Should Marine Animals Be Allowed In Captivity Essay

Arianna Bailey
Ms. Parks
AICE Marine Science per. 4 Should Marine Mammals Be in Captivity? Marine mammals should not be kept in captivity because they are living and breathing creatures just like humans. Marine mammals should not be traded or locked in a suffocating aquarium and they should have the right to stay in their natural environment. Whales and dolphins in captivity usually were separated from their families when they were very young. Marine mammals that are in captivity are placed in tanks that are the equivalent of a bathtub. A tank the size of a bathtub can’t replace the endless ocean. Whales in captivity have a much higher death rate from diseases than whales that are in their natural environment. Killer whales are captured alive and are then used in exhibitions. Attempts to capture killer whales can cause injuries and deaths to the whales. “In 1970, more than 90 orcas were stalked and herded into a three-acre net by deafening explosives, speedboats and airplanes at Puget Sound. Young calves were torn apart from their

Captive whales also suffer physically because they can damage their teeth by chewing on metal cage bars that they live in and all captive adult male whales have collapsed dorsal fins, which is a rare condition in wild dolphins. “Nakai, an orca at SeaWorld San Diego, sustained an injury on his lower jaw that was so significant that it was described as “a dinner plate-sized chunk” of ripped tissue.”(PETA) Wild Orcas can live for decades, but in captivity the median age is only 9. “At least 44 orcas have died at U.S. SeaWorld facilities from causes ranging from severe trauma to intestinal gangrene; none of them have died from old age.”(PETA) So, not only do wild orcas get harmed in captivity, but they also die from severe illnesses and they don’t live as long as they normally would out in the