikum. I feel sure he was not trying to kill his trainer, and he most certainly wasn't acting out of spite--that is a uniquely human trait; we've got the bragging rights to spite.

Animals attack when their instincts tell them to do so. Either they feel afraid, threatened, or desperate. I don't know what exactly happened that day at SeaWorld to make this whale's emotions change and his instincts tell him to react in the way that he did, and I doubt anyone knows other than Tilikum. But something happened that wasn't quite right. Either the whales and other aquatic animals can continue to be captured and trapped in artificial environments and more humans' lives can be put in mortal danger, or we can leave the whales in the ocean to be with their families and live naturally. Which option sounds better?

A Serious Issue

I recently came across several articles the discussing the same proposed legislation in California.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/us/22abuse.html

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-02-24-abuse24_ST_N.htm

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pawprintpost/post/2010/02/animal-abusers-new-bill-proposes-registry-to-track-them-/1#uslPageReturn

These articles refer to the bill in California, but say that other similar legislations have been proposed in other states, including Tennessee

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has some valuable information on its website, http://exposeanimalabusers.org/article.php?list=type&type=163

I think this is a great idea. The tax on pet food to pay for it would be minimal and hardly a drop in the bucket overall. There have been multiple cases where people started out torturing animals and moved on to people. I think animal abuse is one of the worst offenses possible because animals are completely innocent. Both animals and children rely on adults to care for them, and to take advantage of an animal's innocence by overpowering and abusing it is sick. I would love to see for a bill like this to get passed in Tennessee. Sign the petition to get notification sent to your state legislators telling them you are in favor of an animal abuser registry.

Unconditional Love: A Rarity

Unconditional love--what is it? Is it the love between a mother and a child? In most cases, yes, but unfortunately not always. We've all seen the news stories about mothers drowning their children or driving off bridges with the kids strapped in the backseat, and other situations fit for a horror movie.

Certain religions, including Christianity, believe their higher powers to be sources of unconditional love.

We'd like to think the love between a husband and wife is unconditional, but that is, unfortunately, almost never the case.

So, if you don't have kids, aren't religious, and suck at romantic relationships, are you tough-out-of-luck when it comes to unconditional love?

Of course not.

Man domesticated animals many years ago for the purpose of companionship. These domesticated animals are therefore virtually unable to survive on their own in the wild, as they have been bred to be pets. Companion animals. Another breathing body to be with you in times of trouble, uncertainty, pain. Someone who will love you no matter what. When your husband leaves you for his secretary, your best friend moves across the country, your parents have deceased, you've still got your dog beside you for consolation.

He doesn't care whether you dress in your best clothes and your makeup is perfect or if you stay in your pajamas all day, drowning your sorrows with ice cream--he'll even gladly lick the bowl for you when you don't feel like doing the dishes.

All pets ask is that you give them food, water, shelter, and a little attention every now and then. In return they'll do their very best to please you and beg for forgiveness when they upset you. Who wouldn't want that?

It's even proven that pets improve overall health, both physical and emotional. But I'll save that for another day. Now I'm going to go play fetch with my furry little best friends.

Introduction

Hello, all. My name is Becca and I'm a junior in college. My ultimate passion in life is animals--taking care of them, observing their behavior, and protecting them and treating them humanely. I have two dogs and two cats at home right now, as well as a few at my parents' house. Each person in my family, immediate and extended, has at least one pet. I lived in a dorm my freshman year of college and therefore didn't have any pets. I barely survived that year, and made frequent trips to feed and attempt to communicate with the feral cats behind the library. My major goal in life is to help protect animals from violence and help them to be treated humanely. This includes pets, farm animals, wildlife, etc. So I'll pretty much be posting about issues relating to animal rights as well as personal experiences with animals.