Killer Whale; not so Killer When was it normal to keep something in captivity for the rest of its life? In Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Manuel Oteyza’s documentary, Blackfish, it goes into detail about how many trainers were injured/killed by orca whales. In the documentary it also talks about what captivity does to orcas, and the emotional toll brought onto the trainers and their families, and the orcas and as well as their families. Stop making the harmless into killers and start making the killers harmless.…
Orcas in Captivity vs. Orcas in the Wild The roar of the crowd, the splash of cool water, and the spectacular stunts that are performed by the orca and his trainer may leave you speechless. What some people don't think about is what the effects are of having orcas in captivity versus keeping them in the wild. Some similarities may include things like the diet and nutrition in the wild and captivity. On the other hand, things like their lifespan, the posture of their dorsal fin, and being torn away from their family are just a few differences.…
Less than one month ago, the infamous killer whale Tilikum, died from health issues. Studies have discovered that orcas in their natural habitat live a life span as long as humans. Tilikum perished in captivity at less than half of this age. During his restraint, he had been responsible for the death of three people. SeaLand and SeaWorld did not place the blame on the whale, but instead labeled all incidents as the trainer’s error.…
Orcas have been stuck in captivity since the mid-1900s. They were first captured from their ocean environment and moved to tanks that were small and modified for their conditions. John Hargrove a former SeaWorld trainer said, “...I was thrilled to be apart of the orcas’ lives for so long, I finally came to the realization that if I had to live their lives, it would be hell. Captivity is always captivity, no matter how gentle the jailer”(9). That is why, regardless of their ultimate fate, orcas should never, under any circumstance be bred, raised, or kept in captivity.…
Yes they live in these conditions, but that is the trade off for having such clean tanks and easy access to medical treatment. According to “5 Arguments For Keeping Captive Cetaceans,” “The temperature and salinity of the water is controlled. After decades of this, plunging these animals back into the oceans could likely be a death sentence.” The orcas are used to the clean regulated water of their tanks, not the polluted water of the ocean; it might take months of slowly making the water less regulated to get the whales used to ocean water before they could be released. Seaworld is also expanding the orcas’ living condition - increasing the size of the habitats, and adding more enrichment programs for the…
Have you ever seen those cute little Whales doing tricks at places like seaworld? Has it ever crossed your mind that these whale could be hurting in that show bizz life? The thing is these creatures are way to smart, large, and very complex to be put in a small environment. The injuries that some people know of are from the trainers, but some don't even hear about the animal's injuries. Orcas should not be in captivity because they get injured, don't have enough room to swim, and don't live as long as they would in the wild.…
Did you know there are about 17,000 individual animals in the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium located in Omaha, Nebraska? This is America’s largest zoo, yet this is only one the 142 accredited zoos across America, this may seem like a lot, but America only has a handful of zoos compared to the 414 zoos located in Germany. One of the many positives that zoos and aquaria provide is there revenue and job opportunity. Just in America the annual zoo revenue averages at about $5,136,250,000 and they offer about 142,000 jobs (Statistic Brain Research Institution, 2015). The economic factors of the zoo are huge.…
The inadequate living conditions for the orcas affect them physically and mentally. Sea World, the amusement park, has been profiting off of the giant mammal since 1965. Even though abnormal behavior from the orcas has been witnessed and there have been deaths to trainers - the show must go on. Should SeaWorld be able to continue their shows despite new information about how these mammals are living?…
It just depends on your personal opinion. Killer Whales should NOT be kept in captivity because it makes them aggressive, it causes them to fight with each other which is harmful, and they can possibly be separated from their family. There are so many reasons that whales should not be kept in captivity. First, according to us.whales.org there have…
“I heard virtually nothing that would educate people about killer whales in the wild, how long they live, their social bonds, their hunting patterns, and ways to conserve their threatened natural habitats”. In conclusion, killer whales should not be held in captivity because the whales are not happy, too intelligent for confined living spaces, and Seaworld does not provide the educational value the park claims to…
Animals kept in captivity has been a heated controversy throughout the decades. Whether wild animals should be kept in captivity to be able to protect them from various hazards, while others argue they are inhumane space limiting the freedom the animals deserve. For example SeaWorld Orlando released a film exposing the reality behind the scenes at SeaWorld, from the animal's living conditions to the animal's trainers. This brought attention to the public in 2010 and the subsequent release of the condemning documentary, Blackfish, in 2013 brought to light the treatment of the wild animals being kept in captivity and whether or not it is an ethical practice (Worrall, 2015). Wild animals are placed in mini-habitats manipulate the animals natural…
So, is captivity good for the orcas? Despite the fact that millions of people go to SeaWorld every year to see the killer whales, the animals are actually mistreated. If SeaWorld doesn’t change their ways, then orcas shouldn’t be in captivity any longer. Four powerful arguments prove that captivity is not suitable for orcas. First, orcas in captivity are very unpredictable.…
Killer whales have been kept in captivity since 1961 and at least 165 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or stillborn calves. Dozens of wild orcas are plucked from their families and forced to live in artificial social groupings. There are currently a total of 60 orcas held in captivity in many entertainment parks. “While the whales have been spotted with rake marks caused by tankmates' teeth, and a host of serious injuries caused by fighting, Fischbeck confirmed just how regular - and severe - the fighting could get” (Schelling). People began capturing whales for entertainment purposes in the late 1960’s.…
While growing up in America, I have always been brought to zoos and aquariums. These animal holding locations give people an opportunity to see animals up close and personal. But to what expense on the animals does this bring? Blackfish is a documentary about Orca whales being held in captivity around the world and the effect it brings to the animals. This documentary provides the real information on how an animals can lose their natural abilities to live.…
As with advancing global changes, degradation and diseases, a responsive agenda needs to be proposed that encompasses understanding of what these changes can do on species. This will require establishing the priorities of zoos and aquariums so that they can stand in a position in conservation science. As seen throughout the essay the divide between mission and practice displays challenges. The issue of captivity is that it has the presumption…