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[Closed] 'Blackfish' Backlash: Fan Pressure Leads Willie Nelson to Cancel SeaWorld Concert

Alana33 · 2013-12-08T17:03:01Z

Read entire article:Country music legend and animal welfare activist Willie Nelson has canceled his performance at SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brew & BBQ Fest, which Nelson and his group were to kick off on Feb. 1, 2014. Nelson confirmed the cancellation Friday afternoon during a live telephone interview with Brooke Baldwin on CNN—marking the second musical act to recently back out of entertainment engagements at one of its aquarium parks. Despite SeaWorld’s claim of a “scheduling conflict,” Nelson said that it was his friends and fans who led him to the cancellation. “I had a lot of calls from people asking me to cancel, and I understand there’s petitions going around, and you know, I just had to cancel,” Nelson told Baldwin. Even his own great-granddaughter gathered 250 signatures from “people she knew asking me not to play the venue,” he said. “And also, I don’t agree with the way they treat their animals, so it wasn’t that hard a deal to just cancel.” related SeaWorld did not return email or telephone requests for comment. Sources tell me that a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort was undertaken to reach out to Nelson with information on killer whales in captivity, especially in light of Barenaked Ladies’ cancellation last week and the October premiere on CNN of the anti-captivity documentary Blackfish. The popular Canadian group canceled its Feb. 15 gig at SeaWorld after drummer Tyler Stewart watched Blackfish and was reportedly rattled by what he saw. "We've talked things over and decided not to play at SeaWorld at this time," the band wrote on its Facebook page. "This is a complicated issue, and we don't claim to understand all of it, but we don't feel comfortable proceeding with the gig at this time. The SeaWorld folks have been gracious and extended us invitations to the park to learn more about what they do, and how they do it. It's not about money, or petitions, or press…but it is about our fans. We listen to them, and they're important to us." The cancellation of two marquee acts is just one more blow to SeaWorld, which, it is fair to say, has had better years. Attendance in the first nine months was down by 1 million visitors compared with the same period last year. Then there was the robust reaction to Blackfish. According to Nielsen fast national data, among the youngest viewers (ages 18–34), CNN wiped out the competition on the day the documentary premiered, with 471,000 people in this group tuning in—more than eight times the combined number for Fox (31,000) and MSNBC (25,000). Online activity was also vigorous. “Blackfish ranked #1 in page views among all CNN films this year,” according to the press release. "I am thrilled that yet another world-famous, socially conscious artist has chosen to cancel his SeaWorld performance,” says Samantha Berg, a former SeaWorld trainer featured in Blackfish. “Mr. Nelson's decision sends a powerful message that the exploitation of whales and dolphins for human entertainment is unacceptable and that it's time for SeaWorld and other marine parks and aquariums to do the right thing and end the shows.” When asked if there was “anything SeaWorld could say or do” to change his mind, Nelson said no way. “I don’t want to play there,” he said, “and that’s just the end of the story.” For now, SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brew & BBQ Fest has a rather anemic lineup. Booking major acts at the park, whether in February 2014 or any time after that, will likely become difficult as public pressure is brought to bear on potential performers. That could hurt SeaWorld’s already tarnished reputation, not to mention its bottom line. 7 Things About Wild Killer Whales You'll Never Learn at SeaWorld Killer Whales are among the most intelligent species in the world, making them particularly unsuitable to captivity.(One of the things I have noticed is that the majority of the killer whales in captivity shown in photos all have deformed dorsal fins. Isn't it time we stop keeping intelligent, sentient, wide ranging marine mammals such as Dolphins and Orcas in captivity just for our entertainment and profit for corporations? We don't OWN these magnificent creatures and no-one should be able to, including Sea World and Yes, even our own Coral World with their plans of breeding even more dolphins for dismal, sterile lives in capitivity.)

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Alana33

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Documentary: A Plastic Whale

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Alana33

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Animal Legal Defense Fund Responds to Death of Kasatka the Orca

http://aldf.org/press-room/press-releases/animal-legal-defense-fund-responds-to-death-of-kasatka-the-orca/

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Alana33

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A WHALE AND HER FAMILY

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Posted : August 18, 2017 5:59 am

Alana33

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OP ED: A DEPARTURE FROM REALITY

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/op-ed-a-departure-from-reality/

Posted : August 18, 2017 11:34 pm

Alana33

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Something a little different.

Mystery of how first animals appeared on Earth solved
August 16, 2017

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170816134727.htm

Posted : August 18, 2017 11:58 pm

Alana33

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Where are the orcas? It’s hard to say, as the latest death is confirmed

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2017/08/18/where-are-the-orcas-its-hard-to-say-as-the-latest-death-is-confirmed/

Posted : August 19, 2017 12:44 am

Alana33

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Death by 50m camera clicks: As THREE SeaWorld killer whales die in a year, a former trainer says when the show is over, the gentle giant's lives are a 'disgrace to humanity'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4805122/Former-SeaWorld-trainer-lifts-lid-three-whales-die.html#ixzz4qG9aODvb
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Posted : August 20, 2017 1:43 am

Alana33

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"The Humane Society International and the World Society for the Protection of Animals have stated that they believe that "the entire captive experience for marine mammals is so sterile and contrary to even the most basic elements of compassion and humanity that it should be rejected outright."

Posted : August 20, 2017 11:54 am

Alana33

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SeaWorld Tanks in 2Q and 1st Half 2017 Results

08 AUGUST, 2017

https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/breaking-seaworld-tanks-in-2q-and-1st-half-2017-results/?utm_content=buffer90f69&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Posted : August 21, 2017 6:02 pm

Alana33

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The return of native New Yorker: whales

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Posted : August 21, 2017 7:33 pm

Alana33

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WHY PROTECT WHALES AND DOLPHINS?

http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/why-protect-whales-and-dolphins

Posted : August 22, 2017 7:16 pm

Alana33

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New Species of Prehistoric Dolphin Slurped Up Its Prey

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Alana33

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Do Animals Commit Suicide?

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Alana33

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Woman Spots Pinky the Dolphin, Who May Have a Pink Newborn

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Posted : August 27, 2017 5:30 pm

Alana33

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Criminal Investigation by Dept of Justice is a Big Can of Worms for SeaWorld

http://voiceoftheorcas.blogspot.com/2017/08/criminal-investigation-by-dept-of.html?m=1

And just imagine.. All this awareness has come to the forefront because of a small documentary on BLACKFISH, Tilikum and the portrayal of his incredibly stressful life in captivity and the resulting deaths attributed to him because of it.

Not fake news, BTW.

Posted : September 1, 2017 3:41 am

Alana33

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Deplorable: Eyewitness Photos Show Orca at SeaWorld Covered in Injuries

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Posted : September 1, 2017 1:09 pm

Alana33

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SeaWorld seeks restraining order against animal rights activists after protest at killer whale show

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Posted : September 1, 2017 6:07 pm

Alana33

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Investors say SeaWorld lied about business downturn after orca outcry. Now feds are investigating.

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Posted : September 2, 2017 8:11 pm

Alana33

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What We Need to Learn From the Death of Kasatka, the Orca Captive at SeaWorld

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Posted : September 3, 2017 4:05 pm

Alana33

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This Fact About How Taiji Dolphin Hunts Are Connected to Marine Parks Will Make Your Jaw Drop

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/how-taiji-dolphin-hunts-are-connected-to-marine-parks/

Posted : September 10, 2017 10:28 am

speee1dy

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good to know you are okay

Posted : September 12, 2017 2:20 pm

Alana33

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Seaworld rejects science by breeding hybrid Orcas

www.elizabethbatt.com/blog/2015/10/4/seaworld-rejects-science-by-breeding-20-hybrid-orcas

Posted : February 16, 2018 2:14 pm

Alana33

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In a recent Daily News article on Coral World's recovery it was mentioned they planned on opening a Dolphin Encounter later this year.

I was unaware that the ACE permit had gone through.

Dolphin hunts, their slaughter and captive selections are ongoing in Taiji, Japan, right now!

This is what St. Thomas, U.S., Virgin Islands very own Coral World is supporting. They plan on opening the Dolphin Encounter in Water Bay where Magraritaville is located.

This bay already regularly tests positive for high levels of enterococi bacteria and regularly deemed unsafe for swimming, yet this is where these captive dolphins will live, perform on demand, for the sake of greed and the entertainment of the unenlightened and ignorant!

A friend said, "Once they get hit with a multi million dollar lawsuit by a guest with a rare infection allegedly caused by transmission from polluted water, that might get their attention."

"Human evolution seems to be taking a downward spiral with a domino effect of the impossibility of animals to survive and thrive on this planet which we share."

DONT BUY A TICKET to any place that supports these heinous activities. Encourage ALL your family members and friends not to do so either. When the demand stops, so will these atrocities.
BOYCOTT CORAL WORLD!

Posted : February 16, 2018 2:23 pm

Alana33

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https://dolphinproject.com/blog/why-training-an-orca-to-mimic-human-words-is-cruel/

Posted : February 16, 2018 2:43 pm

ironheadUSVI

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In a recent Daily News article on Coral World's recovery it was mentioned they planned on opening a Dolphin Encounter later this year.

Still on schedule. Parts necessary to begin construction should be shipping to St. Thomas by the end of this month or early April.

Posted : February 21, 2018 10:50 am

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