Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) Discussion Thread

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

I went to the park again today, but I'll try to make this quick.

 

Park was busier than Friday but still not very busy.

 

The highlight? My friend saying, "I wish there were margaritas" and then us finding them. Have they always sold margaritas over in Roar plaza or is this new? Because it's awesome and I never noticed them before.

 

I also noticed signs in front of the Familgias' pizza and Sharky's? snacks saying there is construction going on for new "fun". I'm not sure if this means new food options or if they're just refurbing the places. I'm hoping new food! Esp at the pizza place, since we already have another of the same.

 

Also, I definitely think SkyScreamer is better backwards. You guys should try it.

 

Oh, and the spinning balloons ride in the kids' area is kind of awesome. Esp after drinking a margarita

[CoastersOnly]

Skyscreamer is one of those things that isn't worth the wait if you have to spend more than ten minutes in line, yet is totally awesome if you don't. It honestly scares the hell out of me, moreso than any of the coasters in the park. Ridden it twice now and both times my hands were literally clammy and I was holding on for dear life. I can get why a lot of people would find it relatively pointless and not all that scary, but I guess I'm more afraid of heights than inversion, speed or going backwards. The lift on Deja Vu at Magic Mountain was probably the most nerve inducing thing ever for me, for example, and I'd now say the scariest attraction I've been on is Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom (especially when it sways thanks to that other ride).

 

Been to this park four times now since it's literally down the street. All Sundays from last October to as recent as this February. Dead days all four times in terms of lines (although one day had a cheerleader competition, yet almost none of them hit the rides). I think the park tends to attract more families so they're filling up a lot of the flats and whatever else and we don't see nearly as many teenagers as there are at Magic Mountain. So, outside of the summer, you can get on Medusa in under ten minutes and walk-on to things like Superman and V2 with ease. And it's nice, although we always leave after like two hours (the more popular trip tends to be to hit up Superman/V2 twice and Medusa at least once...Roar is a distant 4th and not always necessary and Kong isn't far behind, the former is underwhelming for its type and the latter is slightly painful. Boomerang is just absolutely terrible. Seriously, don't.)

[CoastersOnly]

^What's your first least favorite? For me, Medusa and S:UF are neck and neck, V2 is next, followed by Kong, then Roar, then Boomerang

 

Totally on the money for my girlfriend and I. I slightly prefer Medusa and she prefers Superman. We get more rides on Superman though because it's literally a walk-on all four times we've gone and it's next to V2 which is our third favorite and also always a walk-on. Medusa can sometimes get as bad as 20 minutes waits (we only go on offseason Sundays) and the only thing next to it to consider are Kong and Skyscreamer, both of which we only ride on about half our visits since we aren't in love with either and they can tend to be about 15 minute waits. I'd say Kong, at least on offseason, tends to have the longest wait of any of the coasters. Running a single car and it only seats two per row.

 

She probably prefers Roar to Kong and I'm on the opposite side of the fence. I get more out of Kong even though I know that there's an inversion that's always a bitch (the rest of the ride is fine, in my opinion). As far as Roar is concerned, the ride is SO much better if you're up front. It's like night and day, really. It's a little boring otherwise to me...not sure why, but I think Apocalypse at Magic Mountain just does everything better. That ride is one of the best to point at in terms of wooden roller coasters that are all killer, no filler...Roar, on the other hand, is a pretty good woodie, but not a great one in anybody's mind.

 

Boomerang's easily the most painful coaster in the park and maybe in California. Rusted out paint, inversions that are too close together giving you a near blackout in the middle and very uncomfortable harnesses and seats with poor leg room. We've only ridden it twice since getting the annual pass simply because I had forgot how bad it was some six months prior (my girlfriend, on the other hand, had kept her painful memories and was begging me to not make her ride it).

 

I think their selection of flats for the family is much better than what's offered over at Magic Mountain. I can't really do them without feeling sick though as spinning around is not my thing. Tasmanian Devil has nearly made me throw up twice and that unfortunate result happened to my sister a few years back. Hammerhead is a pretty good take on the most extreme ride they have at county fairs...Thrilla Gorilla is surprisingly fun, same for Voodoo. We've only ridden each of these once with the pass though since we're both into coasters.

 

I also want them to get rid of the animals. With three recent (award-winning) documentaries on captive orcas, dolphins and elephants, it's clear that none of those creatures belong in captivity. Donate the Elephants to Oakland Zoo or a sanctuary and get rid of the dolphin show (which doesn't even run during most of the year since it's off-season). They already got rid of their Orca and California is planning on passing a bill to soon ban their captivity in the state (at least for shows of the Sea World, ilk). Plus, I'm sick of having to go past protesters on my way into the park, even though I agree with them.

 

They can easily turn the Elephant area into a few other enclosures for smaller animals and still draw in just as many people while the dolphin stadium can simply be converted into a show for animal tricks (trained birds, etc,) or something else. It really won't affect attendance much and possibly improve things as there won't be negative publicity from having a dolphin show.

[CoastersOnly]

1) Someone posted earlier about offseason crowds and whether the park is getting a lot of visitors...it's very, very hard to say. It seems to me that a lot of people going are already pass holders, but we also would arrive late in the afternoon and just ride coasters for two hours or less and head home, so perhaps there are some at the gate ticket sales...the parking lot is usually full (or at least the main side of it) and the crowd at DK, at least during offseason, is mostly families with younger children. Practically every time we see all the cars and start dreading long wait times yet we always walk on everything or at worst have to wait like fifteen minutes for Kong and ten for Medusa while the other four are walk-ons...of course, we've now entered the peak season and we have no plans of going again until it dies down in the fall. A Sunday during peak to encounter a lot of lines and rambunctious teenagers isn't really my idea of fun...better to wait a few months and go a couple more times before our pass expires.

 

2) Anybody else annoyed with the "lock her" situation for Superman? Just a way to make a few bucks off of people, moreso during the summer when that ride will sometimes have two hour waits. I'd say there was someone manning the "lock hers" about 3 out of the 4 times we've gone, and if the ride attendant noticed my girlfriend's fanny pack with our car keys and a few other things when we were about to board the ride, they would usually get annoyed which is kind of funny because the person manning the "lock hers" at the entrance never say anything about the fanny pack. The first time we rode it, a female attendant kind of snapped at my girlfriend yet they didn't make us get off the ride or get rid of the pack. The second day we went, we would just ditch the bag under the fence since there was nobody behind us to see it. The other two times my GF would just place the fanny pack under her sweatshirt and they wouldn't notice. It's just really weird that they enforce this and do nothing about carrying things onto the other coasters, even having free cubbies on some of the other ones. I mean, are people really more likely to drop things on Superman with one real inversion instead of Medusa which I think has 73?

[XYZ]

I also want them to get rid of the animals. With three recent (award-winning) documentaries on captive orcas, dolphins and elephants, it's clear that none of those creatures belong in captivity. Donate the Elephants to Oakland Zoo or a sanctuary and get rid of the dolphin show (which doesn't even run during most of the year since it's off-season). They already got rid of their Orca and California is planning on passing a bill to soon ban their captivity in the state (at least for shows of the Sea World, ilk). Plus, I'm sick of having to go past protesters on my way into the park, even though I agree with them.

 

They can easily turn the Elephant area into a few other enclosures for smaller animals and still draw in just as many people while the dolphin stadium can simply be converted into a show for animal tricks (trained birds, etc,) or something else. It really won't affect attendance much and possibly improve things as there won't be negative publicity from having a dolphin show.

 

I disagree. The park started as Marine World and has been taking care of marine animals for over forty years, decades before any coasters were built.

Edited April 10, 2014 by XYZ

[DarienLaker]

Half expecting Six Flags to run their toilets backwards sometime in the near future..

 

Toilets only go backwards in the southern hemisphere!

[CoastersOnly]

I also want them to get rid of the animals. With three recent (award-winning) documentaries on captive orcas, dolphins and elephants, it's clear that none of those creatures belong in captivity. Donate the Elephants to Oakland Zoo or a sanctuary and get rid of the dolphin show (which doesn't even run during most of the year since it's off-season). They already got rid of their Orca and California is planning on passing a bill to soon ban their captivity in the state (at least for shows of the Sea World, ilk). Plus, I'm sick of having to go past protesters on my way into the park, even though I agree with them.

 

They can easily turn the Elephant area into a few other enclosures for smaller animals and still draw in just as many people while the dolphin stadium can simply be converted into a show for animal tricks (trained birds, etc,) or something else. It really won't affect attendance much and possibly improve things as there won't be negative publicity from having a dolphin show.

 

I disagree. The park started as Marine World and has been taking care of marine animals for over forty years, decades before any coasters were built.

 

I know that. I went to Marine World Africa USA as a kid along with The New Marine World Theme Park...but carrying on a tradition of awfulness is just plain wrong. Dolphins do not want to be captive animals and certainly shouldn't be. These are the next most intelligent creatures on the planet and forcing them to learn tricks while confining them to a small box instead of the entirety of the world's oceans is cruel.

[megametal]

^ May I suggest you not go into any of the Sea World threads...

[XYZ]

I know that. I went to Marine World Africa USA as a kid along with The New Marine World Theme Park...but carrying on a tradition of awfulness is just plain wrong. Dolphins do not want to be captive animals and certainly shouldn't be. These are the next most intelligent creatures on the planet and forcing them to learn tricks while confining them to a small box instead of the entirety of the world's oceans is cruel.

 

How do you know that dolphins do not want to be captive? You cannot place human emotions on animals as they act more upon instinct than emotion.

 

Dolphins are not placed in tiny areas and I seriously doubt it is possible to force an animal into doing tricks.

 

If dolphins should not be given tricks and put into captivity, than people should be banned from having dogs contained in their house and teaching dogs tricks should be illegal.

Edited April 10, 2014 by XYZ

[coastercrazy216]

 

I also want them to get rid of the animals. With three recent (award-winning) documentaries on captive orcas, dolphins and elephants, it's clear that none of those creatures belong in captivity. Donate the Elephants to Oakland Zoo or a sanctuary and get rid of the dolphin show (which doesn't even run during most of the year since it's off-season). They already got rid of their Orca and California is planning on passing a bill to soon ban their captivity in the state (at least for shows of the Sea World, ilk). Plus, I'm sick of having to go past protesters on my way into the park, even though I agree with them.

 

They can easily turn the Elephant area into a few other enclosures for smaller animals and still draw in just as many people while the dolphin stadium can simply be converted into a show for animal tricks (trained birds, etc,) or something else. It really won't affect attendance much and possibly improve things as there won't be negative publicity from having a dolphin show.

 

Okay, so let me get this straight: You think that SFDK shouldn't have the animals, but it is okay for a zoo to have them? You do realize that doesn't change anything. Do some research on how these animals are actually treated besides watching these biased documentaries. Moreover, the bill for Orcas in California did not get passed and has no chance to get passed for at least another year.

 

Also, the idea that you want to replace some exhibits with more exhibits with smaller animals is just kind or crazy. Just because an animal is bigger or smaller does not have any indication on its intelligence level.

 

Finally, why should the dolphins not have to perform, but other animals that know some tricks perform? That doesn't make sense. These animals were never meant to be in captivity, but it happened a long time ago and we have to make the best of it. The idea that you can release these animals back into the wild is ridiculous. Not to mention the jobs lost due to decreased revenue.

[XYZ]

I'm sure the released animals will be well-fed in the wild and will not suffer starvation at all...

[Tmcdllr]

 

I also want them to get rid of the animals. With three recent (award-winning) documentaries on captive orcas, dolphins and elephants, it's clear that none of those creatures belong in captivity. Donate the Elephants to Oakland Zoo or a sanctuary and get rid of the dolphin show (which doesn't even run during most of the year since it's off-season). They already got rid of their Orca and California is planning on passing a bill to soon ban their captivity in the state (at least for shows of the Sea World, ilk). Plus, I'm sick of having to go past protesters on my way into the park, even though I agree with them.

 

They can easily turn the Elephant area into a few other enclosures for smaller animals and still draw in just as many people while the dolphin stadium can simply be converted into a show for animal tricks (trained birds, etc,) or something else. It really won't affect attendance much and possibly improve things as there won't be negative publicity from having a dolphin show.

 

Okay, so let me get this straight: You think that SFDK shouldn't have the animals, but it is okay for a zoo to have them? You do realize that doesn't change anything. Do some research on how these animals are actually treated besides watching these biased documentaries. Moreover, the bill for Orcas in California did not get passed and has no chance to get passed for at least another year.

 

Also, the idea that you want to replace some exhibits with more exhibits with smaller animals is just kind or crazy. Just because an animal is bigger or smaller does not have any indication on its intelligence level.

 

Finally, why should the dolphins not have to perform, but other animals that know some tricks perform? That doesn't make sense. These animals were never meant to be in captivity, but it happened a long time ago and we have to make the best of it. The idea that you can release these animals back into the wild is ridiculous. Not to mention the jobs lost due to decreased revenue.

 

 

Get rid of the Dolphins and Elephants and big animals but it's ok to have CAPTIVE trained birds and small animals...lol

[CoastersOnly]

Size does matter when it comes to what animals are in enclosures. Whales and Dolphins are used to swimming around the world and are instead kept in containers that they can swim back-and-forth across in under ten seconds. Elephants are used to running around vast swaths of land. There's no real argument for most animal captivity, but ones such as these need a lot more room and they can never really get that outside of the wild. Using dogs as a counterargument is pretty terrible given that they evolved specifically to benefit from human interaction, but I get your point. People who don't have a large backyard (at the very least) probably shouldn't have a dog. They aren't meant to be kept in the house all day while their owner is away, something considered "normal" in a lot of metropolitan areas, but I digress.

 

As for the economic effect, public protest against Sea World has already hurt their bottom line and certain firms have divested because of this. So those dolphins at Discovery Kingdom could very well become an economic hindrance for the park rather than an asset.

 

There's really only two sides to the issue involving orcas, dolphins, etc. You're either siding with the actual evidence that supports the fact that they don't live as long in captivity, suffer emotional stress, etc. or you're siding with corporations that were built merely to capitalize on these animals for entertainment purpose. If Sea World's own greeters are going to tell you bullshit about their orcas (such as saying they live much shorter lives than they actually do because they die quicker in captivity or that it's "normal" for male orcas to have their main fin fall to one side, something that virtually only happens in captivity) then I think we already know which side is willfully spreading misinformation.

 

I mean, christ, Sea World's former top trainers and the guy who basically mainstreamed the captivity of dolphins are now against their current treatment. Who would know better than the people that spent their lives around these animals? Sea World really doesn't employ actual scientists or conduct much research about these animals. They buy them, they train them, they sell them. That's it.

 

Keep in mind that Orcas and Dolphins are both pack animals. They aren't meant at all to be isolated or kept with only one or two other individuals as is usually the case in these parks. But whatever, I guess their screaming for their young ones when they've been poached and shipped off to these parks means nothing and they're just being playful.

[V2-dude]

I agree.

 

We humans are much too harmful towards whales. We should liberate them from the harsh confines of this unforgiving planet:

 

 

[CoastersOnly]

Truly the funniest ending to any South Park episode. I fell on the floor crying for about five minutes.

[coastercrazy216]

Size does matter when it comes to what animals are in enclosures. Whales and Dolphins are used to swimming around the world and are instead kept in containers that they can swim back-and-forth across in under ten seconds. Elephants are used to running around vast swaths of land. There's no real argument for most animal captivity, but ones such as these need a lot more room and they can never really get that outside of the wild. Using dogs as a counterargument is pretty terrible given that they evolved specifically to benefit from human interaction, but I get your point. People who don't have a large backyard (at the very least) probably shouldn't have a dog. They aren't meant to be kept in the house all day while their owner is away, something considered "normal" in a lot of metropolitan areas, but I digress.

 

As for the economic effect, public protest against Sea World has already hurt their bottom line and certain firms have divested because of this. So those dolphins at Discovery Kingdom could very well become an economic hindrance for the park rather than an asset.

 

There's really only two sides to the issue involving orcas, dolphins, etc. You're either siding with the actual evidence that supports the fact that they don't live as long in captivity, suffer emotional stress, etc. or you're siding with corporations that were built merely to capitalize on these animals for entertainment purpose. If Sea World's own greeters are going to tell you bullshit about their orcas (such as saying they live much shorter lives than they actually do because they die quicker in captivity or that it's "normal" for male orcas to have their main fin fall to one side, something that virtually only happens in captivity) then I think we already know which side is willfully spreading misinformation.

 

I mean, christ, Sea World's former top trainers and the guy who basically mainstreamed the captivity of dolphins are now against their current treatment. Who would know better than the people that spent their lives around these animals? Sea World really doesn't employ actual scientists or conduct much research about these animals. They buy them, they train them, they sell them. That's it.

 

Keep in mind that Orcas and Dolphins are both pack animals. They aren't meant at all to be isolated or kept with only one or two other individuals as is usually the case in these parks. But whatever, I guess their screaming for their young ones when they've been poached and shipped off to these parks means nothing and they're just being playful.

 

 

First off, one of your primary arguments was that dolphins shouldn't be in captivity due to their high intelligence levels, but now that doesn't appear to be an issue? Also, who is to judge which animals are intelligent? Furthermore, just because an animal is large does not mean that it travels to vast areas. In fact, studies have shown that a large percentage of dolphins remain in the same general area for the majority of their lives. Second off, when you look at the structures of orcas in Sea World, you will quickly find that they are kept in packs and they are hardly separated from their families until they are long into adulthood.

 

Listen, unless you have the ability to observe these animals in the ocean as well as in captivity, which I know for a fact you don't since no one does, you will never be able to prove the majority of the claims made in the awful film. Take a minute and actually read this document: http://t.co/jktrk8FFPd. Sure, it was written by Sea World, but it does an excellent job pointing out the MAJOR flaws in the film. I saw the movie. I understand that it is a heart-tugging story and the filmmakers do an excellent job of making you want to hate on Sea World and other marine parks like SFDK, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a biased film with unreasonable expectations.

 

As for the economics, Sea World has actually not been hurt when you look at its attendance and profit numbers. Furthermore, if the orcas were taken out, what do you expect to happen? Sea World just continue to go about its business? They wouldn't be able to do the conservation work that they do, and thousands upon thousands of people would be jobless. Millions of people would lose exposure to these animals and would probably never be able to experience them. You cannot outlaw the captivity of one species without outlawing all of them. The whole notion is just unrealistic, ridiculous, and I honestly cannot even believe that people suggest it.

[Double0Kevin]

Size does matter when it comes to what animals are in enclosures. Whales and Dolphins are used to swimming around the world and are instead kept in containers that they can swim back-and-forth across in under ten seconds. Elephants are used to running around vast swaths of land. There's no real argument for most animal captivity, but ones such as these need a lot more room and they can never really get that outside of the wild. Using dogs as a counterargument is pretty terrible given that they evolved specifically to benefit from human interaction, but I get your point. People who don't have a large backyard (at the very least) probably shouldn't have a dog. They aren't meant to be kept in the house all day while their owner is away, something considered "normal" in a lot of metropolitan areas, but I digress.

 

As for the economic effect, public protest against Sea World has already hurt their bottom line and certain firms have divested because of this. So those dolphins at Discovery Kingdom could very well become an economic hindrance for the park rather than an asset.

 

There's really only two sides to the issue involving orcas, dolphins, etc. You're either siding with the actual evidence that supports the fact that they don't live as long in captivity, suffer emotional stress, etc. or you're siding with corporations that were built merely to capitalize on these animals for entertainment purpose. If Sea World's own greeters are going to tell you bullshit about their orcas (such as saying they live much shorter lives than they actually do because they die quicker in captivity or that it's "normal" for male orcas to have their main fin fall to one side, something that virtually only happens in captivity) then I think we already know which side is willfully spreading misinformation.

 

I mean, christ, Sea World's former top trainers and the guy who basically mainstreamed the captivity of dolphins are now against their current treatment. Who would know better than the people that spent their lives around these animals? Sea World really doesn't employ actual scientists or conduct much research about these animals. They buy them, they train them, they sell them. That's it.

 

Keep in mind that Orcas and Dolphins are both pack animals. They aren't meant at all to be isolated or kept with only one or two other individuals as is usually the case in these parks. But whatever, I guess their screaming for their young ones when they've been poached and shipped off to these parks means nothing and they're just being playful.

 

I worked for SFDK for 7 years, and had a lot more behind the scenes insight than you do having watched Blackfish. And I'm sorry, but you are just pulling stuff out of you ass and making yourself sound like a moron. Do real research and then get back to us.

[singemfrc]

2) Anybody else annoyed with the "lock her" situation for Superman? Just a way to make a few bucks off of people, moreso during the summer when that ride will sometimes have two hour waits. I'd say there was someone manning the "lock hers" about 3 out of the 4 times we've gone, and if the ride attendant noticed my girlfriend's fanny pack with our car keys and a few other things when we were about to board the ride, they would usually get annoyed which is kind of funny because the person manning the "lock hers" at the entrance never say anything about the fanny pack. The first time we rode it, a female attendant kind of snapped at my girlfriend yet they didn't make us get off the ride or get rid of the pack. The second day we went, we would just ditch the bag under the fence since there was nobody behind us to see it. The other two times my GF would just place the fanny pack under her sweatshirt and they wouldn't notice. It's just really weird that they enforce this and do nothing about carrying things onto the other coasters, even having free cubbies on some of the other ones. I mean, are people really more likely to drop things on Superman with one real inversion instead of Medusa which I think has 73?

Yes, they are. If you would like to see an example of why, watch the TPR video. Both the airtime on the big launch and the slow inversion with hangtime make it much more likely that things could fall out of your hand or pocket than on medusa, where there is no hang time and little airtime. Medusa's inversions mostly have positive Gs which will keep things down rather than throw them out unless that something is in your hand and you drop it.

[Diamondbacker27]

I know that. I went to Marine World Africa USA as a kid along with The New Marine World Theme Park...but carrying on a tradition of awfulness is just plain wrong. Dolphins do not want to be captive animals and certainly shouldn't be. These are the next most intelligent creatures on the planet and forcing them to learn tricks while confining them to a small box instead of the entirety of the world's oceans is cruel.

 

How do you know that dolphins do not want to be captive? You cannot place human emotions on animals as they act more upon instinct than emotion.

 

Dolphins are not placed in tiny areas and I seriously doubt it is possible to force an animal into doing tricks.

 

If dolphins should not be given tricks and put into captivity, than people should be banned from having dogs contained in their house and teaching dogs tricks should be illegal.

That's his opinion. Do humans want to be in prison? No. It's confining dolphins to a tank. And humans have to be confined for punishment, when dolphins didn't do jack diddly. It's not right, unless they were rescued. But capturing them from an ocean and putting them in a tank away from there family. Yes, that is sad and pitiful, Six Flags limits there daily food limit. In the wild it's like a buffet. So there can be two sides to this conflict.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Diamondbacker27

[singemfrc]

I dont know how often it's true of other parks but a lot of the dolphins at sfdk actually are family. The new baby dolphin was born at the park and it's parents and I think at least one of it's grandparents are also at the park.

[urzishra]

I know that. I went to Marine World Africa USA as a kid along with The New Marine World Theme Park...but carrying on a tradition of awfulness is just plain wrong. Dolphins do not want to be captive animals and certainly shouldn't be. These are the next most intelligent creatures on the planet and forcing them to learn tricks while confining them to a small box instead of the entirety of the world's oceans is cruel.

 

How do you know that dolphins do not want to be captive? You cannot place human emotions on animals as they act more upon instinct than emotion.

 

Dolphins are not placed in tiny areas and I seriously doubt it is possible to force an animal into doing tricks.

 

If dolphins should not be given tricks and put into captivity, than people should be banned from having dogs contained in their house and teaching dogs tricks should be illegal.

That's his opinion. Do humans want to be in prison? No. It's confining dolphins to a tank. And humans have to be confined for punishment, when dolphins didn't do jack diddly. It's not right, unless they were rescued. But capturing them from an ocean and putting them in a tank away from there family. Yes, that is sad and pitiful, Six Flags limits there daily food limit. In the wild it's like a buffet. So there can be two sides to this conflict.

 

 

Look at it this way, everyone is confined in some kind of box. I mean I pay my landlord a certain amount of money so I have a place to live. Dolphins don't need to pay anything (other than being viewed by people, and yeah it wasn't a "choice" I mean I guess I can go live like a "wild" human in the streets and be homeless...but I don't want to.) I don't see how the dolphins are unhappy.

 

You claim the ocean is like a "buffet" yeah I mean it is awesome when the food is plentiful, but in the wild you are fighting off predators and other animal competition for food. It isn't like the dolphin can just swim up and be like "I'm here, where's my plate?" But at Six Flags? They get someone to come out specifically to toss raw fish into my home? sweet.

 

Most of the animals currently in captivity were born into captivity. And being in captivity is sometimes the safest place for these animals to be.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Any construction on Tsunami Soaker yet?

[Vonni]

^ I don't know what SFDK construction timeline was, but the Tsunami Soaker at SFStL is completely constructed with the exception of the queue. I've not heard any updates for this one though so I don't know if its comparable.

[loop-de-loop]

I've given up defending zoos, Seaworld, and parks like this since the PETA crazy people are always right no matter what and are experts on animal care because they watched one biased film, and they aren't willing to listen to reason when proven wrong. I tip my hat to those of you who go keep trying though.

[singemfrc]

One of the maintenance workers posted this panorama taken from the top of S:UF on SFDK's facebook: