Some people argue that keeping orcas in captivity is not a problem, yet they do not realize some of the limitations and dangers orcas suffer when kept in captivity. One reason is that these unpredictable, thirty-foot long creatures are usually kept in a tank that is too small for them, compared to the ocean where they can swim freely. In captivity, space is limited. According to one expert, “orcas can swim up to 100 miles per day- a phenomenal amount, in comparison to the exercise they receive in captivity” (Cronin). While in captivity, an orca has to keep swimming in circles or float, unable to exercise adequately in a confined space. The small tanks also prevent orcas from living in their natural group sizes, or pods. “In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30” (Melissa). In captivity, fewer than five whales are kept together, an imbalance that makes the whales more aggressive towards one another. This can lead to dangerous, territorial situations in which captive
Orca whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orcas are very curious creatures, they like to sky hop, which is when they poke their heads out of the water and look around, and they can also dive to as much as a hundred feet. These social animals live in pods and stay with them for their whole lives. They are so family oriented that they can may sleep together in a tight circle and have synchronized breathing. Orcas can grow up to thirty-two feet and can weigh nine tons. They typically eat five percent of their body weight and are amazing hunters. The lifespan of an orca in their
The latest data show that orcas are more than three times as likely to die at any age in captivity as they are in the wild. This translates into a shorter life span and is probably the result of several factors. First, orcas in captivity are out of shape; they are the equivalent of couch potatoes, as the largest orca tank in the world is less than one ten-thousandth
People say that keeping orca’s in captivities is not a problem, yet they do not realize that, orcas are also human beings. There are several reasons, why keeping these thirty-feet long creatures, in captivities is a problem. One of them, which are the tank, which is too small, compared to ocean where they can swim freely. One the other side, in captivities, the space is limited. Comparatively, to how they swim out in the wild “orcas can swim up to 100 miles per day- a phenomenal amount, in comparison to the exercise they receive in captivity”(Cronin). While being in captivity, orca has to keep swimming in circles or floats. Out “In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30”(Melissa). In captivities there are only few whales, so it makes them more aggressive toward one another. This sometimes can be lead to danger by killing each other for fighting to gain power of the tank.
Orcas have the most diverse diet of all the marine mammals. Some specimens of orcas prefer different types of marine mammals or marine life. They will mostly eat fish and squid, but will devour almost any marine animal in site. They tend to eat a wide array of fish from salmon, hering, halibut, and cod. One Orcas was found to have a harbor seal, a stellar sea lion, and a harbor porpoise in its stomach. Another orca was found to have the remains of 32 adult harbor seals in its belly (Martin.) The orca has been observed to eat river otters, squid, and
After watching the documentary Blackfish, reading several articles on whales in captivity and researching Killer Whale (Also Known as Orcas), I am now well informed on the subject of killer whales in captivity.
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
Only 13 wild caught orcas survive in captivity. That’s 13 out of 130, the numbers don’t lie, killer whales and orcas should not be held captive. It is just not right, in the article, “Whale Captivity,” states, “Of more than 130 wild-caught orcas held for public display, only 13 survive in Oceanaria around the world… There have been approximately 200 orcas held in captivity, wild caught and captive-born given the number of males and females,
Once the orca is born, they remain in the pod until they die, usually with their mom and siblings. When they are captured, they went from swimming up to 100 miles a day in the wild to being put into a swimming pool and forced to swim in circles. An orca at SeaWorld would have to swim in 1,400 circles in one day to match the same distance as they would in the wild.
Killer whales, Orcinus orca, are mammals, that are part of the Cetacea order, the Odontoceti suborder and the Delphinidae family (Ketten, 1997). They evolved from land creatures, requiring a multitude of adaptations so that the transition to water was successful. They live in all oceans, but are most commonly found in cool, temperate waters (Strager, 1994).
ocean is a great way to learn about the mammal. In the wild the average female orca
Killer whales, which are also known as orcas, are one of the world’s most powerful predators and are the largest members of the dolphin family. They are highly intelligent and social creatures, especially because of their ability to communicate and work together with members of their pod to catch prey (National Geographic). Orcas are beautiful and fascinating animals that have attracted the attention of humans for many years, however, the lives they are forced to live while being kept in concrete tanks and being reduced to objects used only for the entertainment of humans is sickening. Captivity not only causes orcas to suffer from poor mental and physical health problems, but this can also create dangers for trainers. Despite that, they are forced to endure harsh conditions and sadly the show goes on.
Killer Whales, better known as Orcas, have been kept in captivity since 1961. Victims of the entertainment industry, these Killer Whales were captured from their families in their natural order and forced to live in small artificial tanks, killing and hurting a lot of whales.
Killer whale is known as the Orca or their scientific name, Orcunus Orca. Killer whale is the largest of the dolphin family and also the strongest and powerful predators. The Orca has the name killer whale because they can take down any large creature such as seals, sea lion or even white shark. The killer whale’s current population range is about 50,000 and they are the most distributed marine mammals. Their territory extends from the Artic to the Antarctic but they mostly can be found in the cold-water upwelling areas such as the Pacific Northwest, the Southern Ocean that has high latitude. Not only they can be found in the cold ocean, many data has also shown that they have been seen in the warmer area such as Florida or Hawaii. They are predators, so they eat marine animals such as seals, sea lions, fish, sea turtles, birds or even the great white shark. The difference between the female and the male killer whale is the male Orca is 32 feet long; weight 22,000 pounds with 6 feet tall dorsal fin while the female Orca is 28 feet long; weight 16,500 pounds with a little curve dorsal fin on the back. Their color is black on the upper body and white color on the lower body with gray saddle on their back or behind their dorsal fin. They have two white spot on the side of their face called eyespot. Even though the eyespots look like the eyes, the Orca’s eyes and ears are actually located below the eyespots. They depend on their sound and vocal to communicating, navigating,
Have you ever been bored? Have you ever had a boring day? If you’re having a boring day just think about the orcas and how their whole life is boring, wishing to get out to the ocean and be free. Orca is part of the scientific name they are commonly referred to as the Killer Whale. SeaWorld has 23 Orcas in its three parks in the United States. SeaWorld orcas are trained by trainors to do tricks and flips for groups of audiences. Recently one of the parks announced that they would stop its breeding program for orcas after years of protest, maybe people can protest to release orcas from SeaWorld. Orcas usually have a life expectancy of 60 to 50 years, their maximum age for males is 60 to 74 for female it's 80 to over 100 years old. In SeaWorld the average age of orcas who have died is 13 years old. This shows that orcas are mistreated and aren't meant for tricks but should be left in the wild.