Death of a Trainer:
Increasing Aggression of Orcas Due to Ghastly Conditions in SeaWorld SeaWorld is one of the world’s most popular amusement parks, offering huge roller coasters and animal shows for people of all ages. Their largest attractions are their orca shows, showing several of their killer whales performing tricks with trainers. While, to many viewers, these performances show how docile these wild creatures are with their human counterparts, the destructive practices of SeaWorld have radically lowered the quality of life of killer whales, forcing many of these animals to become aggressive prisoners.
On February 24, 2010, Dawn Brancheau, a veteran orca trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, was killed during the “Dine with Shamu” show by a whale named Tilikum. Horrified tourists watched helplessly as Brancheau was dragged into the tank and thrashed about in the water by Tilikum. William M. Welch of USA Today wrote in one article that “Brancheau was rubbing the 12,000-pound orca after a show when it grabbed her and pulled her in”(1). This incident, while shocking to many, was not the first time Tilikum had caused the death of a whale trainer. In 1991, before Tilikum arrived at SeaWorld, he occupied a tank at a
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Leinwand writes that “SeaWorld argues in a legal brief that human contact with the killer whales is educational and integral to the care of the killer whales”(1). In another post by Alexandra Sifferlin, she declares that “SeaWorld argues that the killer whales are treated with care . . . that keeping the animals in captivity is very important for conservation research”(1). If keeping 12,000 pound whales trapped in puny containers and blatantly ignoring the risk they take by neglecting these animals is conservation research, it’s no wonder so many animals are going
Since its establishment in 1964 the world famous franchise SeaWorld has been subjected to various tabloid headlines and legal investigations following the horrendous attacks by orcas, also known by their more apt name ‘Killer Whales’. These incident range from minor to major, but, there has been rare cases of fatalities from the family orientated marine parks based in America.
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.
SeaWorld is a profit based zoo not educational or research focused. They will get their whales from anywhere and any way possible.“For Tilikum felt and also inflicted great pain. While in captivity, he was implicated in the deaths of three humans, including his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010.” Tilikum felt pain and gave a lot more pain back. There is way too much stress involved with SeaWorld and its whales from killings to the whales themselves being very
In the truth revealing documentary “Blackfish”, the film reveals what these killer whales in entertainment parks such as SeaWorld go through, along with the trainers who work with them. The documentary shows clips and pictures of the killer whales mauling the trainers, and whales fighting each other resulting in
The documentary, Blackfish, proves that there was and still is quite a bit of controversy over whether it is ethical to keep Orcas in captivity. Some people believe that it is acceptable since the Orcas are being treated and fed well. Other people, however, believe that this is not ethical because being kept in a tank for twenty years leads to aggression and therefore is too dangerous for humans. The documentary proves that there are many incidents, in the past, where a whale has harmed their trainer. One example of this, that made people more aware of the danger, was the death of Dawn Brancheau in 2010 (Cowperthwaite & Oteyza, 2013). The incidence has led to many different debates over the years and Sea World has had to try to refute the claims that were made about them. The claims were regarding their treatment of the whales and other issues. However, Sea World was not
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
In conclusion, putting whales in captivity is a wrong act that needs to end. Whales are meant to be in the wild, to swim freely with their own pod, not be kept like a prisoner in a
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.
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
SeaWorld is a United States based park with live aquatic animals. SeaWorld has been under some scrutiny lately with the treatment of their Orcas as well as their living conditions. Some people believe what SeaWorld is doing is okay whereas others do not. Some think keeping animals in captivity is acceptable, and others think taking them away from their families is uncalled for. Washington Post believes what SeaWorld doing is perfectly acceptable. PBS a typically children’s network is completely for SeaWorld and keeping animals in captivity. SeaWorld is strongly debated on keeping animals in captivity, their living conditions, and taking orcas away from their families.
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
Holding killer whales in captivity is a harmful problem to the mammal that requires action from both the government and the public.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite in the documentary, Blackfish (2013), argues that captivity triggers aggression in killer whales. Cowperthwaite supports her argument by demonstrating shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these animals in captivity and for human entertainment. The author’s purpose is to show the problems that are caused by captivity in order to aware the audience that keeping killer whales in captivity affects their behavior mentally and physically. The author writes in resentful tone to Sea World, the people who visited Sea World, and those who were present during the killer whale incident. Gabriela Cowperthwaite argues that keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld affects their mentality due to how they are being treated. She makes this argument by applying pathos, ethos, and logos.
While many people have experienced the majestic showcasing of trained orcas in public displays at recreational parks such as SeaWorld, few have heard of the tragic events that these killer whales go through while in captivity. It is ironic that such family oriented companies like SeaWorld, who pride themselves in giving families experiences that they will never forget, can just tear families of killer whales apart and abuse them while training them. And although these public displays of trained orcas seem extraordinary through the audience’s eyes, it is time that the untold stories of these whales and the true dangers of training whales comes out into light.
“Splish! Splash!” The sound of bottlenose dolphins jumping and swimming around their tank excites a family at SeaWorld as they wait to experience their first encounter with the dolphins. Every year, bottlenose dolphins bring joy to hundreds of people in both captivity and the wild, but what do people truly know about them? Bottlenose dolphins are actually unique and interesting creatures.