09 April 2014

How Ric O'Barry, the Cove and Blackfish changed my life forever.

My whole life I have loved dolphins. I honestly cannot say when I began to love them but for as long as I can remember I have been learning about them, loving them and even buying books about them in elementary school. I remember my mom bought me a book about dolphins and it had ALL the facts. That was around 5th grade and the book even talked about the dolphin slaughters. That was the first time I had heard about the infamous cove. Several years later I finally watched the documentary "The Cove" and I haven't been the same since.

After The Cove and the horrors I witnessed in that documentary, I really began to hate people who stole dolphins from the wild. A few years later I heard about the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau. She was killed by Tilikum. This spurred a documentary called Blackfish. Blackfish told the story of Tilikum. How he was stolen. How he was taken to a dolphinarium and beat up on by the other females. How he was locked in a dark pool at night that was barely bigger he was. How he was starved in order to be trained. How he killed Keltie Byrne and then was bought by SeaWorld where they told no one what he had done. He then went on to kill Dawn which many marine specialists believe was due to psychosis.

These large marine animals are put in chlorine tanks, fed frozen fish, forced to perform tricks they wouldn't do if they were fed beforehand, they rake each other, they attack people and they get sores from chemicals in the pool. You can learn all of this by watching both documentaries but please do not stop there. Do your research. Learn how long animals live, learn about their habits and how they function in the wild. Then and only then will you understand why zoos, aquariums and dolphinariums are bad places. They preach conservation but don't practice it.

Recently I decided that I could no longer support the Denver Zoo. I have had a membership there for many years now and I have always defended their practices. I realized that the things I was saying about the zoo were the same things SeaWorld lovers were saying about dolphin and orca captivity. I decided to stop being a hypocrite and stop going to the zoo. I cannot tell you to stop going to SeaWorld and then head off to the zoo. I went to the Zoo today to say goodbye to all the animals I love so much.

I am glad I did. The zoo is a sad place. The cages are far too small, they look unhappy and it really is a shame to watch children tease and poke at the animals.I could honestly go on for hours, days even years about animal captivity but I will stop here. I have seen dolphins in the wild and I have seen them in captivity, there is no comparisson. Go see animals in the wild and you will understand. If you could please also watch The Cove and Blackfish and watch the with an open mind. Do your research and help protect animals. They certainly don't deserve to be treated like garbage just because they can't communicate with us.

Now you get stories, sorry for the long rant I just really love animals and want them to be free and happy not locked up. Happy day all!

 7 April 2014

The Day Off

Alice had the worst boss. He was old and creepy and constantly reeked of perspiration. He always made her do his bidding. One day he asked her to run some errands. She loved when he did that because it got her out of the office. He sent her home early for the day and gave her a list for things to buy. She took his list and went to the department store. His wife needed a new swim suit. She saw so many great bikinis and hadn't even bought one for herself, she had no time with her creepy boss breathing down her neck.

“Ugh why am I even doing this for him? I should just buy myself a bikini and quit,” she thought out loud. That was it! She stuffed his money back in her pocket, bought herself a new bikini and booked a trip. She headed back to the office handed her boss his money and said, “I quit,” then marched out. Sometimes working somewhere that makes you miserable is not worth it. She would sit on the beach in her new blue bikini, pondering the meaning to life and not thinking about another job. This was her day off now with no more sweaty boss.

8 April 2014

These Things Bring Me Joy

A soft breeze,
Sweet kisses,
A loving gaze,
These things bring me joy.

The crash of waves,
A whisper in my ear,
Birds chirping in the spring,
These things bring me joy.

Football starting,
Lawn mowers cutting,
Children giggling,
These things bring me joy.

Tender touches,
The smell of lilies,
Paris in the summer,
These things bring me joy.

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