marinelandanimaldefense

First Hand Account: 18.05.12 

“I’m writing to you to express a concern that has come to my attention after spending a day at Marineland in Niagara Falls today. I hope there have been other people who have spoken up as well about Marineland. I have fond memories going there as a child, so I decided to visit it again while on a visit to the Falls this week. However, the excitement was soon replaced by dismay at the conditions of the animals that I saw. It seems to me as if Marineland is trying to transition into more of a theme-park rather than an animal attraction, and thus the welfare of the animals have been seriously compromised. (I could be wrong about the transitioning part, but it seems to have less shows and more rides than I remember.)

Aside from the common complaint of keeping marine animals in tanks and the whales clearly being withheld from food for performance purposes, I found their “less expensive” animals to be in terrible condition. Particularly, the animals that concerned me the most were the fallow deer. They were packed in a completely unnatural, barren enclosure with no park staff supervision. Many were nothing but skin and bones, with their hip bones jutting out in plain sight. (Note: The only source of food I could see was the ones tourists were encouraged to buy. There is a reason why the deer SWARM you for food—they are starving.) There was also no form of shade or a quiet secluded area for the deer. I also noticed about a good portion of them were lame and seemed to have been so for a while. (Are there any regulations requiring veterinary care at all?) Half of the herd was suffering from mange. A few had clear eye infections, or were even blind. There seemed to have been a recent new shipment of deer that looked much healthier, but they were absolutely scared out of their minds at all the people around chasing them.

I urge you, as a local organization who advocates for animal welfare, to please do something about this. I doubt my complaints to the park itself will be heeded at all. I’d hate to know future generations will be taught this sort of treatment of animals is the norm.”

teamorkid asked: How's Kiska doing? I heard rumours that she had died, I hope it's not true.

Kiska is alive.

http://natalielucier.com/2012/05/18/kiska-in-captivity-at-marineland/

Press Release: Marineland Moves its Opening Day Back In Response to Large Mobilization Against the Park

Marineland (Niagara Falls, On) switched it’s opening day for the second time in two months this past Monday (originally May 19th to 12th now May 17th), with the latest move a clear response to an opening day demonstration on May 12th in which organizers expected well over 100 people. Opening day is now mid-week - Thursday May 17th, however, organizers for Marineland Animal Defense are continuing with the demonstration planned for the 12th only shortening the time to 12pm to 2pm  in order to concentrate as many people as possible. Spokesperson and organizer Dylan Powell had this to say about the date changes, “We’ve effectively helped Marineland make the decision to close down their own park for 5 days and moved their opening day from a weekend date to a date mid-week. They will open this year as they closed last year, with a thud. The logistical nightmares they are creating for themselves are pointless as they still have not realized that public concern over issues on site have not waned but increased.” This years campaign - named “Operation Splash Back” is a coalition campaign with Ocean Voice London. In response to the date changes, organizers are intending to have a presence on site on May 12th, 17th and 19th.

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2012: Operation Splash Back

As we near Opening Day in the 2012 Season at Marineland, and year 2 of our campaign, we thought it worthwhile to give our campaign season a name - building off of last years “Operation Crush Captivity.”

Aside from providing some much needed humor, campaign names are also a great way to introduce the season and set a new tone. This year’s name, Operation Splash Back, is an homage to a communique of a similar name under taken by queer animal liberation activists (Bash Back!) in response to the captivity of Tilikum - an iconic orca whale at Sea World Orlando. Their communique follows below:

Bash Back!ers in Support of Autonomous Animal Action Call for Trans-Species Solidarity with Tilikum

An autonomous cell of Bash Back! is calling for solidarity with sea criminal Tilikum, the orca responsible for killing a trainer at Sea World Orland at the end of February (2011). We consider the attack on Dawn Brancheau to be an act of social war, as Tillikum gave new breadth to the waves he monotonously created through his awe-inspiring splashes. Tillikum destroyed what destroyed him by transforming his commodified body into an organ of the war-machine; this, enacting an orcan-strike. For too long he had been confined as a spectacle for the American populous to consume. The affect of his bodily revolt has aided in helping us all realize the potentiality of reifying our underlying desires.

Members of the American Family Association have come out in favor of stoning Tilikum to death for this strike against systems of domination. In response, nonhuman political prisoners at Sea World Orland have organized the first chapter of Splash Back!, an insurrectionary tendency of sea animals dedicated to destroying all forms of oppression. Bash Back! must be allies in the struggle for animal liberation, as well as against the religious right which has sought to criminalize the bodies of queers and orcas for so long. We are calling for solidarity actions with Tilikum across the country to support animal autonomy and resistance. Orcas have been criminalized for too long; the time for sea liberation is now.

Solidarity with all Trainer Killers!

For more information about this communique and/or the intersections of human and other animal domination - please check out Michael Loadenthal’s 2012 Institute for Critical Animal Studies Presentation “Queer Comminiques: Operation Splash Back and the Challenge to Speciesism.”

This homage is more than purely academic exercise or macho posturing - it is an intended move to position our upcoming campaign in numerous ways;

• Our work must continue to be intersectional. We must continue to recognize the various ways in which oppression of humans and other animal species connects and overlaps - both as a way to better understand ourselves and our own positions, but also as a way to better understand the need to build coalitions in order to fight back. 
• Recognition of animal autonomy and resistance as vital. Court documents released last year in the legal battle over Ikaika noted various aggressive and defiant behaviors and were part of the reasoning for removing “Ike” from facilities at Marineland. We are in solidiarity with that resistance. We have always been, and will always be, a campaign that is dedicated to being an ally to animals that resist, defy and rebel against their captivity and exploitation.
• Solidarity. As our campaign extends and increases - so to does the importance of showing solidarity, both within the region and beyond. This has already been reflected in this years campaign being a coalition campaign with Ocean Voice London, as well as support locally from CUPE 4207.
  
  

As we write this, we have already pressured Marineland to move their opening date from May 12th to May 17th - effectively shutting down the park for 5 days before the season has even begun and also forcing Marineland to open mid-week instead of during a weekend.

We hope you will join us this summer and make a contribution to Operation Splash Back - a campaign that we hope will extend far beyond our scope. The time for liberation is now!