The Argument
Orcas should not be held in captivity. The pros do not outweigh the cons. When an orca is placed in captivity, the risk of human injury or death immediately increases. However, not only does human risk increase, but so too does an orca's risk of injury or death. If you go to to the statistics tab, you will find a link to all of the recorded "incidents" between orcas and humans. These incidents range from attempted attacks to murders, spanning from the 1970's to present day.
The aftermath of an orca attack at SeaWorld of Orlando.
I believe we can all agree that preventing human death and injury should be a top priority when dealing with these natural predators. We can never know what goes on inside an orca's head, and the attacks are unpredictable. According to the documentary, Blackfish, the orca brain is even more complex than the human brain. How can we ever know what they are thinking or know when they are planning their next attack?
How can we prevent such things from occurring in the future? After trainer Dawn Brancheau was murdered in 2010 during a show, SeaWorld went to court to defend their establishment against OSHA, the Occupational Health and Safety Organization. The verdict was that SeaWorld could continue to have shows, but the trainers and orcas were not allowed to be in the same body of water. While these results may reduce the amount of injuries as a result of species interaction, this verdict does not address another issue about ethics: are the orcas truly happy?
How can we prevent such things from occurring in the future? After trainer Dawn Brancheau was murdered in 2010 during a show, SeaWorld went to court to defend their establishment against OSHA, the Occupational Health and Safety Organization. The verdict was that SeaWorld could continue to have shows, but the trainers and orcas were not allowed to be in the same body of water. While these results may reduce the amount of injuries as a result of species interaction, this verdict does not address another issue about ethics: are the orcas truly happy?
An orca in the wild has the entire ocean to swim around in. They can actually swim their entire life and will never cover every inch in the ocean. However, SeaWorld takes this free swimming orca, and contains him or her to a swimming pool. In doing so, the species is affected both physically and mentally. Physically, the orca, who is used to swimming hundreds of miles daily, is now confined to a space proportional to putting a human in an average sized classroom. Physically, the orca will suffer.
Most noticeably, the dorsal fin of an orca in captivity is guaranteed to bend. In the wild, the dorsal fin remains sturdy and upright as a result of the constant movement through the water. Since that aspect of an orca's life is eliminated when they are held in captivity, the dorsal fin unfortunately collapses. While dorsal fin collapse is a noticeable detriment to the orcas, it is the mental effects of captivity that are most impactful on the orcas.
The orca with the most human murders on his record, Tilikum, is confined to the small space pictured above for the majority of his childhood. According to Blackfish, the space was windowless, and barely allowed for Tilikum to even turn himself around. Whether or not this treatment is inhumane will be discussed shortly, but the mental effect on the orca is what is up for debate. If you take a look at orcas in the wild, they spend 100% of their lives traveling and hunting with their family. Young orcas actually rarely leave their mother's side, and the family sticks together. Taking that orca from his family, and forcing him to lay in a windowless pool for hours on end is believed to have developed a form of psychosis in Tilikum specifically, but is not limited to just him. Since all of the orcas are subjected to similar living arrangements, they too can develop a form of psychosis. Even the fact that the orcas are not free to roam around for hundreds of miles has the capability of drastically affecting the mental health of this species. SeaWorld is forcing this intelligent species into being treated like a household pet, and there is nothing they can do because they are completely under the control of their captor.
During the documentary, old SeaWorld trainers describe their experience with one of the orcas, Kasatka. Kasatka had recently given birth to her daughter Takara, and the two were inseparable. After a short time, they decide to transfer the calf to a different SeaWorld park.
Kasatka weeping after her calf was taken from her.
"After the move, Kasatka continued to make vocals that had never been heard before. They were long range vocals. She was trying something that no one had even heard before, looking for Takara" (Blackfish).
Kasatka was suffering. She was mentally and emotionally destroyed. They had taken her baby from her. Orcas stick together for a lifetime. She knew her calf for a few months.
"After the move, Kasatka continued to make vocals that had never been heard before. They were long range vocals. She was trying something that no one had even heard before, looking for Takara" (Blackfish).
Kasatka was suffering. She was mentally and emotionally destroyed. They had taken her baby from her. Orcas stick together for a lifetime. She knew her calf for a few months.
What is best for the orcas?
What truly is best?
Can we, as humans, properly know what these orcas want?
What is actually best for them?
If they receive proper treatment in captivity, are they truly happy?
Are they glad to be contained?
Are they dying to be released back to the wild?
Can they even know what they truly want?
Humans can only guess what is in the orca's best interest. And, as far as we know, one orca's preference is different from the next.
Can we, as humans, properly know what these orcas want?
What is actually best for them?
If they receive proper treatment in captivity, are they truly happy?
Are they glad to be contained?
Are they dying to be released back to the wild?
Can they even know what they truly want?
Humans can only guess what is in the orca's best interest. And, as far as we know, one orca's preference is different from the next.
So what is really best for an orca?
To close, however, I would just like to say that there is no end-all be-all to this argument. For example, if there is proper belief that an orca or group of orcas is in danger in their natural environment, then I can agree that it would be a good decision to transport those orcas to a place of less danger. If they are at risk, they should be rescued, but not necessarily taken into captivity. They could be transported to a different part of the ocean, but then again, these are migrant creatures who would likely find themselves in the same exact place they were before.