Addresses concerns about captive whales being used for entertainment.
They're intelligent creatures so why not let them make the choice? They might find the interaction with humans interesting and of course there's free food involved.
Apply the same rules we apply to hiring humans to "hiring" them. The contract is fairly simple, do these particular tricks, get food. They can be easily notified of showtimes by underwater bells or electronically generated tones.
If they don't show up, OK, wasn't meant to be, but if they do, everybody wins.
There's an upside to exposing people, especially the young to wildlife as well. They learn to appreciate these animals and as adults, will be more likely to protect them.
Put it this way, when I was growing up there was a show called "Flipper" about a boy and his dolphin. Years later, there was outrage that dolphins were being killed in tuna nets. Now if that show featured a tuna named Flipper that was little Billy's best friend, you might see outrage from the public that tunas were being killed in the process of hunting dolphins.
Anyway, killer whale shows featuring animals that were there on their own volition might have a moral leg up on the old way of doing things and it might be more interesting knowing they were motivated to do these activities by their own choice, not because they were forced to.
Now I know the tricks might not be as impressive as those done by an intensively trained whale that was working with a trainer every day since it was a calf, but the main thing is seeing these things in person. If it just does simple stuff like coming out of the water and ringing a bell, hey, it's a beautiful killer whale, that's the main attraction.
Put the "free will" in Free Willy.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2018 Monkey Mia dolphins https://www.monkeym...ns-monkey-mia-beach [AusCan531, Nov 07 2018] Old Tom https://blogs.scien...-law-of-the-tongue/The Law of the Tongue [AusCan531, Nov 07 2018] If you build it... they will come.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 07 2018 So, presumably this is going to happen in the open ocean and be viewed from a boat? Because if it is, why stop at killer whales? Imagine a pair of 100ft blue whales doing a synchronized jump-and-twist routine?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 07 2018 So how big a bucket of plankton do you need to toss in a blue whale's mouth to make it even notice?-- scad mientist, Nov 07 2018 [+] for the idea, but I think it is illegal (at least in the USA) to feed whales.-- scad mientist, Nov 07 2018 Are krill aware of this legislation?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 07 2018 Just occurred to me, start with dolphins.
Have they outlawed dolphin shows yet?-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2018 What would the unemployed dolphins do if they did ? That's going to be one very strange "looking for work" interview ...-- 8th of 7, Nov 07 2018 //They're intelligent creatures so why not let them make the choice?
Intelligence,tch. As Ripley put it "You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage".-- not_morrison_rm, Nov 07 2018 Perhaps an open ocean version is feasible. Cruise ships could go near practice "buoys" where cetaceans could gather as they saw fit and practiced much more than usual, voluntarily. The cruise ships could have quiet cetacean friendly engines.
Perhaps there could be a cetacean friendly contact surface to get massages or rub barnacles off with, that way it feels better than just food.
They could do studies to find out if there was anything they could do to encourage whale reproduction. perhaps a performance/activity center that attracted males and females making it easier for them to find each other. A dating party!
Reminds me a little of the food grails at "to your scattered bodies go"-- beanangel, Nov 07 2018 This sort of already happens with dolphins in Western Australia [Link - Monkey Mia Dolphins] where wild dolphins choose to come right up to shore at regular feeding times. Parks & Wildlife have chosen not to alter the dolphins behaviour beyond that but could easily do so I reckon.
Whats more the Aussies also had a working relationship with Wild Orcas on the east coast where the whales would herd baleen whales to a certain bay then slap the water until the local whalers noticed. The whalers would harpoon the large cetaceans then allow the orcas to have the lips and tongue before the remainder went to the human partners. This partnership went on for an incredible 40 years. [Link - Old Tom]. Well worth a read.-- AusCan531, Nov 07 2018 An obvious starting point is therefore to stage aquatic shows for wild cetaceans, featuring trained humans doing amusing tricks.-- 8th of 7, Nov 07 2018 Aus's links make it pretty clear all the pieces are in place to do this. Smart animals that like to eat and will work with humans to do it while knowing where and when it's time to go to work.
This could work.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 08 2018 Is it cruelty though?... that's the question.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 08 2018 Not if they decide it isn't.
Put the "free will" in Free Willy.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 08 2018 It would be good to train Japanese Dolphins what clanging boats mean.-- wjt, Nov 13 2018 random, halfbakery