Premium Essay

Orca Captivity Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 1112
Pages 5
Orca captors and their supporters argue that captive orcas receive adequate physical and mental stimulation, allowing the orcas to be content and healthy in their habitats. To support these claims, SeaWorld’s website states: “Our whales show every sign of physical fitness including healthy weight, muscle tone, respiratory efficiency, strength and heart rate. While our whales do not live the same lifestyle as their wild counterparts, this difference does not translate to negative welfare of these animals” (SeaWorld 1) Many visitors witness the captive orcas interacting with trainers and performing tricks and feel as though the orcas live active and healthy lives. They believe that captive orcas are as content as their wild counterparts, despite …show more content…
For example, SeaWorld supports their veterinary services by stating, “Unlike their wild counterparts, if they’re ill or injured, they receive veterinary care. If an animal has a medical problem, our veterinarians treat that condition immediately in a manner consistent with our overall health and wellness programs” (SeaWorld, 1). The captors argue that in captivity they are protected from the dangers they would face in the wild and the veterinary care they are provided gives the whales exceptional healthcare. They support the idea that captive whales live free from sickness and injuries. In captivity, the orcas are routinely fed and checked-on by their caretakers. Supporters believe the environment orcas are provided in captivity provides them adequate care and services ensuring the whales are well cared …show more content…
Anti-captivity activists provide a counter argument for these claims on the basis that wild orcas have survived centuries without human interaction proving that these services are unnecessary to their survival. Although SeaWorld claims to provide renowned medical care, many captive orcas deaths have been referred to as expected or common because they are seen in wild orcas. If the whales are better cared for than their wild counterparts, then why are they dying from the same illnesses? For example, in 2010 a SeaWorld veterinarian discussed a SeaWorld orca who died when giving birth, “There are lots of these kinds of complications that can occur… We know they happen in the wild, we know they happen in collections” (Garcia, 1). Captors argue that the captive whales have a life of constant care, with a reliable source of food, veterinary services; therefore, the whales are free from the predators and dangers of the wild. However, SeaWorld contradicts themselves by undermining their claims that captivity protects them the stresses of the wild, “According to oceanarium rhetoric, conditions in captivity are the same as in the wild when an animal dies but better at all other times” (Rose, 4). Many believe the veterinary care is only needed to treat illnesses they receive due to their captivity, but can not protect them from the illnesses they

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Orca Captivity Research Paper

...Mark Trevino Silvia Herrera English 1301.S99 9 November 2015 The Triumphs of Orcas Kept in Captivity Through the decades of the recent past, orca whales have been taken from their original homes in the wild and forced to live and perform in various amusement facilities spanning the United States. The business revolving around these killer whales has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry; this is an industry which possesses many flaws in the way these animals live and thrive together with each other. Orca whales kept in captivity in various amusement parks should be released back into their natural habitat due to the improper conditions in the parks, increased death rates in captivity, and the higher risk of attacks on humans inside...

Words: 1191 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Orca Captivity Research Paper

...Orcas are kept in captivity their whole life. They are captured with big nets and bombs that are thrown into the water to make the parents abandon their young and allow the capturing of the baby orcas easier. when orcas are young around 2 or 3 years old they are taken from their mother’s side. Orcas should not be kept in captivity because their life expectancy decreases, they are treated poorly and leads them to becoming more aggressive. Instead of supporting orca captivity people should stop attending the orcas water show at seaworld so they are released back into their natural habitat the wild. From the time, they are captured at 2 years of age until they grow into their 20s and die the orcas live in a pool that is very small. Adults should not...

Words: 954 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Orca Whale Captivity Research Paper

...The capturing of orca whales for entertaining and performing purposes originated in 1964 when the first SeaWorld park was opened in San Diego, California. The exploitation of these animals in amusement parks quickly grew into a widespread phenomenon in the United States. America quickly fell in love with “Shamu”, the Killer Whale that became the face of Sea World. These wild creatures live their entire lives in captivity. In order to take a stand, parks like SeaWorld need to be shut down and forced to release their orcas into the wild, where they can live freely the way they were intend to. When orca whales are held in an unnatural environment for their entire lives, it causes a variety of problems for them. The wild animals become increasingly aggressive, suffer health issues and are ripped away from their families in the ocean....

Words: 630 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Orca Whales In Captivity Research Paper

...Orca whales that are kept in captivity tend to have more problems than in the wild. Imagine an individual being taken away from the home they live in and being put into a small a tank, forced to perform for food and medical care. Whales that are kept in captivity have a greater risk for medical and emotional problems. Orcas kept in captivity have a higher amount of social anxiety compared to orcas in the wild. Whales should be banned from public entertainment because it causes the whales to have greater amounts of problems compared to those in the wild. Health and emotional risks generally occur more in whales who are kept in captivity.Whales whom are kept in captivity have higher emotional struggle, which causes the whales to go insane because of this whales have killed three trainers at Seaworld (Whales and Dolphin Conservation) This proves that whales who are kept in captivity have a greater emotional problems than they do in the wild. Ninety two percent of whales in captivity do not live past the age of twenty-five while in the wild they can live up to be between eighty to ninety years in age (WDC). This means whales have better health which allows them to live longer.Whales obtain a greater stress when they are kept in captivity....

Words: 518 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Killer Whales

...2013 Is Killer Really the Right Word? “1961 first orca is captured and taken to the Marineland of the Pacific Park in Los Angeles. She dies a day later after repeatedly swimming around her pool at high speed and ramming into the sides” (Smith). Killer whales are a very large and powerful animal like any other wild animal, they can be unpredictable. Killer whales are beautiful creatures. The experience of seeing a killer whale for the first time is breath taking. My grandparents took me to SeaWorld in Orlando was I was 8, and after seeing a killer whale I was hooked. After going back many times it influenced me to want to become a whale trainer. As years have gone on I have learned killer whales in SeaWorld means they are in captivity. Why are these amazing animals spending their whole lives in a small swimming pool? Killer whales have been taken out of their habitats and put into captivity for research to be done on these amazing animals. An associate director of the Environmental Group Earth Island Institute Mark Berman says trying to incarcerate an animal as large as a killer whale or an animal with a large brain it’s proven it does not work (Pete). These killer whales need the freedom to travel wherever they’d like, not to have a routine day after day for the whole lives. The killer whales swimming in pools of aquariums builds frustration and aggression. Lori Marino is a neuroscientists says when whales in captivity are thrown with other whales that are no in their pods...

Words: 1408 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Blackfish Research Paper

...something about its orcas. They can no longer remain at SeaWorld, performing, they say, when such abuse takes place. The problem is, what is to be done with a six ton killer whale unable to survive on its own? The orcas should remain at SeaWorld until their deaths because they cannot survive in the wild after years of captivity, and they should be kept from reproducing whether they perform or not. Do we need to do anything though? They are intelligent and amazing, but are not they just animals? Some have given too much credit to orcas’ intelligence, such as one of the scientists, Marino. In Blackfish, she states, “The orca brain screams out intelligence awareness. We took this tremendous brain and put it in a magnetic resonance scanner. What we found is just astounding.” They found enlarged areas in the brain that are associated with high emotional capacity. SeaWorld, however, reports differently: “This is misleading. The most recent scientific research demonstrates that cetacean behaviors used to argue that high levels of intelligence are found commonly across mammals and vertebrates, and that cetacean intelligence is qualitatively no different than other vertebrates” (“Truth About Blackfish”...

Words: 818 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Legal, Ethical & Social Values on Having Animals in Captivity

... Date of Submission: 03 / 16 / 2014 Title of Assignment: Legal, Ethical & Social Values on Having Animals In Captivity CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledge and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas of words, whether quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course. Student Signature: ___________________________ ******************************************* Instructor’s Grade on Assignment: Instructor’s Comments: I. Introduction II. Legal Section A. Licensing Requirements B. Accommodation C. Nutrition D. Sanitation and Disease Control E. Veterinary Care F. General Welfare G. Safety and Security H. Operations III. Ethics Section A. Utilitarian Ethical Analysis B. Kantian Ethical Analysis C. Aristotelian Ethical Analysis IV. Social Responsibility Section V. Conclusion VI. References ABSTRACT Animals are one of the most important things in my life, I have dedicated and I will dedicate my life to animals. This is why this paper is so important for me, but I am sure it is also same as important to the world. Now a days Animals in captivity is something that people is staring at more, they are starting to realize that there is nothing moral or ethical in it...

Words: 7273 - Pages: 30

Premium Essay

Seaworld's Weird Science Summary

...“SeaWorld’s Weird Science” stated, SeaWorld has been going through some difficult times since 2013. The reason why they have been under the microscope is because of what a movie by the name of “Blackfish” said about them. It stated that they have been keeping killer whales caged. The video specifically mentioned a killer whale named Tilikum that is kept for his sperm. Tilikum is approximately 33 years old and has fathered around 31 babies. His sperm is used to generate the majority of SeaWorld’s killer whale population. Also, it was referenced that SeaWorld responded to the film by using science as their primary reasoning for keeping an estimated 50 orcas in captivity. They stated that their purpose for having these mammals living in captivity...

Words: 328 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Gmat

...GMAT GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION TEST McGraw-Hill’s 2008 Edition James Hasik Stacey Rudnick Ryan Hackney New York | Chicago | San Francisco | Lisbon London | Madrid | Mexico City | Milan | New Delhi San Juan | Seoul | Singapore | Sydney | Toronto Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-151120-2 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-149340-9. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at george_hoare@mcgraw-hill.com or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights...

Words: 234594 - Pages: 939

Free Essay

500 Extraordinary Islands

...500 extraordinary islands G R E E N L A N D Beaufort Sea Baffin Bay vi Da i tra sS t a nm De it Stra rk Hudson Bay Gulf of Alaska Vancouver Portland C A N A D A Calgary Winnipeg Newfoundland Quebec Minneapolis UNITED STATES San Francisco Los Angeles San Diego Phoenix Dallas Ottawa Montreal ChicagoDetroitToronto Boston New York OF AMERICA Philadelphia Washington DC St. Louis Atlanta New Orleans Houston Monterrey NORTH AT L A N T I C OCEAN MEXICO Guadalajara Mexico City Gulf of Mexico Miami Havana CUBA GUATEMALA HONDURAS b e a n Sea EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA Managua BAHAMAS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JAMAICA San Juan HAITI BELIZE C a r PUERTO RICO ib TRINIDAD & Caracas N TOBAGO A COSTA RICA IA M PANAMA VENEZUELA UYANRINA H GU C U G Medellín A PAC I F I C OCEAN Galapagos Islands COLOMBIA ECUADOR Bogotá Cali S FR EN Belém Recife Lima BR A Z I L PERU La Paz Brasélia Salvador Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro ~ Sao Paulo BOLIVIA PARAGUAY CHILE Cordoba Santiago Pôrto Alegre URUGUAY Montevideo Buenos Aires ARGENTINA FALKLAND/MALVINAS ISLANDS South Georgia extraordinary islands 1st Edition 500 By Julie Duchaine, Holly Hughes, Alexis Lipsitz Flippin, and Sylvie Murphy Contents Chapter 1 Beachcomber Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Aquatic Playgrounds 2 Island Hopping the Turks & Caicos: Barefoot Luxury 12 Life’s a Beach 14 Unvarnished & Unspoiled 21 Sailing...

Words: 249855 - Pages: 1000