The Marineland theme park in Niagara Falls, Canada has been getting some attention lately regarding the treatment of the animals they keep in captivity. One walrus, especially, has come to light, exemplifying what many call inhumane practices.
Zeus, a 13 year old walrus, is one of the park’s least seen residents. A few months ago, he made a rare appearance onstage, but the sight wasn’t one that inspired joy.
A visitor to the park took the footage, and posted it on YouTube. In it, we see Zeus shuffle onstage, moving very slowly. He seems to have very little energy, and soon flops over onto his side. Former senior trainer at Marineland, Philip Demers, was outraged at the sight of the walrus.
“He’s grossly emaciated,” Demers said. “You can see his hip bones, his spine. His skin is falling off his bones. His air sack is protruding. There’s virtually no belly.”
Full grown walruses typically weigh around 3,000 pounds. Demers estimates Zeus’ weight to be around 1,000. And while he may act like an old man in the video, Zeus is still very young for a walrus, as they can live up to about 40 years.
While Marineland contend that they treat their animals well, and have attacked Demers for his vocal opposition of their practices, it remains in the hands of the general public to make a judgment.
Watch Demers’ video on Zeus below! What did you think? Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!
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