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Stop Barbaric, Unnecessary Experiments On Orcas!
posted on June 21, 2020
Orca Action Month 2020 # 6
Stop Barbaric, Unnecessary Experiments on Orcas!
Researchers are increasing vaccine and antibiotic experiments in wildlife species. Should endangered orcas be part of this Big Pharma and Research Industry money maker? Any alleged “benefits” of multi doses of antibiotics and vaccines in wild orcas and others are unproven, life threatening risks!
In 2018 the ailing orca J50 with her family were subjected to antibiotic experiments even when her health problem was not known. “Scarlett” and her family were followed for hours during two different attempts to shoot darts with antibiotics into her.
The recent US NOAA East Coast antibiotic experiment on a Right whale calf with prop wounds is inconclusive because marine wildlife often recovers from serious wounds and infections without human experiments. There have been numerous injuries such as vessel hits and fishing gear entrapment. Present preventive education programs and on sight aid are non drug, safe solutions.
In the first ever “whole species” experiment a morbillivirus vaccination program started in 2016 with the Hawaiian Monk Seal population. They did not even have the morbillivirus. In addition, Hawaiian monk seals still face a variety of threats from shark attacks to entanglements in fishing gear to starvation. The increase of rescue and release funding to treat injured animals should be a priority!
Plans have been discussed to develop a vaccine to test on wild orcas such as the endangered Southern Resident Orcas.
Sea World parks vaccinate all their orcas against Erysipelas, a bacterium that can infect the orcas from the fish they eat in captivity. Sea World claims that their development of the vaccine against Erysipelas could lead to other potential vaccines for killer whales. NOAA would decide under a self policing, peer review system but they do receive funding in part from Sea World. So after being banned from Washington waters for capturing the SRKWs Sea World Is Back!
Captive orca experiments at Sea World cannot be extrapolated to wild populations. They have had at least 40 orca deaths due to respiratory problems. Long term treatments in captivity with orcas such as Tillikum, sold to Sea World from Sealand in Victoria, British Columbia, failed.
The Others Who Suffer
Vaccine production involves infecting animals with diseases in research laboratories. This has included chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates. The final tests would be on the endangered wild orcas.
As seen in people the antibiotics and vaccines can cause life threatening risks and deaths. A recent study in British Columbia concluded that a high percentage of children who were prescribed antibiotics as infants went on to develop asthma. Experiments do not accurately predict all side effects from vaccines and antibiotics. It is discovered during human trails. See the TV and printed information. Governments now mandate the pharmaceutical companies provide the long list of side effects! Human illnesses are reported but orcas won’t be able to report their unpredicted side effects!
We must never forget the statement by the NOAA public relations person to try to justify captive experiments on J50. It was said that she was probably going to die anyway. Their choice would not have been letting her die in peace with her family.
Decades of endless hypotheses and hundreds of millions of "research" dollars have not saved the SRKW! The vaccine and antibiotic experiments would be inhumane and increase the risk of losing even more orcas!
Helping Southern Resident Orcas get enough food and not starve to death must be the main goal! What they need is healthy food, clean water and safe homes to build strong immune systems. Antibiotics and vaccines WILL NOT prevent starvation, pollution and vessel injuries! Governments and People Power are the Orcas’ Last Hope!
Many barbaric, unnecessary experiments continue! Please Sign and Share these petitions:
Orcas Must Not Be Mistreated Like the Suffering Laboratory Animals!
STOP EXPERIMENTS ON ORCAS!
Let’s Raise a Stink to Save Orcas!
RAISE A STINK TO SAVE ORCAS.
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