China embraces killer whale shows U.S. now shuns
Marine parks aren’t taking hard-learned lessons, activists say
ZHUHAI, CHINA Forget the oohs and aahs. The recent debut of killer whales at China’s largest aquarium here has sparked concerns worldwide that the country is repeating similar mistakes that plagued some U.S. marine parks.
China is experiencing a boom in marine parks as an increasing number of Chinese flock to watch the sea creatures perform. That also has resulted in overcrowded tanks, poor water quality and ignorance about marine mammal illnesses at the attractions.
Park operators are ignoring animal welfare and worker safety, according to animal rights activists.
“They are going through a learning curve that is not necessary and completely outdated — and they’re taking an enormous risk,” said Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C., who recently visited some of China’s largest marine parks. “A trainer will be injured or killed sooner or later. It’d be sad because it’s totally avoidable.”
China has 44 ocean theme parks operating in 24 provinces and 18 more slated to open, marking a 20% increase in just two years. The country still lacks a breeding program for the mammals, which makes it the world’s most active customer for marine animals caught in the wild.
Rose and other animal rights advocates said China hasn’t heeded lessons learned by U.S. parks that kept killer whales in captivity. After orcas were implicated in three human deaths over the past three decades, SeaWorld San Diego stopped its orca theatrical shows this year. SeaWorld’s parks in Florida and Texas are slated to end the performances in 2019.
Located in this southern city abutting Macau and billed as China’s Orlando, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom has its trainers nuzzle up to orcas — which the Chinese call “tiger whales” — as though they were house cats. Some of the orcas sport yellow blotches, likely signs of a skin infection, on their chins, Rose said. Even though the orcas are too young to mate, six were packed into one breeding tank.
Chimelong’s management didn’t address questions about safety concerns in handling orcas but said in a statement: “All along we’re very much concerned about the conservation and propagation of these wildlife mammals.”
“The Chinese treat the mammals like commodities that they can throw away,” said Mitchel Kalmanson, whose consulting firm in Florida has overseen deliveries of marine mammals to parks in China. “They figure they can buy more if they can’t keep them alive.”
Beluga whales at Chimelong wow audiences and earn treats by dashing across a pool at jet-ski speed, acting as surfboards for their trainers. Visitors can pay to pat the bottlenose dolphins without first being disinfected.
“That’s how dolphins come down with human disease,” said Yuki Lui of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society.
“They are going through a learning curve that is not necessary.” Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C.