Should Bindi Irwin Partner With SeaWorld US?

[icyfroth]

BINDI Irwin has been caught up in an animal welfare controversy in the US by partnering with marine theme park company SeaWorld.

The 15-year-old Queenslander outraged animal rights groups when she announced on the top-rated US morning TV talk show, Good Morning America, she would be working with SeaWorld to encourage “kids to change the world”.

The promotional opportunity comes as SeaWorld fights an image problem brought about by the award-winning film documentary Blackfish, which probed the treatment of killer whales at the company’s parks.

“The Irwin family has been exploiting animals for years, so it comes as no surprise that Bindi has agreed to become SeaWorld’s latest shill,” PETA senior vice president of communications Lisa Lange said.

“But plastering her face on SeaWorld’s website won’t cover up the fact that orcas, dolphins, and other animals are suffering in SeaWorld’s tiny tanks after being ripped from their families.”

Bindi, daughter of the late Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, said she was “excited to be carrying on in Dad’s footsteps” and urged viewers to log into seaworldkids.com.

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I'm a bit torn on the subject. I'd like to see her be able to work in her field of knowledge and expertise, but I think Steve would not have liked her part of cruel animal exploitation. Isn't that kind of what zoos are about, though, including  Australia Zoo?

Also her paycheck would help boost the family income. I've heard  Australia Zoo is not doing so well.

[patchoo78]

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@polksaladallie wrote:

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@bluecat*dancing wrote:

I have very little respect for the Irwins - a pack of show ponies.

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Not all of them.  Bob is not.

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There is something about Terri and Bindi that doesn't sit well with me.. Everytime I see Bindi Irwin talk about something she's like an automaton. Those two kids are very well trained to speak on TV, but I wonder if they have ever had a childhood. Bindi is a perfect little clone of her mother, and her mother is a PR dream, no soul, just information.

[icyfroth]

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@patchoo78 wrote:

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@polksaladallie wrote:

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@bluecat*dancing wrote:

I have very little respect for the Irwins - a pack of show ponies.

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Not all of them.  Bob is not.

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There is something about Terri and Bindi that doesn't sit well with me.. Everytime I see Bindi Irwin talk about something she's like an automaton. Those two kids are very well trained to speak on TV, but I wonder if they have ever had a childhood. Bindi is a perfect little clone of her mother, and her mother is a PR dream, no soul, just information.

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From where I sit,  they're an excellent cpl of kids. Well mannered, articulate, dedicated to their heritage in animal conservation. A credit to Terri IMO.

[the*scarlet*pimpernel]

I cringe when Bindi does interviews, she is Over The Top and unnatural. I should say, IMO.

I would like to see her just be her and not try and be a female Steve Irwin.

I watch an epsiode of whatever that program was they had about the park on the sunshine coast. They had a big ol' croc with a sore toe and decided they need a closer look. The trauma they put the croc through, catching it and roping it and having a dozen people jumping all over it, then said, oh, it's ok, doesn't need any treatment it will heal itself. Poor old croc then had rope bones and grazes on his snout that probably hurt more than the toe. To me it was just a show for the cameras.

Another time they went off to save koala that may have been hit by car. They chased the koala around, then it escaped up a tree. They then got a rope on a pole and proceeded to chase the koala up the tree until they managed to knock it down. Funnily enough, there was nothing wrong with the animal (except stress and probably a bruise from being chased and knocked out of its tree).

I kind of agree with Kilroys post. If the exploitation of a few animals brings greater awareness to the masses, then maybe it's not such a bad thing. But what I saw the Australia Park people doing on TV was causing the animals stress and injury.

[bright.ton42]

I agree Icy.  They were both reared with loving parents and I think had a fantastic childhood, filled with love and adventure.

Just wondering why someone would say Terri has no soul?   That's quite a generality. 

[*pepe]

i fail to see how forcing animals to do unnatural tricks for people paying to be entertained is helping those in the wild.

not directed specifically at pimpy, just clicked reply on the last post... )

[the*scarlet*pimpernel]

**bleep**, I should proof read before posting, bones = burns, need = needed etc.

I swear this keybooard just writes what it wants.

If people didn't see dolphins performing would they even give them a thought. Hopefully it would make the kids go home and want to find out more about them.

[cherry*135]

We only know them 'on camera' also. We don't know how they are in everyday live.

Terry is very ambitious, Steve was extroverted and larger than life..those attributes are going to show up in their kids as well.

[cherry*135]

"i fail to see how forcing animals to do unnatural tricks for people paying to be entertained is helping those in the wild."

One thing is the money the zoos/parks etc get from entrance fees .. A lot of it is used to look after rescued marine life ( release them when the are healthy again), breed endangered species in captivity so that species doesn't die out. Behind the scenes stuff.
That cost a lot of money, who would fund that sort of work otherwise?

[*pepe]

so if its to raise money for the betterment of the species etc you would be ok with having your child, or even you for that matter, taken from your home and family, kept in a room and brought out from time to time to be trained and  to perform tricks for bums on seats?

[crystal-gems]

Seaworld et al is no different from circuses usingg exotic performing animals, or Las Vegas nightclubs using exotic animals in  stage shows.