I took a lot of baggage with me to Loro Parque: seeing the documentary on killer whales and all that happened in the Sea World and here, (Loro Parque is Sea World’s affiliated enterprise) would do that to you. So the killer whale show I watched with some tension. Nobody was dragged to the depth though, in fact, the trainers don’t interact with the whales in the water at all.
The sea lions were darned adorable in the next show we saw. They look and behave like dogs and you get a feeling that they genuinely enjoy the career in show business. We liked it so much that saw it twice. Dolphins also gave a solid performance and the rest of the park was well-made, quality fun with birds and tigers and penguins and sharks. Sharks I could honestly do without.
Of course, you may have different opinions about zoos and any entertainment involving animals. I have friends who would eagerly tar and feather me for “supporting this business”. In the end of the day, though… of all the awful things that people do to other people or to their own environment – I really don’t think this is the worst, by far. The animals are kept and taken care of by people who know what they are doing and the cruelty they might or might not be subjected to during training… well, I think people who talk about it have an idealized understanding of what nature is. Anyhow, I eat meat and I also watched orcas and sea lions do their thing. Crucify me if you like.