Behind the Scenes Pictures from the Miami Seaquarium

(Photo: C.S. producer, Alexa Elliott zooms in for a closer shot)

The CHANGING SEAS crew stopped by the Miami Seaquarium to get underwater close-ups of dolphins for an upcoming episode on legacy contaminants and their impacts on Florida's wild bottlenose dolphins. Stay tuned for "Sentinels of the Seas" and join the CHANGING SEAS crew as we travel from Miami to Sarasota, the Indian River Lagoon and to St. Augustine for an in-depth look at the health status of Florida's most famous marine mammal.

 

(Photo:  Early morning feeding before the underwater shoot begins at the Miami Seaqurium.)

 

Comments

[Port Lincoln Tunarama]

They are really cute one. I have lots of love over the dolphins. In our park we have 4 dolphins which are very much helpful in making our time great.

[Greg May]

GREG MAY of Orlando, FL says: "I wish you so-called 'animal rights' activists would lay off aquaria like the Miami Seaquarium and concentrate your efforts to stopping the wholesale slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Oceanariums such as Sea World and Seaquarium provide an invaluable learning experience for the public about whales and dolphins. Where else can someone be awed and fascinated by these magnificent creatures? I am a former Sea World aquarist and believe me, these animals receive better care in captivity than most humans."

[Greg May]

The Miami Seaquarium is one of the world's first oceanariums having opened in 1955. In September 2011 they will be celebrating their 56th anniversary. Also that same month "Lolita" will be celebrating her 41st anniversary at the Seaquarium. For a killer whale to live that long in captivity is a testament as to how well marine parks care for their animals. Read about "Lolita" at:
http://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/lolita-the-killer-whale-miami-seaquariums-little-girl.html

[adult chat]

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[Nike Shox Turbo]

Literature flourishes best when it is half a trade and half an art. (Wiliam Rplph lnge, British writer and churchman)

[watch movies]

Free Dolphins !!! there place is in the ocean not in aquarium ! When people understand that Flipper wasn't really happy! I recommend everyone to watch The cove a open there eyes !

[Eirien]

It it well noted that this park is operating illegally outside the acceptable regulations for keeping marine animals.

I don't feel that by promoting this illegal, run down and environmentally reprehensible operation is of value to you, and I'm sure it's not the image you want to portray. Certainly it has made me look at you in a different, unfavourable, light.

What would be of more value to you would be to expose the reprehensible activities of this sickening and illegal conditions at this site instead of glorifying them.

[S Fendall]

This isn't a good look guys? Wild animals , wild in the sea. Not Miami Seaquarium. They are not what your audience wish to see. It makes my blood boil to see that Mr Hertz and his seaquarium are still in business. Lolit'a tank is illegal , the entire facility is run down and sad.

[Yoav Kashiv]

You are glorifying the cruel capture and enslaving of dolphins and other marine animals for "entertainment", especially in the notorious Miami Seaquarium. These animals should live freely in the ocean and not forced to perform demeaning tricks that some people find entertaining.
It would be a much better use of your resources and exposure to campaign for the animals' release!

[Sue Clayton]

Our Creator put ALL animals on the earth for us to LEARN from...NOT to be entertained by. Using these beautiful creatures to make money is abhorent and should be banned worldwide. The only wildlife that need to be kept locked up are humans who see money as being more important than freedom.

[iris]

i am correcting myself YOU SHOULD NOT

[iris]

PBS you should be doing this to free animals.
This is a bad business if you use animals for your own profit

[Theodore Spachidakis]

It has come to my attention that PBS has determined to film its program "Changing Seas" using Miami Seaquarium's captured dolphins, and I am writing to encourage you to discontinue this plan. Please allow me to elaborate. You should be aware that Miami Seaquarium exploits animals for profit, purchasing animals and imprisoning them for financial gain. You may be familiar with Lolita, a killer whale prisoner, one of Miami Seaquariums "attractions". For almost her entire life, Lolita has been imprisoned by the Miami Seaquarium, forced to endure inadequate space, inferior medical treatment and care, lack of companionship, and involuntary training, made to perform tricks to the delight of apathetic and ignorant audiences. Since her capture, which occurred in 1970 after the vicious slaughter of her pod members, individuals comprising a large global audience concerned with Lolita have been encouraging the Miami Seaquarium to relinquish her to freedom; sadly, corporate greed and indifference have resulted in Lolita's deteriorating mental and physical state and her continued imprisonment. By directly involving Miami Seaquarium's dolphins in your program event, you are establishing your approval of animal cruelty, and I am appalled to learn of your deliberate involvement in the exploitation of animals. As such, I respectfully request that you sever your relationship with the Miami Seaquarium.

Although PBS may assert that humane protocols must be followed in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act standards, the visual evidence validates the position that these directives are often ignored in favor of park management; nevertheless, establishing a threshold of humane treatment is ambiguous at best, these standards being implemented by those with questionable interests, its oversight managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as part of the Department of Commerce. As such, it is important to recognize that all animals, fundamentally valuable beyond monetary benefit, are being exploited in demonstrably cruel and unnecessary manners. Furthermore, although you may be unaware of such acquisition procedures, many dolphins are captured during a yearly, epic slaughter of dolphins in Japan as documented in "The Cove", a chronicle of the savage and once secretive butchery as inflicted on these decidedly sentient creatures. Additionally, Lolita still displays behaviours typical of those calling to their pod members (www.miamiseaprison.com) while other animals continually languish as well.

I hope you make the compassionate decision to discontinue your sponsorship of Miami Seaquarium by showcasing their captive dolphins for your programming event. However, as long as you continue to unnecessarily capitalize on the exploitation, imprisonment, and maltreatment of these captive animals, I will not financially support you. It is important to recognize that consumers are increasingly rejecting those companies and organizations that are complicit in the suffering and unnecessary treatment of animals by shifting their loyalties to those companies that do not participate in the exploitation of them, and I hope that PBS will extend such an ethical and empathetic gesture as well.

THEODORE SPACHIDAKIS

[Barbara]

Please do not do a show on dolphins in captivity. It has been proven to be a sad life for whales and dolphins and people want this type of animal abuse to end.

How they capture dolphins is very horrible, I suggest you see the movie The Cove.

Thank you
Barbara
San Ramon, CA

[panicjill]

"In WILDNESS is the preservation of the world"
I have been a supporter of PBS my entire life... but if you run this program, I will NEVER support PBS again in my life and I will make sure to tell everyone I know about the crimes against nature that you are obviously advocating!

[Estee Rosenberg]

PBS! What are you thinking?
How can you promote a show about Dolphins and Orcas in captivity??? and in Miami Seaquarium of all places...when was the last time you saw that place? its a dump!

Please reconsider airing this show, These poor beautiful Dolphins belong in the wild with their family pod!

Please don't exploit imprisonment and maltreatment of these captive animals, better watch and study them in the wild.

Did you watch "The Cove"? This is what happens when there is a demand for Dolphins and Whales.

Orcas swim an average of 80 miles a day, the tank for Lolita the Orca at the Miami Seaquarium is a mere 35' x 80'. Lolita's tank is illegal by government standard (AWA). She is about 7,500 pounds, 22 feet long and her tank is about 18-20 feet deep, meaning her tail touches the ground nearly all the time.

Why would you want to promote this dump??? and the capture of these beautiful Dolphins and whales who get killed during this capture?

Lets promote to respect them and educate the world to love and observe them in the wild and not in captivity!

[Julie Gianni]

PBS, This is like the Germans coming into a concentration camp to film the brickwork-Ignoring the abuse going on there! How could you enter the shady, horrible grounds of the Miami Seaquarium and offer them money and recognition to "Use" their innocent victims for a film??? This does not make me want to be a subscriber of PBS unless something is done to help these abused prisioners! Please take a real look at what the conditions are and the animals real stories...A hellish place on earth.

[Cynthia Francis]

PLEASE you have made a grave mistake in the filming of dolphins at the Seaquarium for your upcoming show "Changing Seas". The Seaquarium dolphins are confined to a life in stimulus-free captivity and should not be exploited on what is supposed to be a show about wild dolphins. Please you made a bad choice by choosing to film the captive dolphins at the Seaquarium.

[Carolyn Graye]

I watched a pod of orca swim through Puget Sound near my home a few days ago. These animals (and their smaller dolphin relatives) possess extraordinary intelligence and maintain complex social networks. They deserve to be treated accordingly, and PBS is in a perfect position to encourage that. Please don't dumb down your message for the sake of "entertainment." Lolita and the rest of the captives at Sea Circuses everywhere deserve better.

[Jill Hein]

I'm disappointed in PBS for glorifying mammals in captivity. Wild dolphins don't spend their lives going in circles like these captive ones do. You need to be telling the true story, which does NOT promote captivity. Wild is wonderful - that's where your focus should be.

[m]

Was I right or was I right? I told you you wouldn't be able to live this one down!

[Nora Jones]

I do not support using animals for human entertainment in any form. Take the opportunity to enlighten the public about this cruelty instead of glorifying it.

[Britany Shelton]

OK. I do agree with most of the comments on here, but I do have to say my part. I do not disagree with animals in captivity. I myself am a large supporter of the Association of Zoo's and Aquariums however, Miami Seaquarium is not a member of this society. Why don't you look into that PBS... That's a story for you.
Lolita is getting older that is why waiting another day does not help. She has not spent her life in captivity. Wherever you got that fact is incorrect. There has even been recent studies where "visitors" have gone to her enclosure and have played recordings of her pod located in Elliot Bay, WA. She immediately began calling back and obviously frustrated. This was a huge step into seeing if Lolita could be rescued. We(WASHINGTON) have been planing for the day she will be able to retire and be released. She has a lot more life to live and all Miami Seaquarium has to do is give the go ahead for us to finish construction on her exhibit in Vancouver, BC. The steps on how we could get her eating live fish and responding to her pod are all in order. There are Celebrities that have sponsored her release and have offered the aquarium millions for her to retire. This has gone on too long. They are keeping her for Media attention and you have supported that by going to film the dolphins there. Way to go. You are obviously trying to do good by helping people feel connected with the dolphins and I praise you for that. Now-why don't you add to that and do a story on Lolita, and how she deserves to mate with wild orcas of her Pod. Her Mother is still alive and I see her now and again in Elliot Bay. She is over 90 years old now and I think it would be awesome if she could see her daughter before she passes. Please do your research as the people of WASHINGTON have and give us back our Orca.

[Carolyn Bailey]

In supporting the Miami Seaquarium and the abysmal conditions these mammals are forced to endure, you are also supporting the inhumane, torturous dolphin hunts which occur annually in Japan, amongst other places, in order for these Aquariums to attain their captive dolphins.

Is that an image which should be associated with your company ?

Using these captive dolphins in your production is lazy and shows enormous apathy to the cruelty and lack of compassion in the world today.

As long as you continue showing a lack of compassion, I will not financially support your company.

[Jane]

I have to say that there are some valid points in these coments. Animals deserve to be free and in the wild where they belong. Unfortunately, Lolita is so old that if they were to move her to the wild or even move her so that they could build a bigger enclosure, she may not make that transition. She has been in captivity all her life and does not know how to hunt on her own. Moving her could likely give her a heart attack and end up killing her. Is that what you want? She is given toys throughout the day to play with and to stimulate her. YES I AGREE HER ENCLOSURE IS TOO SMALL, but given the circumstances she is given everything she wants to make her life at the Miami Seaquarium as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. Every situation in life is not always ideal, but you have to make the best of what you are given. For PBS to be able to film wild dolphins and get close to them would require for humans to interact with the wild dolphins and that presents another problem. It desensitises dolphins to humans and as they get more curious, they start coming in closer to boats and getting hurt. Is that what you want? By filming underwater scenes of captive animals allows humans to get close without having to disrupt the natural home and balance of wild dolphins.