The Controversy Of Seaworld And Seaworld

Why would a business do this? The answer is money. Seaworld is dependent of Orcas because it was not until Seaworld had capture Shamu the fourth Orcas capture ever in 1965 until Seaworld gain popularity. This let expand to other locations like Ohio, Orlando and many more. Shamu capture led to Seaworld being as big as it today. Money led to people forgetting ethically business practices. Therefore, no one thought about the whale they were only thinking the money come in.

The corporate officials of SeaWorld used facts to convince viewers to believe their credibility instead of those of BlackFish by different logistic angles such as their many years of being in business. They stated in the website that in the more than fifty years SeaWorld has been in business, they have built a diversified portfolio of 11 destination and regional theme parks which proves they are a well-rounded corporation. They inform the viewer that their programs and practices are based solely on the wellbeing of the animals; “Our advanced programming applies a broad range of best practices based upon behavioral enrichment, preventive health, veterinary medicine and facilities design and management. Our programs and policies are affirmed by numerous federal and state laws, including the Animal Welfare Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and other statuses”(SeaWorld Website). They make it their priority to accommodate environmental, social and economic sustainability across the company and throughout their employee culture, which is a huge part of having a thriving business. With this aspect of the business, they show that they are reliable and a trustworthy corporation. They state in the website how they have over 21,000 team members nationwide, which appeals to how the crew members are treated across the country, otherwise they wouldn’t have any employees. They make many

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

Theme Parks such as SeaWorld confine dolphins and orcas, who are capable of swimming up to more than one hundred miles a day, in tank that are 50 feet deep and 350 feet in length. To put it in perspective, that’s equivalent to the size of a standard bathtub. SeaWorld portrays itself as a loving, fun, and family based establishment; however, certain activities can harm the killer whales emotionally and physically.

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

Since the 1960s, SeaWorld has captured wild orcas’ for their main events. However, what SeaWorld does not disclose in the events, is how they come into possession of these beautiful animals. In 1964 a fella by the name of George Millay decided that he wanted to open up a theme park the featured marine animals. Therefore, in 1965, SeaWorld came into possession of a

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,

In an article by Paul Koene he talks about there being three categories that inspector’s base animal welfare off of these categories include health, body, and functioning of the animal including their feelings, natural history, and their ability to use their natural instinct (Koene). Based off of these categories the welfare of the killer whales at SeaWorld is terrible. A lot of the time SeaWorld gets reports that the whales are floating lifeless in the water, they are not really provided the opportunity to use their natural instincts, and are extremely restricted on what they can and cannot do. Based off of this information the only humane way to keep a killer whale is let it live in the wild like they are built

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

Whales in captivity are accessible to safer standards and care. SeaWorld trainers are well trained and are fit to help killer whales stay in shape. As told by Sea World, “The killer whales in our facilities benefit whales in the wild. We provide scientific research and data that would be difficult or impossible to get in the wild (Killer Whales). “SeaWorld provides “positive reinforcement training techniques and compassionate care with all of the animals (SeaWorld Cares)”. Sea World remains and world’s most respected marine zoological institution.

Do you think Seaworld treats the majestic Killer Whale right? In the documentary entitled “Blackfish’’ we learn about what happens behind the fun and exciting shows. This film was directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, and the release date of the documentary is July, 19th 2013. The purpose of this film is to persuade us that while being kept at Seaworld, and even being captured to go there, the Killer Whales were mistreated. The animals still put on amazing shows for an audience, but the way they were caught and trained needed to be a lot more reasonable.

This was my initial thoughts after reading the webpage, so I looked for more sources on google from another perspective. I ran into WDC, or more formally, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. WDC is an non-profit organization dedicated to stopping the cruelty and mistreatment of large marine mammals. This organization's webpage gave many statistical facts about Orcas’ in captivity. Including the fact that orcas have been taken out of the wild and into human care since 1961, and one hundred and sixty three have died in captivity. Seaworld hold twenty three orcas today, and the website also told that forty-five orcas have died under Seaworld's care. This was the same park that I had just read that they have highly trained professionals and claims