Essay On Orca Captivity

The cruel act of confining Orcas to bathtub sized pens is not only inhumane, but also a hazard to current and future Orcas by affecting their physical, mental, and social health. Orcas, who are more commonly known as killer whales, can grow up to twenty to thirty feet on average and swim up to 100 miles a day, keeping their body healthy and fit. Aside from their large and strong body structure, Orcas are highly intelligent and social animals that work together in pods when hunting while even being capable of swimming as deep as thirty feet. So why in captivity, are Orcas being kept in pools that range from eighteen to twenty-eight feet deep?

The average lifespan of a killer whale ranges from thirty to fifty years in the wild, but at most
killer whales can live up to sixty to a hundred years. However, the average lifespan of killer whales from Seaworld shows to be about thirteen years. The vast difference in lifespan averages is due to where the killer whales live. In Seaworld, Orcas are crammed into a twenty by thirty feet bathtub forced to swim along the surface and perform. In the wild, Orcas swim up to 100 miles a day away from the surface allowing their dorsal fins to stand up straight. It’s quite the contrary in Seaworld’s killer whales where half or almost all male killer whales have a collapsed dorsal fin, due to lack of proper swimming and even depression. Seaworld likes to tell the public that they’re killer whales are in good condition, but their dorsal fins and mental health say otherwise.

While killer whales are known to be intelligent mammals through their performances in Seaworld it is more accurate to show that they are intelligent by the way their social structure works.
Killer whales group up in pods and follow a matriarchal structure. Meaning that the oldest female will lead the pod, which usually is made up of relative Orcas, in whatever they may do which can include hunting and breeding. In captivity, and more specifically Seaworld, killer whales are all just thrown in a pool like fighters in a ring. They are expected to get along because they are forced to perform together, however, that is not the case for Tilikum and his two female pool mates, Haida and Nootka who often attack him leaving painful and deep rake marks on
Tilikum.

After three deaths Tilikum, a killer whale in Seaworld’s care, has been branded a ‘cold blooded killer’ due to the recklessness of Seaworld.
Two of the three deaths that had occurred were of trainers who worked with the killer whales at the time. Orca attacks are not common in the wild, so why are there as much as 151 reported incidents of violent acts/behaviors from killer whales? It’s simple, it’s because being thrown in a bathtub has affected the mental health of these wonderful creatures. In fact, they show typical signs of what we call “stir crazy” by doing repetitive actions like gnawing on metal gates and ruining their teeth along with continuously sliding on and off the platform they perform on. There’s a lot of speculation on whether it was the trainers fault or the killer whales. Seaworld has stated that it was Dawn’s mistake for failing to tie up her hair, but in reality, it’s the fault of Tilikum’s captors, Seaworld. Not only has Seaworld disregarded the adequate living spaces for killer whales, they also failed in taking proper care of these
whales.

It’s not just Orca shows that must go, it’s the whole industry that feeds off of killer whales being shoved in a pond. Orcas (and even as far as cetaceans) should not have to put up with the facade that Seaworld has put up, claiming they are protecting them. Orcas that live longer in wild, belong in the wild. Orcas who rarely attack each other in the wild, belong in the wild. And prevented attacks and deaths of people who interact with Orcas in captivity are much better off with Orcas living in the wild.