welcome back KBF.
just want to ask you about the 'dental work' on an orcas teeth - i posted this but it got closed so people couldn't reply.
do you think it is right to do this without any pain relief to an orca?
(reposted the info here so you can reply)
SeaWorld, Six Flags and other marine mammal parks have managed to keep this cloaked in relative secrecy. The damage usually occurs from threat displays involving two orcas separated by a steel gate. In some instances the broken teeth lead to behaviors of grinding down the jaw itself, probably from chronic pain. There is one image included in the collection (Orca Teeth 1) where you can see how this orca has worn the jaw. This particular orca has been observed using the corner of the performance stage like a big file; swimming by at high speed with an open mouth biting the corner of stage and wearing down the bone. It is also common for orcas to "go at it" while separated by gates and teeth fragments have been found on the bottom of the pool afterwards. Contributors to the poor oral conditions of captive orcas include Jaw-popping (a form of threat display), tooth grinding, tooth "flattening" and tooth "drilling".
Few people are aware of this practice whereas captive orcas routinely have holes drilled in their teeth as well as grinding or “flattening” of their teeth. And very few people understand, or have even thought about, how the holes are drilled. Trainers are forbidden to speak of this practice publicly. SeaWorld trainers use a variable-speed tool (similar to a Dremel tool) with a stainless drill bit attached. The whales are conditioned to "accept" the noise, heat, vibration and obvious pain associated with drilling vertically through the tooth column and into the fleshy pulp below. Success is measured by blood spilling out of the hole, in which case it’s apparent the bore is complete. This entire procedure is performed without a local anesthetic for reasons which are not fully understood. For example, while the teeth of many of SeaWorld’s orcas are in train-wreck status, drilling and flushing routinely takes place regardless of whether the teeth are infected or in need of this procedure. The training and education staff at SeaWorld contends that the thrice daily "tooth flushes" are "superior dental care". What they don't tell you is that the teeth have holes in them, and if the impacted fish isn't flushed with a Waterpick daily, an infection would likely occur. This is done by filling the reservoir of a device with a Betadine solution which is pumped down into the jaw. In the case of Tilikum, the orca involved in the February 24, 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, this procedure is, or was, performed three times a day.
Hi Julieannbabe, hope all has been well since we last talked!
Regarding the teeth issue, no one knows the affects anesthesia would have on the whales. You cant put them to sleep because they wouldnt be able to breath. Killer Whales use one half of their brain at all times. When a whale "sleeps" half of its brain sleeps and the other half stays awake to monitor surfacing and breathing. After some time, the other half of the brain sleeps while the other controls surfacing and breathing. So a whale is never fully asleep. Half of its brain is always awake. If you gave it anesthesia you cant keep a whale surfaced on a slide out area or other flat surface because it cant support its own weight on a surface like that for long. It wouldnt drown, but its insides would eventually be crushed by its body weight. Im not sure if the whales receive a shot which numbs the area where the tooth is being worked on. It would be something interesting to find out.
I know for a fact that teeth drilling is not performed 3 times a day. It takes places once and its done forever on a particular tooth. A tooth that may result in an infection if not treated. Yes the solution they are flushed with is done a few times a day, but its like brushing your teeth daily.
SeaWorld, for example, routinely does the following to CLOAK the teeth issue:
1. They will use a juvenile or dominant orca with good teeth for all public photo shoots.
Thats photography 101. You always find the best subject to shoot. However, if you have ever seen the Shamu shows, you know that there are live cameras filming the whales during the entire show, and you can see the shot on the live screen. No matter what whale is out in the pool. I have seen numerous times the camera get close up shots where you can see the teeth. If Seaworld really wanted to hide the issue, I would think they would prohibit their cameras from shooting as close.
2. They will create an angle where the photographer can only see the top jaw (in many cases the damage is to the lower jaw only)
This is just something quick I found. This website that promotes the Orlando area theme parks. Look at the photograph that represents Seaworld, you can clearly see the teeth on the bottom jaw. And they are not perfect. Which leads me to believe Seaworld again is not hiding anything.
http://www.oceanwalk8207.com/florida_attractions.htm
3. They won't let anyone close to an animal, citing "safety" reasons (how ironic, since they tout how safe things are).
In the underwater viewing you can get face to face with the any of the whales. Some come up to the glass and open and close their mouth to the point that you can see the teeth. Seaworld isnt hiding the ones with the bad teeth either. Infact Tilly spends most of his time in the underwater viewing area. Ofcourse they arent going to let an inexperienced person around a killer whale, it would be crazy on their part.
4. They sell the public on “superior dental care” as they often perform the tooth flush husbandry behavior publicly several times a day.
Yes, sometimes you can see this procedure done before a show. Nothing to hide there.
5. PR pictures were always done mindful of avoiding mouth close-ups for fear of inadvertent disclosure.
Again, Go back to that site with the picture, or think about Seaworlds live cameras during the show getting closeup shots of the whales.
Unfortunately, I have never been to Miami Seaquarium, but if there was ever a whale in need of help, it would be Lolita. Her tank is way to small.
I don't want to hurt the rep of your post KBF because you made some very good points. But I would like to point out that not all the tanks in the enclosure are 36ft deep.
http://cetacousin.bplaced.net/orca/park/swf.html
The side pools are in fact only 15ft deep, and the up-close pool 27ft (there is no data for the shaded pool, although I can tell you from having seen it that it is deeper then the side pools, possibly about 25ft)
However, I have never seen Tilly kept in these side pools, only in the shaded pool, the up-close pool or the stadium tank, which are deeper then he is long. I have also never seen the females/calves have only access to these pool, except during show time. After the show they have access to a deeper pool.
If your recall the construction on the pools Fall/Winter 2009, the point of the construction was to refurb the pools and make them deeper.