I can assure you that Seaworld takes the upmost care of their animals. An example would be Tilly. The Marine park in Canada was going to kill him after he was with the two females that killed the trainer in the early 90s. Thats when Seaworld stepped in and rescued him. And now after this latest incident, never once has Seaworld stopped caring for or even considered killing Tilly. If you read back a few posts, a person commented that on her recent trip to Seaworld trainers where letting guests interact with Tilly in the underwater viewing area and the trainers were playing with him through the glass.
Another thing to understand is that Seaworld never forces their animals to perform in shows, whether it be at Seaworld or a Dolphin Interaction at Discovery Cove. If they choose not to perform or interact, thats is acceptable. They are still fed, loved and cared for regardless. Its their decision to do the show or interaction. No one makes them. Shows have been canceled before when the whales or dolphins choose to swim around instead of perform in the show. And like I said, thats ok. A performance in the show is called "An Enrichment Session" this is equivalent to taking your dog for a walk. Its something both physically and mentally stimulating for the animals and something they look forward to.
All animals are trained using something called "Positive Re enforcement" Which means they are rewarded for doing something good. Something bad is simply ignored. If something bad happens, like a wrong behavior, the trainer just re sends the hand signal to try again. 95% of the behaviors (Jumps) that the whales and dolphins perform in shows are things that are done naturally in the wild. For example, breaching or spy hopping. The 5% of behaviors that are not found in the wild would obviously be the trainers swimming with the whales. Which in the current show is not happening. So 100% of the show features natural behaviors.
What can we learn from these shows? Its not just about entertainment value, but it raises awareness and understanding about a great species. Whether it be a whale or dolphin. It shows people what intelligent and strong animals these are. It can show people something upclose that many people would not get a chance to see in the wild. It shows of the bond that humans can have with a Killer Whale or Dolphin. The killer whale was one of the most feared animals in North America years and years ago. But today, you can see the connection that a killer whale or dolphin can have with a human being. Displaying a friendship or family bond with the animal. Believe me when I tell you that all the trainers treat the animals as if they were their own children. They love those animals with all their heart. They share a love of all animals and the world we share just as you do.
I hope you do consider a re visit to Discovery Cove. And I hope that you are feeling better if you choose to do a return visit. Something to consider too, would be an animal interaction tour at Seaworld. So you could experience for yourself first hand the care and love Seaworld has for these animals. They take you behind the scenes to places normal guests dont get to see. Again, I think alot of people on this board share your love and concern for animals. I know I do. And I know the trainers and staff at Seaworld do too. It may or may not sway your opinion, but I hope it provides atleast some comfort to know that the animals are being taken care of and loved at Seaworld 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.