The Plight of Captive Killer Whales
Between 1966 and 1970, more than 200 orcas were captured from Puget Sound, Washington to fill marine parks like SeaWorld (“Historical”). Ted Griffin and Don Goldsberry invented a technique to catch them. Boats herded the animals into a bay where the men deployed a net to catch them (Blackfish; “Historical”). As the men were closing the nets, they used explosives to herd escaping killer whales back into the nets (Kirby 153). Ralph Munro, an assistant to Dan Adams—the Washington State governor at the time—saw explosions during the capture and reported it to the state of Washington. Washington filed a lawsuit, saying that SeaWorld was using inhumane means to catch killer whales. This violated their Washington …show more content…
Killer whales living in marine parks can’t form strong bonds because they speak different dialects and also because many of them are isolated due to social incompatibility. The concrete enclosures reverberate noise and create a dental hazard. The killer whales don’t get to swim the one hundred miles they would swim each day in the wild and can’t swim far enough away to escape attacks by other killer whales in the tank. Calves are separated from their mothers at young ages whereas the family would stay with each other in the wild. Captive killer whales don’t hunt or eat fresh fish and have to eat gelatin to get proper hydration. All of these stressors weaken their immune systems, causing health problems like stomach ulcers, infections, and heart and kidney problems. The multitude of stressors also causes these cetaceans to purposely hurt themselves, ramming and banging their heads on their tank walls. The aggression killer whales exhibit is dangerous for animals and humans alike, which was revealed by the deaths of both species. These animals aren’t happy or healthy and keeping them in captivity is inhumane. Consequently, people must boycott companies like SeaWorld so that captive orcas can be set free into sanctuaries. People could still learn about these amazing animals if they were in sanctuaries, but the killer whales could live in a more natural and more humane environment. After all, how would a human feel if forced to live life in a closet with two other people, frozen dinners being thrown at them for doing somersaults and
Between 1966 and 1970, more than 200 orcas were captured from Puget Sound, Washington to fill marine parks like SeaWorld (“Historical”). Ted Griffin and Don Goldsberry invented a technique to catch them. Boats herded the animals into a bay where the men deployed a net to catch them (Blackfish; “Historical”). As the men were closing the nets, they used explosives to herd escaping killer whales back into the nets (Kirby 153). Ralph Munro, an assistant to Dan Adams—the Washington State governor at the time—saw explosions during the capture and reported it to the state of Washington. Washington filed a lawsuit, saying that SeaWorld was using inhumane means to catch killer whales. This violated their Washington …show more content…
Killer whales living in marine parks can’t form strong bonds because they speak different dialects and also because many of them are isolated due to social incompatibility. The concrete enclosures reverberate noise and create a dental hazard. The killer whales don’t get to swim the one hundred miles they would swim each day in the wild and can’t swim far enough away to escape attacks by other killer whales in the tank. Calves are separated from their mothers at young ages whereas the family would stay with each other in the wild. Captive killer whales don’t hunt or eat fresh fish and have to eat gelatin to get proper hydration. All of these stressors weaken their immune systems, causing health problems like stomach ulcers, infections, and heart and kidney problems. The multitude of stressors also causes these cetaceans to purposely hurt themselves, ramming and banging their heads on their tank walls. The aggression killer whales exhibit is dangerous for animals and humans alike, which was revealed by the deaths of both species. These animals aren’t happy or healthy and keeping them in captivity is inhumane. Consequently, people must boycott companies like SeaWorld so that captive orcas can be set free into sanctuaries. People could still learn about these amazing animals if they were in sanctuaries, but the killer whales could live in a more natural and more humane environment. After all, how would a human feel if forced to live life in a closet with two other people, frozen dinners being thrown at them for doing somersaults and