Profiting on Conservation: Animals in Captivity Abused for Human Entertainment

Every year, marine parks attract millions of people around the world to witness killer whales swimming and socializing with other orcas and trainers, a site that is hard to achieve in the wild. The most common argument is that captivity allows the general public to observe orcas in a close proximity in a much more convenient way. PBS published an article, “Pro-Captivity Views,” arguing that orca captivity is the only option for such a large magnitude of people to observe orcas because it is nearly impossible for thousands of people observe whales in the wild, not to mention the harmful effects that the magnitude of whale watching boats would inflict on orca habitats (McBain). Whale watching is a costly excursion that many people cannot afford;

Captured animal’s natural hunting and survival instincts grow dull after living the lax life in a tank. Upon being released back into the wild, they are unable to fend for themselves and are quickly hunted by predators. Also, experience has proven that the spectators of educational animal shows come away with little thought for the welfare of the animals and more for other exciting things like fun rides, etc. Spectators mostly go to shows not for the education but for the entertainment of watching different and sometimes “weird” animals perform. Besides, many do not consider the mental distress that plagues the dolphins that are suddenly brought into captivity to be studied. Again referring to source 1 and 6, the animals may most likely not be able to adept well and this may increase their aggression towards their tank-mates as well as show other signs of obvious mental suffering. What’s more, it is obviously not easy to care for these animals, not to mention costly. Safaris and parks fork out billions a year for the maintenance and care of their animals. Looking at SeaWorld’s impressive facilities as an example, imagine the cost for designing, building and then maintaining the aquariums, plumbing, dietary needs, etc of the animals. And even then, it is no match for Mother Nature. Also, the ethical side of dealing with all living things dictates that it is immoral to interfere with the lives of the dolphins. We violate

Captivity Kills The documentary Blackfish reveals the horrifying story of the capture and torture of orca whales at the well-known amusement park, SeaWorld. Blackfish revealed the heartless treatment of the orca whales to the public eye. Tilikum, a featured whale in the documentary, was taken from his family at a young age and forced to live in a small concrete pool for most of his life. His experiences revealed a large part of the problem of placing whales in confinement.

Most people today have visited or at least heard of the popular tourist attraction, Seaworld. These tourists may think of it as a place to see marine animals do trick, like killer whales interacting with humans in a fun and entertaining way- but do we ever stop to think about the treatment or feelings of these creatures? After visiting Seaworld and seeing the famous Shamu, the thought of how living in captivity affects the animal had not crossed my mind. After researching I am now extremely concerned with the way these whales are impacted by spending their lives in bathtubs and forced to do tricks for food, all while humans are blindly funding this billion dollar business.

If you have ever been to Seaworld you would have had to go see the Killer whales in fact its one of the top attractions there. Through the eyes of a child, these gentle giants seem to be happy, healthy, and enjoying a playful game with their trainers. The question is are they really happy, do they get treated the right way, and why have there been deaths and injuries. Many people wonder about these things and after the movie Blackfish came out more and more people began to question how well Seaworld treats their animals. “The truth is that Sea World keeps its animals for entertainment and money and helps no one but themselves.”- Animal Legal Defense Fund

Since SeaWorld opened in 1964, the park has encountered harsh criticism from the public. Whether criticized for their ethics or their oblivious harm to animals, the underwater amusement park raises many ethical questions regarding the captivity of sea animals, especially orcas. Most people are uninformed about orcas to begin with, so they do not understand why SeaWorld is such a terrible place. SeaWorld exploits animals in their shows to bring revenue to their company, while disregarding the physical and mental health of the animals. Today, people have begun to see the reasons why SeaWorld should close. SeaWorld should close their doors due to their record of unhealthy orcas, their aggressive killer whale, Tilikum, and their dishonesty to the public.

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.

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

Imagine a place where you can see your favorite sea animals. Whales, dolphins, sharks, even penguins. Doesn’t that sound like somewhere you would enjoy going? SeaWorld is what comes to most people’s minds when they think of this, but is SeaWorld really that wonderful? Is SeaWorld truly what it’s hyped up to be? SeaWorld claims to be a sanctuary for animals where they keep animals like killer whales safe from the dangers of the world. Well, SeaWorld should really get a dictionary because a “sanctuary” is truly not what they give these animals. Orcas are the main attraction of SeaWorld but they are also one of the animals that suffer the most. Orcas in SeaWorld lifelessly float in their pool with little to no shade from the sun. In the wild,

For many years, we’ve been going to such places like, SeaWorld, and Six Flags, to see vast animals, like Orcas, also known as the killer whale, which we wouldn’t normally see out in the wild. Orcas have been around for millions of years; it’s known to be one of the smartest mammals, closest to humans. Since of their friendliness, people have taken advantage of them. For the past sixty years people have brought these massive creatures into their aquariums to make profit out of it, but never thought about their lives. What if you were kept in a cage for years, and was pushed to do such activities, you wouldn’t do in your normal life. While being in captivities, killer whales are forced to do plentiful tricks, which they normally wouldn’t do

Captivity has been a controversial subject for as long as it has existed. In the past decade, SeaWorld has been under scrutiny for their killer whale program and the number of incidents regarding them. Almost as big as a school bus, these animals are incredibly intelligent. Their brain’s are so much larger than humans. One may think that is because they are so massive, but body size does not determine brain size. Many animals much larger than humans have brains much smaller. Killer whales even have a center of their brain that processes emotions; humans do not have that. SeaWorld has taken social animals who swim almost 100 miles a day, to an introverted, almost immobile bathtub, baking in the sun. Nothing good can come from changing their

In the early 1960’s, the highly intelligent and emotionally evolved Orcas (Killer Whales) were captured and taken from their pods (families) and their natural habitat. They were forced to live in captivity where they were trained to entertain the public while generating large profits for businesses such as SeaWorld Entertainment. However, that practice was eliminated altogether due to the unpopularity of Killer Wales in captivity and the inhumane way in which the young Orcas were captured in the wild. Today Killer Whale entertainers are no longer captured and taken from the wild as in the past but instead are bred in captivity where they are raised and trained from birth to be tomorrow’s performers. Many scientists and advocate groups for the ethical treatment of animals such as PETA have been raising this ethical issue for many years and have even proposed methods that would allow the animals to continue entertaining the public while

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.

Animals have been a main focus in circus performances around the world for many centuries; however, in recent history, there have been far more regulations put on the use of these creatures, stemming mainly from how they are treated by both their trainers and the circus as a whole. Whether it be on the federal or local and state-level, there has been a definite increase in the questionable legality of America’s circus industry due to the neglect and abuse of the participating animals, courts’ decisions highlighting the true importance of the issue. These rulings make one ask the question: What types of regulations could be put in place in all circuses to ensure that the animals involved are not abused in the process? In the end, many

Whales have been at the epicentre of human culture for centuries. With many different variations spanning the globe, most cultures have had whales represented within religion. The first nations worship orcas, whales are often highlighted in the bible and there is even a god resembling a whale in Hinduism. The human fascination of whales has continued on into today’s society. Not only are there films in which whales are the focus, like the 1993 classic Free Willy, but there are even theme parks like SeaWorld and MarineLand, which allow patrons to get up and close with the majestic creatures and feel closer to the natural world. However, there is a more sinister side to these apparent parks of joy and happiness. As expressed in the film,