Seaworld Research Paper

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

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.

The orcas on film have suffered greatly as a result of their captivity. The area in which SeaWorld

“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.

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.

Some orcas have even broken their teeth trying to get out of SeaWorld. In SeaWorld Orcas are forced to breed unnaturally and on a regular basis. Employees at SeaWorld train male orcas to float on their backs so their trainer can masturbate them and collect their sperm. Females are artificially inseminated and are forced to breed at a much younger age than they naturally do. In the wild female orcas are ready to reproduce at the age of 14. In SeaWorld, there have been instances where they breed them at the age of 10, and even sometimes at the age of 8. Katina is a killer whale that’s in the SeaWorld located in Orlando Florida. She is used as a breeding machine. Caretakers sometimes even breed her with her own children. Although SeaWorld claims that Orcas live longer if they live in captivity it has been proven that Orcas have a shorter lifespan while they are held in captivity. SeaWorld has claimed females live to 26 years and that males live up to 15 years. While according to national geographic female killer whales can live 50 to 100 years while males can live 30 to 60 years. Killer whales live longer in the wild than they are claimed to live in

In 2013 a documentary called “Blackfish” (a documentary explaining the illnesses of orcas and the weaknesses of seaworld) was released to inform the world why seaworld was not all fun and games. In fact after the release seaworld lost $31.6 million the second-quarter income. Just one of the many things “Blackfish” told us is that capturing the orcas doesn't always go as smoothly

SeaWorld is “home” to 22 orcas between its three parks and six at Loro Parque in Spain (WDC). Tilikum, the male orca responsible for most of the newborns in SeaWorld’s captivity, The Fate of Captivewas the most talked about orca. Not only was he one of the largest, but he was responsible for the death of three people (Cowperthwaite). Most of the young orcas inhabiting the three parks are direct offspring from Tilikum due to artificial insemination. The SeaWorld breeding program, which has recently come to an end, was another factor protestors were taking into account when declaring the corporation “inhumane.” Another is Kasatka, one of the oldest female orcas and is considered the matriarch of the “San Diego pod” (WDC). Trainers classify Kasatka as a great-grandmother

As a young child there has been so many commercials about how SeaWorld is such an amazing place for marine life animals, yet what we do not know is that most of these animals have been held in captivity against their will. Just think about it, these animals’ are made to perform day in and day out for a huge crowd, yet we do not stop and think about what it would be like if we ourselves were held in captivity. Although awareness needs to be brought to this issue, it can make this situation a touchy subject. However, awareness does need to be brought to attention of people who support these amusement parks. The life of orca whales held in captivity are dangerous and have suffered a great amount of distress.

SeaWorld’s claim is that the average lifespan an orca whale is 25-30 years. “Orca whales tend to live a lot longer in captivity because they have all the veterinary care - in the wild, they live less.” That is false. According to the National Geographic, wild Orca whales live to be around 50-80 years old with some living to see 100 years. Marine biology research has proven that orcas in captivity suffer from extreme stress, injuries, disease and infections. These effects take a toll on an orca whales body and immune system. SeaWorld and other marine parks lack ability to provide adequate environments to keep orcas alive. Another common threat found in captive orcas is a floppy dorsal fin. According to SeaWorld, “A floppy dorsal fin is normal, twenty-five percent of whales have a fin that turns over or flops as they get older; it is a sign of the wise.” That too, is a lie. A flopped dorsal fin is a sign of a depression. Dorsal collapse in the wild happens in less than one percent of orca whales. Generally, orca whales tend to be the most free, discovered animals on our great world today. Animal activists say that “Orcas have a great spiritual power, they are not to be meddled with; orcas aren’t just respected, they are in charge.” Artificial, manmade belief puts shame to the respected power and beauty of an orca

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)

Sea World is a prison for animals, the captivity is inhumane and completely against their well being. There have been multiple reports of the orcas becoming aggressive towards their handlers. In some cases, the trainers have been injured or even killed. Orcas are very large animals and should have a large habitat, which are not being provided. Tilikum, a 12,500-pound killer whale, is the largest orca held in captivity today. Since his capture in 1983, Tilikum has killed 3 trainers and has over 100 reports of aggressive behavior.

The film documentary Blackfish discusses the issues with Seaworld’s orca exhibit and they expose all the problems and issues that orca’s experience after the show. During the documentary multiple trainers and seaworld employees who captured the orcas for the shows came to a realization.“This is a multi-billion dollar corporation that makes its money through the exploitation of Orcas.” The cruelty in their methods of capturing showed in the whales and how they were separated from their real families and would release the anger on trainers. All the orcas had to