Orcas Should Not Be Kept In Captivity Essay

545 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on why orcas should not be held in captivity

Twenty-three orcas kept in captivity, 163 have died, and 30 had miscarried or had a stillbirth while in captivity (WDC). Orcas can also be called killer whales. Would you like to be kept in a tank all day long for someone’s entertainment? Imagine how the whales feel being kept in captivity for someone’s entertainment, they have to do certain tricks to get fish after that trick and if they don’t do the trick right they do not get their fish that they have worked for and become upset about it. Yes, it may be fun for the people who are watching but for the whales, it doesn't pay off for all their hard work. Killer whales should not be kept in captivity because they have injured people while in captivity, they can suffer from dorsal fin collapse, …show more content…

One trainer attacked was in February 2010, Dawn Brancheau (Keep Whales Wild), she was attacked by Tilikum, he dragged her underwater by her arm until she drowned. (Keep Whales Wild). Orcas should not be kept in captivity because one of them have drowned a trainer. Another incident was in 2006 Trainer Ken Peters was dragged by his leg and pinned by the whale Kasatka, and he suffered from a broken foot (Keep Whales Wild). Another reason orcas should not be kept in captivity because they can suffer from dorsal fin collapse. Dorsal fin is when the orca's fin flips to the side instead of standing upright. They suffer from it because they receive less hydration from the frozen-thawed fish they are given in marine parks (One Green Planet). They get better fresh fish in the wild compared to the park they live in. They also suffer from it because it’s believed that captive whales experience it because they spend much more time at the water’s surface because they in the same direction in the pool (One Green Planet). Unlike in the wild, where they have a much bigger space to

Show More
Related

  • Seaworld Persuasive Speech

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    Out of the 156 whales they have taken into captivity from the wild, 129 are dead. Including orcas bred within SeaWorld, at least 165 have died in their facilities (Schelling). Another falsehood SeaWorld claims is that collapsed dorsal fins are completely normal and common of all male orcas. It is actually quite rare to find in the wild, while every single one of their male whales has a collapsed dorsal fin (“8 Shocking Facts…”). SeaWorld also guarantees that they never separate a calf from its mother and even have posted a picture of a baby and its mother as proof. What they didn’t tell the public was that soon after that picture was posted they shipped the calf off to Spain alone to a different park. A past trainer even said that there had been at least 19 separations of mother and calf that he knew of at his location. All of these factors previously stated added up have a large influence on the whales mentally. Many whales are afflicted by psychosis and anxiety and in turn are given drugs such as Valium to keep them performing in shows. There have been various occasions, often swept under the rug by SeaWorld and away from the public eye, where the drugs didn’t work enough (Schelling). There

    Read More

  • Reasons Why Orcas Should Not Be Kept In Captivity

    247 Words  | 1 Pages

    Second reason why they shouldn’t be kept in a captivity. You can’t recreate on orcas natural environment. The pods sea world cannot hold 40 or more whales which are usually in a pod. If it holds 40 orcas they will make more babies and after their gonna be so much whales and the water won’t hold that much whales. Because whales are the size of bus school and is just like 40 bus

    Read More

  • Blackfish Analysis

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    Millions of people come from across the world to visit Seaworld every day without thinking about the lives of the animals behind the scenes. Why would they have concerns? From Seaworld’s commercials to the website, they convince the general public that Seaworld is the place to go to see the happy sea animals perform. If Seaworld is such an ecstatic place, what excuse does Tilikum, their greatest well known orca whale, have for the three attacks on trainers? The documentary “Blackfish” was created by the director Gabriela Cowperthwaite because she questioned herself after realizing Tilikum's odd behavior over time in captivity, and if there was any indisputable parts to animal captivity?

    Read More

  • Is the Captivity of Killer Whales for Entertainment Purposes Inhumane?

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    Suppose you were kidnapped from your family as a child by an alien species while your family watched in despair, crying out helplessly for your kidnappers to not rip you away from them. Now imagine then being strapped down and transported to a place unknown and once you arrive, you see that some of the other children that were also kidnapped have died. You then witness something that will forever remain engraved into your mind; you witness those monsters that took you hostage cut the children open, fill their bodies up with rocks, tie an anchor onto their feet and throw them into the ocean. The monsters then throw you into a tiny cage; you learn that you will not only never see your family again and die in that confinement but you will also work for these monsters and perform as a source of entertainment for them. You spend every night locked away into an even smaller steel cage that gives no freedom of movement at all and aren’t fed if you displease your new masters. Although this sounds like an outline for a horror movie, it is not. It is happening in real life and in our world. It is horrific, not only unethical but inhumane. This depicts the capturing process and life in captivity for public display of Orcinus Orcas, popularly known as Killer Whales since 1961. Although some laws regarding the capturing of whales have changed, whales are still being treated unethically. Just as inhumane as it is for this to be done to humans, it is equally inhumane for it to be done to animals. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, inhumanity is “the quality or stage of being cruel to other people or to animals” (dictionary.com) and that is what their captivity is...

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Techniques Used In The Film Blackfish

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    The trainers along with Cowperthwaite believe to have them in a captivity like SeaWorld is inhumane. I agree with this documentary, Blackfish. This documentary gave a perfect visual representation on why I do not like having animals in a cage or in a small area. Having animals captive, working hard, and hardly fed is wrong, especially only allowing them in a small area to roam. Watching this documentary made me feel sympathy toward these poor animals that must go through with this harsh life style. Just like Cowperthwaite, I strongly believe the orcas shall not be held in these small areas and be allowed to live in their natural

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Orcas In Captivity

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    An orca, more commonly known as a killer whale, is currently one of the largest marine animals held in captivity. Countless arguments are being made, supporting and opposing captivity of orcas to be exploited as circus animals in theme parks around the world. Throughout recent history, Sea World trainers have been injured and killed by the orcas and the whales, and the whales themselves have been observed as severely depressed. If Sea World releases the whales, they would undergo an immense economic downfall and the whales would be too weak to survive in the wild if they were freed. Since the first Sea World park opened in San Diego, California in 1964, common questions have arose concerning the well-being of orcas in captivity, the dangers of humans training them, the physical capability of whales theoretically being released, and the psychological differences between whales living in the wild versus whales living in Sea World's confinement.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Orcas

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    And even a six year old wasn’t blind to that fact. The issue of keeping Orcas in captivity and under the care of man has been a controversial practice ever since the first dolphins and whales were taken into aquariums for the amusement of humans. In more recent times, the documentary Blackfish (which has been recently broadcast on popular TV stations such as CNN) that focuses on Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld, has brought to light the controversy over captive killer whales. Orcas are majestic, beautiful, and intelligent creatures that should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment because of the harm they cause. SeaWorld, a leader in the captivity and use of killer whales for entertainment, has counterattacked the points made by the documentary Blackfish, which brought many points to light.

    Read More

  • Killer Whales Should Not Be Kept in Captivity

    2009 Words  | 5 Pages

    Orca whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orcas are very curious creatures, they like to sky hop, which is when they poke their heads out of the water and look around, and they can also dive to as much as a hundred feet. These social animals live in pods and stay with them for their whole lives. They are so family oriented that they can may sleep together in a tight circle and have synchronized breathing. Orcas can grow up to thirty-two feet and can weigh nine tons. They typically eat five percent of their body weight and are amazing hunters. The lifespan of an orca in their natural habitat is about fifty years. This lifestyle for them is wonderful because they can swim as far as they want to and are free. Orcas should not be held captive because the capture process is dangerous, it is not good for their health, and their trainers are at risk. Free Willy. Dir Simon Wincer. 1993.Video. Warner Bros Home Video

    Read More

  • Seaworld Persuasive Essay

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    The whales are usually pregnant for 15 to 17 months; but having young every 2 to 6 years. In captivity about 163 orcas have died. As well as about 30 miscarried or stillborn calves (“10 Things…”). SeaWorld force breeds the orca’s. They do this by having the animal lye on its back while they masturbate it. The people take the sample and put it inside of a female (“The Fate of…”). They do this to make the numbers of orca’s they are capturing to go down. In all actuality they are making things worse. They have inbred these animals. They don’t know what it could do to the baby inside of the mother. It could come out with some type of deformation, and the wiring in their brains could become

    Read More

  • Orcas Should Be Allowed In Captivity Essay

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    They are forced to adapt to different types of orcas that speak a different language from them. Orcas that are kept in captivity don’t have the freedom that the other orcas from the wild get. Orcas should be free and not

    Read More

  • Orcas In Captivity Essay

    1507 Words  | 4 Pages

    The effects on orcas in captivity can be seen easily, all one has to do is attend an orca show. A common thing that happens to orcas when they are constantly near surface level is that their dorsal fin begins to sag sideways. The dorsal fin is the fin on the topside of an orca. With any orca, the dorsal fin acts as a stabilizer that helps the body swim (Thewissen, 2015). It is not supported by a skeleton, but a connective tissue called collagen (Thewissen, 2015).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Orca Whales

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    This argument about Orca whales is very important. The abuse that these animals go through is unbelievable and uncalled for. They face starvation, dorsal fin damage, and withdrawals from not seeing their family if they were taken from the wild. Orca whales love to play but it is hard when they are being abused. Whales in the wild have dorsal fins that stand straight up (Killer Whales Don’t Belong In Captivity). The whales at any marine park have dorsal fins that

    Read More

  • Killer Whales Should Not Be Allowed In Captivity Essay

    1977 Words  | 4 Pages

    Orcas, or killer whales are majestic giants of the sea. They are actually the largest type of dolphin. They have long black bodies with distinct white patches near their eyes. A killer whale can be up to 32 feet or more in length, and weigh up to 12,000 pounds. Females are a bit smaller, but live longer (Gorman). The name “killer whale” apparently came not because it is a vicious whale, but because it preys on whales. They do not have any natural predators, and they are considered the “top dog” of the ocean. Not even the great white shark stands a chance against these superb killers. “Unlike sharks, killer whales are cautious hunters, sometimes spending hours harassing a 1,000-pound sea lion so it can easily be drowned” (Francis). Orcas use many hunting tactics that are unique to their species, which is what makes them invincible.

    Read More

  • Keeping Whales In Captivity

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    When whales are pulled out of the wild to be kept in captivity they are being negatively affected in multiple places. Yes, there some positive sides to why whales are kept in captivity like, amusement and fun though that it very misguided because if you think about that again, is keeping whales in captivity really for the whales or is it for us? Dr Naomi Rose, who is a mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute at Washington, DC remarks, "I think that orcas are more social than people are. I think their family lives are more important to them than they are for us," this tells us that whales are more reasonable in the wild then in captivity. So why are they still kept in captivity, because even though they are for the fun and amusement in captivity they can be used for amusement in many different other ways besides captivity.

    Read More

  • Should Animals Be Kept in Captivity

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    They claim that having Orcas in captivity is a good thing because the population is endangered; they say that the research they can do is just not possible in the wild, but at the same time how are they helping the population? Yes they breed them, increasing the population but what good does that do when they keep them locked up and use them to make money? SeaWorld. From the Animals: Captive, but not Contained article by Talal Al-Khatib. Animals may be captive in cages and pens, but that doesn’t mean they are contained, as was demonstrated in 2010 at Sea World.

    Read More

More about Orcas Should Not Be Kept In Captivity Essay

Open Document