Orcas Should Not Be Held Captivity

In 2013, the documentary called Blackfish was released, a story about a killer whale that over the years at SeaWorld killed several people. It highlighted some of the major problems with animals in captivity. SeaWorld, known for having several different animal attractions; Dolphin Cove, Dolphin Nursery, Orca Underwater Viewing, Shark Encounter, Wild Arctic (Habitat) and many more. The organization first started with the intention of learning more about animals in order to educate the public about different behaviors of each animal. Trainers at Seaworld are offered the opportunity to get hands-on training with animals and are eventually are allowed to entertain the public with the skills they have acquired. Over the years there has been controversies with the way SeaWorld treat the animals and the type of behaviors animals portray as a result of its enclosures. SeaWorld's defense of capturing

“We can tame and love wild animals so we should capture them, to educate and entertain humans.”

There are a few breeds of whales that have been kept in captivity for too long. Many of their lives started in captivity and they are unable to make the transition back to their natural habitat. Some of them are kept in captivity because of injuries, for research, and even for entertainment. Whatever the reason for their captivity, they aren’t meant to be captive. Whales in captivity have become too much for humans to handle. Many of the pools that they are kept in are far to small to accommodate their need for exercise. The small pools can also cause a large amount of stress for these animals as well. Sometimes these animals, like dolphins, are kept in captivity for research. After being in captivity for too long

It 's clear that the living conditions that these animals are forced to live in are just plain unethical, but something even worse is the relationship between animals in captivity and a spike in their stress levels. “It 's irrefutable that many zoos drive animals insane -- and if that isn 't cruel, I don 't know what is” (Masci) For starters, SeaWorld is one of the most notorious places in the world accused of stressing out their animals. Since the tanks are so small the whales tend to get very stressed out, and some former workers even say that the whales seem to go psychotic. “ If you were on a bathtub for 25 years, don 't you think you get a little irritated, aggravated, maybe a little psychotic ” (“Blackfish”)? A clear example is when one of the

I believe keeping orcas in captivities is not humane .To keep orcas in a zoo for display is acceptable, but it is morally unacceptable to use them for entertainment at SeaWorld. I saw the film Blackfish and now, I resent SeaWorld. They care more about profit than animal welfare. Keeping these sentient animals in captivity for an extended period of time causes them severe psychological damage, as evidenced by several killer whale attacks on trainers. SeaWorld Entertainment has had a rough year in the wake of Blackfish, the explosive 2013 documentary about its killer whales, most notably Tilikum, a 12,500-pound male who has fatally attacked two trainers. The film sparked protests at SeaWorld’s three marine parks and attendance has been steadily

The documentary film Blackfish, by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, is a daring venture, which claims that orcas in captivity become dangerous to human beings, as well as to other orcas. Cowperthwaite points to SeaWorld, in particular, since this world-renowned tourist attraction has had many examples that support her claim. In producing this film, Cowperthwaite hopes to bring about an end to SeaWorld’s practice of using killer whales as performance animals since the limited environment is ultimately doing more harm than good for both the whales and their trainers. The purpose of this rhetorical analysis will be to determine whether Blackfish offers a compelling argument.

When the two sides come together, the argument boils down to one major point, should we “Free Willy?” Those who side with the whales, whether their reasons be emotional or defended with welfare standards, feel that the whales should be released back into the wild or into private coves3. The opposing side makes valid arguments against the release of the currently captive whales. Currently captive whales were either removed from the wild at a young age, albeit in a cruel way, or they were bred in captivity11. The point in discussing this issue is not to address the cruelty of taking an animal from the wild, or to argue whether or not breeding programs are successful or appropriate. What needs to be addressed regarding the release of captive whales is their survivability in the wild6. Many killer whales are bred in captivity now, and thus have depended on humans for the entirety of their lives7. If a captive bred whale were released into the wild, it is likely that he or she would approach humans which could be dangerous for both the human and the whale. Captive bred killer whales would also likely have difficulty hunting, as their food was always provided for them by humans.

Marine parks in the country like SeaWorld, have orcas in tanks that they live in captivity. They use most of the killer whales for their performances in the pool. We all know that orcas are social, and intelligent creatures, that live in the oceans of the earth. We also know that many scientist are trying to study these animals in captivity where they are in tankes. I think Killer Whales should not be in captivity because, of the injures they can get in their tanks, how they get stressed out and they are better in the wild.

In my opinion, I believe that marine mammals should not be held in captivity for many reasons. To start, they are taking away the animals from their natural habitat. Secondly, captivity causes both major and minor health problems. Another significant reason is that the poor marine creatures do not have enough space to swim resulting in severe boredom and causing them to do harm to themselves

Throughout many years the topic of whether or not SeaWorld’s show called “One Ocean,” also referred to as the “Shamu Show,” should continue to go on and what they should do with the Orcas they have held in captivity. The argument brought on mainly by the organization known as PETA, takes a stand over how using animals for human entertainment is considered animal cruelty and should release them back into the wild. Due to PETA’s argument about the show and their many followers supporting them, SeaWorld had no other choice than to disband the show entirely on January 2, 2017 at the end of their Christmas Celebration. The question still remains, what should happen to the animals that are held within SeaWorld’s tanks, since they no longer

In 2013, Gabriela Cowperthwaite directed the documentary Blackfish. This documentary is about Tilikum, an orca from SeaWorld that has taken the lives of many trainers. The documentary makes the claim that orcas should be freed from captivity. While in captivity they are causing harm to both themselves, humans, and the other orcas. Blackfish is a great example of an argument that can be rhetorically analyzed because it has pathos, ethos, and logos.

SeaWorld has been in the spotlight for several years now. Whether it is negative or positive publicity, someone is talking about SeaWorld; from the new animal births at their facility, killer whales attacking their trainer and the sudden unexplainable deaths of many of their animals. In 2013 the documentary “Blackfish” explained how SeaWorld’s animals and staff are really treated. Since the release of Blackfish, SeaWorld’s image and attendance has gone down the drain. SeaWorld San Diego’s attendance is down 12% and SeaWorld Orlando is down 8% (Weisberg, 2015). People want to see change; some have even suggested SeaWorld closing for good and releasing all the animals back into the wild. However, preparing the animals to be released is costly

On December 2, 1946, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was signed in Washington, D.C. It established the International Whaling Commission that has overseen commercial whaling to the present day. The commission consists of almost ninety countries whose goal is to regulate the international hunting of whales. It protects different species, establishes marine sanctuaries and wildlife preserves, establishes whaling seasons, and set quotas on the amount of whales that can be captured and killed every year. The commission was created as a response to the concerns of the over-harvesting of whales during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Not wanting to permanently deplete certain species' populations and to ensure long

Territories border a specific species’ personal space, the Orinus orca is no stranger to this as any other living thing. What makes the whale’s reputation “killer” is its compliance to territories. Killer whales are innocent, but immature. Their actions prove them to be “killer” as witnesses say, but do they really think on the Orinus orca’s perception of the situations of violence they are involved in? Killer whale’s do what any other wild animal does, and when captive it is no surprise they would do the same. Orinus orcas are playful, misunderstood creatures that do not deserve their reputation as killer for an ocean of reasons.

The interactions between humans and dolphins started centuries ago when our ancestors carved drawings of cetaceans on rocks and passed on legends and folk tales; some described them as beasts and others as spiritual creatures. These marine mammals are also hunted as long as three thousand years ago as resources: their meat for food; their blubber for oil, and their teeth and bones for clothes, jewelry, or tools (Bauer, McCafferty, Simmonds, & Wright, 2013, p.201). As time pass, dolphin and whale hunting became a more prominent and structured industry, and the knowledge about these marine mammals’ biology and behaviors grew. In recent decades, with the help of ample media exposure and scientific publications, the public shifted its attitude