The dangers of seaside sanctuaries

• Marine mammals born and/or raised in a zoological setting, such as SeaWorld's orcas, have not been exposed to certain potentially contagious diseases and pathogens found in the ocean or in wild animal populations. The release of the Company's orcas to a "seaside sanctuary" would expose the orcas to these contagious diseases and pathogens, which could jeopardize their health and increase the likelihood of morbidity and mortality.
  
• Marine mammals born and/or raised in a zoological setting, such as SeaWorld's orcas, have not been exposed to anthropogenic threats that affect oceans and sea quality, such as shipping noise, bacterial loads, industrial pollution, oil spills and contaminated fresh water runoff after rainstorms. A marine mammal kept in a "seaside sanctuary" could also swallow foreign objects such as trash and rocks, which are difficult to keep out of a "sanctuary."
  
• Releasing marine mammals such as SeaWorld's orcas that were raised by humans in zoological settings has the potential to hurt both the released animals and the wild marine mammals they encounter in the "sanctuary." That could lead to disease transmission and unrestricted interaction between released animals and wild marine mammal stocks. Further, both the social behavior of the wild animals and the social integration of the released animals could be adversely affected.
  
• Marine mammals housed in a zoological setting for a long time (decades) that were released into the wild in the past have not survived for very long. A prominent example is the orca, Keiko, which died of pneumonia several years after its release. 
  

Silverwood

On my last trip to Idaho, I went to Silverwood for the first time. It's the only theme park in Idaho. They have a waterpark there named Boulder Beach, which is what Boomerang Bay is to Great America. I didn't do Boulder Beach, since I already did Roaring Springs (a waterpark in Boise), but I thought Silverwood was decent.

The attractions I did include:

Train ride (my favorite there)
Carousel
Main Street Theatre (show movies like Laurel and Hardy and the Three Stooges)
Ferris Wheel
Antique Cars
Corkscrew (roller coaster that was originally at Knott's Berry Farm)
Tremors (wooden roller coaster)
Timber Terror (other wooden coaster)
Panic Plunge (drop tower)
Flying Elephants (hadn't been on that type of ride in years)

I found a plaque at the Corkscrew exit commissioned by the ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts), honoring the ride for being the first modern coaster with upside-down elements.

I give Silverwood an 8/10.

USH 2016-2017

It's been over a year since I did an update. The biggest bit of theme park news is a trip to what's currently my all-time favorite theme park, Universal Studios Hollywood. I went last December and this past April. I don't have any photos, but here are the ratings for each attraction I went on, on a scale of 1-10.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (8/10)
Silly Swirly (5/10)
Shrek 4-D (7/10)
The Simpsons Ride (8/10)
Special Effects Show (7/10)
Studio Tour (10/10)
Animal Actors (7/10)
The Walking Dead (7/10)
WaterWorld (8/10)
Flight of the Hippogriff (6/10)
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (10/10)
Ollivanders (8/10)
Jurassic Park (8/10)
Revenge of the Mummy (7/10)
Transformers (10/10)

That's all for now, folks!