Beautiful Killer Whales

The lines are long and filled with young kids barely past the height of their parent’s waists, eager to witness massive, killer whales splash and soak their brightly colored rain ponchos. The excitement radiates from their faces as they watch one orca after another perform tricks they’ve only ever dreamed about. However, one look inside the tank of these incredible creatures and one will find unhappiness and despair. The whales used for entertainment at SeaWorld are held captive, in concrete tanks similar to the size of these children 's bathtubs at home. These conditions may seem harmless on the surface, but there are multiple underlying factors that further prove a point that this kind of lifestyle is detrimental to the health and safety of both the orcas and trainers alike.

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

Killer whales are one of the most fascinating displays of ocean life. The killer whale has characteristics that are important to its survival in the ocean. It is interesting to know that killer whales have a plentiful diet. It is astounding to see how killer whales behave in the ocean. I plan to tell you about the killer whale, its characteristics, its diet, and its behavior in the ocean as well as the predation of the orca.

The panda of the sea is in danger. The local Southern Resident Killer Whale J,K, and L pods population is disintegrating quickly. This is due to habitat destruction, reproductive issues, and a limited food supply. All of these factors are causing the Southern Resident Killer Whale population in the Pacific Northwest to decrease drastically and now they are a species that is listed under the Endangered Species Act. According to whale researcher Ken Balcomb, “The SRKW population was declared Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act in 2005, and earlier this year it was listed as a “species in the spotlight” by NOAA for its lack of recovery since then”(Balcomb). With recent deaths of J28 and her calf J54, many whale activist have been pushing

“… 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

At least 164 Orcas, Killer whales, have died in captivity all of them being premature deaths. Orcas should not have to suffer in captivity and should be left alone and stay in the wild. All Orcas in captivity will die at half there age. They must live in tiny tanks equaling to us living in a bathtub. They are captured from the wild when they are young and are taken from their family and then forced to interact with other whales from different whale pods which also speak a different language then them.

Killer whales were not considered a threat to humans until one day in February 1991. Keltie Byrne, a marine biology and former killer whale trainer was killed by Tilikum. According to the reports, she slipped from the tank, where Tilikum was located, prevented her from surfacing and killed her. Sadly, another tragedy of a trainer who was killed by someone she knows

I agree that SeaWorld is not a friendly place for killer whales. I think that if SeaWorld is going to continue to keep the animals captive then they need a better environment to live in. To give them a better environment the need a bigger tank and to be with their family. You can’t expect a huge orca to live in a cement pool their whole lives. They should be out in the wild with their families where they belong.

Killer Whales are Large and intelligent animals that are kept in captivity. SeaWorld in San Diego has 23 killer whales in captivity. Marine biologist including SeaWorld critics agree that the whales probably will never be released to the open seas. How would you feel if you were separated from your family and never see them again? This is how the whales that are kept in captivity feel. Although some people think whales should be kept in captivity I disagree because this makes the whales unhealthy since they are living in a pool instead of the ocean.

The second captive killer whale was in 1964. This eventually ended up as the first whale to be kept in captivity for a period of time. Today there are 52 killer whales in captivity that have great health and are with Sea World. Killer whales should stay in captivity because zoologists are finding better ways to help killer whale survival such as research and watching the things the orcas do. They are better taken care of and give zoologist and themselves the scientific benefits they need because scientists earn more information and the whales are provided with better health

The research shows that killer whales are not healthy in captivity. But we can stop this and seaworld has taken some steps to help solve the problem that orcas aren’t healthy in captivity. This problem affects the orcas big time, and the trainers that take care of them. Killer whales in the wild are having a great time, but remember in some countries there are no laws stopping them from catching or killing orcas. Maybe we should call them killer humans, instead of calling orcas killer whales because they’re really the problem. Research highly suggest that they expand their tanks or just plain out stop pulling killer whales out of the ocean. Some laws have been passed in the US to stop people from killing orcas or pulling them out of the ocean.

For years the killer whale, also known as Orcinus orca, has been drawing the attention of the public through the entertainment industry. These marine mammals have been bringing in billions of dollars to amusement parks such as Sea World, but at what cost? An idea that these killer whales can live happily and content while in captivity may be going through the minds of the public, but this cannot be further away from the truth. To have such complex creatures in captivity is not morally correct and there are many points against it, such as their level of emotional competence, violence between the killer whales, violence of killer of whales towards trainers, shorter lifespans, physical harm, and their level of intelligence. After taking a look at how these creatures function and the conditions they are put in while in captivity, there is no question about whether or not these mammals should be kept in captivity; an experience such as this affects these marine mammals just about the same as it would affect a human because of their high highly developed emotions and complexity. Since these industries do not have a natural authority over these creatures no matter the cause, the best thing they could do for these killer whales is to stop capturing them and return those who are capable back to the wild.

According to Vancouver Aquarium, the false killer whale was first discovered as a skeleton, not as a live dolphin. Because its skull looks similar to a killer whale’s skull’ scientists called it a “false” killer whale (Pseudorca).

Ever since the entertainment industry began to capture animals for the enjoyment of others, activists who believe animals can only subsist in the wild have been protesting against this monstrous act, using powerful propaganda to entice others to join their cause. The critically acclaimed film Blackfish, which highlights SeaWorld’s treatment of killer whales, apparently reveals shocking and appalling insight on accidental deaths caused by captive killer whales. One of the highest grossing documentaries of all time, as stated on director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s website, Blackfish has captivated millions of viewers, causing them to reevaluate their values and advocating against SeaWorld. Although Cowperthwaite has stated in an interview that the “film is not at all advocating for anything,” and that she attempted to take a “journalistic approach” to documenting these phenomena, it is clear that the events depicted in the film reflect opposition to SeaWorld and its captivity of whales. Although Blackfish extensively applies human emotion and concepts to the animal kingdom to solicit sympathy from the viewers and provides misleading information to add to the sense of credibility, further research contradicts the points made in the film, rendering the conveyance of the film’s admonition against the captivity of killer whales ineffective.

Killer whales have been a staple for entertainment for decades and it has been attracting guests to various amusement parks throughout the world but theres a hidden world about these animals that not many people know about. Just like with any great business there are things that companies do not want you to know about their products, and things of that nature. Some would say it’s just good business to keep the negative aspects of their businesses out of the consumers eye, but I’d like to shed a little bit of light on one business in particular, SeaWorld. SeaWorld is known for their marine mammal shows like Orcas, Dolphins, and SeaLions. To the viewers eye the animals look well taken care of and happy and healthy. Unfortunately, that is just good business and if they were to reveal the truth behind the way they care for their biggest money makers, the Orcas, SeaWorld would no longer be known for their great entertainment shows. We understand why people love dolphins and why many want to see them close up, but putting whales and dolphins in tanks for our entertainment is wrong.