Killer Whales In Captivity Essay

Killer whales should not be forced into captivity because of the orca's intelligence, what conditions are needed in order for orcas to be happy, and the lack of education that aquariums like Seaworld provide. For example, the director of the movie Blackfish responded to claims that a Seaworld trainer made about the issue of whale capacity. The trainer stated that “we as humans should not differentiate based on the intelligence level” and the director came back saying “the evidence on animals intelligence in level in captivity proves that the higher the intelligence the more negatively the social structure is impacted”. The director is saying that claims by Seaworld are ludicrous because highly intelligent predators need to be in the wild in order to live the healthiest and most enjoyable life. Furthermore, the director of Blackfish …show more content…
“They never sit still, which is very different when what you see in captivity”. Finally, a news source called “Take Part” criticized letters written by Seaworld to CNN, in which the letters explained the parks motive for keeping whales in captivity. “Our hope that every SeaWorld visitor will leave the park with a greater understanding of and appreciation for all the animals we display, including killer whales." The author of “Take Part” then went to Seaworld to find out if the claims were accurate. During the author's time at Seaworld, they found none of the claims to be true and wrote about their experience in an article. “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