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animals in captivity negative effects
marine mammal captivity
animals in captivity negative effects
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Anyone who has been to SeaWorld has seen trained whales, dolphins, and seals. SeaWorld guests are entertained by the sea mammals in the tanks, jumping in the air on command by whistle. These tricks draw guests into the park. What may seem to be fun for the viewer, is torture for the mammals. There is a deadly truth behind all sea mammals in captivity: they don’t survive well there. Though sea mammals provide entertainment, they do not belong in captivity. Imagine being at home and then somebody broke in and you were forced, without any choice, to join the circus. This is what the mammals have to go through every day. It is not fair for the mammals to go through this. Why should anyone want them to? Now imagine being a six foot man living in an apartment that is only seven feet high. It would be very difficult to get around. Finally, imagine being a six ton whale that has to live in a much smaller confined area that is not anywhere close to the regular area in which a whale should live. At SeaWorld, the tanks are approximately thirty six feet deep. In the ocean, whales can swim up to 200 feet below the surface of the sea. (Stone, B) There are many disadvantages to being a whale in captivity. First, it is very dangerous and leads to death. Upon going into captivity, many whales die within the first sixty days of bacterial infections. On average, an orca can live in the wild between thirty and fifty years. In captivity, however, some may live to twenty years while most die long before that. Only twenty orcas are recorded living to twenty years in captivity. At least 158 killer whales so far have died in captivity and only one- third have made it past ten years. Many people were first introduced to whales being in captivity from th... ... middle of paper ... ...PETA Protests SeaWorld Float in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade." Newsmax. Newsmax, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. “Pinnipeds in Captivity.” Pinnipeds in Captivity. Seal Conservation Society, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013 Rose, Naomi A. “Marine Mammals in Captivity.” Opsociety.com, Oceanic Preservation Society, n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2013 ”Seaside Aquarium.” SEALS. Seaside Aquarium, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Stone, B. “The Effect Captivity Has on Whales.” Helium 09 July 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Shaefer, Larry. ‘Dolphins In Captivity.” Dolphins IN Captivity, N.p. n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Thron, Adam. ‘The Effect Captivity had on Whales.” N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Wolfe, Linda. “Ten Facts about Captive Orcas and Dolphins.” N.p.n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Zimmermann, Tim. “The Killer in the Pool.” Outside Online. Outside. 30 July 2010. Web. 10. Sept. 2013
"Save The Whales - Captivity." Save The Whales - Captivity. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
The whales are usually pregnant for 15 to 17 months; but having young every 2 to 6 years. In captivity about 163 orcas have died. As well as about 30 miscarried or stillborn calves (“10 Things…”). SeaWorld force breeds the orca’s. They do this by having the animal lye on its back while they masturbate it. The people take the sample and put it inside of a female (“The Fate of…”). They do this to make the numbers of orca’s they are capturing to go down. In all actuality they are making things worse. They have inbred these animals. They don’t know what it could do to the baby inside of the mother. It could come out with some type of deformation, and the wiring in their brains could become
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
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
Robert L. Pitman. "Whalewatcher: Killer Whale: The top, top Predator ." Journal of the American Cetacean Society (2011): 2. Journal.
Currently, live whale performances have become well liked for tourists to visit. When they are there, they only see what they want to see and do not care or want to know all about the complications the whales go through just to make people smile. The documentary “Blackfish” exposes the truth about the whales, their habits, and why they act the manner they do when in captivity. The inhumane treatment of whales in captivity causes negative effects on the animals which, in turn, affects the humans who care for them.
Imagine yourself living in a bathtub for 25 years and you could do absolutely nothing about it. Wild orcas, better known as killer whales have been captured to entertain audiences world wide at aquariums. The most popular location being Sea World. Growing up in Miami, I could not control my excitement when it came time to go visit Lolita the killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium. To be able to see such an amazing creature right in front of me was mind blowing. How amazing is it that you can be face or face with an animal of that size? Well, I wish I'd known then what I know now. In the following paragraphs, I will start off with the difference between the life of a wild orca in the wild versus their life in captivity and I will end with reasons as to why families should not participate and give their time and money to these companies who commit such inhumane acts. I hope that towards the end of this essay, you will change your view on wild orcas and not look at them as just an animal that is used for entertainment purposes.
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. 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, average lifespan is 30 for males, 50 for females, and can live up to be 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 ...
“… 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.
Francis, David R. “Communities of Killer Whales.” The Christian Science Monitor. National Newspapers Core, 15
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
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.
Millions of people visit Sea World each year (The Fate). They crowd into Shamu Stadium to be entertained by the killer whales as they perform. Their eyes widen, and they sit in awe, as these enormous creatures effortlessly propel themselves out of the water. The children in the audience squeal with delight as the orca’s giant tail sends a wave of ice water over the crowd. But these fast-paced, high-spirited shows hide a darker reality. They are designed to mask the reality of the bare, cold concrete walls that the Orcas are forced to call home. It’s time for people to realize the plight of these mammals. Keeping Orcas in captivity is both harmful and cruel.
The whale Tilicum who is responsible for multiple deaths of trainers is still in captivity and still performs in shows. He now has no life left in him and for hours will still sit in the same spot. This is no way to treat a living thing and in no way should wild animals like this be put into captivity. The bottom line is that these animals are living mammals and should not be put into situations where they are starved and kept in extremely small spaces to live out their lives. Companies like Sea World should no longer have whale shows and should release all of the whales that will be able to survive into the wild. Sea World would be able to survive without their whale show, and even though it is one of the biggest sources of revenue the park can make money in other endevures.
Please note I have referenced Bigg 1982 in the second paragraph; the paper is not available online nor on anything off the university library. I had contacted the Centre for Whale Research who had copies of the paper but I had to contact them and they would send it onto me which they didn’t. but it is well established that in the paper it was outlined the three types of killer whale, their feeding habits, social orgainisation, movement patterns which were later confirmed by later research. I have referenced a number of papers by John K.B. Ford who is from the same organisation. I would have referenced 3 other papers from 1986, 1987 and 1990 also by Bigg had I received the PDF’s.