92 



raising dollars that are needed to benefit animals in the wild — those that truly need 

 to be saved. 



Again, Senator Kerry, thank you for your involvement in this issue. We appreciate 

 your consideration of the points raised in this letter and request that it be included 

 as part of the 28 July 1993 "Reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act" 

 hearing record. 

 Sincerely, 



Michael B. Demetrios. 



Letter From Brad Andrews, Vice President, Zoological Operations, Sea 



World, Inc. 



AuGUCT 6, 1993. 



The Honorable John F. Kerry, 



U.S. Senate. 



Washington. DC 20510-2102 



Dear Senator Kerry: Please accept our appreciation for the manner in which 

 you conducted last week's hearing on public display and reauthorization of the Ma- 

 rine Mammal Protection Act. we were grateful for the words of support for public 

 display voiced by Senators Inouye, Lott and Pressler and others. We also were 

 pleased to hear of your support for the New England Aquarium. 



We hope you will agree that the benefits of public display were demonstrated once 

 again in the hearing. As a tool for educating and inspiring public concern for marine 

 mammals, the worth of public display is indisputable. Second-hand experiences, 

 such as those received through books, films, videos and exhibits, can be educational. 

 Nothing, however, can better stimulate fascination and concern for marine mam- 

 mals than the first-hand experience offered by public display. The 115 million peo- 

 ple who visit zoos, marine parks and aquariums each year understand this and ac- 

 tively seek out these first-hand experiences. 



As you consider the contributions of public display, please keep in mind the work 

 of marine parks and aquariums in caring for animals that are beached, stranded 

 or otherwise harmed in the wild. In the past two years at Sea World alone, we have 

 treated and released back to the wild more marine mammals than we have collected 

 in our nearly 30-year history. In the area of science and technology, we take part 

 in more than 50 collaborative studies a year with independent academicians and 

 qualified researchers. We also are proud to have supported for over 30 years the 

 Hubbs Sea World Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to the full- 

 time study of marine life. In these times of growing budget deficits which have re- 

 sulted in fewer federal dollars being available for such programs. Sea World is 

 proud to be able to make such a contribution. 



We would like to address, briefiy, the confusion being caused by the recent docu- 

 ment being circulated by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), titled 

 "Small Whale Species — The Case Against Captivity." If you examine the 

 underpinnings of the document, you'll see that it does not withstand objective scru- 

 tiny and was prepared in an extremely unscientific manner. 



The methods used to produce the HSUS document are not presented and personal 

 communication are cited as fact, yet such communications are not documented in 

 a manner sufTicient to determine accuracy and/or to verify claims made. In short, 

 the document defies independent verification, the most important test of scientific 

 validity. It rests on shaky assumptions and a questionable theoretical model. 



While the numbers may come from NMFS records, the manipulation of the statis- 

 tics is solely that of the Humane Society of the United States. This manipulation 

 may have produced what HSUS believes to be sensational results. However, without 

 peer review and a closer examination of methodology, it's highly questionable 

 whether the manipulation of the statistics means anything at all. 



Furthermore, the HSUS states that the average life span of a female killer whale 

 is 50 years in the wild. This number is, in fact, an average of estimates of the ages 

 of individual animals. These individual estimates are themselves based on other 

 unproven assumptions. No one has observed a single female killer whale in the wild 

 for 50 years. 



In addition, the HSUS study incorrectly, and moreover, inappropriately lists the 

 average and maximum longevity of male killer whales in the wild. It should also 

 be pointed out that assumptions made about the killer whale populations around 

 Vancouver Island, Canada, may not be valid for other killer whale populations 

 around the world. 



