Life Experience of Sea Animals in Captivity

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Anyone who has been to SeaWorld has seen trained whales, dolphins, and seals. SeaWorld guests are entertained by the sea mammals in the tanks, jumping in the air on command by whistle. These tricks draw guests into the park. What may seem to be fun for the viewer, is torture for the mammals. There is a deadly truth behind all sea mammals in captivity: they don’t survive well there. Though sea mammals provide entertainment, they do not belong in captivity. Imagine being at home and then somebody broke in and you were forced, without any choice, to join the circus. This is what the mammals have to go through every day. It is not fair for the mammals to go through this. Why should anyone want them to? Now imagine being a six foot man living in an apartment that is only seven feet high. It would be very difficult to get around. Finally, imagine being a six ton whale that has to live in a much smaller confined area that is not anywhere close to the regular area in which a whale should live. At SeaWorld, the tanks are approximately thirty six feet deep. In the ocean, whales can swim up to 200 feet below the surface of the sea. (Stone, B) There are many disadvantages to being a whale in captivity. First, it is very dangerous and leads to death. Upon going into captivity, many whales die within the first sixty days of bacterial infections. On average, an orca can live in the wild between thirty and fifty years. In captivity, however, some may live to twenty years while most die long before that. Only twenty orcas are recorded living to twenty years in captivity. At least 158 killer whales so far have died in captivity and only one- third have made it past ten years. Many people were first introduced to whales being in captivity from th... ... middle of paper ... ...PETA Protests SeaWorld Float in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade." Newsmax. Newsmax, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. “Pinnipeds in Captivity.” Pinnipeds in Captivity. Seal Conservation Society, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013 Rose, Naomi A. “Marine Mammals in Captivity.” Opsociety.com, Oceanic Preservation Society, n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2013 ”Seaside Aquarium.” SEALS. Seaside Aquarium, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Stone, B. “The Effect Captivity Has on Whales.” Helium 09 July 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Shaefer, Larry. ‘Dolphins In Captivity.” Dolphins IN Captivity, N.p. n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Thron, Adam. ‘The Effect Captivity had on Whales.” N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Wolfe, Linda. “Ten Facts about Captive Orcas and Dolphins.” N.p.n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013 Zimmermann, Tim. “The Killer in the Pool.” Outside Online. Outside. 30 July 2010. Web. 10. Sept. 2013

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