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Earth Island Institute
Associate director of the international marine mammal project of the Earth Island Institute, in Berkeley, California
PROFILE
Mark Palmer
Guest
FROM Mark Palmer
Which Way, L.A.?
Sea World Can't Win for Losing Hundreds of supporters and critics of SeaWorld of San Diego made for a long meeting last week of the California Coastal Commission. It ended with approval for spending $100 million to build bigger tanks to house 11 killer whales, but that's not the end of the story, as we hear from Hugo Martin, who was there for the Los Angeles Times .
To the Point
Americans' Evolving Attitude toward Animals in Captivity Scientists now believe that all mammals and birds — even the octopus — are conscious beings, capable of thinking, feeling emotion and suffering. That's creating a sea change in attitudes toward the use of wild animals for popular entertainment. Sea World is still reeling from the documentary 'Blackfish' and now faces three lawsuits alleging mistreatment of killer whales. Baylor, the Baptist University, has cancelled its annual visit out of respect for "God's creatures." Meantime, Ringling Brothers is retiring elephants from the circus. But, while there may be a "mood shift" against keeping wild animals in captivity, zoos and aquariums are still more popular than sporting events. Are there better ways to introduce kids to the Animal Kingdom, keep species from going extinct and make discoveries about animal intelligence and emotion?
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