Blackfish Research Paper

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SeaWorld is one of the most visited amusement parks in the world where families are able to get together and see animals and their trainers perform incredible stunts. The public opinion drastically changed after the release of the movie “Blackfish” in 2012. Blackfish exposed people to the reality of what is going on behind the scenes at SeaWorld, with everything from their trainers to the living conditions of the orca whales. Blackfish goes deep into the unheard of and unethical treatment of the orca whales at SeaWorld. Orcas whales are incredibly large and intelligent animals who should not be taken and held in captivity, and being that these animals are so large makes it incredibly dangerous to have trainers performing live entertainment …show more content…

The average size of an orca whale can reach up to 20-26 feet long and can weigh as much as 22,000 pounds. The size of the orca whales in comparison to the tanks they live in at SeaWorld are said to be in comparison to a “bathtub.” According to an anti-SeaWorld website, “An orca at SeaWorld would have to swim the circumference of the main pool 1,900 times in one day to swim that same distance.” Also each individual pod of orca whales communicate in a different language, and by putting multiple captured orca whales into these small living spaces that do not “speak” the same language creates a lot of confusion between the orca whales and a lot of times hostility towards one another. All in all the orca whales are forced into a new enclosed environment with other orca whales who are distressed as well. After the orca whales are introduced to their new home the trainers begin to work on training the animals. The technique to get the animals to perform is by using a “reward system”, in other words food deprivation. Animals could choose to either perform and receive food as their reward or if they refused to perform they would receive

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