Tails from a Compassionate Planet

Belugas Suffer Behind the Glass

I met Gasper when visiting the Georgia Aquarium in 2006. The aquarium had just opened that fall and the buzz about the facility around Atlanta was still going strong in the spring. So one hot afternoon I made my way downtown to see it for myself. 

I followed hoards of people past the entrance into the soaring main pavilion with a café, gift shop, and general sitting area. The exhibits encircled the pavilion with catchy signs such as “Tropical Diver” and “River Scout.” I remember thinking how much the experience reminded me of a theme park as I continued with the masses into the “Cold Water Quest” exhibit.

The exhibit’s main attractions were the Beluga whales. Like watery ghosts, they swam gracefully around their enclosure. All except for one, that is.  While the other whales were sleek and muscular, Gasper looked as though he was wasting away. Deep crevices lined his body, and his skin was marked with lesions. The aquarium employee manning the exhibit was apologetic for Gasper’s poor appearance.

Gasper and Nico, another Beluga in the exhibit, had been rescued seven months earlier from the LaFeria de Chapultepec theme park in Mexico City, she explained. Their enclosure had not been sufficient to house them and was encircled by a large wooden roller coaster. Gasper’s condition could be the result of the stress he endured during his chaotic life in Mexico. 

Eight months after my visit, 17-year-old Gasper was dead.  He had eventually been diagnosed with a bone infection and was not responding well to treatment. The aquarium staff made the decision to euthanize him. Another Beluga, Marina, died less than a year later at the same facility apparently at the ripe old age of 25 (NOAA Fisheries claim that belugas may live to 60 years old).

Working at the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), I have learned a lot more about the plight of marine mammals in captivity. Behind their perma-grins, captive whales and dolphins suffer in silence. Many endured traumatic captures while being ripped away from their wild pods. Others endure severe and persistent stress due to constant forced human interaction and public performances.

Public display facilities often promote their activities under the guise of conservation, education and research but most do not stray far from P.T. Barnum’s original purpose for the exhibition of whales*—to draw paying crowds. A recent report, “Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity,” co-produced by WSPA and The Humane Society of the United States explores this important issue in-depth.

I often wonder if life would have been different for Gasper had he been left in the wild. Would he have fallen ill if he had not endured the stress of transport to Mexico, a decade living under a roller coaster and subsequent transport to Georgia? We will never know. But as long as the public demands to be entertained by these creatures there is little that can be done to sway the captive display industries from obtaining more animals. Until then, I urge compassionate travelers to enjoy these complex and intelligent creatures unfettered in their natural environment. Wildlife watching is a growing multi-billion dollar industry that offers travelers the thrilling opportunity to discover animals in their natural habitats. Learn more about guidelines for responsible marine wildlife watching on the WSPA website.

*Historical Note:

Nearly 150 years ago, some of the first Belugas were brought into captivity by the famous P.T. Barnum. He enlisted 35 men to capture two whales from the Labrador Coast and proudly displayed them in seven feet of sea water in his American Museum.

Island Paradise Is No Honeymoon for Strays

Last August my husband and I were married during a spectacular sunset in my childhood backyard in Virginia. While we kept the wedding local, we were keen to indulge our wanderlust on our honeymoon.  We researched destinations that offered beaches, promised to be hurricane-safe and did not require more than a day of travel to get there. The Greek Islands of Santorini and Folegandros finally won out.  

We arrived in Santorini during another spectacular sunset. The sun and sky’s incomparable pink glow illuminated the white stucco buildings of the island. After a brief taxi ride to Thira, we dashed down the steep steps of Hotel Scirocco to find our room right above the pool with a magnificent view of the caldera below. At that moment we felt indescribably lucky.

It was not long into our vacation, however, that I noticed that the hotel was also a temporary home to some unexpected guests. A mother cat and her three kittens made a nightly visit to drink water that collected next to the pool shower. The cats were obviously feral and would skitter away if I tried to approach them. I noticed cat food kibble on the decks of the other guest rooms which indicated that vacationers were feeding the cats. What happens when these tourists go home, I wondered. Throughout our stay on the islands, it was impossible not to notice the presence of roaming cats perched on walls, underneath restaurant tables or dashing in and out of traffic. 

Living on an island paradise, the lives of these strays are anything but ideal. They suffer from starvation, festering infections, and injuries that are left unattended.  Luckily there are organizations working to make a difference in the lives of these cats and dogs.  Greek Animal Welfare Fund, a World Society for the Protection of Animals' partner organization, has several ongoing spay and neuter and responsible ownership campaigns around the country. They also provide nearly 80 local Greek animal protection groups with expertise, equipment and financial help to help humanely reduce the amount of stray and unwanted pets in the country.

Ways you can help too:

Seek out hands-on volunteer opportunities.  The travel agency Inside and Out is partnering with Greek Animal Welfare Fund and other to animal welfare groups to organize a volunteer vacation to assist the strays of mainland Greece. To find out more about the trip, visit the organization's website. Not going to Greece? Check out other volunteer vacation opportunities that assist strays on the World Society for the Protection of Animals' Compassionate Travel Web site.

Avoid Malicious Mementos. As an animal lover it is nearly impossible to pass up an animal-themed souvenir of a trip. During my honeymoon, I was amazed at the amount of “Greek Island Cat” calendars that were available for sale in tourist shops. Some seemed to blatantly exploit the stray issue with titles such as “Rebel Street Cats 2009.”  Avoid purchasing these kinds of items unless you can verify that the money goes to a reputable animal welfare group.

Pass the Message On. If you witness an animal or animals in need of help while on vacation, seek contact information for a local animal welfare organization or shelter and pass on the information to them. If you’re able, drop off a donation to help address the situation, or send a check after returning home. (Sadly, we must caution against referring concerns about stray animals to hotel staff as some hotels have resorted to killing animals to avoid guest complaints.) When planning a trip, you can check with humane societies in the area before you leave to see whether they are in need of any supplies you might be able to bring with you. Search the World Society for the Protection of Animals' member society database for a list of humane organizations by country.

If you’re able to help rescue an animal while on vacation, we would love to share the story on Compassionate Planet!

Tracking Sea Turtles in India

Volunteering to help conserve endangered animals can be a very rewarding experience. Not only does it allow you to observe animals in their natural surroundings, but it also brings you closer to the very creatures that you are fighting to save from extinction. Making that personal connection with animals can be a life-changing experience – it was for me.

Each year from December to April, the endangered Olive Ridley turtles nest along the Eastern coast of India. With an exploding coastal human population and increasing encroachment on their habitat, turtles are more endangered than ever on account of our species. Poaching for turtle eggs has also steadily grown over the past few decades which threatens the future of these amazing animals who have been on this planet for more than 150 million years.

While living in India I was involved with the Students’ Sea Turtle Conservation Network, a volunteer-run non-profit organization in Madras. During the turtle nesting season volunteers would meet at 11 pm every night at our designated spot, a little tea shop in Besant Nagar, from where we would begin our night-long patrol of 4.5 miles of coastline to Neelankarai. On weekends we were usually joined by tourists, families and students and we learned about the turtles’ biology, behavior, threats and global conservation efforts from biologists in our group. We were also educated on being respectful of these incredible animals and observing them without disturbing them.

The best reward for our efforts was when we would observe a turtle haul herself out of the water, dig her nest, deposit her eggs and do her ‘dance’ to cover them up before returning to the ocean. Volunteers would record biometrics such as the size of the turtle, distinguishing marks, nest dimensions and we would relocate the eggs from nests that were most in danger of being poached to a protected hatchery. Around forty-five days later the babies would emerge and make their way to their ocean home.

Turtles were not the only marine creatures we encountered on our nocturnal hikes – phosphorescent tides (that made our footprints glow an eerie green on the wet sand), different types of seaweed, jellyfish colonies and other amazing marine creatures were all part of the experience. What is more, volunteering helped me to meet like-minded individuals (some of who are still close friends) and even shaped my future career!

You Too Can Get Involved

There are many volunteering opportunities that you can be part of while you are traveling abroad. Just check out the Volunteer Abroad section of WSPA’s Compassionate Travel website. We will regularly post new opportunities so be sure to check back for additions.