Killer whales also known as orcas, have been around for millions of years and are the largest mammals in the dolphin family. They can be found in all seas from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Killer whales feed on other mammals and even some birds. With these whales feeding off and onshore at times, they are drawn to human fisheries and trapped (“Killer Whale”), as well as being spread out among the oceans, killer whales have been the target of hunters for over centuries. Before 1981, around 6,000 killer whales were hunted and killed by Japanese, Norwegian, and Soviet whalers (“Killer Whales Endangered - Killer Whale Facts and Information”). They have been hunted for many reasons such as the use of their blubber, meat and internal organs to be used as fish bait, but the most popular and talked about is the whales being put in captivity. These large mammals should not be captured or held …show more content…
Orcas remain close to their pods and the female’s offspring always stay close nearby. During the hunting process, the mother and its young ones are separated and the young whales are the ones that the scouter’s target due to them having more years left than the older ones. It takes a lot to capture one of these mammals because they are so large, and trying to capture more than one at once the scouters have to use large gill nets. In the process of retrieving the orcas from the ocean, at least one of the mammals will drown or suffocate and die (Blackfish, Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Dogwoof, 2013. Film). Once removed from their expanse oceans, they are forced into small spaces with little water and transported to different parks and put in a small pool of water. Just the act of the transportation alone can put a lot of stress on these animals. Being removed and held in captivity puts stress on the animals and causes them to go through social and behavioral
Out of the 156 whales they have taken into captivity from the wild, 129 are dead. Including orcas bred within SeaWorld, at least 165 have died in their facilities (Schelling). Another falsehood SeaWorld claims is that collapsed dorsal fins are completely normal and common of all male orcas. It is actually quite rare to find in the wild, while every single one of their male whales has a collapsed dorsal fin (“8 Shocking Facts…”). SeaWorld also guarantees that they never separate a calf from its mother and even have posted a picture of a baby and its mother as proof. What they didn’t tell the public was that soon after that picture was posted they shipped the calf off to Spain alone to a different park. A past trainer even said that there had been at least 19 separations of mother and calf that he knew of at his location. All of these factors previously stated added up have a large influence on the whales mentally. Many whales are afflicted by psychosis and anxiety and in turn are given drugs such as Valium to keep them performing in shows. There have been various occasions, often swept under the rug by SeaWorld and away from the public eye, where the drugs didn’t work enough (Schelling). There
Robert L. Pitman. "Whalewatcher: Killer Whale: The top, top Predator ." Journal of the American Cetacean Society (2011): 2. Journal.
The film focuses on one orca, commonly referred to as a killer whale, in particular by the name of Tilikum. The documentary begins as a group of contract fishermen hunt a family of killer whales off the coast of Iceland. The hunters are attempting to capture the whales so that they can be put on display for entertainment purposes at various aquatic parks around the world. They succeed in catching Tilikum, a large male orca, along with two other females, and almost immediately, an important question is raised in the viewer’s mind: What gives humanity the right to incarcerate and separate these animals from their natural environment and their families? As the documentary progresses, Tilikum begins to exhibit frustration and aggressive behavior at the amusement park due to the fact that he is being kept in a small underwater storage container when not on display. Eventually, this treatment leads Tilikum to kill his trainer by dragging her to the bottom of the performance tank and forcing her to drown. At this point, another question is presented: Is Tilikum’s aggressive behavior a product of nature, and the nature of orcas as a species, or is it due to his coerced captivity? Over the course of the documentary, a...
For 50 years SeaWorld has entertained park guests with numerous stunts involving the majestic sea creature, the orca, also referred to as the killer whale, and their human trainers. What the on-lookers don’t see at these shows is what goes on behind the scenes: how the whales got there in the first place, and the conditions in which they are housed.
Most of Sea World's current orcas have been born and are being raised in captivity, and many questions are being asked concerning the health, comfort, and happiness
And even a six year old wasn’t blind to that fact. The issue of keeping Orcas in captivity and under the care of man has been a controversial practice ever since the first dolphins and whales were taken into aquariums for the amusement of humans. In more recent times, the documentary Blackfish (which has been recently broadcast on popular TV stations such as CNN) that focuses on Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld, has brought to light the controversy over captive killer whales. Orcas are majestic, beautiful, and intelligent creatures that should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment because of the harm they cause. SeaWorld, a leader in the captivity and use of killer whales for entertainment, has counterattacked the points made by the documentary Blackfish, which brought many points to light.
Orcinus orca is the scientific name for the massive marine mammal. Orcas are not rare, but have declining numbers in some areas (Martin.) Orcas are found from the Artic Ocean to the Antartic Ocean. (Britannica) They belong to the Delphinidae, or dolphin family, which is the largest of their species. Female orcas grow to be at the most 15 feet, and weigh up to 4 tons, but the males can grow as large as 20-30 feet, and weight up to 8 tons. (Martin) The color of the orca is white in some spots, black on the majority of the body, and gray just behind the dorsal fin. It is white on the chin, belly and the eye. The white patch above the eye is usually mistaken for the eye, and may confuse their prey, but acts as a camouflage for the eye. The name “killer whale” makes people tend to believe that this is a viscious man-eating mammal, yet it is one of the most shrewd, docile and playful species of the marine mammals. The orca is sexually mature at 10-15 years of age, much like humans, which is 12-13 years of age. They tend to mate year round, and is able to have a calf every two years. It is interesting to know that lactation of the mother lasts 12 or more months (Wynne.) The life expectancy of orcas is 45-50 years of age.
Orca whales have been in difficult circumstances ever since the first orca was captured in 1961. The first orca captured lived two days in captivity then died and the reported cause of dead was pneumonia. Many things come to mind when people think an orca is in captivity. Many people tend to believe they are being treated, they will enjoy life more, and they will live longer due to the fact they are receiving food and care. These statements are told to spectators at seaworld, marineland and many other water parks around the globe. The facts disagree with these statements. Orca are very friendly animals, there have been no recorded attacks of orcas hurting any human being in the wild. Most of them will come up to fishers boats and be petted and fed. Although in captivity numerous orcas have attacked humans. Average life of an orca in captivity is between twenty to thirty years in the wild their life span are three times longer between fifty to eighty years. Although during shows spectators sea orcas swimming in huge pools of water most of the time they are in the back of the arena’s in small confined spaces, which is unacceptable because in the wild orcas swim sixty to one hundred miles a day, searching for food and exercising daily. Whales should be free from captivity because, they are more aggressive in captivity, they live less in captivity and they don’t have great living conditions and are kept for profit.
Orca whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orcas are very curious creatures, they like to sky hop, which is when they poke their heads out of the water and look around, and they can also dive to as much as a hundred feet. These social animals live in pods and stay with them for their whole lives. They are so family oriented that they can may sleep together in a tight circle and have synchronized breathing. Orcas can grow up to thirty-two feet and can weigh nine tons. They typically eat five percent of their body weight and are amazing hunters. The lifespan of an orca in their natural habitat is about fifty years. This lifestyle for them is wonderful because they can swim as far as they want to and are free. Orcas should not be held captive because the capture process is dangerous, it is not good for their health, and their trainers are at risk. Free Willy. Dir Simon Wincer. 1993.Video. Warner Bros Home Video
These killer whales are massive creatures living in these cramped pools not doing what they want to do when they want to do it. Mr. Jett and Mr. Ventre also said “...Typically spending their entire lives within tight family groupings, orcas captured from the wild, have been traumatically extracted from the security, comfort and mentoring which these groupings provide. Captured animals are confined to small, acoustically-dead, concrete enclosures where they must live in extremely close proximity to other whales with which they often share no ancestral, cultural or communication similarities.” Seaworld ends up throwing these animals in random groups of whales that are not their families, having whales that have never been outside of the concrete wall, to whales that all they know is the wild. The Documentary Blackfish states that one of the killer whale
In the world today, we know that whales are majestic creatures with amazing lifestyles that we don’t completely understand. We also know that however large they are, they are in danger because they have been over hunted and over used by human beings. Today through Commercial Whaling, the whales of the oceans have been put at risk and their population continues to decrease. Countries such as Japan, Iceland, and Norway defy the rules set by The International Whaling Commission under the pretense that they’re whaling for scientific reasons, when in reality they are whaling for commercial reasons of profit. Commercial whaling is a problem in countries around the world, most prominent are the Japanese, and other countries are Iceland and Norway. Over time the status of the whale population has declined because of the increase of technology in whale hunting.
Orcas, or killer whales, are one of the world’s most powerful predators. Killer whales are mammals that can live up to fifty to eighty years in the wild. They can grow up to thirty two feet weighing close to six tons. Killer whales hunt in deadly pods that may have up to forty individuals. Each pod is unique and does not have the same techniques and characteristics as every other pod. These whales have a variety of communication sounds that are specific to their pod. Killer whales have different types of languages just like we do with other humans (National Geographic Socitey). Because killer whales are so big and have these characteristics, is it right for them to be kept captive at amusement parks such as SeaWorld?
Orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are actually the largest member of the dolphin family. They were given the name “killer whale” by sailors who often observed them attacking and killing seals, sea lions, walruses, penguins, dolphins, polar bears and even other whales (Orcas).
In the first instance let us look at the cruelty endured by these innocent creatures. Whales are able to feel pain and distress which makes them in many ways just like us. Harry Lillie a doctor on a whaling boat over 50 years ago said "The gunners themselves admit that if whales
In recent years, humans have gained the ability to tame and train these creatures. Killer whales should not be kept in captivity simply because it is cruel, unnatural, and dangerous. Orcas, or killer whales are majestic giants of the sea. They are actually