Killer Whales In Captivity

Orcas were not the only animals at SeaWorld exhibiting aggressive behavior. Several instances have been documented in which dolphins have acted aggressively to both a SeaWorld trainer and SeaWorld patrons. According to USA Today’s article, “Captive animals ' attack on trainers and public” dolphins have engaged in aggressive behavior. “In 2000 a dolphin entangled a trainer in a net, spun her around and held her underwater during a dolphin capture exercise. The trainer suffered three factures and torn ligaments in her right arm.

In Blackfish, one of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of 2013, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite asserts that the inhumane practice of keeping killer whales in captivity is not the right thing to do. They are animals and they like to be open and free. Keeping killer whales in captivity is dangerous to the animals themselves, it makes them more aggressive, and also has the potential to harm and even kill the humans who work with them. Orcas are simply not meant for confinement. They are very calm and happy when they are in the ocean.

Orcas’ Behind Closed Tanks Imagine you are a four to eight year old child and you are on vacation with your family entering into a SeaWorld. The excitement has been built up from the commercials that show you these huge and majestic animals that are not like the everyday animal you see on a daily basis. The commercials have a way of taking your imagination to another level, and any child even an adult is at awe with the level of performance these orcas’ are putting on. Amongst the magic, laughter, and adrenaline that you feel you don’t question whether or not these wild animals should be contained like they are.

When whales are brought into captivity they’re put into these small pools that can’t compare to their natural environment that has an abundance of water. Once they’re put into their tanks they repeatedly have the same routine every day. They tend to get frustrated and restless. “The whales are

Each animal enclosure needs to be updated to meet the specific necessities of each animal. One risk posed by the current habitat for killer whales, is how long these animals spend at the surface in captivity. The whales can become sun burned and two killer whales have died from being bitten by a mosquito (Lewis, 2013). This is unheard of in the wild because the killer whales are able to swim away from pests such as mosquitos. By having larger and deeper habitats, killer whales could swim away or dive deep to

It is a common misconception of natural instinct and imaginative onlookers; these whales are not people they are wild marine life. It is no secret that killer whales have a bad reputation, however what earned the reputation was sheer unintentional killings. Orinus Orcas are wild marine life that should not be prosecuted like human beings, and the name “Killer Whales” is the result of false

In conclusion Blackfish is gives audiences a shocking, aggressive and deeply compelling look into cruel practices of marine parks for decades that will change the way you look at captive/trained killer whales and other animals. In watching this documentary has significantly opened my eyes regarding the brutal treatment and methods of capturing wild animals giving me a greater sympathy for orcas in parks such as SeaWorld. This startling documentary will surprise audiences as Cowperthwaite is unrelenting in showing the fatal consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity while also critiquing of the cruel and immoral practises of

Marine parks in the country like SeaWorld, have orcas in tanks that they live in captivity. They use most of the killer whales for their performances in the pool. We all know that orcas are social, and intelligent creatures, that live in the oceans of the earth. We also know that many scientist are trying to study these animals in captivity where they are in tankes. I think Killer Whales should not be in captivity because, of the injures they can get in their tanks, how they get stressed out and they are better in the wild.

Attention Getter - How many of you have heard of the documentary, Blackfish? This documentary released in 2013 “focuses on Tilikum, an orca whale held by SeaWorld, and the controversy over captive whales”, according to wikipedia.org/blackfish. It goes behind the scenes of the glorified water shows to expose the truth on how these whales are treated. According to www.care2.com, “SeaWorld stated it spends 70$ million on its orca facilities every year, but a tank is still a tank and no amount of money can turn a tank into an ocean.” Reason to Listen - Imagine being put up for display like the orca whales showcased in this recently publicized documentary.

Director, writer, and producer, Gabriella Cowperthwaite, in her documentary, Blackfish, describes the shameless hunting and treatment of killer whales. Cowperthwaite’s purpose is to persuade us into opening our eyes to the reality of what we are doing to killer whales by confining them in captivity. She invents an emotionally wrenching tone in order to transmit to the adult viewers that living in captivity may not be acceptable life for the whales. The film effectively showed that the whales should not be kept in captivity by giving the audience examples of their signs of aggression and displays of emotion. Cowperthwaite begins her documentary by showing how killer whales can become barbaric when held captive.

Furthermore, this can be the cause of all the incidence including to what happened to Dawn Brancheau who was completely mutilated by a whale. Despite the interview with a former trainer, from a document which was published after the release of Blackfish by SeaWorld to object

Blackfish is a film on the various incidents involving orcas in SeaWorld, focusing on Tilikum especially, who killed three people. Blackfish argues that captivity causes psychological harm to orca. It claims that because orcas are used to swimming up to 100 miles per day, keeping them in small enclosures has a detrimental effect on their mental well-being. A neurologist interviewed in the film says that all orcas in captivity are emotionally scarred, traumatized, and are thus “ticking time bombs”. Evidence in the documentary is used to suggest that orcas exhibit signs of stress, hyperaggression, depression, and frustration, which, especially with Tilikum, seemingly manifested itself as violent outbursts against the trainers, and other orcas

Andre Cole Ricardo Acosta G. English 101 September 22, 2015 Do Killer Whales Actually Belong in Captivity? Ever since wild animals such as Killer Whales have been captured and kept in theme parks and zoos as amusement, there have been issues on whether they should or shouldn’t be kept in captivity. Killer Whales, otherwise commonly referred to as Orcas, have regularly been taken away from the sea at a very young age so they can be trained, raised and kept in theme parks for exhibition. Although theme parks no longer capture whales from the wild, they are still bred in captivity for public display at marine parks such as Sea World (Gorman).

As an animal with relatively high intelligence, some believe that keeping dolphins in man-made tanks are unethical because it prohibits them from performing behaviors that are common in dolphins in the wild. These dolphins live up to 30 years in small confined tanks that hinders their movements, much like a person spending the rest of his life in a bathtub-sized space. They slowly develop symptoms that suggest chronic stress, and might even attack human trainers out of frustration or aggression. As mentioned previously, killer whales are highly intelligent animals that can communicate with each other and swim up to 100 miles a day.

They usually swim in large spaces but because there is not lots of space in their new homes they swim around in circles and circles being cheerless! Occasionally, they start banging their heads on the tanks and abuse themselves, because they have nothing to do. Put yourself in their shoes, visualize you being stuck in a room that has nothing in it, except you. I would start banging my head on the walls after a while! As a matter of fact, whales are trapped in cramped enclosures, unable to dive deeply compared to the wild where they can.