Seaworld Ethical Issues

2024 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Should animals be in captivity

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, …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Zoos Are Not Prisons: They Improve The Lives Of Animals

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Considering the many challenges animals face in the wild, it is understandable that people may be eager to support zoos and may feel that they are protective facilities necessary for animal life. In the article “ Zoos Are Not Prisons. They Improve the Lives of Animals”, Author Robin Ganzert argues that Zoos are ethical institutions that enrich the lives of animals and ultimately protect them. Statistics have shown that animals held in captivity have limited utilitarian function resulting in cramped quarters, poor diets, depression, and early death for the animals thus, proving that Zoos are not ethical institutions that support and better the lives of animals as author Robin Ganzert stated (Cokal 491). Ganzert exposes the false premise in stating

    Read More

  • Movie Review: The Blackfish Effect

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    The captivity of large, wild animals is accepted for theme parks all around the world. Tickets are sold for people to come and watch these animals live and even preform in an exhibit that almost resembles their natural environment. It is impossible for parks and zoos that use animals as attractions to provide the same resources and space they would have in the habitat they are usually found in. They can, however, help injured or ill animals that cannot survive in the wild. This is where I believe they should draw the line for keeping animals in captivity. SeaWorld has gotten a lot of attention in the last few years, especially since the Netflix documentary, Blackfish, was released. This film targets the company for the mistreatment of their orca whales. In particular, it told the story of one named Tilikum and shows the problems he and the other orca whales face while living under the care of SeaWorld. Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the director

    Read More

  • Seaworld Persuasive Speech

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    I am sure almost all of you have either been to or heard of SeaWorld. Today I am going to tell you about what they do to their orcas that they are trying to hide. I chose this topic after watching a documentary called “Blackfish” that goes into the behind the scenes of how SeaWorld treats its animals. I have since done further research online to prepare for this presentation. This is an important topic because you should know what kind of company you are funding and behaviors you are endorsing when you go on your vacations to this destination. Today I am going to persuade you that SeaWorld is corrupt and maltreats its animals, specifically the orcas. First, I will talk about the specific way the orcas are treated and how it affects them

    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

  • Orcas Should Not Be Allowed In Captivity Essay

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    I believe that killer whales held hostage, should be retired and allowed to live freely because of the unnatural punishment and torture that Seaworld is putting them through. There has been 151 cases of aggression between Orcas and their trainers. Also 100% of male Orcas in captivity have a collapsed fin compared to the 0.01% in the wild. In fact, every single mother within captivity has had its calf taken away around age 2. This isn't going to stop without your help. So, here are some more facts to convince you to SAS ( strike against Seaworld. )

    Read More

  • No Wild Orcas in Entertainment

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    How amazing is it that you can be face to 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. Sea World has been known to lie to the public when it comes to giving facts about these killer whales they have captive.

    Read More

  • SeaWorld: Behind the Scenes

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    For 50 years SeaWorld has entertained park guests with numerous stunts involving the majestic sea creature, the orca, also referred to as the killer whale, and their human trainers. What the on-lookers don’t see at these shows is what goes on behind the scenes: how the whales got there in the first place, and the conditions in which they are housed.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Orcas

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, SeaWorld asserts “that while research suggests that some wild killer whales can live as long as 60 to 70 years, their average lifespan is nowhere near that,” (source). In the wild, the average lifespan is 30 for males, 50 for females, and can live up to 80-90 years old. In captivity, in such environments as those at SeaWorld, most orcas die in their teens or 20s and only a handful survive past 25. The annual mortality or death rate for orcas is 2.5 times higher in captivity than it is in the wild. Activists believe that the capture and transport of these animals is extremely cruel, due to the psychological stress caused by the separation of pod members, and the stress caused during transport.

    Read More

  • Movie Review: Blackfish

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Well, Never Mind.” by Kevin Roose. Roose stated in his article that, “SeaWorld 's stock is plummeting more than 20 percent today, after quarterly earnings that showed shrinking revenue and lowered guidance for next quarter.” (Roose). However, this is only a small victory. When everything is put into perspective, one can see that the decrease in SeaWorld’s attendance record is only one business that is suffering from the story of Blackfish. There are many more corporations in the world that are keeping orcas in captivity simply for the money from the shows. The effects of the movie, Blackfish, on this corporation is just a drop in the proverbial ocean when it is compared to all of the establishments in the world that keep orcas in captivity. There are many other establishments that still need to be investigated and possibly even shut down due to the mistreatment of these large

    Read More

  • Orcas In Captivity Essay

    1774 Words  | 4 Pages

    The capture and control of a breathtaking and majestic creature such as a killer whale is a very tedious subject. Most of the general public would enjoy viewing a show where these giant mammals jump out of the water and perform stunning tricks for viewer satisfaction. But what the public doesn’t see, or realize is that these animals could be severely depressed and could be lacking mandatory stimulation through social bonds and other factors the ocean could give them rather than an oversized bath tub. The ethicalities of keeping such an intelligent animal like an orca in captivity has been under scrutiny for years in the marine biology community. Despite the controlled environments for orcas, these environments cause psychological and social problems to the animals and are worse than nature. There is a distinguishable trait in killer whales in captivity that doesn’t appear in whales in the wild, the dorsal fin of the animal in captivity almost always droops over to one side or the other, and less than one percent of all whales in the wild have been recorded in having this trait. This could be directly related to the depressing life an orca in captivity faces in a closed off world with limited stimulation from the animals incredibly in depth social attributes.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ethos In Blackfish

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first, the film is happy and the trainers talk about how much they loved working at SeaWorld and working with the animals. As the film goes on, you get to see the tragedies and heartbreak that goes on at these parks. The film talks a lot about the living conditions of the whales. Tilikum gets beat up by the female whales, which does not necessarily happen in the wild. The whales are used to swimming around one hundred miles a day, but in captivity, they are confined to a little swimming pool where they barely have any room to even breathe. It is also mentioned that orcas have a lifespan of twenty-five to thirty years. In reality, that is their lifespan in captivity. In the wild, male orcas can live up to sixty to seventy years and female orcas can live anywhere from eighty to more than one hundred years. This shows how SeaWorld fails to treat their animals

    Read More

  • orcas

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Orca whale belongs to the oceanic dolphin family. It is highly social and has a matrilineal family group with advanced communication and hunting skills. These mammals are a cohesive group, much like an American Indian tribe. Once born, they stay together in their familial pod for the rest of their lives. The average survival time for an orca in captivity is around four years. This may seem like a reasonable amount of time for an animal, but what most people do not know is that their lifespan is very similar to humans. Imagine only surviving on average four years in captivity compared to approximately 70 years in the wild. Many may ask why is their lifespan so much less compared to that of those in the wild, but in actuality many are unaware of the conditions that an orca must live in when in captivity. Many believe the lifespan would increase because of the help an Orca may receive from humans, in fact it does the exact opposite. Envision living in an area equivalent to that of a bathtub for the remainder of your life, with little knowledge of your family’s whereabouts, only left wondering what is to come. Being captured is one thing, but having to watch your family die right in front of you while doing so, is another. Over 50 years in the making and approximately 201 orcas have paid the price. Only recently have people seen how problematic it is to hold wild, once gentle animals, and yet only a few “miniscule” laws exist to “prevent” any inhumane acts from occurring in captivity. Laws should be made to prevent capture or harm to come to any Orcas in the wild and those still in captivity should be gradually rehabilitated back into the wild, while being assisted to find their old pods, and family.

    Read More

  • Seaworld Research Paper

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    Seaworld is a giant marine life theme park. The greatest attraction to these many theme park would be those killer whales. In fact, these killer whales are the face of the park. As gigant as these mammals are, seaworld is keeping them in some pretty tight quarters. Mr. Jett and Mr.Ventre says “Wild killer whales can swim a hundred miles daily as they socialize, forage, communicate, and breed. In stark contrast, with little horizontal or vertical space in their enclosures, captive orcas swim only limited distances, with most spending many hours surface resting.” The animals don't have the freedom they need. Also when taking the whales out of their natural habit the whales tend to be depressed and not as heath in that situation. They need their freedom in the big ocean blue. Bring them into the small living units, breeding whales in captivity all for the entertainment of humans. At young ages the calves are taken away from their mothers on to a new seaworld park. Mothers of the calves have even been seen denying their offspring.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Keeping Orcas In Captivity

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    How would you like to live in a bathtub your entire life? Never get to leave that tub, and the only purpose of your life is for the pure enjoyment and entertainment of others. You wouldn’t would you? So what makes humans think a twelve ton Orca, that in nature swims about an average of one hundred miles daily, would want to be kept in a pool its whole life? Keeping Orcas in captivity, strictly for show, when the pool is too small, and they are not kept in good physical or mental health. Some argue SeaWorld is not a problem that it is good enough for research, because SeaWorld gives them protection from the outside world where they wouldn’t survive as long, or that being kept in a pool simply doesn’t affect them physically or mentally. SeaWorld is inhumane to Orcas they do not take care of their physical or mental health, it causes the animals stress and anxiety, and causes them to be aggressive, leading to deathly situations.

    Read More

  • Killer Whales Should Not Be Allowed In Captivity Essay

    1977 Words  | 4 Pages

    Killer whales communicate by a series of clicks and whistles called vocalization. Each pod, or family, has their own unique language. This gives whales the ability to identify their own pods. Orcas have a brain that is about five ti...

    Read More

More about Seaworld Ethical Issues

Open Document