Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The humane treatment of animals
The difference between man and animal communication
Animal communication conclusion
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The humane treatment of animals
With forty-three dead (Bekoff, 2013) and countless others living in torment, it’s a wonder that humans haven’t decided to free the orca whales that are held captive in amusement parks all over the world. Marine biologists, psychologists, and other specialists in the field are beginning to recognize a kind of psychosis (Bekoff, 2013) that sets in on the jailed cetaceans. With symptoms that mimic those of humans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Bradshaw, 2010), there is no denying that these underwater inmates are sick. But instead of setting the innocent free, the people in positions of power, the ones who really have the ability to make a change in public opinion about cetaceans in captivity, are choosing profit over “vitality” (Clark, 2014). But not all cetaceans live lives of torment and torture. Cetaceans in the wild seem to combine intelligence and emotion, creating familial structures that endure over hundreds of years. Possibly more interesting than the psychological theory behind aggression in captive orca whales is theory behind healthy, wild orcas. The massive mammals, when living in the wild, exhibit behavior which proves their nickname as killers to be totally false. Cetaceans process and feel at a level close to that of humans.
Until recently, science has underestimated the extent to which animals feel and understand. Jonathan Balcombe recognizes, in his book Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, that
“From the time Charles Darwin wrote his last book, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) to about the time Neil Armstrong left footprints on the moon nearly a century later (1969), prevailing scientific dogma denied animals their hearts and minds. A nonhuma...
... middle of paper ...
... Is Misleading: Caging Orcas Okay. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal- emotions/201307/seaworld-claims-blackfish-is-misleading-caging-orcas-okay
Bradshaw, G. A. (2010 February 26). The Woeful Whale. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bear-in-mind/201002/the-woeful-whale
Clark, R. (2014 March 26). Freeing Lolita from "SeaLand". Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mothering-nature/201403/freeing-lolita- sealand?fb_action_ids=10152330235329414&fb_action_types=og.likes
Marino L, Connor RC, Fordyce RE, Herman LM, Hof PR, et al. (2007) Cetaceans have complex brains for complex cognition. PLoS Biol 5(6):e139. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050139
Oteyza, K. (Producer), & Cowperthwaite, G. (Director). (2013). Blackfish [Motion Picture]. United States: Dogwoof.
Goodall argues that her readers have an ethical obligation to protect animals from suffering, but she also implies that it might be necessary sometimes to abandon that obligation. She points out that animals share similar traits with human beings: they have a capacity for certain human emotions, and they may be capable of legitimate friendship. Goodall’s evidence for this claim is an anecdote from her research. She recounts that one chimpanzee in her study, named David Greybeard, “gently squeezed [her] hand” when she offered him food (62). Appealing to readers’ emotions, Goodall hopes to persuade readers that the chimp is “sociable” and “sentient,” or feeling (62). According to Goodall’s logic, if researchers are careful to avoid tests that cause human suffering, they should also be careful to avoid tests that cause suffering for other life forms.
Imagine yourself living in a bathtub for 25 years and you could do absolutely nothing about it. Wild orcas, better known as killer whales have been captured to entertain audiences world wide at aquariums. The most popular location being Sea World. Growing up in Miami, I could not control my excitement when it came time to go visit Lolita the killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium. To be able to see such an amazing creature right in front of me was mind blowing. How amazing is it that you can be face or face with an animal of that size? Well, I wish I'd known then what I know now. In the following paragraphs, I will start off with the difference between the life of a wild orca in the wild versus their life in captivity and I will end with reasons as to why families should not participate and give their time and money to these companies who commit such inhumane acts. I hope that towards the end of this essay, you will change your view on wild orcas and not look at them as just an animal that is used for entertainment purposes.
Then, on top of that stress, further stress is added when the Orcas are placed into tanks with other Orcas that are not members of their pods, or with different species of dolphins altogether.... ... middle of paper ... ... We might constrain nature for our enjoyment -- but sometimes, the show's going to have blood in the water.
Orca whales are extraordinarily intelligent, social, and friendly animals. They follow a very close matrilineal group, with varying behaviors and languages among each pod. In an interview of John Hargrove, a former SeaWorld orca trainer of 14 years, told National Public Radio, “There’s something almost scary to it, the intelligence level of these animals... how tightly united their social groups are, their family units especially… the animals that are true family members. It’s really remarkable,” (Hargrove). Despite orcas’ familiar nickname “killer whale,” there have been no
The biological perspective examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behaviour. It emphasizes that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behaviour, thought, and emotion. It is believed that thoughts and emotions have a physical basis in the brain. Electrical impulses zoom throughout the brain’s cells, releasing chemical substances that enable us to think, feel, and behave. René Descartes (1596–1650) wrote an influential book (De Homine [On Man]) in which he tried to explain how the behaviour of animals, and to some extent the behaviour of humans, could be like t...
History of Taiji's Cetacean Kill [Internet]. Sea Shepherd; [cited 2014 Feb 3]. Available from: http://www.seashepherd.org/cove-guardians/cetacean-kill.html
In the film “Blackfish”, the documentary about whales in captivity at SeaWorld, they have a lot of references to pathos. The film makers are trying to make people feel bad for the whales and want them out of captivity. Whales are not made for the life in captivity, that is why they have them on so many antibiotics. Whales stay with their family for their whole lives, unless they are taken from their families and are put in places like SeaWorld. Which is sad to take them away from their parents. SeaWorld trainers talk about their experiences with the whales and why they love SeaWorld, some stories go way back to when they were children. Whales have a larger emotional part of the brain; they have more emotions than humans. In the film, they
Whales in captivity have shown signs of anxiety, stress, and depression causing them to be more aggressive towards humans and the other whales. If you were trapped in a bathtub your entire life, don’t you think you’d become a little irritable and possibly a bit insane? At SeaWorld when the public is not around, usually at night, you can hear the whale’s cries of sadness and distress. Being trapped in a pool their whole life tears at their emotions and causes them to become psychotic. Over a period of thirty years a total of four people have been killed by Orcas in captivity. Three of the killings were done by one famous whale at SeaWorld named Tilikum. Compared to in the wild where there has only been one attack and killing of a
The documentary, Blackfish, heavily highlights this idea as it depicts the conditions that orcas have to survive by while at SeaWorld. This would involve being kept in isolation, staying in a small pool for extended periods of time, violence and aggression from other orcas, various infections and illnesses, which then ultimately lead to a premature death. According to Lori Marino, a dolphin scientist and ethicist, there is a growing scientific consensus that killer whales do not belong in a captive state, due to their extreme intelligence and complex social/emotional behaviour (Neiwert 252). Many aspects of their natural lives make them a contender as one of the most intelligent animals on earth. Research has shown that the brains of orcas are highly developed in the locations associated with emotional learning, and they show sign of being able to demonstrate concepts such as empathy (Neiwert 249). Orcas also have a deeply rooted social life, which compared to human, is much more present and complex. Their families are often what define their unique identities and personalities, and research has shown that there is an extremely tight and important social arrangement between orcas (Neiwert 249).Unfortunately, captive environments often don’t provide the right stimulus and environment that allow their emotional and social needs to be met (Neiwert 230). As well, the industry of marine parks are not only hurting one killer whale but rather negatively impacting a group of orcas that was once the family of the victim (Humane Society of the United States 197-203). Based on theories of utilitarianism from John Stuart Mill, the right course of actions is one that brings the greatest good to the greatest number of people (MacInnes). Should that not also apply to animals, who have show intelligence and emotion that is comparable to
Blackfish is a documentary that looks at the biological, and psychological aspect of SeaWorld’s Killer whales. The Documentary focuses on the killer whales that were captured from the ocean and now reside in SeaWorld. Black fish shows its viewers where the killer whales where captured from, how they behaved at the time of them being captured, and how they behaved after they were captured. The main idea of Black fish is to create awareness about killer whales, by showing that these particular animals are more like intellectual beings that are very conscious about their surroundings. Black fish depicts that Killer Whales can be a cheerful and fun animals to be around due to the fact that they are very sociable in nature, and these enables
Guests leave parks believing that killer whales enjoy being in captivity. How can humans be so selfish to enjoy the presence of these animals, if the animals aren’t enjoying themselves? After the gates are close and the lights turned off, the whales spend hours alone, floating lifelessly. It’s hard to postulate that they receive world-class care. “Orcas are too large, too intelligent, and too behaviorally and socially complex to adequately provide for in concrete enclosures” (Rose).
The short film ,”Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING Appreciation After Being Freed From Nets,” shows 3 men, and a woman are in a small boat, cutting away the net that inprisons the whale. This is a fine example of the value of human emotions enhancing the survival of the whale, that otherwise would more than likely die. After being freed the whale danced a happy dance of sorts, and showed it 's appreciation for valuing it 's life enough to risk their own safety to save it ("Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING
Since the dawn of time, man has been fascinated with creatures that live in the sea. Some of the first known records of interaction between man and dolphin date back to Aristotle. It was only a matter of time before man decided he had to capture these creatures to call his own. In 1861, PT Barnum purchased what are believed to be the first cetaceans in captivity: six beluga whales from the St. Lawrence River who were shipped in boxcars filled with seaweed to a museum. The animals all died within two years. But Barnum’s belugas opened the doors to a lucrative business: the capture of cetaceans continued throughout the 1800s until the first oceanarium opened in 1938. While up until the 1960s capture was limited to smaller cetaceans (bottlenose dolphins were popular), in 1965, Ted Griffin, an entrepreneur and aquarium owner, made an unprecedented purchase: a young male killer whale named Namu who had been captured in a fishing net off British Columbia; he was the first successful specimen captured and displayed. His capture and display at the Seattle Marine Aquarium marked the beginning of one of the most controversial animal husbandry practices in history: the practice of keeping large, highly intelligent creatures such as killer whales in captivity for the purposes of entertainment (Man & Marine Mammals). Following a handful of deaths and countless injuries at the hands of captive killer whales, as well as various scientific studies examining the effects of captivity on Orcinus orca, the debate over their captivity for entertainment has been split between those who believe the practice should continue and t...
Killer whales live in almost every ocean. Though they are often found in cold, coastal waters, killer whales can be found from the polar regions to the Equator. The killer whale is a carnivor. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them. Killer whales hunt in deadly pods which consist of family groups of up to 40 individuals. They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even other whales. There are two kinds of Killer whales, the resident and the transient. Resident pods prefer fish, while transient pods catch marine mammals. All pods use effective, cooperative hunting techniques that some liken to the behavior of wolf packs . While hunting like wolves, killer whales could surround a school of salmon and even overwhelm a larger whale (National Geographic). One killer whale was even reported to have even traveled some 177 km up the Columbia River in search of fish In the Arctic, killer whales eat about 67% fishe, 27% marine mammals and 6% squid. In the Bering Sea near Alaska, they eat about 65% fishe, 20% squids and 15% marine mammals (Marine Bio).
Animals can be perceived in many different ways. While some humans consider animals to be mindless machines programmed with instinct, others view them as spiritual creatures capable of coherent thought and emotions. I feel that animals are somewhere in the middle. Although they rely heavily on instinct, the ability to feel emotions shows that their mental capacity is not far from that of a human.