Beginning in 1964, (Orcinus orca), better known as “orcas”, or “killer whales”, were put in cages for the world to see. Due to marketing by Sea World, The view of the 12,000 lb killer whale has shifted from a dangerous and ruthless killer to a cuddly animal that children sleep with at night. Orcas are now one of the star money makers at theme parks and will continue to be put in captivity until laws say they cannot. Orcas are remarkably similar to humans, very intelligent, and complex creatures. Similar to humans they have very complex social systems, and that can be a problem when multiple of them are confined in a small space, considering that they swim between 70 and 100 miles a day in the wild, That means that they live their
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In one instance in 2007, SeaWorld stated that “We have often said that 30 years is a good estimate of average killer whale lifespan as we can exceed that age, as evidence by one of ours, Corky. She is at least 40 and perhaps as old as 42. Biology of Marine Mammals said that female killer whales in their studies group had a mean life expectancy of 31 years and males just 19 years”. Researchers (and SeaWorld) have known for the past 20 years that this is false the average orca can live between 80 to 100 years old in the wild. In captivity the average orcas lifespan is at 29-31 years. What makes it even worse is that SeaWorld has only ever had two orcas that have lived past the age of 40. This means the maximum lifespan of a captive whale has reached only half the age of its wild …show more content…
In the wild, most orcas tend to stay with their families throughout their entire life, display complex communal rituals (much like humans), cooperation and regular communication are pillars of their societies. But their cells (tanks) are significantly smaller (one of the largest tanks in existence is only 350 feet) than what they would swim in the wild (up to 100 miles a day), because of that, captivity not only breaks down the physical and mental health of these creatures, it also puts trainers in danger. Each community of orcas has its own culture, even the way of communicating, very similar to human cultures. A prime example is Tilikum. Sealand traveled to Iceland to obtain an orca. When Tilikum arrived at SeaWorld, he was put into a tank with orcas that had been captured off the coast of Alaska. Orcas are incredible in that they have such different cultures and that they basically do not speak the same language, there is some overlap, but not much. Just like humans. This is important to know, because being from different parts of the world caused discomfort. Being in constant state of discomfort with unknown orcas causes them to become more defensive towards “outsiders”. For example when Tilikum was in the same tank with different cultures of orcas he was in discomfort just like the other orcas were. When the other orcas saw that Tilikum was not from the same culture as they were, they attacked him. SeaWorld saw
In one instance in 2007, SeaWorld stated that “We have often said that 30 years is a good estimate of average killer whale lifespan as we can exceed that age, as evidence by one of ours, Corky. She is at least 40 and perhaps as old as 42. Biology of Marine Mammals said that female killer whales in their studies group had a mean life expectancy of 31 years and males just 19 years”. Researchers (and SeaWorld) have known for the past 20 years that this is false the average orca can live between 80 to 100 years old in the wild. In captivity the average orcas lifespan is at 29-31 years. What makes it even worse is that SeaWorld has only ever had two orcas that have lived past the age of 40. This means the maximum lifespan of a captive whale has reached only half the age of its wild …show more content…
In the wild, most orcas tend to stay with their families throughout their entire life, display complex communal rituals (much like humans), cooperation and regular communication are pillars of their societies. But their cells (tanks) are significantly smaller (one of the largest tanks in existence is only 350 feet) than what they would swim in the wild (up to 100 miles a day), because of that, captivity not only breaks down the physical and mental health of these creatures, it also puts trainers in danger. Each community of orcas has its own culture, even the way of communicating, very similar to human cultures. A prime example is Tilikum. Sealand traveled to Iceland to obtain an orca. When Tilikum arrived at SeaWorld, he was put into a tank with orcas that had been captured off the coast of Alaska. Orcas are incredible in that they have such different cultures and that they basically do not speak the same language, there is some overlap, but not much. Just like humans. This is important to know, because being from different parts of the world caused discomfort. Being in constant state of discomfort with unknown orcas causes them to become more defensive towards “outsiders”. For example when Tilikum was in the same tank with different cultures of orcas he was in discomfort just like the other orcas were. When the other orcas saw that Tilikum was not from the same culture as they were, they attacked him. SeaWorld saw