Blackfish Research Paper

Blackfish: Why Orcas Should Not Be Held in Captivity There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Seaworld’s treatment of captive orcas recently. A documentary called Blackfish was released in 2013 that highlighted the abuse of killer whales at Seaworld. It also showed how the aggression of orcas in captivity has resulted in the death of trainers. Though Seaworld has denied inadequate treatment of their orcas, they have clearly been in distress. Orcas, and animals in general, should not be kept in captivity because of the emotional and mental abuse they suffer and the harm they cause to themselves and other orcas. Emotional abuse and mental abuse have contributed to orcas being unable to live natural lives, even if they were freed. Orcas
that have been in captivity for long amounts of time or who are born into it have no idea how to function in the wild.
This is supported in the article,” Seaworld to phase out killer whale shows, captivity,” where the author, Nathan Bomey, said,”...a controversial proposal because captive animals often can’t adjust to the wild.” This shows that the orcas have been in captivity so long that they can’t even live without assistance. This also shows that can’t learn to live in the wild because of all the emotional and mental abuse they have suffered. Some have countered by saying that animals in the care of Seaworld have better odds of having long lives than those in the wild. Seaworld addresses this in an open letter made as a result of Blackfish. “ This type of controlled research and study is simply not possible in the wild, and has significant real-world benefits to the killer whales that live there,” they claim. While orcas may live past the average lifespan in captivity, they go through physical, emotional, and mental abuse as a result of captivity. A specific example of emotional abuse among orcas is shown in the documentary Blackfish where the mother orca, Katina, was separated from her daughter, Kalina. Several trainers go on to explain that Katina was never the same after Kalina transferred to
another park. She was reported to have been cold and distant from the trainers and other orcas, staying in a solitary corner for most of the day. This shows that something was clearly wrong with her after Kalina left. Katina was obviously devastated by the loss of her daughter and couldn’t function normally after this incident. This reveals that Seaworld had no concern about separating a mother from her daughter. Though some may argue that it no longer matters because they were reunited, Katina was still separated from her daughter for an amount of time which, more than likely, permanently scarred her until her death in 2010. Katina is a clear example of how Seaworld has emotionally abused their captive orcas and why they should be freed from captivity. The second reason that orcas should be freed from captivity is that there has been a lot of violence against trainers and other orcas.
The death of a Seaworld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was caused by the aggression of Tilikum the orca. Footage from a witness of the attack reveals that Tilikum grabbed Dawn’s arm and dragged her underwater. Tilikum was clearly agitated from something going on and he snapped. This shows how killer whales in captivity can cause harm to experienced trainers. Dawn Brancheau was regarded as a good trainer and she knew how to work with killer whales properly. This shows that this accident didn’t happen as a result of Dawn’s inability to work with killer whales. Some have argued recently that the footage was out of context and therefore shouldn’t show that Tilikum was acting aggressively, Regardless of what the footage says, Dawn Brancheau still died as a result of an attack by Tilikum. Humans haven’t been the only victim of killer whale attacks; other orcas have been harmed as a result of aggression of killer whales. Different species of orcas have been put in the same pens which results in the harm of the killer whales. Lori Marino, a neuroscientist, explained how orcas of different species have many difference and that can result in hyper aggression. This reveals that Seaworld has no interest in the safety of their killer whales. It also reveals that they know that something is wrong, but refuse to do anything about the issue. Some may counter this
by saying that sometimes orcas play too roughly and accidentally hurt each other. Orcas have died as a result of this so called “rough playing” though. This shows that orcas shouldn’t be kept in captivity because they can cause harms to those around them. In conclusion, orcas have been subjugated to severe emotional trauma and physical abuse to themselves and others as a result of captivity. Though there has been major controversy surrounding this issue lately, it shouldn’t be the major concern of large companies and media attention. Levels of Carbon Dioxide rising, world hunger, and melting polar ice caps should be our major focus to ensure the survival of all species on Earth. Orcas, while a major concern, shouldn’t be prioritized as a major world issue. If we don’t begin to solve the aforementioned issues, humans, as a species, may begin to die off due to lack of resources and mass outbreaks of cancer caused by UV rays.