Every year, people flock to marine parks such as SeaWorld to get a glimpse of the wonder and excitement they seemingly encapsulate. Of course, the parks are known for their exquisite services and sites they provide including animal shows, exhibits, rollercoasters and water rides, excellent cuisine, and most importantly, family fun and memory-making experiences. Apart from these perks the parks provide, SeaWorld and its counterparts harbor something much darker than what’s visible on the surface. The negative impact of the capture and captivity of wild marine animals far outweighs the benefits. The animals that experience the most dastardly effects are that of the orca whales. The largest of the captive marine animals and possibly the most unpredictable. Their lives at SeaWorld are spent lifelessly floating around in tanks proportionally the size of a bath tub. Former whale trainer, John Hargrove, once said:
Unfortunately, after all the years of experience that I had, I saw the psychological and physical trauma that …show more content…
A wild orca whale is in far better condition overall than a captive orca whale. Orcas are born into pods and normally stay with them for life, only leaving to breed. They become very attached to their mothers as well. In captivity, they are forced from their families at a very young age. This results in a lack of maternal enrichment and can be traumatizing to their development and behavior (Henn, 2016). Orcas are moved to tanks that the parks conveniently see fit. This tanks are filled with other orcas who have very different cultural backgrounds and might possibly even speak different languages than them. A marine mammal scientist, Dr. Naomi Rose, has stated, "They cannot be isolated from friends and family because it will in fact cause problems for them. Socially, emotionally, psychologically, physically” (Bonnin,
Unfortunately, after all the years of experience that I had, I saw the psychological and physical trauma that …show more content…
A wild orca whale is in far better condition overall than a captive orca whale. Orcas are born into pods and normally stay with them for life, only leaving to breed. They become very attached to their mothers as well. In captivity, they are forced from their families at a very young age. This results in a lack of maternal enrichment and can be traumatizing to their development and behavior (Henn, 2016). Orcas are moved to tanks that the parks conveniently see fit. This tanks are filled with other orcas who have very different cultural backgrounds and might possibly even speak different languages than them. A marine mammal scientist, Dr. Naomi Rose, has stated, "They cannot be isolated from friends and family because it will in fact cause problems for them. Socially, emotionally, psychologically, physically” (Bonnin,