Orca Whales

Orca whales have been in difficult circumstances ever since the first orca was captured in 1961. The first orca captured lived two days in captivity then died and the reported cause of dead was pneumonia. Many things come to mind when people think an orca is in captivity. Many people tend to believe they are being treated, they will enjoy life more, and they will live longer due to the fact they are receiving food and care. These statements are told to spectators at seaworld, marineland and many other water parks around the globe. The facts disagree with these statements. Orca are very friendly animals, there have been no recorded attacks of orcas hurting any human being in the wild. Most of them will come up to fishers boats and be

Blackfish (2013), a mesmerizing, psychological documentary with 7 film awards and 38 nominations, presents an extensive look into the negative effects captivity has on Orca whales. The director and writer Gabriela Cowperthwaite calls her audience to action, similar to documentaries such as Food, Inc., The Cove, and Super Size Me. In all of these documentaries, the director and writers reach out to an audience that is not fully knowledgeable on a certain topic, in order to persuade them into taking a stance on a certain topic. In Gabriela’s film, she illustrates the story of Tilikum, a performing Orca who killed many people while at SeaWorld, Orlando. Though at times graphic, the film investigates the harmful effects captivity has had on these wonderful creatures and their trainers. Blackfish uses credible interviewees, powerful voice-overs, and influential outside evidence to persuade those who are un-informed of the negative effects of captivity on killer whales. The ultimate goal in doing this is to urge these individuals to take a stance against aquatic captivity.

Amphibians skin is moist and they do not consist of scales. The skin of an amphibian is also permeable. Permeable means that gases can pass through their skin. A reptiles’ scales provide them with a protective layer of skin that is tough and dry. The scales help to minimize the loss of body moisture, the reptilian scales consists of a protein called keratin. The scale structure of a reptile are not individual like those of a fish, but are a continuous sheet of epidermal tissue. Hard-shelled eggs provide a protective environment in which the embryo can develop and enables reptiles to lay their eggs in dry environments. On the other hand, amphibians must lay their eggs in or near water. The reptilian skeleton differs from other vertebrates in many ways. For example, reptiles have many bones in their lower jaw to enable them a greater bite mobility, but mammals only have one bone in their lower jaw called the mandible. Mammals ears consist of three bones(the malleus, incus, and stapes) while reptiles have just one bone(stapes). Reptiles also have only one occipital condyle(a protrusion on the skull that forms a joint that enables movement of the head) mammals on the other hand consist of two occipital condyles (Laura Klappenbach 2014).

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.

“If you love something, set it free.” This is a quote that has circulated for years, and nowhere else is it more applicable than in SeaWorld’s parks. Trainers and corporate alike claim a deep love for the animals they keep captive, but in recent years, the topic of holding orca whales in captivity has become more controversial than ever before. The CNN documentary “Blackfish” brought the conditions Seaworld provides for its orcas to the public eye in a way that had not been done before, which led to much public outrage. The containment of orca whales for educational and entertainment purposes has, in almost every way, been brought into question. Ranging from the physical and psychological damages they experience, the issues in their family structures, and the dangers that their human trainers experience, orca whales are not fit to be kept in captivity.

Recent evidence suggests that whales may not have always inhabited the oceans. Bones of an ancient ancestor of modern day whales, the Basilosaurus, were discovered in Pakistan that suggest whales evolved from a wolf-like creature. This genus of an early whale lived 34-40 million years ago in the late Eocene. These fossils show many different features in common with both modern day whales and modern day land mammals. Since the discovery of these bones, many other evidences show that whales are a likely descendant of the Basilosaurus through many different ways, such as embryologic comparison and DNA testing. Whales aren’t the only suspected descendants

When society thinks about starfish, perch, chordate, and fetal pig they become extremely curious about how their bodies operate because of how they are made up. I will give a brief synopsis of all animals before going into major detail about them. According to the online website named dictionary.com, Starfish are any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, having the body radially arranged, usually in the form of a star, with five or more rays or arms radiating from a central disk; asteroid (dictionary.com). It is known that a chordate is an animal belonging to the phylum Chordata, composed of true vertebrates and animals having a notochord (dictionary.com). According to research, a fetal pig is an animal in the phylum Chordata and class Mammalia (dictionary.com). A perch is known to be a certain kind of fish with very spiny fins (dictionary). Starfish, perch, chordate, and fetal pig are some very interesting animals that possess some exclusive qualities both similar and different.

SeaWorld orca adds another to kill count. Zoos are bad because they harm the animals, the trainers have doubt and it can lead to bigger problems, and they put a lot of stress on others.

Get out of line and take a stand to stop the unjustified capture of killer whales. Orcas, also known as killer whales, have been imprisoned, against their will, for years. Evidence proves many Orcas are inhumanly captured, from the ocean, for the sheer pleasure of human entertainment and profit. Irrefutably, these majestic, intelligent, marine creatures belong in one place, and one place only, the ocean. Clearly, documentation proves, these magnificent mammals do not thrive in captivity, become irritated, and have injured or killed hundreds of humans.

Since 1961, Killer whales have been held captive in a tank for entertainment. Helpless whales get captured from their families and get forced to live in artificial social groupings. At least 56 orcas have been captured and are currently held in captive. 23 of them were captured from the wild, and 33 were captive born. At least 163 orcas have died in captivity, not including the 30 miscarriages held in captivity. As you can tell, killer whales have a great negative impact when their in captive.

Imagine living life in a space as confined as your bathtub; now imagine being a subject to public entertainment and being forced to perform to earn your food. This is what SeaWorld is doing to its orca whales. The captivity of orca whales at SeaWorld is something that the world will never agree on. Some people think that orca whales being held captive will not result in an unhealthy life, while others can certainly say differently. SeaWorld is more concerned about ticket sales and the money lining their pocket than they are about the treating these amazing creatures humanely. They find ways to justify their ill hearted decisions, choosing to look the other way as the orcas are clearly damaged from living in captivity.

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)

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.

Have you ever considered how it would feel if you were being ripped away from your family, being locked up in a cage for the majority of your lifetime, being used just for the entertainment of others like a circus clown...being treated like a slave? Well this is exactly what Seaworld is doing to the orcas that are being held in captivity, they are being treated as slaves.

SeaWorld - a place where families go to watch thousand pound whales swim around a pool doing tricks. Seems fun, right? Not for these captive orcas. SeaWorld has been under fire since 2013 when a documentary on SeaWorld 's captive orcas called Blackfish was released. The movie gained a lot of attention, but it drew even more attention to the treatment of the captive whales forced to perform almost every day. People scrutinized SeaWorld 's every move after the documentary, but SeaWorld remained strong in defense of their company. SeaWorld is simply a franchise built on lies and secrecy.