Sea World

Many visitors travel to Sea World to see the most famous Orca of all time, Shamu. However, the original Shamu died in 1971, after living in captivity for only six years. Now, Shamu is just a trademark used by Sea World.
The killer whales are among one of the most popular attractions at Sea World, but are manifestations of  animal stress causing the orcas to turn against their trainers and attack them? Aggression towards trainers has been increasing rapidly over the past few years. In 2010, a trainer with 16 years experience was rubbing a killer whale's head before a public performance and the whale grabbed her by the waist and pinned her underwater. When rescue officials arrived, she was pronounced dead and the stadium was immediately evacuated. Many feel that this is due to the compromised mental and physical health of Orcas held in unnatural habitats. When compared to Orcas that live free, the Orcas held in captivity have very different behaviors. The size of the tanks, and the lack of anything resembling their natural habitat is blamed for the variations in both health and behavior. A biologist and former animal trainer stated that “killer whales don’t attack humans in the wild and what we’ve seen in these injuries to people is a direct byproduct of the stress associated with captivity.”
For years, PETA has been calling on SeaWorld to stop confining oceangoing mammals to an area that to them is like the size of a bathtub, but nothing is yet to be done as Sea World generates most of its revenue from these animal shows.

 

Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins baseball team are planning on installing a fully functioning aquarium in their backstop. That means that the only thing standing between fans and a wild 100 mph fastball is, well, a thick layer of aquarium glass and about a hundred or so terrified fish. Although tank designers have assured everyone that there  is a very little chance of the glass shattering, there will still be very terrified fish getting hit with the occasional foul ball and being disturbed by thousands of screaming fans. Don Anthony, an animal rights spokesperson, states that"No matter how many shock absorbers they build into the system, if there are thousands of fans screaming and jumping during a sporting event it's going to affect the fish in there".

The Marlins want this aquarium in their stadium so badly that Marlins Executive VP for Ballpark Development Claude Delorme set up a pitching machine to launch baseballs at the tank with fish inside, to observe their reaction.

Is this animal cruelty?

The flamingos eye is LARGER than its brain!

Flamingos are found in Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, South America, and Europe. They can live in hot volcanic lakes and in icy lakes in the Andean mountains. They live an average of 20 to 30 years in the wild. Colonies of Flamingos in the wild can be up to 20,000 in number. Many of them are small though with only about 50 in them. The largest group of Flamingos is found in East Africa where a single colony has more than 1 million members.
Shrimplike crustaceans are responsible for the flamingo's pink color. The birds will turn pale in captivity unless their diet is supplemented.
Flamingos often rest on one leg when they are in shallow water. This greatly reduces the amount of body heat lost to the cool water. Sometimes, they also sit down on land, especially during the hatching period, to keep their eggs warm. Both the female and the male flamingo take turns sitting on the egg to keep it warm.

When chicks are a few weeks old, parents leave them in a crèche and go in search of food, taking turns coming back day and night to feed them. Though watched by a few adults, the young are vulnerable to predators such as dogs and jaguars.


Fun Fact: There are more plastic flamingos in the USA than actual real ones!

For more information on Flamingos, watch Disney's Crimson Wing.

FedEx

FedEx can help you ship what you want, where you want and when you want. It couldn't be easier or more convenient. But did you know that you can FedEx a panda?

On January 15, two pandas named Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, who were born at a Research and Breeding Centre, boarded a specially-chartered Boeing 777F flight known as the “FedEx Panda Express.”
During the non-stop flight to Paris, France (5,489 miles away), the pair of pandas passed the time snoozing and eating bamboo in custom-built enclosures. They were accompanied by a Chinese veterinarian and animal handler to their new home.

FedEx Express has a long history of transporting rare and delicate cargo, including other pandas, polar bears, white tigers, elephants, penguins, mountain lions, gorillas, eagles, and even a 13-foot tiger shark used in filming the movie “Jaws.”