Tommy Lee, founding drummer for Mötley Crüe, wants to spare whales the stress of listening to Mötley Crüe. He recently wrote a letter (PDF) on PETA’s behalf to SeaWorld San Diego President John T. Reilly asking that the park stop using the band’s music in their “Shamu Rocks” show.
I’m writing to ask you not to play any Mötley Crüe songs at any of Sea World’s parks during this sad show. Although we like to torture the human fans who willingly come to our shows, we don’t want to be a part of making innocent animals’ lives hellish. I’ve learned from my friends at PETA that these marine animals are very sensitive to sound, as they communicate by sonar, and loud noises mess with their most basic instincts and drive them more nuts than they already are when trapped in your tanks. Some experts say that a noise level of more than 70 decibels is considered too loud and nerve-racking for the animals. “Shamu Rocks” shows have reached 90 decibels.
Indeed, it’s true. There’s compelling evidence that noise pollution causes stress in whales in the wild. One study, which capitalized on the freeze on ship traffic after 9/11, showed that whales’ levels of stress, as indicated by the levels of certain hormones in their feces, were significantly lower when loud boats weren’t traveling through their environment. Subsequent research has backed up that link, and it’s reasonable to assume loud noise would only exacerbate whatever anxiety whales in captivity already feel.
I did a quick search to see whether Mötley Crüe songs have been used to torture detainees in Iraq or Afghanistan, but couldn’t get any confirmation. Lee might want to look into that while he’s at it.
