The captivity of animals is not a relatively new practice among humans, and its origins are evident in many early civilizations. The domestication of animals is more prominent today with livestock and house pets. However, humans struggle with habituating exotic animals, resulting in many wild animals being forcibly put into zoos and amusement parks for mere entertainment and profit. Captivity of wild animals comes at the cost of the psychological and physical state of the animals. Such cruelty is most evident among orca populations imprisoned in SeaWorld’s across the globe. The documentary, Blackfish, seeks to effectively expose the corrupt practices of SeaWorld and the harmful effects of captivity on animal behavior. SeaWorld exhibits many practices that are
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The majority of orcas in captivity are the result of inbreeding, causing a predisposition to physiological and behavioral problems. SeaWorld claims, “due to the groundbreaking success of our research in marine mammal reproduction, we haven’t collected a killer whale from the wild in 35 years.” However, the “success” SeaWorld claims is due to inbreeding. Over 50% of killer whales in captivity are off spring the famous killer whale, Tillikum, who has a history of aggression and violence toward humans. Animals that show signs of aggression are not likely candidates for breeding because of the potential to pass those behaviors to the next generation. However, SeaWorld overlooks his multiple attacks on trainers, and uses him as a reproductive vessel because his sperm is worth a lot of money. It costs SeaWorld less money to reproduce animals than capture them from the wild. As a result, the next generation of killer whales at SeaWorld has a predisposition for aggression and violence, putting other orcas at risk, as well as, the trainers that interact with them
The majority of orcas in captivity are the result of inbreeding, causing a predisposition to physiological and behavioral problems. SeaWorld claims, “due to the groundbreaking success of our research in marine mammal reproduction, we haven’t collected a killer whale from the wild in 35 years.” However, the “success” SeaWorld claims is due to inbreeding. Over 50% of killer whales in captivity are off spring the famous killer whale, Tillikum, who has a history of aggression and violence toward humans. Animals that show signs of aggression are not likely candidates for breeding because of the potential to pass those behaviors to the next generation. However, SeaWorld overlooks his multiple attacks on trainers, and uses him as a reproductive vessel because his sperm is worth a lot of money. It costs SeaWorld less money to reproduce animals than capture them from the wild. As a result, the next generation of killer whales at SeaWorld has a predisposition for aggression and violence, putting other orcas at risk, as well as, the trainers that interact with them