I have a sick feeling in my stomach as I write this. In fact I wish I didn’t have to talk about this subject. That it just didn’t exist. But it does. I posted recently about the recent tragedies at SeaWorld – both the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau and the captive life of Tilikum – both are tragic as I see it.
One thing I did not expect to find afterwards however, was an article by Dr. Mehmet Oz of Oprah fame coming out very strongly in favour of continued captivity. Part of me doesn’t want to drive more traffic to that article, but then again, knowledge is power, and sometimes we have to expose ourselves to very distasteful information in order to hopefully effect change.
I commented on his article saying, among other things, just how out-dated his view seemed to be on captivity and the so-called benefits to public knowledge. He just didn’t seem to get what Jean-Michel Cousteau and other experts are now saying. Interestingly he actually quoted the ‘first’ Cousteau to bolster his view, but those comments were made so long ago, and were of a time when society held a rather different view on the ethical treatment of animals.
Still, I was surprised, and disappointed, to read Dr. Oz’ article, as he had always seemed pretty reasonable most of the time. I was left wondering where this view on captivity came from. That was however, until today. Now sadly that surprise is gone. It seems pretty darn clear to me now. Despite everything positive he may have to say, he has some very disturbing views on animal treatment.
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Among them, “An entire litter of whelped puppies was killed by injections into their hearts without prior sedation. This is excruciatingly painful, not to mention internationally condemned by veterinary experts—the screams of these puppies could be heard through closed doors. All of these puppies, lying in a plastic garbage bag, were killed in the presence of their littermates.”
If you wish to read more information and disgusting details, there are many sources, but this PETA link details many of the salient points, including some details of Dr. Oz’ dog experiments. In writing to the USDA, PETA’s Mary Beth Sweetland, among her many points, explained that, “When Dr. Dell’Orto complained to the head veterinarian, Sulli Popilskis, about the condition of one of these dogs and requested that the animal be euthanized, Popilskis replied, “You still don’t understand do you? It’s all political.” Dr. Dell’Orto understood this to mean that Oz could do whatever he wanted without being questioned because of his celebrity status.”
It is very interesting to note that even though the government imposed fine was negligible, all of Dr. Oz’ subsequent grant applications to the National Institutes of Health have been denied. All of them. And that’s with his even greater fame today. A message delivered perhaps, albeit not nearly strongly enough.
And regarding the whales, if you find yourself looking for a way to help, hoping some sort of good can come out of the whole SeaWorld tragedy, care2.com has an online petition to SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment President Jim Atchison, that seeks “to relocate Tilly to a sea pen and to stop the use of wild-caught orca for entertainment.” There’s a great article on the site with more information and a link to the petition as well. Maybe Tilikum can still find some peace. Good thing Toto followed that yellow brick road to the Land of Oz, and not the Lab of Oz.
I am very disappointed to read this about Dr. Oz. I had heard this before but had no details. I emailed Oprah several years ago about it but never received a reply. I think she is doing the ostrich head in the sand about him because she has elevated him to star status and doesn’t want to admit that he has done these horrible things.
Does Oprah know about this side of Dr. Oz?
I don’t know if Oprah knows about his disturbing views on both animal captivity and animal experimentation. If not, I hope that changes and that she’s similarly appalled. And optimist that I am, I also hope Dr. Oz comes to rethink his own animal views.