Killer Whales Should Not Be Kept In Captivity

Studies have been shown that Orcas lead a highly more elaborate life than any other mammal. So already being stripped from it's mother is a traumatizing experience, being tortured by other Orcas, and put in a pool when it swims more than 100 miles each day can lead to this inner aggression that it can't vent out

One major reason why orcas should not be held in captivity is because orcas are a family oriented type species. Orcas are extremely social animals. Orcas are very close to their family. For example, when SeaWorld orca catchers came to capture orcas in the year 1977, John Crowe, one of the orca catcher’s, said, “When we took the baby orcas and left the adults, the adults huddled in a circle and made noises to the baby orcas that were being taken away.” He also stated, “We dropped the net to let the other adult orcas go, but they stayed and huddled around the boat.” When killer whales are in captivity, they are not with their family. They are involuntary forced to live with other orcas from a different family and are

Since 1961, 157 orcas, or killer whales, have been ripped from their homes and shoved into captivity. 127 of these orcas are now dead. With the number of captured orcas plus the number of those born into captivity, The W.D.C. (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) reports that, “At least 162 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or stillborn calves” ( “The Fate”1). Out of the 127 taken into captivity, 44 have died in SeaWorld. There are currently 58 orcas residing in 14 marine parks in eight different countries. 24 of those orcas are held in SeaWorld’s three parks in the United States. Since 2002, 14 have been taken out of the wild and put into these marine parks. (“The Fate”1) It is not fair for these innocent creatures to be physically and mentally manipulated and damaged. Such brutality would not be condoned if it were targeted towards a human, and it should not be condoned when targeted toward an animal. Orca whales should not be held in captivity because they are forced to live in subpar conditions, they are mistreated while in captivity, and they are led to aggressive behavior.

“All whales in captivity have a bad life. They’re all emotionally destroyed. They’re all psychologically traumatized. So they’re ticking time bombs.” This is a statement by Lori Marino from the documentary, Blackfish. Many statements like this one are common and believed to be true due to the proof that the documentary provides. There are many incidents that prove Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, are harmed in captivity and that their trainers are often harmed because of this, too. Orcas should not be kept in captivity since it is harmful to both Orcas and humans.

People say that keeping orca’s in captivities is not a problem, yet they do not realize that, orcas are also human beings. There are several reasons, why keeping these thirty-feet long creatures, in captivities is a problem. One of them, which are the tank, which is too small, compared to ocean where they can swim freely. One the other side, in captivities, the space is limited. Comparatively, to how they swim out in the wild “orcas can swim up to 100 miles per day- a phenomenal amount, in comparison to the exercise they receive in captivity”(Cronin). While being in captivity, orca has to keep swimming in circles or floats. Out “In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30”(Melissa). In captivities there are only few whales, so it makes them more aggressive toward one another. This sometimes can be lead to danger by killing each other for fighting to gain power of the tank.

It’s also highly morally and ethically wrong to keep killer whales in captivity because of their intelligence. Killer whales “have the second-largest brains of all ocean mammals, and are believed to be one of the smartest animals on the planet.” (Independent) They are not able to use their intelligence their natural way in captivity. Whales in the wild “build complex family lives as well as sophisticated hunting techniques” (Independent) but captive whales are suppressed

Everyone loves going to marine parks such as SeaWorld and Marineland. They offer many spectacular shows with dolphins, sea lions and birds. However, the main attractions they offer are orcas, or as they are better known as killer whales. Highly intelligent and with acute senses of sight and hearing, they are apex predators. Recently, the possession of orcas has been a big topic of controversy. Many people believe that the animals are being mistreated in captivity. Their captivity limits their freedom and enjoyment. Many orcas suffer from poor physical and mental effects in captivity. Killer whales will usually travel between 50 and 100 miles per day in the wild, but in captivity all they can do is swim in circles or float for no reason. In the wild, killer whales live in pods of

Some orcas have even broken their teeth trying to get out of SeaWorld. In SeaWorld Orcas are forced to breed unnaturally and on a regular basis. Employees at SeaWorld train male orcas to float on their backs so their trainer can masturbate them and collect their sperm. Females are artificially inseminated and are forced to breed at a much younger age than they naturally do. In the wild female orcas are ready to reproduce at the age of 14. In SeaWorld, there have been instances where they breed them at the age of 10, and even sometimes at the age of 8. Katina is a killer whale that’s in the SeaWorld located in Orlando Florida. She is used as a breeding machine. Caretakers sometimes even breed her with her own children. Although SeaWorld claims that Orcas live longer if they live in captivity it has been proven that Orcas have a shorter lifespan while they are held in captivity. SeaWorld has claimed females live to 26 years and that males live up to 15 years. While according to national geographic female killer whales can live 50 to 100 years while males can live 30 to 60 years. Killer whales live longer in the wild than they are claimed to live in

Orcas are genuinely kind, brilliant, and extremely family oriented. In captivity these natural instincts are demolished. Orcas in captivity are known to suffer from depression, aggressiveness, health issues, rape, stress, shorter life

Since 1991 orcas in captivity have attacked and killed three humans and have injured many others. Orcas are meant to be left alone and not bothered by humans, if you do bother them they will attack you if they feel threatened. Orcas can swim up to 100 miles a day but unfortunately, SeaWorld does not have 100 miles worth of water. Orcas are placed into little tiny pools that are like bathtubs to them. It would take 1,208 laps (around the perimeter of the pool) or 3,105 lengths (back and forth) to equal what the would get in the

All in all, orcas should not be used for entertainment and live a regular life, not an artificial life in entertainment places (BBC) even though, people who work in places like Dutch Wonder Land and SeaWorld will lose their jobs. Killer whales could die in numerous ways while being held captive in tanks. The author of Former Trainers John Hargrove, wanted killer whales to go back into their normal habitat and they should live a normal life in their regular

SeaWorld are destroying orcas lives and effecting every aspect of their natural instincts. While destroying the orcas they are also lying to the public and covering up all the signs of bad health of the orcas.

Whales in captivity are hurting others as well as themselves; for example, they have been seen and recorded performing acts of self-harming, smacking their heads against the sides of the pool repeatedly. Whales in captivity swim in trance-like states, forced to perform tricks for food, working endlessly for the pure entertainment of humans. Whales in captivity eat a monotonous diet, meaning it lacks variety. Orcas living in SeaWorld facilities are primarily fed dead herring, as opposed to diets including a variety of different animals and species in the wild. This is not beneficial to their health and as a result these whales’ bodies react by vomiting constantly (SeaWorld of Hurt). Orcas in captivity commonly attempt biting through the metal bars that divide pools in order to get oral stimulation (BuzzFeed). These whales need help and we are blindsided by the overpowering effect SeaWorld has on our culture.

Biblical Viewpoint Orcas in captivity does not hold up when compared to the Word of God. Even though the Bible does not directly say that orcas should not be held in captivity, it describes how animals should be treated. “The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10 End-Systolic Volume). In other words, a righteous person has virtues regarding all of God’s creation, unlike the wicked whose acts of “kindness” in reality are truly evil acts. In comparison with this verse, SeaWorld will protest that their killer whales are well taken care of trying to overshadow the overpowering downside of captivity.

Orcas are actually the largest member of the dolphin family and the top predator in the marine environment. “Spanish whalers called Orcas ‘whale killers’ after observing them hunt in packs, killing or overcoming marine mammals, including whales” (STW - Killer Whale). Somehow, their name got turned around to what we name them today; killer whales. However, no accurate report exists of Orcas in the wild killing humans. Orcas are well known for their black shiny bodies with white patches around the eyes and stomach. This coloration has made these majestic large animals the large money makers at corporations such as SeaWorld. This enterprise, however, creates an unsafe environment for the Orcas in order to create a profit. Orcas should not be kept in captivity because it jeopardizes the animals mental and physical health to create a profit and is, therefore, inhumane.