[TypicalNoah]

True, that sentiment seems impossible to point a finger at; or rather impossible to deny that it exists ("we got the biggest"). Yet I think it's about the challenge and is easily, although maybe a little bit shady, defended by saying that biological understanding of these animals, let alone awareness, is very low and augmented by such a program.

After all, we make progress building non-natural things we use for ourselves - taller skyscrapers, bigger cars - we can't then be squeamish about dedicated progress being made in the natural sciences, even if the most stringent attempt and technique is still seen as mildly controversial. It's learning with the best available, viable technique we've got. It's big, it's going to get flak. Period. But that doesn't invalidate it; it just means everyone at that aquarium's gonna have to work a lot harder than some other place with just sea otters.