Rhetorical Analysis of the Argument
If the topic of orcas in captivity is not addressed now, then there is no telling when it will actually be investigated.
Should orcas be contained to a life of captivity? That depends on what is defined as the most intelligent mammal. While the general feeling is that humans are the most intelligent species on earth, the orca, or “killer whale”, is considered to be one of the smartest mammals on earth.
Should orcas be contained to a life of captivity? That depends on what is defined as the most intelligent mammal. While the general feeling is that humans are the most intelligent species on earth, the orca, or “killer whale”, is considered to be one of the smartest mammals on earth.
Abstract
Orcas should no longer be held in captivity. Orcas thrive in the wild, and by restricting the orcas from their natural environment we restrict the orca. Each orca suffers both physically and mentally in captivity, something that should never happen but is unavoidable. Orcas in captivity also provide the risk of human injury and death.
Audience
The general public. After all, people that will have the largest impact on anti-captivity legislation are general people. They will mainly be environmental activists, most of whom have watched Blackfish. I will appeal to this well-educated audience by using pathetic appeals at times while sticking mainly to a logical argument and use the facts to make my argument.
How can someone properly ensure an orca has enough space and freedom to truly enjoy a life in captivity? Even a goldfish in a household tank is noticeably restricted in its movement; imagine an 8,000-pound fish and how much water is truly necessary to keep that orca in captivity. However, SeaWorld of Orlando, Florida is most notably the biggest culprit of this deed. According to SeaWorld, the park is open year round with few exceptions on holidays, which means orcas are performing year-round.
The documentary, Blackfish, directed by film producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite, takes the viewer on an in-depth journey through the history of orcas in captivity. She enlightens the viewer on the beginning of orca capture, but focuses her story primarily on the history of orca aggression on humans while in captivity. I would highly advise watching the documentary. It was both entertaining and informative, and will allow for a better understanding of the argument at hand.
First off, we have to ask ourselves, is keeping orcas in captivity improper treatment of orcas? Well, in order to answer that, we need to have an understanding of what proper treatment of orcas is. While there are no agreed-upon rules on how to properly keep an orca in captivity, we can look to general captivity laws as a foundation of how to treat orcas. There are numerous organizations that fight against animal cruelty and inhumane treatment of animals, but according to the Humane Society, most “animal exhibitors licensed by the federal government do not meet industry accreditation standards”. Although SeaWorld and most organizations that house orcas are privately-owned companies, if federally regulated companies are not meeting humane standards, then why should we expect the private companies to? Since there are only a small amount of companies that actually own orcas, who is to determine what the proper treatment of orcas is?
According to the documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Blackfish, there was a period during one of the orca’s lives in which he spent two-thirds of his day floating in an enclosed pool of water that was not much larger than himself (Cowperthwaite). While that orca does not receive the same treatment today, is subjecting the orca to that treatment at any point in his life justifiable?
Here, Tilikum barely has any room to even move around.
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Seaworld today still confines orcas to sleep in confines that are equivalent to putting a human into a bathtub at night Additionally, orcas in the wild are estimated to swim up to about 100 miles a day, but when forced into captivity, they lack the luxury of coming close to this distance (seaworldofhurt.com). The results of this inability to travel cause the top dorsal fin of most orcas in captivity to collapse, since the constant swimming and travel typically performed by the orcas works to maintain the rigidity of the fin.
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To go along with this physical deformation, orcas can be mentally affected by captivity as well. Orcas in captivity have been shown to exhibit unusually aggressive behavior, towards both other orcas and the trainers themselves, as is documented in Blackfish. Confining the orcas to the tiny environment in which they live has formed a form of psychosis in the orcas, which could have led to the aforementioned aggression. However, there may not be enough evidence to prove that it is the captivity that causes the aggression. Orcas are natural predators, so it is possible that the aggression is simply natural. But, whether or not the aggression is natural, it exists, so preventative measures need to be taken, or the orcas need to be allowed to hunt their own prey so that they can maintain some connection to their past primal tendencies.
Another question that needs to be answered is whether or not keeping orcas in captivity is truly beneficial to the species. According to the discovery documentary, “Killer Whales”, produced by Heather Williamson, orcas are predators who have even been documented killing a great white shark (Williamson). The orcas are no creature’s prey, and pose no threat of being attacked and killed. For example, there is a National Geographic special titled "The Whale that Ate Jaws", in which an orca battles a great white shark and actually wins.
Another question that needs to be answered is whether or not keeping orcas in captivity is truly beneficial to the species. According to the discovery documentary, “Killer Whales”, produced by Heather Williamson, orcas are predators who have even been documented killing a great white shark (Williamson). The orcas are no creature’s prey, and pose no threat of being attacked and killed. For example, there is a National Geographic special titled "The Whale that Ate Jaws", in which an orca battles a great white shark and actually wins.
Capturing orcas is by no means “rescuing” them from impending danger. In fact, orcas are typically found in clans that remain together throughout life (Williamson). They travel, hunt, and feast together. Removing an orca from their comfortable environment and subjecting them to a life of solitude at an amusement park is not fair to the orcas. In fact, since each orca has his or her own duty in each specific clan, removing one orca from the group affects the rest of the entire clan. Does the inhumane treatment of orcas then begin at the initial capture? In the documentary Blackfish, footage of the initial capture of killer whale “Tilikum” shows his family weeping and whining as the people who were paid to capture him tie him up and take him away. If orcas are as intelligent as scientists claim they are, and they can remember humans capturing them at a very young age, then another question that arises is if we actually can trust these orcas and know that they will never want to gain revenge for their tragic experience earlier in life.
Keeping orcas in captivity grants the warrant that humans are in fact the superior species, but who is to determine that the life of an orca is not just as important as a human life? Humans are more intelligent and in certain ways more capable, but we take orcas out of their habitat only to mistreat them. Separating them from their group and treating them like zoo animals lessens the value of an orca life. However, a SeaWorld activist may argue that the orcas in captivity are given plenty of attention and care from various trainers that truly do add value to the orca’s life. For example, an orca in the wild may be happy and free, but an orca in captivity is a “star”. They are properly played with, attended to, and treated. That gives value to each orca, even if it is taking him or her away from his or her natural environment.
Pictured above: Dawn Brancheau, murdered by Tilikum in 2010.
Given the nature of the issue, what remains to be done? In order to ensure that orcas are treated properly in captivity and that aggression towards humans and other orcas is prevented, what can we do? Is there an actual solution to the problem? Who decides what the proper solution should be? Who implements the solution? Most recently, according to film critic Brian D. Johnson, court rulings now force SeaWorld to separate its trainers and the orcas, especially during performances (Johnson). Blackfish has certainly raised awareness about the issue, but is this ruling enough on the subject matter? Are the orcas truly happy and living a proper life in captivity? While the average life span of an orca in the wild is expected to be about 30-50 years, orca anti-captivity activist group SeaWorld of Hurt claims the average life span of an orca in captivity is 9 years. How can shortening the average life of an orca by as much as 65-80% be viewed as a benefit to the orcas? What needs to be decided is what is the more important factor here: the enjoyment of the human audience, or the well-being of each individual orca in captivity. Is the awe and amazement that fills a young child’s eyes as an orca spirals out of the water as he performs a trick worth putting each orca and their families through the grief, trouble, and devastation?