Captive Orca Whales In Seaworld

With a total of 23 beautiful orca whales, it is no surprise SeaWorld attracted 4.4 million tourists in 2014. These millions flock to watch the black and white beauties swim, splash, and wave in front of huge audiences and charismatic trainers, but these millions might not be so excited once they watch, Blackfish. In the documentary, Blackfish, filmmakers attempt to discredit the SeaWorld corporation, for compromising the welfare of captive orcas for a higher financial gain. Blackfish caused quite the stir when it comes to SeaWorld’s treatment of their orcas, and brought into question, if it is ethical to keep these animals in captivity. When you take a look at orcas living in the ocean, free, you see them in their most complex form. Orcas
However, this is not the case for the orcas kept in SeaWorld. These orcas are living out their human-like lifespans, in a glorified pool. Since these creatures are large-brained and known for being very complex animals, it is no surprise that SeaWorld has seen so many issues with them. According to Blackfish, there was more than 30 attacks by captive orcas in SeaWorld since they brought them in nearly 60 years ago. Whereas in the wild, there has only been four alleged attacks on humans. In the film, it is also mentioned that the whales in captivity often clash with each other, this is very uncommon. However, in their situation where no true pod is formed and families often don’t stay together, it would make sense. With an environment built around seclusion, it is questionable if these acts can be summed up to a psychosis brought on by captivity. There have been studies surrounding other captive animals, that have noted behavioral abnormalities among them. One study surrounds chimpanzees, who are also very complex and human-like creatures. The study found “that even chimps at very well regarded zoos displayed the disturbing behaviors” (Viegas). All of these behaviors point to mental illness included “poking at their own eyes and other body parts, banging themselves against surfaces, pull out their hair, pacing, drinking urine, and doing other things
The issue of orcas (or any animal) in captivity is a very emotional subject for a lot of people, and that made for a great opportunity to persuade viewers. Throughout the film, testimonies of former trainers are used. This helped to establish ethos and pathos since they are people closely involved in the SeaWorld corporation and were directly involved in the incidents discussed. Without the accounts of the trainers, the facts and opinions would not seem as credible, making this the most effective use of ethos by the filmmakers. Since former employees are speaking out, it would seem to viewers that this issue is huge. Through disturbing footage of the attacks, along with eyewitness accounts of the attacks at SeaWorld, a connection was made with the viewers, that made us feel like we were there during that emotional time. The claims made about SeaWorld’s separation of orca families and their living conditions are detrimental to their mental and emotional health. They discuss the findings by a neurologist that suggest orca’s have a portion of their brain that people do not have, another emotional cortex. This logically supports their claims that they are emotionally deep animals, that humans can’t begin to keep happy. The claims made by the filmmakers sound very solid and do not leave much room for exceptions. It was clear that the focus of the