The Dolphins Case Study

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.

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.

In recent years, animals in captive environments such as zoos and theme parks have grown more controversial. The literature I have reviewed focuses on a particular group of animals in captivity, cetaceans. Cetaceans include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The literature includes a range of themes, from their unique level of intelligence to why they may mentally and physically suffer in captive environments. However, it all connects to how and why these animals live and behave differently in captive environments than their wild counterparts.

Ever since the entertainment industry began to capture animals for the enjoyment of others, activists who believe animals can only subsist in the wild have been protesting against this monstrous act, using powerful propaganda to entice others to join their cause. The critically acclaimed film Blackfish, which highlights SeaWorld’s treatment of killer whales, apparently reveals shocking and appalling insight on accidental deaths caused by captive killer whales. One of the highest grossing documentaries of all time, as stated on director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s website, Blackfish has captivated millions of viewers, causing them to reevaluate their values and advocating against SeaWorld. Although Cowperthwaite has stated in an interview that the “film is not at all advocating for anything,” and that she attempted to take a “journalistic approach” to documenting these phenomena, it is clear that the events depicted in the film reflect opposition to SeaWorld and its captivity of whales. Although Blackfish extensively applies human emotion and concepts to the animal kingdom to solicit sympathy from the viewers and provides misleading information to add to the sense of credibility, further research contradicts the points made in the film, rendering the conveyance of the film’s admonition against the captivity of killer whales ineffective.

Bottlenose dolphins produce a extensive variety sounds that are divided into two categories: pulsed emissions, i.e. echolocation clicks and burst-pulsed sounds; and non-pulsed signals, i.e. whistles (Caldwell et al., 1990; Janik, 2013) (Figure 1:2).

After beating the New England Patriots 20-10 to close out a disappointing 6-10 season, the NFL's Miami Dolphins are at a crossroads. They obviously have holes to fill on defense and in the offensive backfield if they want to get back to a level where they can actually compete for a playoff spot. That said, Dolphins' owner Steve Ross has a bigger issue he needs to address before worrying about player personnel.

In my opinion, killer whales and orcas should not be held captive because it’s animal cruelty. They are just putting their own lives in risk trying to care for them. In addition, we need to stop having them perform for our own entertainment, because when they do, the trainers make them earn their food.

Today, I will talk about the problem of keeping whales in captivity and how to overcome it.

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.

Dolphins, a beauty flying through the waves off the coast of Taiji Japan. but sadly they are being hunted. Every year 23,000 dolphins are massacred in Japan. Ric O'Barry an ex-dolphin trainer, and vigilante helped The Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) reveal the horrors within Taiji Japan. The Dolphin slaughter in Taiji Japan must be halted immediately due to the immense amounts of mercury contained in these invertebrates, and killing dolphins are just morally wrong.

Over the years many former SeaWorld employees have spoken out about what goes on at SeaWorld behind closed doors. Sarah Fischbeck joined SeaWorld San Diego in 2007 as a water quality diver. Fischbeck worked at SeaWorld for 6 years. She worked across the parks exhibits, often diving with the animals and performing maintenance on multiple exhibits.

I do not agree that whales should be kept in captivity. It is not fair for whales. Even if it entertains us, they should not be forced to do what they don’t want to do, such as: do tricks. While we are being entertained, they are trapped in a tub, away from their family, and stuck there until finally released.

An advertisement has recently been published with the title Adopt a Whale £17.50, and as you probably already guessed, you do not get your own whale as pet at home for seventeen pounds and fifty pence, however what you actually get to do is remarkable.

viewing Dolphins that are held in tanks do not replicate their natural habitats. the dolphins are trained to behave in ways that they would not in the wild. This does not give people an insight into the dolphins natural behavior. Scientific research involving captive dolphins only advanced scientists understanding of dolphins to a small extent. Most of the published scientific research from dolphins in captivity addresses captive breeding practices. This research does not benefit conservation as it is only used in

The first SeaWorld, which was originally supposed to be an underwater restaurant, opened up in San Diego in 1964. The founders were George Millay, Ken Norris, David Demott and Milt Shedd. The first park started off with only a few dolphins and sea lions and had about 400,000 people visit the park within the first year. Today there are 3 SeaWorld parks in the United States, 1 in Orlando, another in San Antonio and the original park in San Diego.