Who is the Killer Now? Make sure you bring an extra set of clothes if you are going to sit in the splash zone. This area is located in the first rows of the aquatic stadium located in many marine parks. I remember growing up thinking marine animal shows were the most entertaining event at the park.
Killer whales and dolphins jumped above the water and performed many difficult tricks their trainers commanded. Like many people, I have shared many great experiences with family and friends at marine parks. Aside from the really expensive food, these parks appear to have nothing wrong with them. However, people have yet to see beyond the stage and question how they get these large animals in the park. For over half a decade, marine parks have been exploiting intelligent sea creatures, not suited for living in the human world, for entertainment and profit. In 2010 Tilikum, a killer whale famous for his enormous size, kills his trainer at SeaWorld Orlando. He grabbed Dawn Brancheau’s arm and pulled her in the water in front many park witnesses. Employees raced to her rescue throwing nets and using food to distract Tilikum. “When they pulled Brancheau free, part of her arm came off in his mouth. She had no heartbeat (Zimmermann).” Unfortunately, Brancheau died from drowning and blunt force trauma throughout her entire body. Tillikum was the largest orca in all the SeaWorlds, weighing up to 12,000-pounds and stretching over twenty feet long. A killer whale has the strongest bite strength on the planet and also happen to have teeth each the size of a human hand. A large, highly intelligent and dangerous creature kept in a cage sounds only from a movie. However, capturing killer whales for entertainment is not exclusive to the United States. Marine parks open across the world, in Japan, Russia, and France, adopt similar operating principles as SeaWorld. Killer whales in the wild are found living in family groups called pods, which consist of up to 40 individuals. …show more content…
They travel up to 100 miles a day with their family and use their communication skills and teamwork to hunt down prey. Killer whales are the oceans top predator and are widely distributed across all oceans on the planet. Though some may consider killer whales are bloodthirsty creatures, most whale watchers report that wild killer whales are friendly creatures. They show off by jumping up above the water and swim close to boats to get a closer look at humans. There has been no record in history of any fatal attacks by wild killer whales on humans. So what could have sparked one to attack a human at SeaWorld? Capturing baby killer whales in the wild is not difficult when you have large boats and nets. All captive killer whales are kept in cages located behind the park, only to be let out when trainers allow or for performing. Killer whales are naturally incredibly social animals. However, even though there are other killer whales in the sea park, killer whales from different parts of the world speak in complete different languages and won’t necessarily always get along. This is similar to forcing a group of strangers into a room and telling them they must now spend the rest of their lives together in there. The long term effects of living in a “bath tub” can cause killer whales to develop psychological disorders that can completely change their behavior and personality. Like humans, Orcas can feel emotions therefore can experience things such as loneliness and depression. Tilikum as big as he was, was still nothing special. “Incompatibility among captive orcas is frequent, with certain individuals bullied by others, resulting in lacerations and other wounds, and eventually needing separation from dominant individuals (Rose).” Other whales would assert their dominance by raking their teeth in to Tilikum’s back, leaving a pool with trails of blood. Due to his poor relationship with others, Tilikum had to be separated in another tank spending most of the time alone. Many park visitors sometimes see him floating lifelessly in the pool not moving for hours at a time. “These are animals that never stop moving in the wild – even when resting (they do not sleep the way we sleep)
Killer whales and dolphins jumped above the water and performed many difficult tricks their trainers commanded. Like many people, I have shared many great experiences with family and friends at marine parks. Aside from the really expensive food, these parks appear to have nothing wrong with them. However, people have yet to see beyond the stage and question how they get these large animals in the park. For over half a decade, marine parks have been exploiting intelligent sea creatures, not suited for living in the human world, for entertainment and profit. In 2010 Tilikum, a killer whale famous for his enormous size, kills his trainer at SeaWorld Orlando. He grabbed Dawn Brancheau’s arm and pulled her in the water in front many park witnesses. Employees raced to her rescue throwing nets and using food to distract Tilikum. “When they pulled Brancheau free, part of her arm came off in his mouth. She had no heartbeat (Zimmermann).” Unfortunately, Brancheau died from drowning and blunt force trauma throughout her entire body. Tillikum was the largest orca in all the SeaWorlds, weighing up to 12,000-pounds and stretching over twenty feet long. A killer whale has the strongest bite strength on the planet and also happen to have teeth each the size of a human hand. A large, highly intelligent and dangerous creature kept in a cage sounds only from a movie. However, capturing killer whales for entertainment is not exclusive to the United States. Marine parks open across the world, in Japan, Russia, and France, adopt similar operating principles as SeaWorld. Killer whales in the wild are found living in family groups called pods, which consist of up to 40 individuals. …show more content…
They travel up to 100 miles a day with their family and use their communication skills and teamwork to hunt down prey. Killer whales are the oceans top predator and are widely distributed across all oceans on the planet. Though some may consider killer whales are bloodthirsty creatures, most whale watchers report that wild killer whales are friendly creatures. They show off by jumping up above the water and swim close to boats to get a closer look at humans. There has been no record in history of any fatal attacks by wild killer whales on humans. So what could have sparked one to attack a human at SeaWorld? Capturing baby killer whales in the wild is not difficult when you have large boats and nets. All captive killer whales are kept in cages located behind the park, only to be let out when trainers allow or for performing. Killer whales are naturally incredibly social animals. However, even though there are other killer whales in the sea park, killer whales from different parts of the world speak in complete different languages and won’t necessarily always get along. This is similar to forcing a group of strangers into a room and telling them they must now spend the rest of their lives together in there. The long term effects of living in a “bath tub” can cause killer whales to develop psychological disorders that can completely change their behavior and personality. Like humans, Orcas can feel emotions therefore can experience things such as loneliness and depression. Tilikum as big as he was, was still nothing special. “Incompatibility among captive orcas is frequent, with certain individuals bullied by others, resulting in lacerations and other wounds, and eventually needing separation from dominant individuals (Rose).” Other whales would assert their dominance by raking their teeth in to Tilikum’s back, leaving a pool with trails of blood. Due to his poor relationship with others, Tilikum had to be separated in another tank spending most of the time alone. Many park visitors sometimes see him floating lifelessly in the pool not moving for hours at a time. “These are animals that never stop moving in the wild – even when resting (they do not sleep the way we sleep)