Making a Splash: The Practice of Profiting from Whales
Based on what we know today about the effects of holding and breeding whales in captivity for the sole purpose of making a profit, it is no longer acceptable in today’s society to allow this archaic practice to continue at places like SeaWorld under false pretenses. The release of the documentary “Blackfish” has raised questions on the treatment of Orca whales in particular, illustrating the inhumane conditions and treatment of these animals, which are exploited for their intelligence and used in performances for thousands of spectators annually. One of the most concerning indicators of this mistreatment has been the death of a number of the Orca trainers at SeaWorld in recent years. Taking …show more content…
In 1991, the first recorded death of a person caused by an orca, Tilikum grabbed a trainer who fell into the whale’s tank and plunged her underwater multiple times.(Zajac, Palmeri, 2014) The most recent death occurred at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 24, 2010 when Tilikum pulled orca trainer Dawn Brancheau underwater where she drowned during a performance.(Zajac, Palmeri, 2014) The documentary tells the story of Tilikum from when he was young, having been captured from the wild, and kept in a pen in Victoria, BC at the now defunct Sealand of the Pacific. Eyewitness accounts from former employees explain how Tilikum was not accepted by his peers, and was bullied by the other whales during the night while they were kept in a tiny metal tank that provided little sensual stimulation.(Blackfish, 2013) Tilikum was scraped across the body by the teeth of the larger whales and suffered great physical and mental harm.(Blackfish, 2013) It’s very reasonable, then, to assume that this abuse was a precursor to violent and aggressive behavior, just as the abuse of children can be linked to criminal activity in their
Based on what we know today about the effects of holding and breeding whales in captivity for the sole purpose of making a profit, it is no longer acceptable in today’s society to allow this archaic practice to continue at places like SeaWorld under false pretenses. The release of the documentary “Blackfish” has raised questions on the treatment of Orca whales in particular, illustrating the inhumane conditions and treatment of these animals, which are exploited for their intelligence and used in performances for thousands of spectators annually. One of the most concerning indicators of this mistreatment has been the death of a number of the Orca trainers at SeaWorld in recent years. Taking …show more content…
In 1991, the first recorded death of a person caused by an orca, Tilikum grabbed a trainer who fell into the whale’s tank and plunged her underwater multiple times.(Zajac, Palmeri, 2014) The most recent death occurred at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 24, 2010 when Tilikum pulled orca trainer Dawn Brancheau underwater where she drowned during a performance.(Zajac, Palmeri, 2014) The documentary tells the story of Tilikum from when he was young, having been captured from the wild, and kept in a pen in Victoria, BC at the now defunct Sealand of the Pacific. Eyewitness accounts from former employees explain how Tilikum was not accepted by his peers, and was bullied by the other whales during the night while they were kept in a tiny metal tank that provided little sensual stimulation.(Blackfish, 2013) Tilikum was scraped across the body by the teeth of the larger whales and suffered great physical and mental harm.(Blackfish, 2013) It’s very reasonable, then, to assume that this abuse was a precursor to violent and aggressive behavior, just as the abuse of children can be linked to criminal activity in their