...Dolphins Belong to the Wild-- Captivity Harms Them The essay “Orca Encounters” discusses how much humans can help the orcas when they are separated from their family and arrive at our coasts. Should we send them back their pods, or just let them interact with humans? In the text, some experts believe it’s better to let the orcas stay, because the social interaction that the orcas are seeking can be made up by humans, so they may not be interested in returning back. Many other experts believe that the solitary orcas belong to their family, and it’s improper to keep them from returning. Also, the text mentions more scientists agree that “any reunion of wayward cetacean with its pod should happen quickly”(Groc 162). However, there isn’t an example of other cetaceans, and the text doesn’t give any detailed information about what scientists have studied to reach the agreement above. For instance, solitary dolphins are even more common to see than solitary orcas, and many of them have been captured because their kindness and cleverness make people keep them, even though many studies show captivity does harm to the dolphins. Fitness of the dolphins is influenced the most during captivity. As the environment has changed after being captured, dolphins’ emotions have also changed. “[The captivity of dolphins] causes desperation because their basic instincts are obstructed, obviating millions of years of ingrained behavior”(Rivera). Rivera states that mother dolphins take care of...
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...Free Orcas How much do you really know about whales in captivity? Do you think the whales at sea world enjoy being there? Imagine you're walking down the street with your family when out of nowhere you're trapped in a net and being taken away from them. This happens to young whales almost everyday and is very unnecessary. Orcas should not be kept in captivity because it causes premature death, anxiety, and violent behavior. Many people would consider these results to be animal abuse. It has been confirmed that whales in captivity have higher mortality rates than those in the wild and these rates have only worsened over the years. According to the report “Killer Controversy: Why Orcas Should No Longer Be Kept in Captivity,” "Captive female orcas give birth too young and too often, leading to both high adult and high infant mortality." Also, the chronic stress of being confined weakens their immune system which leads to infection. This is the most common cause of death for captive orcas. The average life expectancy of a wild orca is 30-50 years. Orcas who have died at Sea World have an average age of death of 13 years old. The shocking fact is that over 161 whales have died in captivity, and it can easily be prevented by leaving them in the wild where they belong. Another outcome of the confinement is anxiety. Orcas who are not compatible with one another are placed in relatively small tanks which results in anxiety and tension. This tension often leads to brutal fights...
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...killer whales (orcas) away from their families and home. Throughout the years this has caused damage to the orcas causing rebellion and other forms of defiance. There have been many incidents following the rebellion of these orcas and yet nothing is done about the issue. Sea World should not keep killer whales against their will or keep them captive. Orcas are sea creatures, meaning they belong in the ocean. So why is it that they ended up in large fish tanks held against their will? SeaWorld claims to people that killer whales are better off under their care (Black Fish). Indicating that by taking the orcas from their families, it is rescuing them and giving them better help. Stating that they took them to show others how caring and talented they can be. The park implies that people will learn a lot about life in the sea. Many think that if they come to the park, they are doing a good deed and will be educated on life in the ocean. The employees working on the tours are also obligated to say all these lies to the guests about the park. For instance, a commonly asked question is why some whales have their fins bent, in other words, have a dorsal fin collapse. The park answers to guests that it is normal, but in reality that is not supposed to happen and is caused by the tanks (Black Fish). Orcas were not meant to live in big tanks they were meant to live in the ocean with other orcas. People being misinformed on what is really going on to the orcas is a huge problem...
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...affected greatly. The life expectancy of orcas in captivity is nowhere near the wild life expectancy. The life expectancy for an orca is very low compared to in the wild (wild male, about 30; female, about 50). The orcas are losing their lifetime in captivity as for orcas in the wild are trying to live life to the fullest. Out of 160 whales that died in captivity,...
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...Killer whales, known as orcas, are the top predator in their ecosystem. Their beauty and intellectualism has thrilled humans for ages, but for many orcas in captivity limits their freedom of the ocean. People still profit from these killer whales regardless of the harm to the Orcas or to the people. The use of these marine animals in parks needs to be diminished because it damages the mental and physical health of these animals, as well as threatens the lives of the trainers. In the ocean whales can travel many miles, however in captivity the tank is only twice their size. Due to the tank size it can cause physical and mental stress to these Orcas. Out in the wild they have a free range to swim. If they are in a small tank, especially if with other orcas they are more likely to show aggressive behavior. This aggressive behavior can lead one orca to hurt another orca, leading them to need treatment from the injuries. Many people may argue that they can get the special treatment they need in these parks, but don’t realize that they have a less chance of injury out in...
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...Orcinus orcas, or more commonly referred to as killer whales are one of the world’s most dominant predators and largest of their dolphin kind. Killer whales are single celled organisms that belong to the Eukarya domain. The eukarya domain consists of four kingdoms: Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. Killer whales belong to the animalia kingdom, which consists of multicellular animal organisms composed of eukaryotic cells that lack cell walls. Ranking below kingdom is the category phylum. Killer whales belong to the phylum chordata that includes vertebrates. After phylum comes class on the hierarchical system. Killer Whales are mammals so they are a part of the Mammalia class. The Mammalia class is followed by order; there are nineteen orders of mammals. One of these nineteen orders is order cetacea. Cetaceans include whales, porpoises, and dolphins. Killer whales in fact belong to the delphinidae family other wise known as dolphins. The delphinidae family of cetaceans is extremely diverse, ranging in size and weight the species belonging to the delphinidae family have many variations between them. The scientific name of the species of the Killer whale as mentioned earlier is Orcinus orca. Orcinus is the genus of the Killer whale and Orca is the species. A killer whales appearance is very unique from other whale species and other species in its respective delphinidae family. A Newborn killer whales range anywhere between 2.1 to 2.5 meters, which is equivalent to about 7...
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...Just ten days after Valentine’s Day in 2010, a captive SeaWorld orca whale named Tilikum brutally drowned a forty-year-old veteran trainer named Dawn Brancheau during a live show performance. In one quick motion, Tilikum grabbed onto Brancheau’s arm and dragged her into the million gallon tank. With a blood-curdling scream, Dawn was dragged to the bottom of the tank and tossed around. In the autopsy report, Brancheau suffered an enormous amount of blunt force trauma due to the massive force of the twelve thousand pound animal slamming on top of her. The violent attack even scalped a layer of Dawn’s head right off. Yet, it was noted that the cause of death was drowning with “approximately four milliliters of fluid in her sphenoid sinus” (Autopsy...
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...Since 1961, orcas have been captured and kept in captivity, and the results have never been good. In order to safely and properly take care of orcas kept in marine parks, their exhibits must include a requirement to provide appropriate space, nutrition, and health care… ...which these parks are not meeting, even though they have the money to do so. However, there are many children who look forward to seeing a show by Shamu, or who look forward to learn about them; these parks serve as a great learning experience for people of all ages. On the other hand, orcas in captivity have been documented to “suffer from high mortality rates, low breeding success, and may endure psychological disorders.” -Daniel Turner from the Born Free Foundation....
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...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...
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...do tricks multiple times a day, seven days a week? This is a daily struggle for many orcas in captivity. Many people feel that Orcas being held in captivity is affecting them. First, their capturing is bitter. One orca, named Shamu, was captured and watched her mother die. SeaWorld of Hurt states, “During Shamu’s capture, her mother was shot with a harpoon and killed before the young orca’s very eyes by a marine ‘cowboy’ named Ted Griffin.” Many orcas at SeaWorld were taken from their homes. SeaWorld of Hurt also states, “Five orcas currently at SeaWorld were kidnapped from their ocean homes, as others who have since died. For example, Tilikum… was captured at the age...
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...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...
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...kept in a tiny cage in the back of the park that made his swimming abilities at an all-time low, he no longer got to communicate with other orcas or people anymore. In this tank, his nose and tail touched both sides of the cage at the same time. After a year he was put...
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...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...
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...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....
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...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....
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