As you might have noticed (cough) I have just returned from a fabulous Blogger Trip courtesy of SeaWorld Parks where I spent 5 amazing days with some truly lovely ladies Laura, Erica, Tara, Becks  and Liz.

Day 1 was spent at SeaWorld, where the heat was overwhelming and the amazing radar system meant we avoided being hit by lightening and exploding into tiny little blogger pieces, which would have been quite unpleasant.

Fun bits:

Riding Manta:  I still can’t believe I did it.  I’m a very proud lady.  I’ve definitely come on since Drayton Manor Park and Port Aventura where I was decidedly wuss like and was general bag carrier and hat stand.  I actually laughed all the way round. Maybe it was jet lag.

Dinner at the Sharks Underwater Grill: Munching away on yummy food while sharks and huge ancient looking fish circle beside us divided only by a wall of glass.  One in particular takes a fancy to Ms Tara Cain and looms from the darkness every few minutes sporting a twisted grin and a kind of rolling strut.  If I didn’t know better I’d swear he was singing “Fly me to the Moon”, but he was sadly mouthing the words to a Cliff Richard song.  Tsk.

(Caged white chocolate mouse, yum yum yum.)

When animals take charge: The Orcas fancied a group swim rather than beginning their ‘Believe’ show and this was accepted and explained by the keepers who waited them out calmly.   Likewise when sea lions in the Clyde and Seamore show decided to rewrite the script, trainers just laughed and carried on.  It was good to know that the animals could choose, and did.

Speaking to the Animal Carers and Trainers: Every single person involved directly with the animals was passionate about their care and well being.  From Manatee keeper of 30 years, Steve Lehr, to the lovely lady involved in the Clyde and Seamore show who spoke of her work not only with the sea lions, but also with the killer whales.  It was obvious there was a great deal of sadness over the recent death of keeper Dawn Brancheau earlier this year although her name went unmentioned, and we were told of the bond between trainer and animal, and the trust and mutual respect needed.

Whether or not you agree with places such as Sea World, the people who work there seem educated in, and dedicated to the welfare of their charges.  It is not a responsibility they take lightly.

Serious Bits:

High point of the day for me wasmeeting Steve Lehr and the manatees.  Large, gentle, bottom grazing mammals, they look like a cross between a hippo, a dolphin and a sharpei and you cannot help but fall for their puppy dog faces and continuous munching.  The true aim with the manatee is to return them to the wild wherever possible.  Because of this, interaction is on a very small scale, the idea being that once freed the manatees will stay away from man rather than seek to engage with him.  Listening to Steve talk and seeing the SeaWorld Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre was very humbling, and it was good to know that manatees are no longer bred in captivity.

A low point however was seeing the animals in Wild Arctic.  While they looked healthy, the realisation that they never see sky but live in an artificial environment that perhaps could never quite seem large enough did sadden me.  The lone polar bear snoozing in his glass enclosure seemed out of place and wrong, and while I understand that these are sea animals, I hadn’t expected to see them there and felt uncomfortable.

As an animal lover I often struggle with the idea of animals in cages, but I also understand that for conservation to occur on a wide scale, people need to be educated and made aware of the wonders we share our planet with.  They need to see and understand in order to care and give aid, so I do believe there is a place for good animal parks, and I believe sea world works hard to be one.

So the big question, “Would I take my kids there? “

Yes.  My girls are animal lovers.  They’ve been completely blown away by the photographs of Mummy with a small penguin called Midas standing calm and still at her feet.

They have listened in awe to my description of manatees and we’ve already explored the SeaWorld education site to find out more about them.

And they are in love with the sleeping sea lion who Mummy got to feed with a bucket full of stinky fish.

They would even quite like to see the odd looking wood stork who chose to steal some fish and take a small chunk out of Mummy’s hand when she turned her back for a moment.  He’s not decaying, that’s how he’s meant to look.  Makes me think of The Dark Crystal.

I truly believe Misses E and M would get something special from this experience.  I want them to know about the world around them.  I want them to be moved, amazed, charmed and enthused.  I want them to ask questions, form opinions and care. From what I have seen, Sea World isn’t a bad place to start.

Note to self, ‘Must start saving’.

Current Deals:
You can find all the information you need at Orlando Flexticket with prices for the UK.

Also SeaWorld Parks are doing a 3 for 2 park offer at the moment, see below;

3 amazing parks for the price of 2!  Book by the 15th December 2010 and you can buy a 3-Park Ticket which includes unlimited admission to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens for 14 consecutive days.  Adult £79 / Child (3-9 years) £72 – under 3s go free.