Awesome Ocean’s Top 10 of 2014
In just a matter of days, 2014 and all this year entailed will be a memory.
As we take a look back on the past 12 months, we’re reflecting on all the good, bad, ugly, and heartwarming stories you’ve allowed us to share with you.
Here are the top 10 stories for 2014, based on the number of readers and your responses on Facebook:
10. Deaths of Lulu and Indigo: Bad News For Activists
On August 26, the Orca Network reported that these two members of the L-Pod have not been seen and are currently presumed dead. These deaths are tragic, but they are also a sign.
9. An Inconvenient Truth: Why Activists So Irrationally Defend Pseudoscience
What makes this vocal minority so resistant to new information? What makes them cling to a series of tweets from Samantha Berg or John Jett over actual scientific data? Why do they so violently reject the ideas of behavioral experts like Dr. Grey Stafford when he makes statements that don’t align with their agenda?
8. VIDEO: Girl Does Flips and Makes Dolphin Laugh
We totally understand why you loved this video. We could watch it again, and again, and again!
7. My Life Post BlackFish: From a Former SeaWorld Trainer
Bridgette Pirtle speaks out in the aftermath of Blackfish:
When it comes to my former association with Blackfish, the mantra, “Everything happens for a reason,” hasnʼt always assuaged my disappointments of becoming connected to such an immensely misleading exploitation of the lives of killer whales and their trainers at SeaWorld.
6. While You Tweet About BlackFish, Orcas Are Dying
The people who bought into the propaganda put forth by BlackFish aren’t just harming one of the world’s best zoological institutions, they are actually taking attention away from Killer Whales that are dying in the wild.
5. 13 Itty Bitty Ocean Babies Being Adorably Itty Bitty
Having a rough day? Having a great day? Either way, these 13 ocean babies are about to make it better!
4. SeaWorld Orlando’s Baby Manatee Video
Who doesn’t love a baby manatee! To check out the video one more time, click on the photo above.
3. Starving and Pregnant: A Look Into J32’s Tragic Death
We hated to share this tragic news. A young, pregnant killer whale from the Southern Resident pods was found stranded and dead in the Pacific Northwest.
2. Why Condemning SeaWorld Is A Really Bad Idea
Keyboard warriors and animal activists alike have been jumping on the SeaWorld bandwagon for a while now and attempting to convert ordinary people to support their cause with as little validated, balanced information as possible.
1. PETA’s Latest Stunt Will Chill Your Soul
This was the most read story on Awesome Ocean in 2014.
PETA employees snatched a young girl’s dog in Virginia, right off the family’s front porch. When they returned, they were bearing a fruit basket to apologize for killing the dog. A fruit basket? Really?!
