The Effects Of Captivity On The Orca

The argument that captivity is detrimental to the health and well-being of orcas is growing in popularity because of the indisputable scientific evidence that presents jarring differences in captive and free orcas. Naomi Rose, author of Killer Controversy, is a mammal scientist who explains the artificial habitat captive orcas survive in: “They are cooperative predators, whose home ranges are hundreds, if not thousands of square kilometers in size and who can and often do swim almost 200 kilometers in a day. When in captivity, they exist inside a comparatively small concrete enclosure, less than one ten-thousandth of normal habitat size” (Rose). Without adequate space to travel and live, captivity deprives orcas of the exercise wild orcas have, arguably leaving them with frustration and boredom. Supporters of orca captivity argue that amusement parks allow visitors to see orcas when otherwise unable to, in contrast, the environment in which orcas are held captive does not merely resemble their natural habitat and ultimately convince them into a life of solitude. David Kirby’s novel Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity, discusses the complexity of killer whales’ brains: “Orcas not only have the largest brain of any dolphin, at twelve pounds, it is four times larger than the human brain (a

The idea that orcas are wild and unpredictable in their behaviour is shown through the documentary Blackfish directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite through the visual conventions of celebrity figure and expert opinion to produce this idea. This idea is important because throughout the documentary we are told Orca’s held in captivity become aggressive and lash out because they are unpredictable and we see these examples of their

“All whales in captivity have a bad life. They’re all emotionally destroyed. They’re all psychologically traumatized. So they’re ticking time bombs.” This is a statement by Lori Marino from the documentary, Blackfish. Many statements like this one are common and believed to be true due to the proof that the documentary provides. There are many incidents that prove Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, are harmed in captivity and that their trainers are often harmed because of this, too. Orcas should not be kept in captivity since it is harmful to both Orcas and humans.

The claim further argues that said stress can be directly blamed for the violent outbursts of the orcas against the training staff. When whales are taken away from their families in the wild waters, they grieve the pain and suffering that is associated with that parting, thus making the whales an emotional time bomb. The documentary provides grounds to argue that orcas suffer the emotional repercussions of separation, much like humans do by with the fact that scientists have proven them to be conscious of human-like relationships and feelings via MRI’s. Moreover, included in this documentary was a commercial of a killer whale giving birth to baby Kalina. Much like our society, killer whales value their relationships with their offspring. Once Kalina was taken from her mother, Katina, is shown being immobile in the corner of the tank, audibly screeching and crying. Being able to see and hear the tragic response of the mother makes the audience empathize with the orca and want to cry for her. Incorporating this event shows how holding orcas in captivity can negatively affect them psychologically. This vivid scene gives the audience the ability to sympathize on a personal level with a mammal other than

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

Orcas should not be kept in captivity I have no doubt that orcas should not be sold or brought into theme parks, marine parks or aquariums. I have many valid and persuasive arguments and points to backup this statement. Orcas otherwise known as killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family and the top predator in the marine eco-system. Most humans undermine orcas for dumb and silly circus animals when they should be thinking of them as what they are which is intelligent due to their amazing and unusual senses of sight and hearing.

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

How can it be “beneficial” when it contradicts what’s really in favor for these animals? Killer whales, or commonly referred to as orcas are known to live in social and protected family environment, who are highly intelligent with minds of their own, but are put in confined pens for viewing purposes

Wild orcas, also known as killer whales, are one of the most intelligent marine creatures, from swimming in a specific pattern, to jumping on command. Orcas may be easy to train and quick learners, but at the end of the day they are wild creatures and can be very unpredictable. Surprisingly so, the name killer whale does not derive from killing of humans, but from the Latin translations. Orcas is Latin for “a kind of whale,” and the genus name, orcinus, is translated to “belonging to the realms of the dead” and combined it makes ‘killer whales.’ Orcas may have a very large impact on the media, and entertainment businesses, attracting large amounts of profits, but the profits these businesses are receiving is detrimental

The latest animal rights issue to hit the public is a whale of a controversy. For decades, the public has enjoyed visiting SeaWorld and taking in mesmerizing displays of aquatic performance by orcas, the largest species of dolphins, and their trainers. Recent events have stirred up a media uproar over the safety of these creatures and their trainers. Much of what the public knows about the maltreatment of these creatures comes from a documentary released in 2013 called “Blackfish”. The breeding and captivity of killer whales for entertainment purposes poses a threat not only to the whales, but also the trainers who interact with them.

Hurry up, come on down, and take a trip to one of Orlando, Florida’s most famous theme parks, SeaWorld! Grab your friends, family, kids and neighbors to peer in on SeaWorld’s most prized possession… Shamu, a spectacular look on an Orca whale’s magnificence as you watch them fly, loop, and dive through the air into the nearly oceanic waters… this is what they want you to think anyway. Behind SeaWorld’s thick, poorly patched walls, lies a blanket that cascades over all the dark lies and secrets. A story of death and tragedy is told and soon, the truth unveils. Disease stricken and uncared for, these orcas are drowning in tanks the size of bathtubs. They need their family, their pod, their home--the ocean. From improper dental care to malnutrition, the whales are not even fed correctly. Even if SeaWorld increased the tank size, it would still not be enough. Just like us, orcas need to be with their pods, or family, due to the psychological and physical attachment they have on them in order to survive in the wild. Although SeaWorld’s ‘Shamu’ show has brought in over 2.5 billion dollars into the entertainment industry, the orcas of the park should be set free due to the decrease of psychological and physical health, resulting in a declination of the whale’s average lifespan in captivity.

Another argument is that there is no proof that a whale is smart or capable of hurting emotionally, but actually all that needs to be done to blow that myth out of the water is look at their brain. Orcas share many human like qualities like speaking languages. When looking at an orca brain, there are many links to a human brain and both scream intelligence. Some even argue the orca is the smartest mammal in the planet besides a human. The intelligence and linguistic part of the orca both play a big role when it comes to being put in captivity but the biggest however is the limbic lobe. Humans limbic lobe extends out in the front of their brain and is in one part. That part on an orca brain is much larger and is in three section. It is as if

One of the main points in this article is that living in captivity and living in the wild are two very different things.

One of the largest in the dolphin family, the most intelligent marine creatures, killer whales, also known as orca is one of the top predator in the dolphin family. The beautiful creatures, with black covering their body and white around their eyes and some part of their body. Orca is also known to be living in captivity, where their freedom and enjoyment is limited, or could be easily interpret as living in a aquarium. It damages a lot of their instinct , physical, and mental health. Big aquarium such as Sea World, is known for captivating orca whales. There are many evidence of orca whales living in captivity to be in poor shape and mentally ill. In the wild, they could swim up to 35 miles, while in captivity, they could not swim as fast as in the wild. There have been many campaigns since there have been many evidence on how orca whales living in captivity is being treated poorly. One of the campaign that recently has been in the spotlight is #AskSeaworld campaign. The social media campaign was launched on twitter on March 26 and the response for this campaign was huge and backfire Seaworld. Many people tweeted about this and have concern on the orca whale living in captivity. There was also a movie relating to this called ‘BlackFish’, a documentary in 2013 about how orca live in captivity. The truth start to uncover after people watch the movie on how orcas are being treated.

Orcas in the wild are able to interact with each other but “orcas in captivity are more aggressive toward each other than in the wild” (Humane Society). When under stress, Orcas are able to act out against those around it. Since 1964, there’s been a record of four people being killed and others being injured, the recent death occurring in 2010 which involved the 30 year old Orca named Tilikum. In the wild, marine mammals flee from one another when they feel threatened, but when held in captivity, they’re forced to stay in one place which may lead to aggression. Trainers and staff members don’t really know what to expect when interacting with Orcas, this involves a high level of risk each day which can cost their life