LAist: LAistory: In Southern California, Killer Whales Can Fly...or not

Elise Thompson

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:49:24 -0800

I was involved with the Cetacean Society and PETA in Redondo Beach at the time. It was our opinion that the owners of Sea World were unusually cruel to their animals/mammals. Marineland was also a rescue center, saving any sick or beached sea lion, dolphin, etc and nursing them back to health before releasing them in the wild. I used to go over and unofficially volunteer with the sick animals. Harcourt-Brace were no longer allowed to capture any more orcas in the wild, and from the beginning we believed they were buying Marineland simply to get the orcas. It was awhile ago, but if I remember correctly, it was a pattern with them. We felt like our beloved sea animals/mammals were being taken from a compassionate environment and put into the hands of an evil conglomerate. The closing of the rescue center was also a terrible blow. In the years since, Sea World cleaned up its act and began providing better care an habitats. I haven't been involved in those organizations for many years now, so current members may have a very differet take on Sea World's care of its inhabitants. But the loss of Marineland will always be a personal loss for me.

ker

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:57:34 -0800

I'm very happy to see this one posted. One of my old friends used to live by there. The place was extremely run down. It was known to have a lot of homeless people living there in the 'ruins'. I went to a wedding next door to the park a couple of years ago. And the sets to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" were up. Such a weird sight to see Dr. Seuss like houses in an empty lot!

npm

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:54:17 -0800

Actually, they are building a resort at the site. It's called Terranea and here's a link: http://www.terranea.com/ I wonder if the resort will have any sort of recognition or memorial for Marineland.. That would be great!

Whinemaker

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:41:15 -0800

Sorry about the post above - I don't know if that link above worked. Here's the article from the NY Times - and a bit about moving Corky and Orky in the trucks is six paragraphs down. It was really sad, and I doubt the original orcas lived - I can only imagine how traumatized they were ... NATIONAL NOTEBOOK: Rancho Palos Verdes; Harcourt Sinks Marineland By JOHN NIELSEN Published: March 1, 1987 LEAD: WHEN Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bought California's oldest aquatic park last December, admirers of Marineland hoped that its past glories might soon be restored. At the time of the purchase, the Florida-based conglomerate said it had no plans to close the 33-year-old oceanarium, even though it was run-down and barely breaking even. WHEN Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bought California's oldest aquatic park last December, admirers of Marineland hoped that its past glories might soon be restored. At the time of the purchase, the Florida-based conglomerate said it had no plans to close the 33-year-old oceanarium, even though it was run-down and barely breaking even. But on Jan. 30, Harcourt abruptly canceled restoration plans on the ground that the venerable park here was more decrepit than expected. Improvements could cost as much as $25 million, the new owners said, and without them the park would lose $2 million a year. The speed and style of the decision left a bitter taste in Rancho Palos Verdes, an oceanside city about 50 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles. Since it was opened in 1954, Marineland had been the city's largest employer, with 300 workers, and main tourist attraction. Over the years, it had drawn tens of millions of visitors, who came to see everything from sea sponges to Orky and Corky, a pair of trained killer whales. Attendance fell off badly in the 1970's, in the face of stiff competition from San Diego's Sea World, but in recent years it had risen slightly, raising hopes in turn. Best known as a book publisher, Harcourt owns the Sea World Company, which includes four aquatic theme parks and a fifth under construction. When it bought Marineland for an undisclosed sum from a Hong Kong developer, it was hoped that Sea World expertise might prove useful here. But the City Council became suspicious of Harcourt Brace's motives a few weeks after the purchase, when Orky and Corky were trucked to Sea World without warning one night, ostensibly for breeding. At a hastily called meeting, the Council passed an ''urgency'' ordinance requiring Harcourt to maintain the Marineland site if it were closed to keep it from falling into disrepair. It also required the company to maintain access to public beach areas adjacent to the 96-acre site, widely considered extremely choice real estate. Harcourt said it received bomb threats after announcing its change of heart, prompting it to lock the gates three weeks before the announced closing today. Asked about the future of the site, Marineland officials referred a caller to company headquarters, which has been unresponsive. Cari Cooper, spokesman for the City Council, conceded that Harcourt had every right to close the park, which is currently zoned for commercial and recreational purposes. But she added that the Council was annoyed. ''It's private land and a private company and they can do what they want,'' she said. ''But they've lost a lot of credibility. What the Council and the city feels is they should have been a little more open.''

Whinemaker

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:37:30 -0800

Here is the story ... http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDC143DF932A35750C0A961948260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Maxwell Schneller

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:05:17 -0800

While I haven't been in LA long enough to remember this place, it certainly seems like another one of the numerous ghostly relics that seem to inhabit this city. I really enjoyed the last segment of this article.

Jacy Young

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:16:58 -0800

That's interesting. I'm pretty sure I sourced this though. Could they have been moving something else? Dolphins, maybe? Either way, what a great contribution to the comments! I went to Marineland with the Girl Scouts, pretty soon before it closed. '86, maybe? I was really sad to hear about it.

Whinemaker

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:37:46 -0800

Actually, they DO move orcas in big tanker trucks! I have first hand knowledge of this very incident, as I happened to live in Palos Verdes when the sale of Marineland to HBJ took place. Coming home late/early morning (refer to above story about the lack o' nookie in LA - it was different back in the day...just sayin') anyhow, about 3:30 a.m. or so, I ended up behind two gigantic trucks hauling God knows what. The tractor/trailer/tank rigs were the size used to haul houses when pried from their foundations. Anyhow, these trucks were crawling at a snails pace - literally maybe 10 mph, tops - down Pac. Coast Hwy (PCH and Calle Mayor, when I encountered them, to be exact). It took me a few moments to notice water sloshing out over the tops, and then I saw the 6 or 8 guys in wet suits sitting around the top of the tank perimeter. I have NO idea how they managed it, but it was the most bizarre/surreal thing I'd ever seen. It immediately dawned on me what was going on, because the sale/talk of moving the orcas was such a big deal - if I remember correctly, there were protesters out at Marineland every day, and the whole thing was very emotional. So there it was, they were moving them covertly, under the cover of night. It was something I'll never forget - obviously!

jayson1418

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:42:55 -0800

Wow. I can't wait for you guys to do an article on the Pacific Electric Railway.

uccloud9

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:13:15 -0800

i loved marineland as a kid. my parents when i big let's go to amusement park kick when i was three in 1983. At least there will always be sea world.