When someone says the word Shamu many of us think of a happy, active, go lucky orca whale. What if I told you that the orca whales at sea world are really lost, heartbroken, and most of them are unhealthy? Would you then stop supporting them? What would you think if I told you that Orca Whales are self aware, cultural, emotional mammals that routinely make decisions about their daily life? Because of the lack of conservation efforts on behalf of Sea World, the high mortality rates, and health risks; Sea World and all marine parks for that matter should release their orcas from captivity. Lets begin with profits versus conservation. Fred Jacobs the vice president of communications at sea world when asked why captivity says “ It serves as an invaluable educational purpose and provides experiences that not only raise awareness and appreciation for the animals, but also instills a passion to conserve them”. However, how can the company advocate conservation when they make minimal strides towards it themselves. Every 1 million dollars earned at sea world is equal to $600 in conservation efforts…about five cents a ticket. Sea world’s lack of concern for conservation is seen through the orca’s mortality rate. According to the humane society since their breeding program has begun the mortality rate is only 50%, which amounts to at least one death per year at sea world. 92% of the whales held in the parks do not live past the age of 25. If you ask any marine biologist that studies the animal they will inform you that their life span is 60 to 90 in the wild, 100 in the best conditions. With millions of visitors and profits being generated per year it is hard to believe that there is no way to change this. The most imp... ... middle of paper ... ... the ocean where he continued to be tracked by marine biologists. You can visit petitions.whitehous.gov or change.org and sign one of the many petitions to release orcas from captivity. Let your local legislatures know that this is not right and is animal cruelty at it’s finest. By doing this you can make a difference. To conclude my speech today I would like to leave you with a quote from Rick Obare former flipper trainer and producer of the award winning movie The Cove, “putting an orca in a concrete pool is like keeping a human being in a bath tub”. Whether you are a strict animal rights activist or simply a fan of Shamu I hope my speech today has altered your perspective on Sea World. If we take the correct steps to help stop the captivation of orcas at Sea World I believe we can help orcas all over the world. Thank you and please sign the petitions.
I am sure almost all of you have either been to or heard of SeaWorld. Today I am going to tell you about what they do to their orcas that they are trying to hide. I chose this topic after watching a documentary called “Blackfish” that goes into the behind the scenes of how SeaWorld treats its animals. I have since done further research online to prepare for this presentation. This is an important topic because you should know what kind of company you are funding and behaviors you are endorsing when you go on your vacations to this destination. Today I am going to persuade you that SeaWorld is corrupt and maltreats its animals, specifically the orcas. First, I will talk about the specific way the orcas are treated and how it affects them
No i believe that orcas should not be kept in captivity There are 3 reasons why they should not, firstly orcas mistreat each others, second you can’t recreate their environment, and lastly orcas can be dangerous in captivity.
Just like Cowperthwaite, I strongly believe the orcas should not be held in these small areas and be allowed to live in their natural habitat.
7 of the 10 Orcas were born in captivity and they would not be expected to live in the wild. Plus, the other three Orcas have very very low chances of finding their pods ( families ). So the alternative would be to stop breeding or capturing Orcas. We also need to retire the ones we already have in captivity. Then the Orcas would be allowed to be in a somewhat more natural environment. Instead of having to do stupid tricks 24/7. After the
"Orcas in Captivity: Animal Cruelty for Profit." Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
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
On February 24, 2010, this incident was a reality. The death of Dawn Brancheau occurred during Shamu show. Imagine what is was like for the Orca. I wonder how the Orca felt. If I was the Orca, I wouldn't feel bad for the trainer at all. Why? Because swimming with your mom shouldn't result in having to be forced to do tricks which ends with a crowd of high-pitched shrills. This is why believe that Seaworld isn't treating their Orca's very fairly.
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 broadcasted 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 it causes them.
It’s a very common practice in todays society for people to go to Sea World and see the famous shamu show while on vacation or out for a day of fun. Many people don’t fully understand how these animals feel while in captivity. Light has been shed on having these killer whales in captivity when a trainer was killed at Sea World recently. At one of the early parks called Sea Land one of the male killer whales Tilicum killed one of his trainers. After this incident Sea Land closed its doors. This meant that Tilicum was up for sale, Sea World jumped at the chance to buy him at a good price. Sea World was not fully aware that Tilicum was the actual cause of his trainers death. This was a death sentence for one of Sea Worlds female trainers. Sea World and companies like it are only in it to make money, these large animals should not be kept in captivity by any means.
A reason why SeaWorld shouldn’t keep the orca exhibit is due to the amount of space that the animal is given while in captivity is not nearly the amount it should have. In SeaWorld the whales don’t have very much room to move around, so the tanks aren’t deep enough for them to dive down. SeaWorld’s tanks are 40 feet deep, 180 feet long, and 90 feet wide (“Hammond 203”). The whales need deeper tanks because they can’t get deep enough to shield themselves from the harsh rays of the sun. In order for them to hide this from the public they apply black zinc oxide: this acts as a sunscreen for the animal but
Thesis Statement: Closing SeaWorld’s doors would be unjust, however; SeaWorld can repair its image by providing excellent care for its current residents and by shifting the business model from entertainment to rescue, rehabilitate and release at all locations.
If you have ever been to Sea World, you may have noticed the orcas’ collapsed dorsal fins. The trainers will tell you that this is normal. While it’s true that all captive adult male orcas have collapsed dorsal fins, in the wild, less than five percent of adult males have this condition. It is caused by their unnatural environment and is the sign of poor health (Rose). In the wild, orcas dive to depths of nearly 200 feet; however, their deepest tank at Sea World is only 40 feet deep. Spending so much time near the water’s surface causes the orcas to have constant sunburn (8 Reasons). Incompatibility among captive orcas leads to bullying and aggressive behavior. Aggressive orcas are known to “rake” their teeth down the side of other orcas causing open wounds. Captive females have been known to act aggressively or even reject their newborns. This behavior is not common in the wild. It may be caused by poor psychological development due to unnatural social grouping
This argument about Orca whales is very important. The abuse that these animals go through is unbelievable and uncalled for. They face starvation, dorsal fin damage, and withdrawals from not seeing their family if they were taken from the wild. Orca whales love to play but it is hard when they are being abused. Whales in the wild have dorsal fins that stand straight up (Killer Whales Don’t Belong In Captivity). The whales at any marine park have dorsal fins that
Rose, Naomi A. “Killer Controversy: Why Orcas Should No Longer Be Kept in Captivity.” Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States. Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Just take into consideration what happens when you are stuck in the same room with someone for a long period of time, especially at the end of a bad day. Who’s to say that they don’t feel the same way, but as long as Sea World is making money, then who cares, right? Sea World has ten captive Orcas, seven of which were born in captivity and it is said that they wouldn’t survive in the open ocean. This wouldn’t be a problem if you wouldn’t have taken their parents out of the ocean and left them to do things on their own in the first place. Sea World claims that they “couldn’t love their animals any more”.