Seaworld Should Not Be Kept In Captivity Essay

SeaWorld justifies the keeping of healthy animals in captivity by stating that the money made from these animals is sent towards conservation funds for animals in the wild. SeaWorld makes approximately 1.4 billion dollars in revenue each year (logos). Nine hundred thousand dollars are spent towards conservation funds. These funds make up for about 0.0006 percent of SeaWorld’s annual revenue (logos). SeaWorld should not be allowed to keep healthy animals in captivity or force animals that need to be kept in captivity in inhumane conditions. One of the most noteworthy incidents at SeaWorld involving their animals was in 2010, when an orca whale named Tilikum killed his trainer, Dawn, after a show. Tilikum was captured in the waters off of Iceland in 1983. He was separated from his family and the rest of his pod, (pathos) and he was sold to a marine park called Sea Land. During his time at Sea Land he was starved as a training technique, and he was repeatedly attacked by the two other orcas in his pen (pathos). Tilikum was forced to perform for long hours, and he developed stomach ulcers from stress and exhaustion. After Sea Land closed, Tilikum was sold to SeaWorld. During his time …show more content…
It is not natural for orcas or dolphins to spend their days performing tricks in front of crowds, or to have humans ride on them. I have been to dolphin shows at the Georgia Aquarium and the tricks that the dolphins perform are not things that dolphins would do in the wild (ethos). It is not natural for penguins to be carted around as live exhibits. The shows that the animals are put through cause them stress, for example Tilikum developed stomach ulcers from his time performing at Sea land. Orcas at SeaWorld have chronic sunburn from lying too close to the surface for too long, and their sunburns are covered with black paint. Sometimes food is withheld from animals as a