Antibes 2007: Mixed feelings / critique
Three Orcas glimpse out of the water while the award ceremony is taking place over their fins.
I was surprised to find the festivals tent next to the Orca Show of Marine Land were the event was held. I assume this might have attracted more people outside of the industry than before and even motivate more families to pay the festival a visit. More people visiting the festival and getting involved with issues of the endangered underwater world is certainly a good aspect.
But on the other hand the usual contestant might have been quite embarrassed to see his work on display right next to captive orcas and dolphins performing tricks. I simply assume that most of them made films and photos with the intention to create awareness and respect for the species living in the oceans. It’s quite ironic that the festival is forced to be held in a place that does not practice what the organizers and participants preach.
An Orca jumps out of the water while the Festival is taking place in a tent behind it.
Think about it… and let us know your opinion!
Hi Andi,
Thanks for the post and sorry we did not have a chance to share a good glass of local wine together!
There's a lot to say about the Festival being hosted in Marineland... As I am working on an article for Buceadores around the controversy, I had the chance to interview quite a few of the main actors of that stage: here's a summary of thoughts so far.Basically, on one side you have a show organizer who had lost 50'000 € last year and saw the show saved by this option; on the other hand, there is no other facility in Antibes that could have hosted the show; on a third level, Marineland solved one main issue as it offers ample parking spaces which were cause for complains the previous years...
But how do we feel as environmentalists? Research show that the animals are very well taken care of in Antibes and actually some of them have not yet seen the big wild ocean as they were born in captivity. But still, it is hard to accept and I could not watch the orca show for more than a minute. But I also did see kids growing to being full keepers of the ocean because they had fallen in love with a dolphin in such a place, whilst they never had a chance to approach them in the wild -we divers tend to forget that we are a privileged minority in that respect...
So, as much as it hurts to admit it, the (sadly) captive animals prove to play a positive role as ambassadors of their species, which should not be neglected! Bottom line? All those I talked to are happy that the show could go on. And the most forceful environmentalists do agree in the end that what bothers them most is the image conveyed by the shows at Marineland (sharks and orcas as killers...) while they make such big money out of them. So, maybe it could prove interesting in the future to conceive such places as governmental rather than commercial projects: they could play an educational and environmental role, while portraying the animals as what they are and spreading the good word about ocean conservancy... And if any money was to be made, it could be channeled into conservation!
Wishful thinking it may be. And there will always be people against it. But why not make something positive out of the negative? I do prey for the freedom of every single living creature, but I also believe in the positive role of the ambassadors... Looking forward to reading further thoughts!
phil
p.s: could you e-mail a high res of your illustration picture?
I could use it for Buceadores as it reflects exactly what we had discussed 
The contradictory feelings must be somewhat universal. On the one hand, you essentially have clowns born into slavery for our amusement, and a conservation expo alongside this is painfully ironic; on the other hand, clowny water shows like that do attract multitudes of families and children, and every orca jump could really mean the difference between these kids turning to ecology & biology versus accounting or programming, etc. This exposure is essential.
Catching and enslaving wild animals for this purpose certainly upsets most of us, but well-cared-for, captive-born animals are unfortunately essential ambassadors.
A good example is at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas (I know, I was surprised too!), where captive-bred dolphins are on exhibit for all the tourists - they do not "perform" however, and there are no "shows". It's just a place where you can watch them swim and play together. Imperfect to be sure, but it's a start.
Dear Andi, Phil and Terry,
I must agree with Andi on this one. I have worked as a diving instructor for a while, and encountered many situations in which new divers intuitively touched and abused underwater animal life. Where does this intuition derive from? Places where Dolphins and Orcas are captured by humans, proving that they are all just a subject to our will. And if our will is to touch it, feed it, break it and take it home, so shall be it.
Call me a bleeding heart, but I'm sure that if instead, we would have read to our children bedtime stories with friendly dolphins involved and showed them environmentally friendly movies, many of them would have still grown to be divers and marine biologists, even though they have never seen a captivated dolphin. This would also probably spare the astounded faces of the divers when their diving instructor asks them to stop inflating the puffer fish.
I'm sure that the organizers of the Antibes Festival had nothing but good intentions when choosing a location for their festival, and I hope that this prestigious event will take place for many years, but choosing the solution of the Marine Land probably only emphasizes that this issue is still not a consensus among all marine lovers, and it's a pity.
While I do agree with you Sharon, I'm forced to ask: what do we do with the captive-born? I'm not convinced it's safe to throw them to the wilds; most will not survive. I also agree with the idea that people can be exposed to things via books and film without clown parks, but people learn by different means - some people don't feel the impact of something until it's right in front of them, for real. Just a thought.
Many people have no issues with the water or aquatic animals, but once confronted by the reality of the water they break down (I've seen it).
Do you have the same opinion of aquariums, or just cetacean parks? Aquariums aren't usually populated with captive-borns....
Hi all,
In reading Sharon's comments, I though of children - and their desire to touch hot stoves, shiny objects, sharp knives, pull on dog's ears, and generally manipulate everything in the environment around them.
I don't believe that Marineland "trains" us to touch whales and dolphins, just caters to a very human desire. Hopefully they inform and educate while catering to that desire.
