It's cruel and inhumane to keep Keiko in a tank Final Edition

I would like to respond to some inaccurate statements made by letter writer Kathy Wallace ("Keiko part of our human pod," Sept. 12). There is nothing natural and comfortable about the manner in which captive marine mammals are kept. Captive whales neither need nor require "constant hu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Ottawa citizen (1986)
Main Author Demers, Nicole
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ottawa, Ont Postmedia Network Inc 18.09.1998
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Summary:I would like to respond to some inaccurate statements made by letter writer Kathy Wallace ("Keiko part of our human pod," Sept. 12). There is nothing natural and comfortable about the manner in which captive marine mammals are kept. Captive whales neither need nor require "constant human companionship." Human companionship is literally forced upon them. Keiko is a killer whale from the icy seas off Iceland, yet in Mexico he was kept in a warm chlorinated pool. This combination of factors cuts the lifespan of captive marine mammals by two-thirds. Contrary to what Ms. Wallace says, it was these factors that conspired to kill Flipper prematurely, not his "loneliness." While it still remains to be seen whether Keiko is strong enough to re-enter the wild, the effort by all involved offers hope that perhaps one day all marine mammals in captivity may undergo Keiko's transformation and be reintroduced into the wild.
ISSN:0839-3222