Seaworld Orca Research Paper

SeaWorld logically claims that “about 25% of whales have the folded fin” and a former trainer says “only about 1% have this problem and they believe that, that is why the whale in SeaWorld had a folded fin (Blackfish). They also claim that when orcas are separated from their families and taken away from their natural habitat; they become stressed and angry. They also say that’s why the whales are so violent towards themselves and the trainers. Orcas are like humans because they have “human-like brain function and emotion (Blackfish). The film supports this because they observed the orcas and notice how sad they get because they’re not with anyone they know. They can also develop relationships and bonds that humans can develop as well. Blackfish can support these claims of this argument because they quote SeaWorld directly that says, “orcas live in cohesive long-term social units called pods,” and the “strongest association bonds in a pod are the mother/calf bonds” (SeaWorld). That being said, this also relates back to pathos because of the bonds. They’re literally ripped from their parents to come perform for humans, when they can be in their natural environment, exploring the seas. Its so emotional knowing what happens and how they’re being treated, but SeaWorld is still open

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.

In November of 1983 Tilikum was taken away from his family at approximately two years of age. Once he was in America he didn't go straight to Seaworld, he actually started at a small marine park in Florida called Sealand. While he was there the trainer used the female orcas to teach Tilikum all the tricks, but if he did not perform it the correct way there would be a punishment. This meant that neither of the orcas would get a reward which was food.the females became mad at tilikum and would rake him, meaning they would scrape their teeth across the length of his body. The conditions at the very small marine park were awful for such large animals, the tank that all three of them were put into was only 100-foot-by-50-foot pool that was just 35 feet deep. Now you would think after being trapped in such a small space would make you go a little crazy, and in Tilikum’s case it did. While he was at Sealand he was the cause of a trainer's death, he had drowned her, this was the first humane killed. Eventually Sealand shutdown, and “on January 3, 1992 SeaWorld applied for an emergency permit authorizing immediate importation of Tilikum for medical reasons.”- PBS, Frontline. Once he was at Seaworld he was put straight to work learning all the routines, but his living conditions didn’t get much better the other whales at Seaworld raked him too. The trainers soon put Tilikum into his own

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

Conclusion: In conclusion, zoos are bad for animals because of the bad effects and mistreatment it has caused on animals.

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.

It was a normal day on February 24, 2010 at around 1:30pm, Dawn Brancheau was working a “Dine with Shamu” show at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida when things suddenly took a turn for the worse. While guest of the park watched in horror the 40 year old senior trainer at the park was attacked by a 22 foot long, 12,000 pound killer whale. The trainer was scalped, dismembered, her bones where crushed, and she was ultimately drowned by the massive whale known as Tilikum. This was a day that would forever change the way that the general public would view SeaWorld. After this horrific incident Tilikum was kept in a tank for a year that was so small that it limited the massive whale’s ability to swim to the point where he would float lifeless in the water for hours at a time. A lot of people still believe that it is perfectly fine to keep these top predators in captivity, while others believe they are best kept in the wild where they belong. While reading this I want you to think should SeaWorld be allowed to keep killer whales in

Killer whales are taken from their mothers at young ages to be put inside training facilities such as Seaworld. Many cry to their families as they are hoisted up into trucks and driven away. Whales are said to have a part of the brain that generates emotion that humans do not have. This is why trainers often form deep connections with the whales they train for several years. Many trainers will say that they are kind and companion like mammals that do not deserve to be locked up for

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.

Occasionally the whales will fight with each other due to stress, but since they are in such a small enclosure they have nowhere to go to get away from each other like they would in the wild. Many orcas that are held in captivity have problems with their teeth and they have to have their teeth drilled. “All captive adult male orcas have collapsed dorsal fins, likely because they have no space in which to swim freely and are fed an unnatural diet of thawed dead fish”(8 Reasons). Some killer whales also develop infections and the whales are not healthy because they are not fed a healthy diet like they would eat in the ocean.

Food is their reward; if they do well they are fed, if not there have been many claims from former trainers that food would be withheld, allowing the trainers to assert dominance over the orcas, creating a dependency solely on food. Trainers are said to have a certain relationship with the whales, especially ones they have worked with for a long time. Trainers must have relationship sessions with the orcas weekly, a way to establish care and trust in both the orca and the trainer through touch, eye contact, and reading each other’s behavior. However orcas are wild animals and often exhibit aggressive behavior, caused by any number of reasons as described above; stress, ill health, or becoming upset in anyway, the animal will act out, ignoring the signals from trainers and often lashing out violently. There have been hundreds of incidents and attacks involving captive orcas; the film particularly highlights the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, killed by Tilikum who scalped and dismembered her body.

SeaWorld claims that they take extreme measures to make sure all trainers and orcas alike are safe and sound when working with each other. Dawn Brancheau died in a horrible accident during a show and some people have woven a fictional account of what happened to prove that SeaWorld is hurting their orcas, both mentally and physically. People created a fictional idea around Dawn Brancheau’s death to deepen its argument. The scientists who are in the film have made very clear that they are against aquatic animals being used for entertainment for a long time, and have little to

Everyone working knew that this was all the whale’s fault, and that the trainers were doing what they were suppose to do. The Orcas acted out in violence due to the way they were treated. The main KIller Whale. Tilikum was the act everyone came to see. While training him, if he did not do what he was told the trainers would starve not only Tilikum but every other whale too. This lead to the others picking on and taking out their aggressions on Tilikum and even the trainers. Throughout the film, it is stressed that the way the Orcas are caught must be adjusted. At one point Seaworld was banned from capturing whales in Washington, so they moved their work to Iceland. While doing this Seaworld was breaking the law. Mentioning this in the film “I… cut the whales open, fill them with rocks, put anchors on their tail, and sink them.” (Blackfish) The workers capturing the whales did this to the already dead ones, which is 100 percent illegal. For them doing that is what caused Washington to kick them out, and told them to never come back again to capture their whales. After the whales are back at the facility, “Blackfish” also stresses on how they are kept, and treated. I am going back to the

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.

SeaWorld is wrong and should not be able to hold the captivity of these whales due to the small living conditions, painful training consequences, and emotional distress that is put onto these whales. These whales may not be able to live in the wild, but should be given the right care in order for them to live in conditions very similar to the wild. Whales are very large animals that deserve a lot better care then they are given now.