...Killer Whales: Abused & Mistreated While many people have experienced the majestic showcasing of trained orcas in public displays at recreational parks such as SeaWorld, few have heard of the tragic events that these killer whales go through while in captivity. It is ironic that such family oriented companies like SeaWorld, who pride themselves in giving families experiences that they will never forget, can just tear families of killer whales apart and abuse them while training them. And although these public displays of trained orcas seem extraordinary through the audience’s eyes, it is time that the untold stories of these whales and the true dangers of training whales comes out into light. Killer whales are the most intelligent marine creatures, due to their perceptive senses of sight and hearing, and also their heightened emotional behavior. But many of these killer whales that have been held in captivity have had limits on their freedom and enjoyment of life. In captivity, many orcas suffer from poor mental and physical health. In their natural habitat, killer whales can easily travel 50 to 100 miles a day. However, in captivity like the whales at SeaWorld, a typical tank is only twice their size, forcing these animals to swim in small circles or drift aimlessly. The stress of captivity can drive killer whales to display neurotic behaviors that can lead to tragic consequences. Science has even confirmed that in captivity, whales suffer from high mortality rates...
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...about killer whales being kept in captivity. Some of the differences between the two environments are the whales behavior, how they eat, and their dorsal fins. Killer whales are amazing creatures that can live up to 29 years. What exactly determines how long they live? The main factor is usually if they are kept in captivity or in the wild. In the wild, killer whales’ swim up to 100 miles a day. They socialize with other members of their pod and usually have close ties with their families. Most whales are very playful and rely mainly on their hearing. In the wild, whales spend close to 90% of their time under the water. Whales eat various types of fish throughout the day. This animal is around hundreds of different species of marine life throughout a single day. Whales dorsal fins, in the wild, usually stick straight up....
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...Ever since I was a little girl I have always had a love for marine animals. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered with a SeaWorld trainer. Of course I never realized how controversial captivity was. This topic has raised some eyebrows of officials and even me. After seeing the “Blackfish” documentary, my opinion about Killer Whales and Sea World in general have completely flip flopped. I believe it is selfish for humans to keep killer whales in captivity where they don’t belong. There are many differences between Killer Whales in captivity compared to those in the wild. According to “Sea World of Hurt” Killer whales in captivity have shorter life spans and many complications. Killer Whales in the wild have a life...
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...Tilikum How would you like to be stuck in a bath tub for 25 years? Don’t you think you would go a little pyscho too? Well here’s the story of Tilikum, the killer whale. Tilikum was captured near Iceland in November of 1983 and he was two years old and about 13 feet long, here is where the trouble starts when he was taken away from his family and loved ones. Then he was transferred to the rundown Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia, Canada, and forced to call his barren 100-foot-by-50-foot pool, just 35 feet deep, his sad new “home.” While living here Food was withheld from him as a training technique, and he regularly endured painful attacks by two dominant female orcas, Haida and Nootka. He was forced to perform every hour on the hour, eight times a day, seven days a week. The constant stress and exhaustion gave him stomach ulcers. If that wasn’t enough he was then put into a tiny round metal-sided module with two other orcas for more than 14 hours until the park reopened the next morning. This is just enough to make a killer whale go insane. Tilikum was capture when he was two years old and for all of the things he’s been put through already for his age is not going to make him grow up as a regular Orca, I mean, no orcas that are held captivity are going to live a normal life. But being the fact that Tilikum is a larger whale, being held in captivity would be taken as a larger impact on him psychological and physically. So, since they would take away his food and get attacked...
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...Killer Whales (orca) are found in all the worlds oceans both sultry and cold from the freezing waters of the North and South poles to tropical seas. The killer whale is the most astronomically immense member of the dolphin family, and there are about 5 different species of killer whale in the oceans. Killer whales hunt in groups called pods that customarily contain from 6 to 40 killer whales. The killer whales hunt more astronomically immense fish, seal and sea lion and often seabirds and mammals. The killer whale has a top speed of around 30 miles an hour but can peregrinate at 26 mph for long periods of time. It is mundane for the killer whale to swim more than 50 miles without ceasing. Killer whales are sizably voluminous, stocky animals...
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...Killer whales – a deadly entertainment Killer whales, also called orcas, are one of the world’s most powerful predators. They’re highly intelligent whales with a very acute sense of sight and hearing. Killer whales can weigh up to 6 tons and 32 feet, which makes them the largest member of the dolphin family. The beautiful animal has been admired by humans for many years; over last 5 decades killer whales have been kept in captivity and trained by humans to become stars in various aqua shows around the world. In the wild, killer whales can travel more than 70 miles a day. I find it horrible to think about the orcas that are kept in tanks, some only twice their own size, where all they do is swim around in little circles. This is damaging to...
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...spectacular stunts that are performed by the killer whale and his trainer may leave you speechless. Killer whales have spent more than 50 years in captivity, and has caused much controversy as to whether they should be freed. What some people don't think about is what the effects are of having killer whales in captivity versus keeping them in the wild. Some things that differ wild killer whales from captive killer whales are how much they travel, the diet of the whales, amount of injuries, and their family dynamics. Killer whales that are in the wild travel many miles every day alongside their families, also known as pods. Infact, “Southern Resident Killer Whales travel on average of seventy five miles a day.” (“Center for Whales”). They can also reach speeds as fast as thirty miles per hour. Killer whales in the wild are free to roam wherever they desire with their families. On the flip side, killer whales that are captive are trapped and ripped away from their families. Also, killer whales have a lifespan in the wild of about fifty to eighty years, while in captivity the killer whale’s lifespan is much shorter, being twenty to thirty years. This is caused by stress and not being cared for the...
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...The article “Vocalizations of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in the Bremer Canyon, Western Australia” by Rebecca Wellard gave Australia a building block of acoustic features of underwater sounds produced by killer whales in Australian waters. Orcas inhabit all of the world’s oceans and have been sighted in all state and territory waters in Australia. With this species being so predominantly found in this location they needed much more than the limited information they had about the killer whale. Cetaceans utilize acoustic communication for social interactions, group cohesion, mating, mother-calf contact, travelling, navigation, hunting and foraging (Wellard 1). The killer whale makes three forms of communication: echolocation clicks, burst- pulse...
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...Raising killer whales in captivity has been disputed for decades. Over the years, activists have countered SeaWorld with the production of the documentary “Blackfish”, articles, and more. In the article written by Dr. Rose, she discusses how living in captivity poorly affects the well-being of the whales. Michael Scarpuzzi refutes on CNN and claims that Blackfish poorly portrays events at SeaWorld and their animals are in exceptional care. Killer whales do not belong in captivity because their conditions lead to severe depression and boredom, along with the fact that they lose all primitive instincts by living in aquariums. First of all, the animals become so unhappy that they become more susceptible to illness or even death. According to...
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...Killer Whales are not Pets Why are humans keeping killer whales in captivity when people know the consequences? Keeping killer whales also known as Orcas in captivity is wrong. In captivity killer whales life spans are reduced, cut in half or even less. Killer whales are very social animals and live in pods and they are basically what a family is to humans. Killer whales in captivity live very low quality lives in captivity. This not only harms them but also the people caring for them then why do we continue to keep them in captivity. Killer whales should not be held in captivity because they are meant for the wild, there health is greatly affected, and leads to dangers. Killer whales are not meant for captivity. They are huge animals and live very socials lives in the wild. Michael McCarthy says that killer whales are very intelligent and even have their own communication system (Mccarthy). They become very lonely and distressed when they are alone. An example of this is when In 2002 Keiko the whale that was in the Free willy movies was released but was never able to find a pod to live in and died 18 months after off the coast of Norway (Mccarthy). The only reason undomesticated animals should ever be in captivity is for their own safety if they are...
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...We often go to watch killer whale shows without thinking twice about what really happens behind the scenes. As an audience, we simply enjoy the show, and then leave. But behind all the tricks and splashes, lies an ugly truth about the state of killer whales at theme parks. In the documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, killer whales are naturally affectionate, harmless to humans, and strongly family-oriented. However, when held captive in unnatural environments, killer whales will show a malfunction in behavior, causing injuries and deaths of trainers. The techniques used to show this are communicative function and illumination theory of truth. To begin, the first technique used in this documentary is communicative function. Communicative function is implemented to inform viewers of the message the documentary is trying to convey. In the context of the documentary, the evidence and statistics prove the danger that comes with captivating killer whales. For example, Tilikum, the famous orca at SeaWorld, killed three killer whale trainers. This technique is used to inform the viewers of the violent behavior demonstrated by captivated killer whales. This technique allows us to observe the aggressive behavior shown by the orcas towards its trainer. In this documentary, an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) expert stated, “what we learned, is that they are amazingly friendly and ...
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...Killer whales, Orcinus orca, form a dynamic and complex social group of that are based upon maternal relationships. Each population of killer whales is comprised of an alpha female and up to four generations of her offspring, both male and female. Each group, or pod, falls within a larger whale population in an area (cultural transmission). Because whales are social creatures, communication is an important aspect for the entire pod. The offspring in the pods learn social cues and vocalizations primarily from their mother and the alpha female in the group (Evolution random). Because vocalizations are taught socially, different pods within a single population have many different dialects. Even though pods within a population have their own unique dialect, however there are subtle similarities among the pods. Using dialects as a source of comparison, it may be possible to determine...
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...There are many opinions on Sea Worlds killer whales. Many people believe Seaworld should not capture wild whales or even allowed to house these wild mammals, they believe all the whales should be set free. Whale on the other hand, many people believe sea world is a fun learning experience with many activity’s and an ounce and a lifetime opportunity, so they believe the whales should stay. Personally I think, Yes I believe these animals should be released from sea world and put in a pool in the ocean to live out the rest of their lives. These orcas are further south than a lot of others, they are more accessible to where people are. They're the one population that really is in an area that is developed. They were the ones that were targeted for live capture for the Sea Worlds. And so their population was decimated in the 1960s and 1970s with the live capture. About a third of the population was captured (Earthjustice.org) what I can see is a rapid decrease in numbers in 2012 they were put in the endangered species list....
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...it . A dolphin has a good eye . But sometimes he can't see very well in the water because is so full of shadows , and mud , and plantsthat grow at he bottom . The dolphin uses his ears so much it is hard to see his hears . They are located in the sides of his heads and are two tiny pin holes . The dolphin can hear very well . A dolphin sleeps a foot or two below the top of the water . He takes little naps every half minute or so he moves his tail up and down .This brings him up for a breath of air . Then he drifts down and sleeps some more . Some dolphins stay together they play and learn and grow up . One reason they stay together is the enemies in the sea . The Shark is their enemy and so is the Killer Whale .If a killer whale comes close , the dolphins make a circle . The female dolphins and their babies are in the middle of the circle . The male dolphins swim around the outside of the cicle . It is hard to attack when there is a bunch of dolphins . But sometimes the enemy attacks and the dolphins attack back . When a dolphin cries for help the other dolphin comes to help . One day some dolphins were playing around a big boat they did flips in the water...
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...According to Staff Writers, research has shown that crocodiles have the amazing ability to adapt to their environment “all whilst living alongside the dinosaurs 235 to 65 million years ago.” Crocodiles were able to adapt to their environment due to, in ancient times, by acting like dogs on land roaming amongst the dinosaurs and others lived in the open waters feeding like killer whales. The inheritance of their lower jaw from the killer whale, allows the crocodile to break down bones from bigger mammals, such as wild boars and wildebeests. The main characteristic traits that help a crocodile survive in their physiological environment are their vision, hearing and their feeding habits. Crocodiles tend to live close to shallow coastal bodies of water in warm climate areas throughout the world. Often compared to the alligator, researchers have noticed the distinction between the two. Alligators have more of a round shaped nose, while a crocodile has a V shaped nose with their teeth protruding out the sides of their mouth. An adult crocodile can grow as long as 16 feet and weigh over a ton. In most rare cases an adult male croc can grow up to 18 feet long. Their body is similar to a lizard, with a long tail and four stumpy legs that help them swim in water. Their tail helps them maneuver in water as well, but can be used as a weapon when killing an animal. Crocodiles spend majority of their lives in the water but they can also travel on land, usually to mate or nesting their...
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