Everywhere in the world...

Taiji

Everywhere in the world, animals are being abused. In Japan we have Taiji, where dolphins aren’t save anymore in their own ocean. They catch them and those who survive, they will be send to a Marine park like SeaWorld and Sea life.

Yulin dog meat festival

In the south of China, we have the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, where hundreds of dogs are slaughtered in a horrible way without any sorrow.

We have trophy hunters who go to places where you can find the most beautiful wild life on earth and their purpose is to kill them.

In Russia, Moscow, Killer Whales are captured for our amusement.

Bullfights in Spain

In Spain, and this hurts to say because I’m in love with the country, they put bulls in a sort of arena. Hunted by the bullfighters they attack and thousands of visitors can see the pins going through the pelt. They all watch them die.

And there are so many places where other animals are treated like objects that we will never see.

All those people, from SeaWorld to perhaps your neighbours, they do what they want and they hardly get punished.

Our own king of Belgium organised a hunt-party. More than 90 deer’s lost their life, just for the king his amusement and the amusement of his rich buddies.

Trophy Hunters

I wonder what people are thinking while doing such horrible things! Do they get a sense of accomplishment?

But there is hope. When I joint Twitter, I found out that a huge number of persons fight for those animals. And I haven’t seen them all yet.

But with those I’ve met, I stand up against the cruelty against those without a voice!

Hope you join us one day. Together, we have the capability to change the situation!

I’m proud to say that I #SupportTheProtest against animal cruelty!

What about you?

Please help me #SupportTheProtest

How Blackfish inspires

How Blackfish inspires

Like a year ago, I never heard of SeaWorld or Tilikum. But on Twitter I noticed that one of my idols posted pictures, video’s and articles, all about the protest against captivity. I saw them and knew that such activities were wrong. I started to post pictures as well and while doing that, I discovered hash tags like #BoycottSeaWorld and #SeaWorldKills. And of course there was #Blackfish. I actually used them without any knowledge of their true meaning.

After like a half year of protesting, I finally watched Blackfish. I was shocked by what I saw. The way they stole the calves out of their habit, away from families. Then put in a box during the night and let them perform in afternoon in a damn swimming pool for the rest of their life! During the documentary, I tried to be strong and not to cry. I saw the birth of Kalina and then heard the former trainers saying that it was very crucial that the mother-child bond would not be broken. After four years using the calf as a dollar magnet, SeaWorld send her to Florida and separated her from her mother. The moment I saw Katina (the mother) in that corner, like crying for her baby really broke my heart. From that moment, I couldn’t hold my tears any more.

Watching the interviews of the former SeaWorld trainers reminded me of the time I was like 8 years old or so. This was my dream job. Working with dolphins and seals… it looked so cool to show the people you and the animal know each other and have a bond. And that was the thing that holded in my hate for SeaWorld.

I can’t blame the former trainers and certainly not the ones who died because they loved them. Taking care of Tilikum and the other Killer Whales was their life. They dreamed of them when they were young after watching a show in places like SeaWorld. They felt a bond between humans and animals. The ones who saw the money and the entering visitors with the amount in their hands, they who only cared about Tilikum’s sperm, they aren’t the ones who die in that pool while everyone is watching. It’s the people who DO care, really care! It’s not them who will have to live their entire life inside of a tank. It’s the whales!

So please, stand with me and help me #SupportTheProtest

Merel Reyntjens