Empty the Tanks
I was told when I arrived at the Shedd Aquarium at 11:00 AM that the Chicago Police Department was unaware of the demonstration outside the aquarium’s temporary visitor’s entrance. I was not surprised after seeing just six ernest demonstrators standing on the sidewalk holding signs as they handed out informational postcards. Later in the day, I learned that CPD was aware of the demonstration, but was not all that concerned. After I left, apparently several bicycle cops stopped by.
The demonstrators hoped to inform the public about what the demonstrators consider to be the intolerable living conditions imposed on whales and dolphins held in captivity. I heard no speeches, nor chants during my 10-minute visit. I asked one of the demonstrators whether the group had appropriate chants for the occasion. “We have chants,” was the response, but they didn’t chant while I was present.
Anyone who took the time to read the informational postcard didn’t need to hear a speech. The card said it all. Dolphins and whales suffer in captivity because of the small tanks that they are forced to live and perform in. The animals also miss their families, are forced to interact with humans, and must learn unnatural and forced behaviors. The demonstrators were simply asking that people not buy tickets, hoping that their efforts would undermine the economic viability of this sort of entertainment.
During my short time standing near the Shedd’s entrance, I didn’t see any visitors change their plans. People continued to head toward the ticket booths.
On January 11, 2022, the Shedd announced an eight-year, $500 million comprehensive plan to modernize its antiquated facilities. At the time, the Shedd said,
[The expansion will] ensure a shared future where resilient ecosystems and communities thrive together, it is going to take everyone to create collective impact and change. This means engaging neighbors, schools and local businesses in authentic conversations, elevating science literacy, cultivating a shared environmental identity, and helping to inform conservation solutions that safeguard the most vulnerable species across the globe. The Centennial Commitment is our pledge to do the work that is necessary now, to ensure the next 100 years includes a world thriving with aquatic life that is sustained by people who love, understand and protect it.
Even if the whales and dolphins who are the mainstay of the Shedd’s entertainment experience aren’t totally happy, the Shedd would presumably argue that their captivity protects those animals who are in the wild by increasing environmental awareness. While the argument has some logic, it didn’t work in the case of elephants. Zoos no longer include them in their menageries.
The demonstrators clearly reject such logic, believing that humans should not be asking other creatures to make sacrifices. Given the Shedd’s expensive expansion project, its board of directors had better hope that the demonstrators’ crusade fails.
[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]
Everyone Remembers Flipper
Construction Preventing Demonstrations in Front of the Shedd Acquarium
Concerned About Cruelty to Animals
Waiting at the Shedd Aquarium’s Entrance
Like Me, Ken is Out for Another Demonstration
Temporarly Blocked from Looking in the Back Windows
Believes that Animals Shouldn't be Held Captive
Ready to Greet Visitors
Copyright 2025, Jack B. Siegel (except the first two images in the post, which are copyrighted 2024). All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Display, Distribute, Download, Duplicate, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.
