Environmental Issues
Overview
For centuries, humans have exploited the Earth's natural resources, without any consideration given to ecological cost. Today's society is more aware of the issues that face the environment and are making lifestyle choices everyday to help. However, pollution is still one of the most serious issues facing the marine environment and is seen in many forms.
Pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, adversely affect production of plankton, which is the first link of the ocean's food chain and the main diet of some cetaceans. Dolphins and seals have been washed up in large numbers on beaches world-wide and after autopsies, infectious bacteria and high concentrations of hydrocarbons have been indicated as the cause of death. Organochlorine contamination has been identified as a main reason for the deaths of many marine animals.
Another percentage of pollution deaths is through the ingestion and/or strangulation from plastics and other foreign objects. We must apply the three R's - Reduce, Recycle and Reuse and we must dispose of rubbish correctly or animals will continue to die.
Discarded nets and lost, free floating driftnets have been devastating to the marine environment, but it has also created a great awareness of the destruction of marine animals and steps are being taken by many organisations and companies to eliminate the usage of nets.
Global warming issues can be highlighted by the plight of the Polar bear. Increased Arctic temperatures are causing the ice floes to form later and melt earlier. This means that the Polar bear's hunting season is dramatically reduced and makes it difficult for the bear to put on the weight they need for the rest of the year, especially when the females need to feed their young.
How does Sea World care for the environment?
At Sea World, our main focus is to care for the marine environment. We do this through the variety of attractions and displays and through our education programs. By visiting Sea World, guests have the opportunity to see marine animals in their natural environments and gain a better understanding of how these animals live and some of the problems they may face out in the wild. Through educating our guests we hope that they will treat the animals and the ocean in a safe way.
Sea World dedicates time and substantial funding to research and rescue activity. Our Rescue team is often invited by a variety of government organisations to participate in helping rescue stranded or sick animals. The Sea World team are highly trained to deal with a range of situations and react precisely and quickly when required. Stranded or sick animals are brought back to Sea World where we can care for them until they are released back into the wild. This organisation also provides funding for research to enable staff and others to gain a better understanding of the marine environment.
Sea World's position as a successful tourism business allows the opportunity to make major financial contributions to marine research projects through the Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Incorporated (SWRRFI). The Foundation, approved by the Federal Government, is a non-profit organisation established to provide funding for quality research projects, aimed at protecting and preserving the marine environment.
The way that you can help in saving our ocean is to enjoy its beauty but make sure that you or people you know are not harming any of the amazing animals that call the ocean home, by disturbing their environment or polluting it.
How do people pollute the ocean?
Ocean pollution is a major concern to our marine environment and the animals that live there. There are many ways in which our oceans are being polluted.
Sewage - It is still common in some parts of Australia to have sewage deposited into the ocean. This sewage can also contain cleaning products and run-off from the roads. All these products are flushed through the pipes and out into the water.
Oil - Most of the time we only hear on the news when big oil spills happen. Large ships carrying oil have accidents and oil drums are released into the water. Most of the oil that ends up in our ocean comes from storm drains and also ships flushing out their tanks. Oil has a very harmful effect on the animals that live in or around the water, as once they get oil on their skin or feathers they lose the ability to keep warm and dry. If an animal swallows oil or eats another animal coated in oil, they can be poisoned. Oil also covers the shoreline with a big slippery black coating and can end up on the bottom of the ocean, covering all the coral and living things which dwell there.
Industrial wastes - Industrial areas can discharge their waste into the sea. Pesticides and chemicals can be flushed into the water and often take a long time to break down. These chemicals can effect the marine environment by being harmful to plants and animals.
Litter - Rubbish not placed in bins can often end up in the ocean. Not only does it look horrible, but it is also dangerous to marine animals. Plastic bags, containers, fishing line and 6-pack holders end up entangled around dolphins, seals, sharks and birds to name a few. Animals caught or tangled in litter either strangle themselves, starve to death or are unable to move enough to survive.
Poor Farming Practices - Transported by rain runoff and by irrigation return-flow are animal wastes from farms, a widespread source of pollutants impairing rivers and streams and even some coastal waters. Pesticide and fertilizer residues from farms also contribute to water pollution via rain drainage.
These are some serious conservation issues which cause pollution of our oceans. There are many things that you can do to help. Firstly, make sure you don’t litter, and place all rubbish in bins. Try to recycle and use items that can be reused. This reduces the amount of rubbish we create and less rubbish means cleaner water ways. Think about what you wash down your drain. Try to limit the amount of oil and cleaning products that you and your family wash away. And also educate your family and friends about how they can treat the ocean in a safe way, to prevent ocean pollution.
Do you think animals should be kept in captivity?
The subject of 'captivity' is, and always will be, an extremely sensitive issue. However, for many species to survive these times of increased human activity and destruction, 'captive' breeding may be their only chance. The animals housed within our facility include sharks, fish, dolphins, polar bears, a large variety of seals, and birds.
We have seen 20 dolphins born at Sea World to date and several of our animals are well over 20 years old with six over the age of 40 years old which is considerably older than the age of many of the animals in the wild will live. This is an indicator that these animals at Sea World are comfortable with their lifestyle. It is imperative for Sea World to maintain its dolphin population in order to continue to learn, educate and foster the care for, and well-being of, these precious mammals.
To ensure healthy animals for future generations it is important to have the right breeding stock to prevent birth deficiencies. Studies have been done over the past forty years on wild populations in America. They found that of all the births in a year, 50% died before they were one year old. Of the remainder, a further 50% died before maturity. Average age of death then, is 7 - 9 years and average living age is 17. Many of our animals are already well past the average life span of wild dolphins. At least ten dolphins are over 20 years of age and Amity, our Indo Pacific Humpback dolphin, is over 42.
Did you know that over 500 dolphins died in Queensland shark nets over the past 20 years? Or that an entire population of 2000 porpoise in England were killed because of a release of chemicals in the river? In 1990, a world-wide symposium on "Mortality on Cetaceans in Passive Fishing Nets and Traps" was conducted and it was found that more than a million dolphins and porpoises were dying each year in nets. And dolphins, like humans, are suffering the effects of disease as a result of toxins and wastes that we dump into their oceans.
Sea World is aware of the dangers facing marine life and is actively involved in protecting these animals and their environment through public awareness, education and research. People are more likely to appreciate and protect an animal if they have had the opportunity of 'experiencing' it first hand.
Leading International Authority on Whale and Dolphin Biology, Professor Michael Bryden, of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Sydney, reinforces the vital contributions made by Sea World:
"Oceanaria like Sea World provide a valuable, and in some respects unique opportunity to study dolphins at close quarters in a controlled manner. Objections to cetacean research in marine parks ignore the serious limitations of research (of benefit to the welfare of species) in the wild environment. The welfare of all animals, including Cetacea, is dependent to a large degree on scientists' efforts to learn, educate and share new understanding about them with the wider community."
Sea World's position as a successful tourism business allows the opportunity to make major financial contributions to marine research projects through the Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Incorporated (SWRRFI). The Foundation, approved by the Federal Government, is a non-profit organisation established to provide funding for quality research projects, aimed at protecting and preserving the marine environment.
The Foundation is also called upon to help provide funding for projects only partially funded by governments. At present we are assisting with turtle research being carried out by the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service. Through further study and continual research, we can be instrumental in the prevention of tragedies befalling these wonderful creatures in the wild, which are being threatened every day by human dangers.
We believe it is irresponsible not to consider the survival of whales and dolphins may well be endangered if we are unable to continue to learn from those in a marine park environment. Research and experience with marine mammals at Sea World have provided vital knowledge to assist conservation efforts for animals in the wild, well as paving the way for many successful rescues of stranded marine mammals.
Over the past decade, many marine parks in Australia have closed leaving few options other than to euthanase their marine animals which have included dolphins, seals and sea lions. This decision was opposed by Sea World in all cases and we placed their animals under our care. Dolphins have been transported from as far as NSW, South Australia and New Guinea.
Most of our animals are housed in large sand bottomed lakes with live fish swimming in the same area, these lakes have been designed to be as close to their natural equivalents as is feasible. The water is pumped in from the body of salt water- the Broadwater - which borders the entire western side of Sea World and a complex filtration system eliminates the need for chlorine. The animals respond positively to their natural environment as they do to positive reinforcement. If negative stimuli were used, you would not see the animals interacting with the trainers and guests at all. Twenty nine percent of our cetaceans participate in public show presentations and even then, less than ten minutes per animal per day would be spent 'performing'. The remaining animals are involved in passive education and breeding programs. Otherwise the majority of time for all our animals is spent socialising with animals of their own kind and interacting with their carers.
Observations and studies which are constantly revised at Sea World, combined with the information that researchers gain, speed up the process of data collection on these little known animals.
Marine Sciences staff and volunteers are on call 24 hours every day, 365 days per year. Over the years we have attended hundreds of strandings, released thousands of birds and turtles from fishing lines, nets and crab pots where no other organisation either had the interest, the expertise or the man power to do so. Each injured animal brought into Sea World is given full veterinary care and 24 hour observation until it is out of danger.
Dolphins die just as any other living creature and every person who has cared for them at Sea World is deeply affected by the loss. Scientifically, the combined information that is gained by the animals in our care and the information gathered by researchers through SWRRFI, has ultimately saved many other animals' lives.
Knowledge and skills have been increased, equipment and facilities improved. In 1991, a 30 tonne Humpback whale was rescued off Peregian Beach, Queensland (QLD). At Seal Rocks, New South Wales (NSW) in 1992, Sea World led the rescue of 37 False Killer whales. In 1994, a Melon Head whale was rescued and released from Caloundra, QLD, in as was a Bryde's whale from the Manning River, NSW. A Humpback whale was freed from Fraser Island, QLD, and towards the end of 1994 a team from Sea World flew to Vanuatu where a successful operation saw the rescue of 34 Spinner dolphins. Most recently, two dolphins caught up in discarded nets, were successfully released off South Australia. These operations are costly. Sea World receives no funding from the Government or any other organisation. However, we have committed ourselves to the well being of all marine animals and so willingly give time and funds.
The only hope for the future survival of animals in the wild is through the research, education and public caring provided by institutions such as Sea World. Every day at Sea World, people see dolphins for the first time in their lives. We provide a first hand, personal connection with these animals; a direct living experience. This unique, interactive experience provides the very foundations for peoples' understanding of these precious creatures and in turn, their desire to care for them and protect them.
How does Sea World try to reduce its impact on the environment?
As a company we are constantly reassessing our impact on the environment. We have a unique opportunity here at Sea World to give the public the chance to get up close and personal with wildlife and we hope this experience changes some of their behaviours to positively effect the environment.
One of our major projects, like many other companies, is the management of waste products produced. The focus is to reduce the amount of landfill we produce. We separate waste products so that they can be processed and disposed of individually and cost effectively. Below is a list which gives you some idea of the processing.
Each day twelve cubic metres of dry waste is disposed of in landfill.
Kitchen wastes are removed and recycled by an external company.
Each week six cubic metres of cardboard are bailed and recycled.
Waxed boxes are returned to suppliers for re-use.
Office paper is recycled by reusing paper in fax machines and photocopiers or sent away for recycling.
Confidential documents are shredded and the paper is reused in our rehabilitation pen for birds.
Old telephone books are delivered by Sea World to paper recycling company.
Paints and thinners are removed and recycled by an external company.
Used cooking oil is removed from the premises and recycled.
