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CetaceanNerd In reply to Shinymane1 [2012-07-30 23:46:35 +0000 UTC]

Yes that's fine. Just give me credit for the original photo

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Shinymane1 In reply to CetaceanNerd [2012-07-31 00:07:09 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much, I will do!

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namu-the-orca In reply to namu-the-orca [2012-06-30 10:05:25 +0000 UTC]

* trust

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0rcinusorca In reply to namu-the-orca [2012-07-06 23:53:27 +0000 UTC]

Yes, it does take a lot of Trust. However, Trust is a two way street. It took a lot of Trust on both sides to get to the point I did in my pictures. Orcas Trust the staff and the staff Trusts the Orcas. WaterWork is the staff's way of showing their Trust to the Orcas.

Removal of WaterWork is a removal of Trust in the eyes of the Orcas. It will not go well if it is not returned. If not in the show then at least backstage or in off hours. If they'e too scared for that, have them give me a call I'll gladly do it. I've been invited into the water on several occasions and unfortunately had to always refuse. I'd like to be able to accept the offer at least once before I die.

WaterWork is not a cap / anti-cap issue. It's about staff trusting the Orcas and the Orcas trusting staff. It's part of the bonding process and is vital to a good relationship.

Without it, All Bets Are Off.

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namu-the-orca In reply to 0rcinusorca [2012-07-07 15:30:59 +0000 UTC]

I don't think it's so much about them not daring to, but more about them legally not being allowed to do so. I see this the same way; removing waterwork does remove a lot of trust and understanding out of the equation. Sadly enough the logics of human law are kinda hard to explain to killer whales. I'm happy to see that trainers are still hugging their whales when coming onto platforms like Makaio in this photo

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0rcinusorca In reply to namu-the-orca [2012-07-07 17:29:30 +0000 UTC]

I feel it will be far worse for the Orcas than it will for the staff. That is my concern.

Years ago the shows had more waterwork then the current shows did. It's not the first time the Orcas have experienced a removal of Trust without explanation. I know what that feels like because I've had that happen to me. Could some of the problems they have with the Orcas be because of this unexplained [ to them ] removal of the Trust that had been earned? A reciprocal removal of Trust by the Orcas? You don't Trust me so now I don't Trust you? As Intelligent as they are, this would not surprise me at all.

I'm not sure any of the staff Trust them as much I do. I see differences between the staff's relationships with the Orcas and what I experienced with them. They did things to me I've rarely seen staff do, even in the older shows, if at all. Interactions that [ according to OSHA ] put me at high risk for injury or death. Some interactions that have left me unharmed while the same interaction done with the specially trained staff left them injured, or worse. I've never seen them spend much time with the Orcas outside of the show interactions. Hugging the nose of one from the stage is not the same as actually getting in the water with them.

Maybe it's that I got to know them before all the conditioning training they went through for the shows. Maybe it's because they were so young at the time and humans were still a new experience with them. Maybe it's because I was willing to just sit there at the tank waiting for them to come over to interact unlike all the other park visitors.

My relationships with the Orcas is unique. I'm not being egotistical, it's just fact. All I did I did on my own without being staff or being specially trained. I just used my knowledge and previous experiences with other Dolphins. By what OSHA says, I should be dead. I am not, though sadly two of the Orcas I got to know are.

It makes me wonder just how much the "experts" like OSHA and Sea World really know about them.

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