How Fun is it to get kidnapped fun you get done with your friends. Marine life all over the world are kidnapped and put into pools to perform where they suffer for the next forty years of their life. Marine life in captivity are uncomfortable, unhealthy, and in some cases out of control. For orcas in captivity almost all of them have bent dorsal fins. This is a sign of unhealthiness or stress on them. Also they have rugged walls all around them and they can hurt themselves on. If animals get into fights and try to get away they tend to be more reckless and they scrape up against the wall and which leaves open wounds. It causes them to be uncomfortable because the size of there cage is small they have less room to go when they run away. They get in fights over space and they become lonely in captivity, They get stripped away from their family and are forced to make a new one, which most animals can’t adapt too. They are stripped of their freedom, they are placed with strangers. …show more content…
The space they have is too small for their size, They don't swim close to fourth of what they would normally swim in the wild. they normally swim up to one hundred miles a day, now they would have to swim one thousand nine hundred times around their cage to get what they normally swim in a day. They don’t get to swim as much as they would in the wild. It shows how small their pool is. There is nothing natural there. Their diet consist of raw cow and pig, there is no seaweed or other fish there. They have to eat foreign food. no familiar faces there(fish). The water is chlorinated and not natural. They have to eat foreign food. the stress levels are through the roof and the average life expectancies is half of what it would be in the wild,` and have to perform tricks for food. They are highly stressed, they live half of what they normally would, and have to perform tricks for
The trainers, along with Cowperthwaite, believe having them in a captivity like SeaWorld is inhumane. I agree with this documentary, Blackfish. This documentary gave a perfect visual representation of why I do not like having animals in a cage or in a small area. Having animals captive, working hard, and hardly fed is wrong, especially when only allowing them in a small area to roam. Watching this documentary made me feel sympathy towards these poor animals that must go through this harsh life style.
An orca, more commonly known as a killer whale, is currently one of the largest marine animals held in captivity. Countless arguments are being made, supporting and opposing captivity of orcas to be exploited as circus animals in theme parks around the world. Throughout recent history, Sea World trainers have been injured and killed by the orcas and the whales, and the whales themselves have been observed as severely depressed. If Sea World releases the whales, they would undergo an immense economic downfall and the whales would be too weak to survive in the wild if they were freed. Since the first Sea World park opened in San Diego, California in 1964, common questions have arose concerning the well-being of orcas in captivity, the dangers of humans training them, the physical capability of whales theoretically being released, and the psychological differences between whales living in the wild versus whales living in Sea World's confinement.
For example, SeaWorld asserts “that while research suggests that some wild killer whales can live as long as 60 to 70 years, their average lifespan is nowhere near that,” (source). In the wild, the average lifespan is 30 for males, 50 for females, and can live up to 80-90 years old. In captivity, in such environments as those at SeaWorld, most orcas die in their teens or 20s and only a handful survive past 25. The annual mortality or death rate for orcas is 2.5 times higher in captivity than it is in the wild. Activists believe that the capture and transport of these animals is extremely cruel, due to the psychological stress caused by the separation of pod members, and the stress caused during transport.
“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in captivity. Killer whales have no record of ever harming a human being in the wild. In captivity, there have been many incidents of killer whales harming or even killing their trainers. What would cause them to do this in captivity, but not in the wild? They have been known to resort to aggression toward themselves and each other, in what scientist believe to be a stress induced behavior. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Evidence against having these wild animals in captivity is increasing and we need reevaluate the value of capturing and holding killer whales for our educational purposes, enjoyment, and profit.
SeaWorld is best known for premature deaths for orcas. From the article “8 Reasons Orcas Don’t Belong at SeaWorld” states “Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 years—their estimated maximum lifespan is 60 to 70 years for males and 80 to over 100 for females. The average age of death for orcas who have died at SeaWorld is 13 years old.” Furthermore, these mammals are irreplace, and when their life expectancy goes down
...legal fishing, caught in fishing nets, collisions with boats and or propellers, and marine pollution. The subsequent captivity of dolphins in research and aquarium facilities contributes to their deaths.
Some facts that they tell are: a collapsed dorsal fin is natural, a life span of around thirty to forty years, and that they are getting better health care here. On average, orcas have a lifespan of sixty to seventy years for males and eighty to one hundred years for females. Also, a collapsed dorsal fin is not natural or healthy in the wild. As for health care, because of the shallow pools the orcas get sunburns that the trainers cover up with black zinc oxide which matches their skin tone and hides the burns. For someone who knows the real facts, its easy to see that the animals are suffering more and more everyday.
After the death on February 24, 2010 of Dawn Brancheau, Orca trainer, SeaWorld has faced much controversy surrounding the captivity of Orca Whales and the physical and emotional well-being it has on the whales and also the danger that the trainers at SeaWorld face. Although these dangers occur, SeaWorld continues to be in support of the captivity; claiming that only good comes from keeping these large sea animals. SeaWorld claims that captivity provides the opportunity for the public to observe and learn directly from the animals, provides research benefits vital to the health and welfare of the future of these animals and provides conservation programs to save animals. But animals should not have to be punished for our own personal amusement and fun. When kept in captivity over a long period of time, or even just a short period of time, Orca whales face many challenges. Orca whales that are taken out of their natural environment are deprived of their role as the top predator of the sea, are given emotional and physical problems that can lead to violence, and are exposed to simple cruelty.
In the documentary “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite says “That once you put a killer whale in captivity the dorsal fin will deflate.” This shows that putting animals in captivity can damage their health. It could also make them aggressive.
While captive orcas have created a massive corporation for Sea World it does not compare to the shallow concrete tanks they live in to those living free in the ocean. From trainer to killer whale deaths many orcas face health issues along with inhumane living conditions in captivity. It is time to phase out breeding programs for orcas for the means of entertainment.
The most common cause of death for captive orcas is infection. Chronic stress may be an important factor in weakening the animals’ immune response. Captive orcas have poor dental health compared to wild whales, which may be another factor in their susceptibility to fatal infections. Orcas in captivity are more aggressive toward each other than in the wild. Females also behave abnormally toward their calves more often than in the wild. Since captive orcas have been publicly displayed, they have seriously threatened the lives and safety of dozens of people, and four people have been killed. However, wild orcas have injured only a handful of people — none seriously — and there are no records, at any time in history, of them killing anyone”. According to SeaWorld of hurt website orca whales get into fight stating “Orcas who are not compatible are forced to live in tight quarters together. The resulting anxiety and tension cause fights between orcas. In the wild, orcas have strong social bonds that may last for life, their social rules prohibit serious violence against each other, and when fights do occur, they can find space to flee. In captivity, there’s nowhere for them to go, which leads to injuries and death”.According to born free USA website they say that despite their claim, marine parks do not help to conserve marine mammals through their breeding programs. The marine mammals most commonly bred in captivity are not considered threatened or endangered. Aquariums have no intention of returning captive breed animals to the wild. In fact, they frequently argue that the success
Whales in captivity have shown signs of anxiety, stress, and depression causing them to be more aggressive towards humans and the other whales. If you were trapped in a bathtub your entire life, don’t you think you’d become a little irritable and possibly a bit insane? At SeaWorld when the public is not around, usually at night, you can hear the whale’s cries of sadness and distress. Being trapped in a pool their whole life tears at their emotions and causes them to become psychotic. Over a period of thirty years a total of four people have been killed by Orcas in captivity. Three of the killings were done by one famous whale at SeaWorld named Tilikum. Compared to in the wild where there has only been one attack and killing of a
“Virtually 96 percent of their lives are spent in chains or cages,” and “11 months a year they travel over long distances in box cars with no climate control; sleeping, eating, and defecating in the same cage,” as stated by PAWS, Protective Animal Welfare Society, is one of the many organizations that strives to protect animals right and sheds light on this horrific situation that should be stopped at once. This is an insight of what the animals have to endure just for our entertainment. PAWS also discuses when these animals are eventually allowed out of their cages they undergo “extreme ‘discipline’ such as whipping, hitting, poking, and shocking with electrical prods,” for training purposes to ensure that the performance goes without any complications. The transportation of theses animals is cruel and unusual no matter how it is looked at.
One of the biggest signs of the impact on animals that small enclosures and a low quality of care is that animals suffer from zoochosis.
The reasons that animals are held in captivity could favor some people and others not. Animals in captivity are usually held for entertainment, education, research, and conservation purposes. The other major reason they are held in captive is the process of rehabilitation. The article, Ethical Issues, defines rehabilitation as the treatment of wild animals found injured or ill, taken into captivity until restored to full health and then returned to the wild. Then when the animal is released they are then able to live freely in their own habitat. Although this may lead to suffering and stress or even death for the animal. The animal is so dependent on their caretaker that once they are put into the wild they do poorly (1).