I Love This "with Mama" Meme. Mm Yes Give Me More Baby Animals With Mmama.

lets lean on a pipe with mama (x)

lets be muddy with mama

sealed with a kiss 💋

casey and hogan - seattle aquarium

this picture is so beautiful to me, the colours brothers

lets kissy mama

welcome to my blubbery blog!!! 🦭🦦🐋🐬🫧

i’m currently a volunteer at an AZA accredited aquarium, i hope to study marine environmental science in the future and work in conservation and education! my primary interests are in northern fur seal biology and southern resident killer whale behaviour, but i love all marine mammals!

i support accredited* zoos and aquariums! i do however hope that we can move away from them in the future. i think that conversations about the ethics of captivity are important and should always be centered around the wellbeing of the captive animals. i encourage caution and use of critical thinking around both anti and pro captivity arguments. i’m always happy to answer any questions about the practices of AZA accredited zoos and aquariums!

*there are some accredited zoos and aquariums (such as seaworld) that i am heavily critical of, but it’s unfortunately a complicated issue that isn’t realistic to have black and white opinions on.

marine mammal rescue, conservation, and research organisations:

alaska sealife is center

vancouver aquarium marine mammal rescue society

center for whale research

SR3

marine mammal care center

Don’t make me put your ass in the sealbarrow

let’s swim with mama

Wildlife tourism isn’t always a more ethical choice.

I often see people who are under the assumption that wildlife tourism is free from ethical concerns, or that it’s inherently a more ethical choice than visiting a zoo/aquarium.

Wildlife tourism encompasses a wide variety of activities that involves watching wildlife in engage with their natural habitat. This includes safaris, whale watching, birding, photography tours, and a host of other activities. Wildlife tourism by itself can be an ethical way to see wildlife, however that is not always the case. There’s actively many harmful parts of wildlife tourism, that people may overlook since the animals are “free.”

So.. what would be some examples of unethical wildlife tourism?

- Whale petting in Baja Mexico. This activity actively contributes to the habituation of whales and disrupts their natural behaviors. Habituated whales are at a higher risk of encountering boat strikes - which can lead to physical injury or even death.

- Fake/bad acting sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are not always ethical, and many advertise activities such as elephant rides, elephant bathing, and advocate for people to touch/hold animals. The training methods they often utilize use fear or coercion, this is often actively stressful to the animals, and can be particularly dangerous to the tourists engaging with these animals.

- Swimming with whales. Studies show that commercial swim with whale tours can negatively impact the behaviors of some baleen whale species. These behaviors include avoidance and decreased rest time.

Spoiler: Injured wildlife

Is there ethical wildlife tourism?

Absolutely! Wildlife tourism should be done with respect for the animals. There should be careful steps taken to avoid habituation and harassment of wildlife.

Some of my favorite options include visiting a national park, bird watching, and doing careful research to find ethical whale watching companies. Additionally, many AZA accredited zoos offer animal interactions that are done in a safe & non-stressful manner for the animals. These may even include giraffe feedings and up close educational encounters.

california sea lions - newport, oregon