Friday, 26 February 2010

Green Heads Go Dizzy (Again)

Forgive me for the picture I am about to paint; its 6am, ive not shaved in two days, the fog of last nights alcohol has barely lifted from my frame and I sit on the floor in dressing gown pecking at the keyboard like a furious chicken denied its grain-a-seltzer. And why? What it is this new thorn that has pricked me from my bed at such a vicious hour? Its a fish, (or mammal to be more accurate but lets not quibble over fins before breakfast), a giant black and white beast of the ocean. Mr Orcinus Orca, the Killer Whale.
Yesterday in Sea World, Orlando, one of these awesome creatures decided it would be a good idea to lunch on one of the parks trainers in front of a packed out (and no doubt grossed out) audience. Okay I admit the unfortunate trainer was not eaten in the way Jaws would have gone about it but suffice to say she is no more - and 'Crazed Killer Whale Feasts On Human' makes for better reading than 'Orca Drowns Woman'.
Of course now certain corners of the internet (the ones still cuddling Chuckles the teddy bear) are ranting that Sea World should be closed immediately, and the Green Nutcases are having a field day. Now don't choke on your nut cutlet but I find myself agreeing wth them. Ever since I was a child I disliked zoos and circuses, perhaps it was the rebel in me but I hated the way animals were told to perform for a bunch of wailing brats in the crowd. And it was definately the ghoul inside which secretly hoped the tiger would get loose and chew on a teenager or three.
But I would go further, afterall why pick on Sea World? Close them all, if you are sincere in your beliefs that these sort of parks/zoos are cruel or inhumane then so be it, pull down all the fences. And this is where it gets interesting because some animal lovers enjoy visiting certain places like Longleat Bristol Zoo or Folly Farm so why the anger at Sea World? These places don't have performing animals but the wildlife is hardly free in its own environment. (In fact Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire is probably one of the most odious as it is a zoo in the disguise of a farm. This allows the Green Nutcases to visit without conscience but they don't fool me.)
Killer Whales have no place in captivity, neither do white tigers and lions, lemurs or racoons. Sure there are arguments flying about which support the existence of such places, for instance ive heard of successful panda breeding and the like, but I am not sentimental to those. Free the pandas, if they breed and thrive then fantastic, go panda! But if not then its just a bear who nature selected to have a short shelf life. Fair is fair, free them all and let nature sort 'em out.
Sounds callous and indifferent to nature but I assure im not. I am simply being truthful and consistent in this line of thought. Howard and Betsy Mae and their sickly looking vegetarian children cannot pick and choose their support of these beasts. (Well they can but thats only digging further into the cesspit of hypocrisy). They cannot shake one fist angrily at Sea World whilst petting a lama with the free hand, it does not wash. I am a meat eater and therefore in full control of my reasoning.
So how about we free everything this instant? With any luck the roaming predators will get to the Green Nutcases first due to their malnourished, weakened state. It would be the only honourable thing they'd have done.

No comments:

Post a Comment