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, low breeding success, and may cause the animals to have physical and psychological disorders. To understand the emotional strain that killer whales go through when being captured in the wild, one must first understand that orcas have over-developed areas in their brains, exclusively the part that recognizes emotions. Divers were first hired by companies to capture killer whales for