Argumentative Essay On Orca Captivity

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite in the documentary, Blackfish (2013), argues that captivity triggers aggression in killer whales. Cowperthwaite supports her argument by demonstrating shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these animals in captivity and for human entertainment. The author’s purpose is to show the problems that are caused by captivity in order to aware the audience that keeping killer whales in captivity affects their behavior mentally and physically. The author writes in resentful tone to Sea World, the people who visited Sea World, and those who were present during the killer whale incident. Gabriela Cowperthwaite argues that keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld affects their mentality due to how they are being treated. She makes this argument by applying pathos, ethos, and logos.

Furthermore, the marine mammal science community, which has long maintained a neutral stance on the question of whether orcas are a suitable species for captive display, has finally recognized the need to engage. An informal panel discussion on captive orcas is scheduled at the 20th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in December, the first time this topic will be openly addressed by the world's largest marine mammal science

For several years, Americans have been visiting amusement parks, like SeaWorld and Six Flags, to observe large animals like orcas, also known as killer whales. These whales are quite difficult to view in the wild, but can now be seen for a simple fee. Orcas are known to be one of the smartest mammals. They are friendly, and this has caused people to take advantage of them. For the past sixty years, people have brought these massive creatures into their aquariums to make a profit from their exhibitions. Often, without considering the orcas' quality of life. While kept in captivity, killer whales are forced to do many tricks they normally wouldn’t do in the wild. Over the years, there have been numerous controversies regarding killer whales

One example all orcas have their own pods ( family ) in the wild. Imagine if you were an orcas and you were captured and taken away from your family to live with complete strangers. Orcas are genius animals they are one of the smartest marine life animal. This clearly shows that sea world and other marine parks that keep orcas in captivity only want the orcas so that they can make money. If marine parks wanted to have orcas for a good reason don't just for money they would be taking good care of them and instead of taking them out of their happy families in the wild and bringing them into a bad home. From the article, “should orca shows be banned” the article clearly stated that when orcas live in the wild they all have their own pod with about 5-10 whales. Each pod of orcas all have their own way of squeal and languages to communicate. It could be that when an orca is taken out of the wild and into a new tiny artificial pool they are basically being put with a bunch of strangers. Picture this if you were an orca, suddenly you fall and trip and everything has been blacked out. You wake up the next day without your family and you are put in a tiny pool with 5 different strangers and you are forced to live with them. You are then forced to be doing tricks

The rhetorical situation of the documentary is presented by director and writer Gabriela Cowperthwaite when she brings to light the history of Seaworld and it’s famous orca, Tilikum by recruiting former trainers and whale experts. The context of the film is explained when it dives into the orca attacks, the most recent victim being Dawn Brancheau who was killed by Tilikum in 2010. The principle aim to this documentary is that orcas should not be held in captivity because it is detrimental to their mind citing past incidents throughout Tilikum’s life. I found this “text” to be effective because it highlights the developed brain of an orca, former incidents with Tilikum, and consistent concealment of blame from

The most relevant issues discussed in Blackfish and SeaWorld’s response are the health of the Orcas in captivity, the Orcas’ aggressive behavior and the trainer’s death. Blackfish and Sea World’s response in Blackfish, Ethos Pathos and Logos are used to present information about the health, treatment about the Orcas in captivity and the safety of the trainers. Through blackfish and SeaWorld’s views, Ethos

Many people go to SeaWorld or other marine amusement parks to see these animals that they have never seen before for their own pleasure and wonders. Some people don’t know or care how these creatures even got there in the first place. Taking these orcas from the wild is depleting the population in the wild and it is killing them by keeping them in captivity. There is no way to mimic the ocean so that these animals can live comfortably and happy in captivity. Orcas do not thrive in captivity despite claim’s, they often suffer deadly physical, psychological, and social side effects. (My thesis-made up before I did my research)

Orcas are also known as killer whales. Orcas have been around for many of years. They are the largest specie of the dolphin family. Most people recognize Orcas by being called “killer whales” and their color being black and white. Killer whales usually live up to 50 years old in the wild and a lot less in captive areas. Places such as Sea World have kept killer whales in captivity for many years. Although people enjoy the sight of the Orcas, we fail to see the harm it is causing them by keeping them in a secluded area. Are Killer Whales safer in confined spaces? Or should they be kept in their natural habitat? Being held captive limits their freedom and enjoyment of life and doesn’t allow them to be who they really are. Recent studies have shown that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) claims “To confine them in a space that is, at best, a tiny fraction of the size of their ocean home, depriving them of natural stimulation and social bonds, leads to boredom and, at worst, to poor

The documentary Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, is trying to persuade its audience that keeping orcas, or commonly known as killer whales, in captivity is a mistake. The director does this through rhetorical strategies. This film targets SeaWorld and its consumers in a logical way. “SeaWorld claims that orcas live longer in captivity than in the wild.

When I was seven years old, I sat on the helm of my father’s fifteen foot fishing boat, the cold salty Puget Sound spray stinging my feet as the tall and proud fins of Orca pods K, J, L rose from the depth and split the choppy waves. Orcas have long ensnared the imagination and fear of people throughout the world. Native American tribes have held Orcas in high regard and some tribes have even view them as the protector of mankind. However, the awe and fear of this apex predator has changed over time. With the rise of the animal captivity for human enjoyment, Orcas have now played a different role in the human world. From the beginning of the century, Orcas began to be captured and sold into major sea animal parks for entertainment. Recently,

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

I grew up in a culture where animals were considered family members; I was raised with the idea that animals, like people, deserve rights and the right to protection. What drew me to choose the topic of orca captivity, and the campaign to end it, is the animal itself. In my opinion orcas are one of the most incredible animals in the world. I’ve always been captivated by the culture of orcas and have always loved visiting marine parks to learn more and interact with the amazing creature. That is, until I was introduced to the film Blackfish.

Since the beginning, Orca captivity and displacement has been a highly controversial issue. With some in support of educational value behind venues of captivity such as Sea World, and others opposed to the neglectful treatment and confinement of these behemoth mammals. Killer whales, more commonly known as orcas or blackfish in popular culture, are known to inhabit all oceans on the earth from tropical regions to both arctic and Antarctic areas. In nature, the Killer whale has been designated as the world’s largest apex predator, lacking any predatory threats from above. Accompanying their vaunting presence in the natural food chain, these complex species have been scientifically designated as mammals that

The film “Blackfish” by Gabriela Cowperthwaite reveals to the audience the effects of captivity on orcas, especially the orcas at SeaWorld. Specifically, the film demonstrates that captivity is traumatic for orcas, which may cause the orcas to be aggressive. Moreover, Cowperthwaite used information from a credible source and provided evidence to best convince the audience of the orcas’ mistreatment within the film. In particular, the film had experts to convey facts on the subject and showed different incidents of aggression by the orcas to prove the negative effects of captivity to the audience.

Such as the fact of the tanks that the orcas are in are equivalent to a six foot tall adult man living in half of a volleyball court. And with these animals being practically equal to us, “. The size of an orca's brain relative to an orca's body is second only to humans” that these captive orcas display, “ physiological and behavioral indicators of severe stress and