Orcas in Captivity Life | Teen Ink

Orcas in Captivity Life

November 18, 2015
By Shyn.teenink BRONZE, Sacramento, California
Shyn.teenink BRONZE, Sacramento, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Wild animals supposed to live in their natural habitat. A habitat that suffice their natural food, shelter, temperature and survival. By this, their mental health would not be affected.  It is like a person coming from a different country where he or she will be adjusting to be comfortable to the people around them. Same for Orcas, if they are captivated into an unfamiliar environment they would take time to adjust as they are naturally born in the wildlife. They should not be captivated because it will lead to financially unbeneficial reasons, unpredictable behaviors, and shorter life span.


Although Orcas are entertaining, they do not benefit financially. As reported by Hugo Martin from L.A. Times, ¨the new chief executive launched $10 million for giving it back to other animals, which is one benefit of exhibiting Orcas.” It is believed this is not only for the shows but also to raise funds for other animal organization. As well as exhibiting them for conservation purposes. However, we are not well-informed on where these funds go. We do not know how they treat this poor Orcas. We do not know how they let them sleep, feed and ease.


According to Braithwaite's article Hooked on the Myth animals have consciousness, but most likely their behaviors are still unpredictable. One fact is that Seaworld trainers have the ability to punish Orcas if they do not obey the rules properly. This results to a lot of attacking incidents to the Seaworld trainers. As they live with these hidden deceit, it would affect the behavioral changes of the Orcas. Another fact is, “Contrary to popular belief, trainers often have no formal education in marine biology” (10 Things You Didn't Know About SeaWorld, Par. 8). Their purpose is mostly to entertain and put a “safe” show. In that case, if Orcas are released instead of being captivated, these factors would be prevented. If not, they will have more and more trainers killed in the captivity.


Another reason Orcas should not be captivated is because they have the capacity to live longer in the wild than in captivity. The tanks may look big enough for us but it is not enough for the Orcas. They usually have the maximum lifespan of 30-50 years for females and 19-30 years for males. But in the captivity it lowers to 20 years, “Approximately 157 orcas died in captivity, not including stillborns and miscarriages” (Lifespan, Par.2). The sign of an unhealthy Orca makes the captivity seems unreliable even though they seem normal. Likewise, “They would need to swim 1,208 laps (around the perimeter of the tank) or 3,105 lengths (back and forth at the longest part of the tank)” (Lifespan, Par. 4) which should be the normal swimming laps. If Orcas are still captivated with unnatural living conditions, they have the tendency to go along with the trainers but later it ends up being aggressive because they are deprived and stressed in captivity.


Exhibiting orcas are often considered entertaining and educational. Although, it creates bad effects for them and for us. It used to be considered as a simple issue since not many speculations have been spread back then. But as the years progress, there are more evidences that proves why Orcas should not be captivated. It is true that it can help other animal organizations but a big factor is it affects the trainers and the Orca’s mentality. Recently, progress were made such as no more captivating of Orcas. So to have more progress on saving Orcas is to do more research about Seaworld and other Marine parks and what are the benefits of releasing the Orcas in the wild. It is upon us to keep fighting for what is right.


The author's comments:

Our class had a topic about captivating Orcas. We were able to get engaged with the topic and have our own opinions about the Blackfish documentary and SeaWorld. I hope people would be able to understand the issue more and make an action about it. Luckily, many actions has been done recently. Hopefully it will continue into a more progressive conservation of animals.


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