Sunday, February 2, 2014

Should Killer Whales Be Kept In Captivity ?

                         
                                                 
           Orcas or also known as killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family. Whenever we think about killer whales, the first thing that comes to mind is Sea World. Sea World is one of the biggest amusement park that has been the home to many Killer whales all around the world. But one thing Sea World claims to do is keep the whales safe, so how does captivity keep Killer Whales alive?

            The truth is that Sea World doesn’t keep the Killer Whales alive; keeping them in captivity causes physical and emotional stress that shortens the life of the whale. Every time you go to Sea World and you watch the show you don’t think about all the stress and pressure put on the whales to make the show “Amazing!” The animals are abused and separated from their pods, they’re forced to form new bonds with the whales that Sea World already has. The Killer Whales are brought to a new environment and are forced to adjust, but after a while they suffer emotionally and physically causing them to damage their surroundings, hurt themselves and other whales, and show acts of aggression towards their trainers. When Sea World speaks about the whales, they claim that they are protecting them because they have the right team to look after them. The whales are fed, they spend time with other whales, and because of the treatment they receive the whales live longer. In reality the whales live longer in the wild and because of the small environment they’re in their dorsal fin collapses.

            The reason why this is such an important topic is because Killer Whales are becoming extinct due to the climate changes occurring, oil spills, and oceans becoming polluted decreasing their food supply. We need to keep the whales alive and keeping them captivated doesn’t help the situation either. Theses whales are mistreated causing them to harm themselves which leads to their own death or injuring other whales which usually ends with death. Since the whales aren’t with their pod, usually 2 or more females mate with the same male. Their newborn calves are taken away and they don’t live very long. It’s not fair to keep the whales away from their pods and force them to work as entertainment. They are wild animals and need to be free; they shouldn’t be receiving the abuse they do for human entertainment. The whales are being taken away from their natural habitat against their will and the only way we can help save the whales is by striking against Sea World and making them realize they’re killing the whales just by keeping them in their pools. If we all stop supporting the shows Sea World and other businesses produce we can help save the whales!
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2 comments:

  1. I am all for the protection of sea animals, and your right, I have never stopped and thought about what was happened to these whales that I watch during the shows, or how they got there. You explained that they were separated from their families and how they brought stress upon themselves, that topic in particular bugs me. Not because im against what your trying to prove, but because it rubs me the wrong way knowing that these trainers that "care" so much for these whales, the trainers that studied marine biology should know what they are doing to these whales in the process of having them isolated for human entertainment. Its sickening. I hope that you find more great supporting research and arguments for your topic, and I really do hope to see these changes that you speak of become reality.

    -Joseph Flemming

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  2. Hey Cindy!
    I really agree with this post. I do believe that we shouldn't use orcas in such a way for our own entertainment. It's just not right. People who work at Sea World try to justify their reasoning by convincing everyone that they are protecting the orcas but in reality they are a lot better in the sea than in captivity. They were not meant to be treated in such a way.

    - Jorge Lopez
    English 114B

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