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whales in captivity
why killer whales should not be held captive
whales in captivity
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As a child I loved going to SeaWorld to see “Shamu” and his performances. It was a magical place where I could go see one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet wave at me, splash me and even do a small dance. Little did I know that the captivity of these grandiose animals is extremely harmful.
Half a century ago in 1964, the first orcinus orca or killer whale was captured and put on display (Rose 1). Today, there are forty-five orcas in captivity with about half being born in confinement (“Killer Whales in Captivity”). Orcas are tremendously intelligent, socially complex, and family oriented animals. Studying them in captivity, and at the same time in the wild, we have learned enough about them to realize that orcinus orcas do not belong in captivity and the confinement of these animals is very hurtful. The imprisonment of orcas for human amusement and research leads to aggression, death at an early age and numerous health problems.
Orcas exhibit aberrant and aggressive behavior in captivity. Aggression towards each other occurs a great deal because, “incompatibility among captive whales is frequent” (Rose 7). It is difficult for captive whales to escape when being attacked by another in the tight space provided. This leads to lacerations, deep wounds and even the death of whales (Rose 7). Just because they are the same species does not mean they necessarily get along. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states on its Orca fact sheet, “Killer whales are social animals that live in stable family-related groups”. In captivity the whales are put in artificial social groups and moved around depending on how the management department wants to group the whales, not thinking about how the animals will get alon...
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Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Prod. Manuel V. Oteyza and Gabriela Cowperthwaite. By Eli Despres and Tim Zimmermann. Perf. Former SeaWorld Trainers. 2013. DVD. Netflix. Web.
"Killer Whales in Captivity." National Marine Mammal Laboratory. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. .
Reza, H.G, and Greg Johnson. "Killer Whale Bled to Death After Breaking Jaw in Fight." Los Angeles Times. Ed. Anthony Millican and Chris Kraul. Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 1989. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
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Rose, Naomi 2011. Killer Controversy: Why Orcas Should No Longer Be Kept in Captivity. Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States, Washington, D.C. 16 pp.
People believe that it is no different than training a dog to perform tricks in order to receive a treat as a reward. Some scientists and ecologists also believe that rather than leaving some orcas that are abandoned by their pods, these orcas would be able to live out their lives in captivity. Captivity is not always a bad thing for many wild animals. In fact captivity is what has helped to save the lives of many endangered species and has allowed them to survive and be seen thousands of people around the world. Orcas are an especially hot topic in the science and ecology fields across the globe. Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family and are extremely unpredictable creatures in the wild. These facts being true makes it extremely difficult and nearly impossible to study the lives and mannerisms of killer whales in the wild. Simply because of this some scientists believe that it is best to hold some orcas in captivity in order to study them and learn more about the psychological stages and happenings in the population as a whole. In some cases it is best for the orcas to be in captivity. The United States Fisheries have set rules and regulations that ensure that all the marine life that is held in captivity has a purpose. This purpose must be educational in some form. The fisheries also mandate that the tanks the orcas are held in are kept at a certain standard to
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
Suppose you were kidnapped from your family as a child by an alien species while your family watched in despair, crying out helplessly for your kidnappers to not rip you away from them. Now imagine then being strapped down and transported to a place unknown and once you arrive, you see that some of the other children that were also kidnapped have died. You then witness something that will forever remain engraved into your mind; you witness those monsters that took you hostage cut the children open, fill their bodies up with rocks, tie an anchor onto their feet and throw them into the ocean. The monsters then throw you into a tiny cage; you learn that you will not only never see your family again and die in that confinement but you will also work for these monsters and perform as a source of entertainment for them. You spend every night locked away into an even smaller steel cage that gives no freedom of movement at all and aren’t fed if you displease your new masters. Although this sounds like an outline for a horror movie, it is not. It is happening in real life and in our world. It is horrific, not only unethical but inhumane. This depicts the capturing process and life in captivity for public display of Orcinus Orcas, popularly known as Killer Whales since 1961. Although some laws regarding the capturing of whales have changed, whales are still being treated unethically. Just as inhumane as it is for this to be done to humans, it is equally inhumane for it to be done to animals. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, inhumanity is “the quality or stage of being cruel to other people or to animals” (dictionary.com) and that is what their captivity is...
... Documentaries such as Awards winning The Cove and Blackfish have been drawing a lot of attention to cetaceans in captivity. More documentaries should be made and broadcasted regarding this topic so that more people will get to know about this issue. Environmental groups can also make it more accessible for people to join and help in bring this message worldwide. Education could be also useful in teaching the young about animals in the wild and instead of bringing them to the marine parks, bring them to whale watching. This way they can learn about them living in the wild and not seeing a whale swimming rounds in a tank. People should be encouraged to visit whales in the wild and not in marine parks performing tricks. Through help from environmental groups, the government, schools and individuals, the killer whales will get to return to the wild, where they belong.
“Blackfish” has had people thinking about the tragic events happening at SeaWorld and the reasons behind it. SeaWorld tried to cover up the deaths of trainers but, there are always people that find out the truth. The trainers who
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite of Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, An Orca at Sea world used for performance shows that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, Mr. Cowperthwaite shows emotional, shocking footage and interviews to explore the whales pulled out of nature and the inhuman treatments that orcas where getting in captivity. Some of the trainers that are alive and the ones that were lost was put under pressure brought this sea-park industry billions of dollars.
It doesn't change in the tanks of containment. However, forced breeding is continued and occasionally ending the life of a killer. Some die during birth, while the other never get the sensation of the wild. One example of a death is that “Bjossa, bore a calf that died of prenatal complications within minutes of its birth in confinement”. David Phillips, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit whale sanctuary project, claims “the lack of meaningful change left many advocates frustrated. ‘ seaworld full intends to continue forced breeding of orcas in captivity”. Many people agree that they would rather see a whale die of natural causes in their own environment than dying from the conditions of captivity. They will never get the experience of their true home. Forced breeding should be discontinued. Because of the whales can be born with complications or die from prenatal conditions in confinement, they should keep it
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 come from across the world to visit Seaworld every day without thinking about the lives of the animals behind the scenes. Why would they have concerns? From Seaworld’s commercials to the website, they convince the general public that Seaworld is the place to go to see the happy sea animals perform. If Seaworld is such an ecstatic place, what excuse does Tilikum, their greatest well known orca whale, have for the three attacks on trainers? The documentary “Blackfish” was created by the director Gabriela Cowperthwaite because she questioned herself after realizing Tilikum's odd behavior over time in captivity, and if there was any indisputable parts to animal captivity?