The Pros And Cons Of Captive Killer Whales And Orca
On Friday, The California State Legislature approved a historic bill that banned the breeding of captive killer whales and orca performances in the state, the only exception would be for educational purposes and not entertainment, display, or performance purposes. The bill also prohibits the export or collect captive orcas coming from any place in California to another state or country, unless approved by federal law, and importing their semen or embryos of any orcas held in captivity for artificial insemination. The legislation passed 26-13 with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposing. The bill required that the killer whales be sent to sea sanctuaries for retirement in the United States or Canada. Sea World are actively lobbying against the bill, calling it unnecessary since they had already planned to do this and had announced that they would
…show more content…
end it’s captive orca breeding program and phase out killer whale shows at its locations in San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio by 2019, and replacing them with more “natural” displays with a strong educational element, but has no intention of releasing any of its orcas.
The bill also allows for Sea World to rescue and rehabilitate stranded killer whales, as long as they plan to release them back into the ocean, but the federal government determines whether the whale gets released or not. Violators of the bill would face fines up to a hundred thousand dollars.
Killer whales have been kept in captivity for many years, especially in Sea World. In the wild, Orcas have an average life expectancy of thirty to fifty years, the estimated maximum lifespan is sixty to seventy years for males and eighty to one hundred years for females. But for killer whales in captivity, their average lifespan is thirteen years, much shorter than the average due to the harsh conditions they are kept in.
Most of the marine animals who are kept in captivity are dolphins and orcas. The captive whales and dolphins suffer from mental, emotional, and physical stress that weaken their immune systems, making them more prone to disease. Killer whales are natural predators and very intelligent creatures, and keeping them in captivity will only make them more irritable and dangerous due to isolation, leading to the death or injury of humans. In the movie Blackfish they tell the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that has killed several workers while in captivity. The documentary shows the species’ cruel treatment in captivity and the lives and losses of the trainers, showing many reasons why these animals and many more shouldn’t be kept in such harsh and isolating environments. The US court upheld a ruling against SeaWorld, a federal appeals court upheld a regulatory safety finding against the marine park in the drowning of a trainer, who was pulled under by an Tilikum. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court said SeaWorld had exposed trainers to recognized hazards when working in close contact with the killer whales and Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission had found that SeaWorld’s Florida location had violated a federal workplace safety law. SeaWorld had argued to the federal government, saying that the finding that it exposed its employees to an acknowledged danger was unsupported by real evidence.
end it’s captive orca breeding program and phase out killer whale shows at its locations in San Diego, Orlando, and San Antonio by 2019, and replacing them with more “natural” displays with a strong educational element, but has no intention of releasing any of its orcas.
The bill also allows for Sea World to rescue and rehabilitate stranded killer whales, as long as they plan to release them back into the ocean, but the federal government determines whether the whale gets released or not. Violators of the bill would face fines up to a hundred thousand dollars.
Killer whales have been kept in captivity for many years, especially in Sea World. In the wild, Orcas have an average life expectancy of thirty to fifty years, the estimated maximum lifespan is sixty to seventy years for males and eighty to one hundred years for females. But for killer whales in captivity, their average lifespan is thirteen years, much shorter than the average due to the harsh conditions they are kept in.
Most of the marine animals who are kept in captivity are dolphins and orcas. The captive whales and dolphins suffer from mental, emotional, and physical stress that weaken their immune systems, making them more prone to disease. Killer whales are natural predators and very intelligent creatures, and keeping them in captivity will only make them more irritable and dangerous due to isolation, leading to the death or injury of humans. In the movie Blackfish they tell the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that has killed several workers while in captivity. The documentary shows the species’ cruel treatment in captivity and the lives and losses of the trainers, showing many reasons why these animals and many more shouldn’t be kept in such harsh and isolating environments. The US court upheld a ruling against SeaWorld, a federal appeals court upheld a regulatory safety finding against the marine park in the drowning of a trainer, who was pulled under by an Tilikum. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court said SeaWorld had exposed trainers to recognized hazards when working in close contact with the killer whales and Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission had found that SeaWorld’s Florida location had violated a federal workplace safety law. SeaWorld had argued to the federal government, saying that the finding that it exposed its employees to an acknowledged danger was unsupported by real evidence.