Seaworld Ethical Issues

Cruelty isn’t so Black and White
What began many decades ago as a simply expedition of research evolved into a tragic statement to future generations describing the barbaric capabilities of man. SeaWorld and it’s sister company Loro Parque have committed deplorable acts against such a peaceful and dynamic creature as the Orca. Beyond simply ending breeding programs and shows, SeaWorld should be held accountable for not only the mistreatment of their animals, but for the deaths and injuries that occurred while the killer whales were held at their facilities.
In all instances where varying species are kept under the control of an institution the justification of their captivity is under question. Zoos and aquariums both fall under this questioning,

because zoos are expected to educate the public while maintaining a certain level of care to nurture and prolong the lifespan. Aquariums are especially good in this aspect, the world's second largest saltwater tank is a perfect example. The tank, named the Kuroshio Ocean holds nearly two million gallons, housing four adult whale sharks. The magnitude of these fish rival that of the whales owned by SeaWorld, yet there is an easy distinction between the two. Although the tank at the SeaWorld San Diego facility is larger by more than 600.000 it has been home to more than 32 orcas since 1965. The overcrowding in their tanks is a nightmare in waiting. Orcas, which are naturally a social animal in the wild, exhibit saddening acts of aggression towards each other, raking and abusing each other. In Japan, the tank is appropriately managed with a proper number of sharks, and eighty other species on display. The tank is a vast ecosystem ranging from coral, zooplankton, to manta rays. The fish live in a realistic habitat that emulates the accuracy of the ocean. This precision of specie population and diversity allows for homeostatic aquarium that can be held to a scientific integrity in educating the public. For Zoos pandas, rhinos, tigers, and elephants play a special role while under captivity. While all are endangered species due to aggressive poaching, zoos make consistent efforts to breed the animals, which are often not prolific. SeaWorld’s mission statement says “To apply basic physiological research efforts and state-of-the-art reproductive technologies toward wildlife species management and conservation.”(SeaWorld inc.) The issue with the statement is that no research has declared the orca as an endangered species, although it is vague.
Along those lines, if SeaWorld were to uphold any of their statements, they would have built a pool that truly reflected the real world environment such as the japanese tank. SeaWorld with its recent changes said, “[The newly designed tank] will focus on the research, education, care and respect that align with our mission to advance the well-being and conservation of these beautiful creatures.” (SeaWorld inc.) Yet, why does the marine park choose to neglect the fact that these animals need a dynamic living space? Like humans, orcas process emotions just as well as humans do. In an MRI scan the orca brain is 3.5-6.5 times larger than the brain of a bottlenose dolphin, who shares human-like qualities, as well. “Their brain also demonstrates an exquisite level of cortical folding similar to humans and other higher mammals (chimpanzees, but not macaques, for example), which indicates high amounts of cortical processing,”(Crawford, Killer Whales Are Non-Human Persons). There are three areas of interest when it comes to observing the brains of orcas. The three areas are the insular cortex, the surrounding operculum, and the limbic lobe. The insular cortex in orcas makes it possible for them to hear and process sound. This resides on the upper surface of the temporal lobe. There is a hypothesis that states that “a part of the operculum in killer whales innervates the nasal respiratory tract, the origin of killer whale vocalization. As such, it has been speculated that this area serves similar functions as the speech-related operculum in humans, (Crawford, Killer Whales Are Non-Human Persons). Since there are different vocal patterns within the orca pods, there is a possibility that sound might be a learned behavior trait that is used for communicating with each other. The last structure of importance is the limbic lobe, located in the middle of the two hemispheres. In humans, the limbic system is correlated with emotion, behavior, and the formation of memories. “Humans only have one cingulate gyrus, located medial above the corpus callosum, associated with the limbic system. Orcas’ cingulate gyrus, or limbic lobe, on the other hand is vastly enlarged and made up of three separate lobes separated by two clefts: the limbic and paralimbic clefts,”(Crawford, Killer Whales Are Non-Human Persons). Their cellular structure indicates that they have a propensity to emotional expression. They are able to elucidate empathy and social groupings. From observations of orcas, it has been observed that orcas display self-awareness, happiness, fear, exasperation, and anger. Therefore, considering the intelligence of orcas, humans should rethink their ethics when it comes to interacting and caring for orcas.
SeaWorld states in a recent publication “When SeaWorld opened its doors more than 50 years ago, killer whales were feared and even hunted. Now, they are among the most beloved marine mammals on the planet thanks, in part, to the inspirational encounters we’ve provided to more than 400 million guests.” (SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby). This statement gives the appearance of SeaWorld being Hypocritical. On record there is a single injury caused to a human by an orca in the wild, yet in comparison, four deaths and over twelve serious afflictions have incurred. If SeaWorld was worried about the public image of their whales, then they would not have put any trainers in a dangerous situation. These mammals in the wild often go unprovoked, and are nonaggressive in their interactions with humans. When held in captivity they can become angry, irritated, or belligerent. Tilikum, the world's largest male in captivity, showed this behavior throughout his life. Shortly after being taken at two years old, he was taken to a small park in British Columbia. While there, Tilikum savagely murdered young girl. Later he would be purchased by SeaWorld, where he would become the most prolific breeding bull with an offspring that is reaches almost 54% of all captive whales. Tilikum killed a spanish trainer at Loro Parque, and in 2010 he killed an american trainer in Florida. His recorded murder count reaches three, which would make it illogical for any breeder to continue mating him. As with most domestic species, aggressive or dangerous behaviors make an animal illegible to pass on genes, yet SeaWorld blatantly neglected this common knowledge with the purchase of Tilikum after his first killing. They are responsible for both the secondary and tertiary deaths, because it could have been avoided. Tilikum is an animal that should have been deemed psychologically fit for shows, training, and breeding. SeaWorld created a monster, distorting any positive public image of the famous mammals, to reflect a vicious human killer.
The first and most important code of ethics a biological institution is the prolonging of life.

Once a living creature becomes dependant upon its caregivers, it is the caregivers moral obligation to provide sufficient living parameters as to exceed or exact the natural lifespan. SeaWorld fails to follow this unwritten rule, with orcas seen to live between 30 and 50 years in their parks in comparison to the 80 to 100 years that is possible in the wild. “The average age of death for orcas who have died at SeaWorld is 13 years old.” (PETA) In all regards, the premature deaths of these animals is a eulogy to the pure inability of seaworld to keep

orcas.
Over the many years of SeaWorld’s existence, every show, every splash, and every flip of a fin has been recorded and analyzed by a team of marine biologists.

This constant surveillance has provided the scientific community with a much clearer look into the psychological attributes of the orca, which in turn helps conservationists handle real-world trials for all marine mammals. Institutions such as these play an important role in developing an understanding of how humans can help ensure ecosystems globally stabilize. Further studies have been inducted at SeaWorld, which have yielded fascinating results about orca and dolphin dialects. Dolphins use a technique of speech called echolocation, where they emit sounds that reflect back an image much like sonar technologies. Researchers have detected variations in this form of communication between pods, even those who originate from similar locations. These variations derive from the frequencies, the whales use long range frequencies in order to communicate over distances up to 300 miles away. Although SeaWorld has been able to analyze this fundamental research, wild orcas and dolphins are much more valuable for the research. Even though marine animals can be held in captivity, the ethics of the matter are still at

question.
SeaWorld and other marine parks are specifically at fault do to management negligence. After three trainer deaths, and a single citizen, where does the liability or litigation over murder come into place? In a standard situation, such as a pitbull, the aggressive dog that harmed the human would be put down. But in contrary the orca Tilikum has been bred passing on genes that demonstrate a feral nature in an animal promoted as peaceful. The four deaths that occurred are a sad consequence of human’s stupidity. Many psychologists believe that Tilikum’s murders were a reaction to a life in captivity. The deaths were not out of predation, nor hunger, but dominance. The whale was exceedingly angry in the 2010 death of a female trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, demonstrated by Tilikum’s frustration and consciously drowning her. The nature of her death was heartbreaking for orca lovers worldwide, due to the fact it could have been avoided. These animals are far too intelligent; both orcas and all other dolphin alike, meaning it is inhumane to force them to perform menial tricks, and live a life of slavery. The question still remains as to why a man-killing beast is still in shows performing, and the owners of that animal are not at fault. Litigation should be put into place closing down these parks unless specific regulations are met. An emphasis on education, conservation, and realistic habitat are necessary to avoid any further altercations between trainer and whale. If SeaWorld truly cared for the orcas they hold so esteemed, than in the beginning their efforts would have mirrored that. What they have done to their animals is despicable, in the absolute connotation of the word. Although SeaWorld has given a new lens at which to view the killer whale with their on-the-clock surveillance research, their studies have nearly developed an understanding of the negative effects captivity has on the animal.
Orcas do not belong in concrete dungeons, flooded with water. “SeaWorld confines orcas, who could swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild, to tanks that, to them, are the size of a bathtub. They would need to swim 1,208 laps (around the perimeter of the tank) or 3,105 lengths (back and forth at the longest part of the tank) in the park’s largest tank to equal what they’d swim in the wild.” (PETA) . The lives that orcas live are similar to the lives of prisoners: held in captivity against their will. As well, SeaWorld supplies sub-par food for their orcas. Since they are not capable of hunting for prey in their tanks, SeaWorld gives them a gelatin mixture, which consists of large quantities of pig and cow bones. The orcas are given this gelatin not only to stay hydrated, but to substitute necessary proteins. This substitution lacks omega-3 and other vital vitamins naturally found in the whales diet. The largest orca in captivity, Tilikum, weighs over twelve thousand pounds,and consumes over 83 pounds of this gelatin every single day. SeaWorld fabricates a completely unnatural habitat for the orcas and it needs to end now. If humans are ever to mature, the demoralizing of the public must cease immediately, because if it does not, much more than the Killer Whale may see its own demise through the opressive nature of people.