Today, 127 of them are dead. We need to resolve this issue: should killer whales be left to roam free in their natural habitat,or should they be held captive in marine parks? First, let’s take this into consideration. When we put orcas into captivity, we are taking a lot more away from them than we think. A killer whale in its natural habitat plays a big role in its life.
In conclusion Blackfish is gives audiences a shocking, aggressive and deeply compelling look into cruel practices of marine parks for decades that will change the way you look at captive/trained killer whales and other animals. In watching this documentary has significantly opened my eyes regarding the brutal treatment and methods of capturing wild animals giving me a greater sympathy for orcas in parks such as SeaWorld. This startling documentary will surprise audiences as Cowperthwaite is unrelenting in showing the fatal consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity while also critiquing of the cruel and immoral practises of
There were many instances where the killer whale has been misunderstood based on the weighed out factors of said instances. Stated by an article titled “Killer Whales: A Reputation Deserved?”, in Victoria, Canada 1991 at Sealand, a woman fell into the killer whale pool and was repeatedly tossed around until she drowned. When the killer whales tossed her around it was not their intention to kill her they were only playing. In Orlando, Florida yet another event occurred producing the same results, although the common fact remains killer whales were in captivity when these human being were killed. The whales most likely thought these women were fish not people.
Wild animals such as the killer whales should not be kept in captivity because they are dangerous , breeding a dangerous whales produces more potentially danger. Tilikum is known for his killing Sealand trainer Keltie Byrne .” When she fell into the pool containing all three orcas, she was pulled to the bottom of the enclosure by Tilikum tossed around among the three orcas and ultimately drowned “.Seaworld heard that the 12,000 pound orca was on the market they quickly purchased him for its breeding program. 54 percent of Seaworld 's orcas have his genes. The fact that seaworld is breeding their most dangerous whale tilikum, it should be taken into further into account, because the more whales in captivity with his DNA the more dangerous work becomes for trainers and other that encounter these animals.
In addition, circus animals put human lives at risk and are abused on a daily basis. Although supporters of circuses argue that circus animals receive necessary veterinary care, many circus animals die due to neglect each and every year. Defenders of circuses claim that “Under federal regulations, sick elephants must get prompt medical care and a veterinarian 's okay before performing” (Nelson). Supporters of circuses dont see the harm of using circus elephants because there are laws that enforce circuses to give sick elephants veterinary care.
To illustrate, Dawn Brancheau was a trainer at SeaWorld and on February 24, 2010 she was dragged down into the water and mauled by Tilikum, a 12,000 pound killer whale who had a history of being aggressive (Cowperthwaite) . Tilikum was captured just at 2 years old. Many killer whales in the wild are not aggressive or hyperactive, so while being in captivity Tilikum adopted these traits thus causing the death of Dawn and many others. Similarly, throughout the years there have been numerous accounts of killer whale trainers being injured or killed (Halverstadt). The killer whales in captivity are very hostile, when the trainers get in the water it's a perfect opportunity for the whales to grab them and drag them down.
Animals in these setting are mistreated. A report shows that circus animals spend 96% of their life locked in cages(Corp , PAWS. “Enjoy the Circus? The Animals Don 't. .” Paws, Helping
“Tilikum” SeaWorld 's largest orca, is responsible for the deaths of three trainers, which all three deaths could have been prevented if SeaWorld would have recognized the behavior change in Tilikum. The most recent death to occur was Dawn Brancheau, where Tilikum “scalped and dismembered Dawn as well as breaking bones throughout her body before drowning her.” (Prothero) Since Tilikum was the biggest orca in captivity, he need the most space which led to SeaWorld isolating Tilikum into his own tank. This may have looked like a great idea on paper but because of his isolation Tilikum was literally going psychotic. “Stress of captivity drives Tilikum to exhibit abnormal repetitive behavior, including chewing on metal gates and the concrete sides of his tank—so much so that the most of his teeth are completely worn down.”
Haline Penaloza April 28, 2016 Hello humans, I’m a non-threatening hammerhead shark writing this letter for you humans. There are many things wrong in this world and one of the biggest issues would be the killing of my kind. Around 100 million of the shark species are killed each year and very well be gone in the next decades. We are getting killed by greed of people while our existence plays a huge role in the ocean ecosystem.
The constant boredom Happy experiences not only causes stress but in some cases causes aggression. Aggression is something wild elephants only exhibit when a member of their herd is in danger. The fact that Happy sometimes acts in fits of rage shows that she believes that she is in danger (Tullis). Along with aggression, the constant stress that Happy is under causes neurotic behavior. “As much as 85 percent (of elephants in zoos), according to a 2013 study by the Honolulu Zoo -- develop disturbing neurotic behaviors, such as repetitive swaying and head-bobbing” (Tullis)
Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey circus have stated that elephants will not be transported across country anymore, and in 2018 all elephant performances will be put to an end. For a long time circuses have been accused of abusing the elephants and forcing them to perform. A lot of people are glad that Ringling Bros is retiring their elephants but, many other people think all circuses that use elephants should put an end to the performances. Elephants are abused by cruel tools. June 25, 2007, a video surfaces on the web and goes viral.
Andy Dehart, Discovery Channel Shark Advisor, spoke about the North Carolina shark over fishing problem. The shark populations on the East Coast were extremely over-fished which lead to the over population of sting rays, a main food-stock for sharks. The stingrays in turn decimated the shellfish populations on the East Coast, leading to calm and shellfish shortages. This shows that sharks are necessary for every eco-system and their destruction affects us in more ways then we can imagine. Sharks are very at-risk for over-fishing because they take a long time to reach the stage where they can reproduce and in general only have a few pups when they give birth.
Imagine spending a life malnourished, sick and in captivity just so that people can see a performance with tricks and splashing. Captivity has harmed marine mammals for centuries and has become a reoccurring problem in places like SeaWorld. There is no understanding of why people enjoy seeing abused animals held in captivity. SeaWorld’s inhumane manner of care must cease and instead refocus the marine work and efforts on confined animal rehabilitation through exceptional nutrition and investigative research. Current Practices SeaWorld’s way of care for the marine animals shows barbarism, causing sickened and malnourished aquatic mammals with health defects and physical impediments.
There have been multiple incidents at SeaWorld when killer whales have attacked people. The most popular killer whale attack is the death of Dawn Brancheau by Tilikum, the largest male orca captive at SeaWorld Orlando. This was just one out of three deaths that Tilikum was involved in. He also played a part in the deaths of trainer, Keltie Lee Byrne, and park visitor Daniel Dukes. An autopsy completed by Dr. Joshua Stephany, a medical examiner, determined the injuries Brancheau had sustained after Tilikum had pulled her into the pool.
They use footage from different sources, showing trainers in the pool with the orcas and on the background a 911 call plays while these scenes are shown. Here Blackfish is raising the audience’s tension to believe that was the moment of that trainer’s demise. Various former SeaWorld trainers are then interviewed, and say the incidents with the trainers happened due to the aggressive behavior of the whales trying to harm the trainers. Dr. Dave Duffus also states that these attacks were a cause of the rigorous training the whales go through, making them aggressive towards the trainers. On SeaWorld’s response they state that these events were accidents, and that the cause of death was not due to the whales, but because of the trainers’ negligence.