Killer Whales In Zoos

Any little child is able to connect the name Shamu to the massive black and white creatures that dwell in the ocean waters, termed orcas or killer whales. However, the recent release of the film “Blackfish” has aimed to revise the common opinion of killer whales who are known by the title Shamu. As the film strikes marine life parks such as SeaWorld with apparent reasons as to why these orcas should not be in captivity, the question of “Blackfish”’s validity arises. How truthful can a film be that was created to persuade its viewers to ceases visiting attractions such as the killer whale shows? Since the release of “Blackfish,” animal rights activist, writers, and amusement park aficionados have been expressing their speculations on the “Blackfish”

In the article “Zoos Are Cruel and Unnecessary,” Earth Times posed a question, “With the internet, as well as DVDs, 3D TV, etc., are zoos really necessary to teach people about animals in the 21st century?” In the response given by Liz Tyson, director of the Captive Animals’ Protection Society, she argues an animal and its environment in a zoo is “out of context” and there is no substitution for an animal’s natural habitat. Therefore, viewing animals in such environments distorts the message that a zoo’s primary purpose is to conserve these habitats in the wild. By focusing solely on the artificial habitats, Tyson fails to mention the educational opportunities that zoos and zoological parks can provide, such as interactive visitor programs, breeding and rehabilitation programs, and up-close animal encounters.

"People always wonder whether I believe SeaWorld should be closed down. I always say no. They have tremendous financial resources and could play a key role in creating sea sanctuaries which could be a profit-making endeavor. I believe people would flock to a site where a killer whale is being a killer whale for the first time -- something infinitely more satisfying than seeing a killer whale dance the Macarena." - Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Cowperthwaite, the director of the documentary film Balckfish, is one of many that urges for change at the infamous marine park SeaWorld. For years on end SeaWorld has been a place of family fun and amazement; using one animal in particular as their spokesman and main attraction, Killer Whales. However, in recent years that image has gotten more than just a meager makeover. Over the past six years, following the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau, SeaWorld and the captivity of Killer Whales has been under serious scrutiny. There have been several findings of how captivity negatively affects these great creatures and the conversation of keeping Killer whales has only been gaining momentum. It is clear that the death of Dawn Brancheau is what sparked societies ideological shift, yet another key part in the start of this discourse is, without a doubt, the release of Gabriela Cowperthwaite 's documentary film Blackfish.

Since 1961, 157 orcas, or killer whales, have been ripped from their homes and shoved into captivity. 127 of these orcas are now dead. With the number of captured orcas plus the number of those born into captivity, The W.D.C. (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) reports that, “At least 162 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or stillborn calves” ( “The Fate”1). Out of the 127 taken into captivity, 44 have died in SeaWorld. There are currently 58 orcas residing in 14 marine parks in eight different countries. 24 of those orcas are held in SeaWorld’s three parks in the United States. Since 2002, 14 have been taken out of the wild and put into these marine parks. (“The Fate”1) It is not fair for these innocent creatures to be physically and mentally manipulated and damaged. Such brutality would not be condoned if it were targeted towards a human, and it should not be condoned when targeted toward an animal. Orca whales should not be held in captivity because they are forced to live in subpar conditions, they are mistreated while in captivity, and they are led to aggressive behavior.

Blackfish’s main concern is the health of the captive whales, and the safety of trainers associated with them. SeaWorld, on the other hand, wants to show the public how well their trainers treat the orcas in their facilities. Blackfish strides to show what SeaWorld is failing to show to the public eye. A mentally and physically healthy orca can keep a trainer from perishing by eliminating danger. Each side wishes their audience to view how the lifestyle of the orcas affects them physically and

The general argument made by author Kelly Wallace in her work, Blackfish effect, is that the future will be changed by the announcement of SeaWorld saying they will no longer house killer whales. More specifically, she argues that many animal rights activist and parents will be influenced and may not allow their children to visit circuses, aquariums, and zoos. Wallace is suggesting that The Blackfish Effect is taking place in the United States. The public is starting to disagree with forcing animals to stunt for human entertainment. They also may be against the fact that animals in the circus or zoo will never have a normal life like they would in the wild, or where they belong. In conclusion, in this passage Wallace’s belief is that in the

Blackfish is a documentary based on killer whales who are captured to serve as performers, confined to small spaces, and mistreated while in captivity. The film features Tilikum, a male killer whale who not only has displayed disturbing behaviors but has also injured and killed people throughout his lifetime. The film also focuses on Sea World who despite their attempts to appear as a safe, and nurturing environment for these animals fails to provide proper training to their employees, accurate information to its guests, and mediocre living conditions for their animals. We meet several former Sea World trainers who recall the personal and emotional struggles they faced during their time at SeaWorld, and the incidents they witnessed which caused them to question not

How would you feel if you were trapped in a tank with limited space, not in control of your own life, very poor conditions? SeaWorld should release their killer whales from captivity because the whales are declining in health, the facilities are lacking in safety, and the living conditions are decreasing in quality.

Author’s Primary Claim and Summary of Main Points: The documentary “Blackfish,” delivers the story of a killer whale that, at a young age, was stripped from his mother, and was then taken to perform shows and live in captivity at the highly popular SeaWorld resort. Seeing this killer whale take several lives at SeaWorld, the producers of this documentary hope to reveal the mistreatment of these animals in captivity, exploit the problems that lie within sea-park industries, and show that man has still not learned from the past problematic occurrences with killer whales.

The article “After SeaWorld, a ‘Blackfish effect’ on circuses and zoos?” discusses SeaWorld’s decision to no longer “housing killer whales,” and “ending its breeding program,” along with its effect on the world and the amount of animals in captivity. Following SeaWorld's announcement, circuses across the globe began to express their banishment of animals from the shows. A big one being Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, who announced that “it would no longer tour with elephants.” Zoos had also stated they “have banned the use of the bullhook,” on elephants. However, Seaworld’s decision hadn’t just affected circuses and zoos, but the public also reacted with conflicted feelings. The article takes a shift to parents, who expressed their

Think about how we will look back on our cruel forms of entertainment in the future. Will we be proud of the way we treated these great animals, with abuse as neglect? Today we turn our heads away from reality and what happens behind the scenes of animal entertainment. However, we can’t turn our heads forever. Around the world, there is so much more to animal entertainment than what meets the eye. These animals have been torn away from their beautiful, natural homes and brought to a prison of concrete. In these prisons, they are beaten, starved and tortured all for our money and entertainment. These animals lives should not be taken from them for us. Our money and happiness should not be worth these animal’s lives. Circus, theme park and zoo animals all suffer from aggression towards trainers, mental disabilities and physical injuries. These animals should not have to suffer any longer.

Popular attractions like zoos and aquariums have been a popular tourist hub for countless years. Whether it is feeding the giraffes over the railing or spotting the elephants during feeding time, there are numerous endeavors for human amusement in these types of attractions. However, the lives of the living animals on the other side of the railing or aquarium glass seems to be widely overlooked by the corporations themselves. No matter how intensive the efforts of these companies are to make the exhibits of these wild animals “wild-like”, living in captivity will never add up to a true, natural lifestyle. Any place that is selling souvenir cups with little lion heads on them, or plush dolls of favorite animals in the exhibits, have their ranking of profit and revenue before the health and welfare of their animals. The film Blackfish takes an all-inclusive look into the lucrative company of SeaWorld, and focus’ solely on the capture and treatment of their killer whales, revealing the truths of the poor treatment of these ocean loving creatures. Additionally, Jurassic World is a fictional movie that has an overlying theme of animals raised in captivity, and the uncontrollable traits of wild animals, whether they are captive or wild. By looking at the movies “Blackfish” and “Jurassic World” we can see the business side of animal entertainment corporations are naïve to the welfare of the animals who are having their lives cut short, natural instincts released, and offspring

Killer whales, also known as Orca’s, are the largest members of the dolphin family and the top predator in their ecosystem. They are one of the most intelligent marine creatures, especially due to their acute senses of sight and hearing. The word Orca means connection and leadership. People travel from all over the world just to catch a glimpse of the astounding whale. Their beauty has mesmerized humans for generations, but for many Orca’s, captivity limits their freedom and enjoyment of life. In 1965, orca poaching was at its prime. Over a thousand whales were being captured for either greed or for the purpose of captivity (Timeline of Commercial Whaling Muller). Captivity is a prison for many orcas, it not only damages the whale’s health, but also has a negative impact on breeding, and the danger of humans.

There are many types of animals used for entertainment such as circuses, dog fighting, zoos, and rodeos. All of these types of entertainment are not natural for these animals which is a form of abuse. Often times they are wild animals that don’t belong in cages and are not able to do things that are in their instinct to do. This is especially true about zoos and circuses. Animals are not able to roam free and instead kept in small cages. Even in optimal settings experts say that it is difficult to provide for the needs of wild animals.(Lemonick) Children should learn to respect animals and not see them as entertainment. People should only support animal free circuses and raise awareness how animals are abused for entertainment.

In 2013, one of the highest rated “documentaries” was released to theatres and it changed the world’s view on animals forever. Blackfish describes the supposed horrors Seaworld trainers are keeping their famous killer whales in, including how the company tears orca families apart and is known to mistreat them. In the following months of the movie’s release, many individuals spread its lies all over social media, claiming themselves to be animal rights activists after only viewing one film. These people have failed to do the necessary research to know animals live in excellent conditions in zoos and aquariums and that Blackfish is hardly considered a documentary due to how one sided it is and its deceiving footage. In fact, animals should