The Mistreatment And Ethical Misconduct Of Orcas

In the documentary “Blackfish”, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, she discussed the harmful events that have occurred when keeping killer whales contained for show and entertainment purposes. Cowperthwaite argued the fact that the killer whales become aggressive when held captive in an area too small for them and separated from their families. Throughout the documentary there were many horrifying stories about the attacks told by people who had saw the tragedies first-hand.

The black fish or killer whale, is a very dangerous apex predator with a diet that consist of many animals in its environment. These animals are very unique with its sharp and long array of teeth, one very famous orca whale was Tilikum, who was captured in Iceland as a baby and taken away from its parents and sent to an aquarium/amusement park called sea land, sea land was relatively new and with all of its orcas it became very popular in the general area. Yet Tilikum showed much distress its first years living at the park after being attacked by many of the older female orcas who were upset with Tilikum after not performing a trick properly, which left all the orcas with no food for a period of time. As the park seemed to deem it necessary so Tilikum

Many of the orcas being held in captivity have many problems varying from dental problems, depression, and general health. First, almost every whale being held in captivity has a collapsed dorsal fin. The collapsed dorsal fin is very rare in the wild, only 2-5% of whales have it. Its mostly caused by depression and what food the whales are consuming. The whales at SeaWorld are given antidepressants before each show because of how depressed they are. They have no freedom to roam the ocean and swim freely with their families.The orcas seem to know that there are bigger waters than the pool they swim in because they try to get out. The sides of the whale’ bodies are scratched up and their teeth are all worn down, “resulting in painful dental drilling without anesthesia”(“8 Reasons Orcas Don 't Belong at SeaWorld”). They want and try to get out. Because they chew on the pool’s wall, their teeth begins to gradually chip away, and since they bite and chew the wall, they do swallow the plaster. For humans, its like eating plastic and it would be hard to consume. The only way to clear up the whales’

SeaWorld is one of the most successful entertainment theme parks in the world due to the impacts they have on communities, jobs, people, and animals. The behind scene actions, court involvements, false information, and unreasonable animal care reveal the dark side of the corporation which is in conflict SeaWorld’s mission.

It’s a average, nice summer day and you and your family decide to see killer whales at SeaWorld. Once you arrive to the place and see the large animals in the tank you’re fascinated by their large size. Killer whales, or orca whales, are large marine mammals that can be found in every ocean around the world. They can swim for hundred of miles and “routinely dive up to 300 ft” (“Should Orca Whales Be Kept in Captivity”). They also live in large family groups known as pods that they will rarely ever leave. Seeing these large animals in the tanks that they make seem small due to their large size and with other whales along with marks, mainly bite marks and flopped over dorsal fin for the males, make it questionable if they even should be here and if these other whales are family in the seemingly makeshift pod. Orcas should not be in captivity because of health problems, lack of space in the tanks, and most of them are taken from their homes in the wild where their true family is.

SeaWorld is a United States based park with live aquatic animals. SeaWorld has been under some scrutiny lately with the treatment of their Orcas as well as their living conditions. Some people believe what SeaWorld is doing is okay whereas others do not. Some think keeping animals in captivity is acceptable, and others think taking them away from their families is uncalled for. Washington Post believes what SeaWorld doing is perfectly acceptable. PBS a typically children’s network is completely for SeaWorld and keeping animals in captivity. SeaWorld is strongly debated on keeping animals in captivity, their living conditions, and taking orcas away from their families.

Blackfish’s main concern is the health of the captive whales, and the safety of trainers associated with them. SeaWorld, on the other hand, wants to show the public how well their trainers treat the orcas in their facilities. Blackfish strides to show what SeaWorld is failing to show to the public eye. A mentally and physically healthy orca can keep a trainer from perishing by eliminating danger. Each side wishes their audience to view how the lifestyle of the orcas affects them physically and

As orca whales live in captivity, one is bound to question what the long term effects of living in such a confined space will be. Is it enjoyable and safe, or are the orcas just another pawn in someone’s game of chess? SeaWorld claims on its website that “at SeaWorld, the whales live in safe, sophisticated habitats, receive world-class medical care and are continually engaged socially, mentally and physically (“SeaWorld Cares”)”. However, evidence contradicts these statements. Former whale trainer Samantha Berg says “SeaWorld is simply making money through the exploitation of orcas”. SeaWorld is a money driven company, imprisoning the whales in an unhealthy and unnatural habitat. In their own environment, orca whales are very

Orcas are forced to perform tricks, and since they are going in the same current, their fins flop over to the side. In the wild, their fins can stand 6 feet tall. Mentally, since their brains are mainly set on emotion, keeping them in small spaces isn’t healthy for them at all. It can cause them to go crazy because the space is stopping them from doing what they naturally do, which is roaming large bodies of water. In February 2010, there was an attack with an orca named Tilikum. Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau, an experienced trainer. The orca drowned Dawn by grabbing her by her ponytail, then pulling her under the water. Orcas are very large animals and too socially complex, to adjust to the space in

According to the documentary Blackfish, whales chew on the gates and barriers breaking their teeth and get cut and scraped from the concrete of the pools.

What has attracted millions of families and spectators over the years, SeaWorld has recently brought reproach and disgrace. A few years ago, SeaWorld’s unacceptable treatment of their whales and sea animals was revealed and has greatly impaired their visitor attendance. This was exposed in the article, “Has America’s disgust at SeaWorld already peaked?” written by Jordan Weissmann. This particular article caught my attention because personally, I have made many visits to SeaWorld and to hear that the beautiful whales that I have witnessed were treated poorly, upset me deeply. I would have never guessed that such a well known park known for its incredible sea life would ever dare to harm their animals. And as mentioned before, because of this

In conclusion, putting whales in captivity is a wrong act that needs to end. Whales are meant to be in the wild, to swim freely with their own pod, not be kept like a prisoner in a

On July 19, 2013, Cnn films released the documentary Blackfish. A documentary that covers the killer whale Tilikum who killed his trainer Dawn Brancheau in February. This film has gotten the attention of the public and Seaworld has to face the backlash of it’s effects. The public has good reason to be mad. Putting whales in captivity for entertainment is wrong and is a dangerous and inhuman practice. In the trailer to the movie Blackfish it was stated that when they caught these whales from the wild “we stored them in what we call a module which was 20 ft across and 30 ft. deep and the lights were all turned out”. From being completely free in the sea to being stuck into the equivalent of a bathtub is very cruel to an

Keeping whales in captivity is so cruel that the whales became erratic and could kill people. Ms Brancheau's death demostrates that close contact with killer whales is a hazard likely to cause death or serious injury additionally osha found that Seaworld had violated the general duty of clause of occupational safety and healthy exposing trainers to recognized hazards when they are working in close contact with killer whales.

SeaWorld is cruel to their marine animals, takes young dolphins and orca whales away from their families at a young age, don’t provide their animals with proper care and confine their marine animals in small tanks.