Whales Should Not Be Held Prisoner

We take a sum of about ten to twenty dollars and pay our admission to the zoo to watch animals for our own entertainment. Many zoos encompass the United States and are often visited. We see and analyze monkeys, birds, lions, tigers, and bears and we observe the adventurous animals. Children seem to love to see the animals in "habitats" but, in reality, the "habitats" are not what they should be. We wholeheartedly take kids to these places in order for them to see and witness creatures they would not, unless taken to the zoo. One animal that really stands out are whales. Whales are huge, beautiful creatures that are extremely intelligent. Although whales are extravagant, they should not be held in captivity in places like SeaWorld because they are dangerous to keepers, their living space is too small for their instinct, and they do not work particularly well with other whales swimming around.

A type of whale that is generally recognized as the Killer Whale are actually orcas. According to Marine Bio, “...orca are sometimes called Ballena asesina by the Spanish.” This term means assassin whale, not because of their harm towards humans, but whales murdering other whales. Many fishermen see whales attacking other whales, and some whales even hunt each other. At SeaWorld, whales are sometimes together within their living space or whenever they are performing, and because of their vicious tactics towards each other, that is unsafe and unnecessary for the whales’ needs. There is always a chance of whales becoming violent towards one another, but having it happen during a live performance at SeaWorld would be sickening. Of course, the whales are trained to interact, but there is a huge possibility for mishaps in the tank.

The attacks by whales on trainers is always brought up, but it cannot be set aside. There are reports from SeaWorld’s parks ranging to around one hundred incidents and a few deaths from internal bleeding from encounters with the whales (SeaWorldofHurt). According to SeaWorldofHurt, “Following a 2006 attack by an orca on a trainer at SeaWorld in San Diego, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health concluded that it was “only a matter of time” before someone was killed while interacting with the orcas. These attacks could have been prevented if SeaWorld did not hold whales captive instead of letting them be themselves in the wild. Attacks by whales could be completely prevented if we did not hold them captive in the first place. Another attack occurred at Seaworld killing a 40-year-old trainer (Chua-Eoan). The whale’s name was Tilikum and he dragged his trainer underwater more than once, killing her during a live performance (Chua-Eoan). According to TIME, article “The Killer Attack At Seaworld: How It Happened” written by Howard Chua Eoan states that the whale, “...rose out of the water to snag Brancheau by her ponytail, yanking her into the water for two brief but shocking episodes in the pool.” With the ability for an animal to take the life of a human and having such a great capability to do so, one should come to the conclusion that we should eliminate that chance.

The whales held prisoner in SeaWorld are crammed into pools. SeaWorld promised for bigger tanks ranging from one and a half acres, 40 feet deep and 350 feet wide (Joseph). But what is not altered by these changes are that whales deserve infinite ocean space, the capability to roam around their real habitats, traveling miles, and using the ocean depth to hunt prey and communicate with other whales for a long distance (Joseph). According to “Orcas in Captivity: Animal Cruelty for Profit,” in the wild Orcas eat a variety of prey and includes many fish, walruses, sharks, birds, and sometimes even whales. At SeaWorld whales are fed thawed dead fish, while in the wild whales hunt and eat their prey by instinct. A quote to think about that really opened my eyes from an article entitled “Seven Reasons SeaWorld’s Bigger Orca Tanks Project Is A Joke” states, “Whales belong in the unlimited open space of the ocean, where they can roam freely in their own habitat, and not in a glorified bathtub with people watching them.” Not only are whales held with limited space and do not receive the proper nutrition and hunting that they are used to, but they are also watched daily by many humans. This quote really brings attention to the glorification of captured whales and enlightens readers to try and feel the whales’ emotions.

Someone may argue that whales and other large sea creatures should be held in captivity because we sway them away from extinction, pollution, and predators (WDC). Those are very argumentative points but in regards to extinction, yes, we are keeping them away from all dying off but in the wrong ways. Nature is supposed to work its course and work the way it wants to according to the environment, and that is the healthiest for organisms. No matter the change in the demographic of certain creatures, nature works with how the environment is. Keeping whales captive whenever they are injured is one thing, but glorifying them to humans to watch like a TV show is completely absurd. One could understand why an organization would take an injured creature into captivity to nurse it back to health, but eventually let it be free in the wild again. Instead, at SeaWorld they decide that the whales may have been injured, but instead of releasing them, they train and teach them in order to perform, to make profit. According to research taken on whales’ health shows that confinement of whales does not actually keep them safer than in the wild: studies show that whales in the wild's health and behavior differ immensely in favor of the ones living in the wild. Predators keep the population of all species down to ensure that it does not exceed the amount capable for the habitat. Holding a whale captive affects them psychologically and physically because of the closed in space, making them more capable of illness or disease (WDC). According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Orca’s that live in the wild live to fifty to eighty years old, while the average lifespan for a Orca in captivity is 25 to 30 years old. If not the stress, emotional instability, lack of environmental space and habitat, then something else SeaWorld is doing is affecting the lifespan of these whales.

Whales are beautiful and intelligent creatures who deserve the right to be free and justified in their habitat. Although they are able to be trained to do stunts and they are entertaining to watch, a tank is not where they belong. Whales have instincts just as humans do, and their instinct does not lie within a tank. Their instinct lies within miles and miles of ocean space, deep depths to communicate with other whales and hunt their prey, and the ability to live as they want in the wild. Whales should not be held captive in any way shape or form, because they can be dangerous to trainers and humans, they are not typically friendly with other whales, and the living space is too small and will always be too small in captivity.