A 1916 halftone print of Mrs. Janet McDonald-- one of the world's few women sealers. She supplied the animals to aquaria and zoological gardens. She would give fresh fish to her captured seals. Little by little, she would get the seals to eat dead fish, so it would be easier for the zoos to take care of them.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Vintage Animal Collecting--Location Unknown
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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2 comments:
Before the Marine Mammal Protection Act there were a few dealers in sea lions. We used Dick Headley out of Santa Barbara, CA. In the "good old days" you could call him up and place an order. In 3 or 4 days they'd be at the airport and feeding on thawed fish. The price was $100 apiece or $125 if you asked for a certain sex.
Today you have to find captive born or unreleasable sea lions and have inspections and permits. There was some poor animal care in the early days and some overkill on regulation now. Something in the middle would be just right.
Jim,
Well said, "somewhere in the middle" would be the ideal. Although I can't speak to marine mammals, with the exception of of a few cases, I found, like "land mammals" it was almost always the trainers who were the most ethical, and the most concerned, but often they were forced to comply. When it tanked, "owners" moved on to other things, and the trainers were left without animals to train.
Wade
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