An Orca is a black and white colored species of the Delphinidae family, Genius Orcinus and weighs approximately six tons (Bradford). They have a long dorsal fin on their back, very sharp 4 inch teeth, and live in many different climates (Bradford). In the wild, less than one percent of orcas experience dorsal collapse or a “floppy” dorsal fin (“Blackfish”). Orcas live in close-knit family groups where mothers and other members of the family help care for the offspring …show more content…
The young are abducted from their pods during kidnapping missions in order for large corporations, like Sea World, to make millions of dollars. Currently, about 58 Orcas are being held captive and forced to live with other families of orcas with different languages and social habits (“The Fate of Captive Orcas”). One instance of whale capturing occurred in the state of Washington in the 1960s. Speed boats, bombs and air craft was used to track and round up the whales the hunters were capturing (“Blackfish”). After the mission was over, as many as five whales had died due to the unsafe and malicious techniques used to capture them (“The Fate of Captive Orcas”). The vicious practice of stealing young orcas from their homes was found in humane by the state of Washington in 1970. Washington State banned whale capturing and forbid Sea World from returning to kidnap more marine animals. (“Blackfish”). After being ejected from Washington, Sea World continued to capture orcas in Iceland and other locations (“Blackfish”). They would not stop hunting whales because they were worth thousands of dollars and other companies joined in on the orca …show more content…
A large, male, killer whale was transferred to this park in the 1980s. They named him Tilikum and he began learning tricks and performing in shows with the other orcas in the marina (“Blackfish”). This aquatic attraction was run down and the orcas were forced to live in tiny “pools” with little room to swim. Like Sea World, this park was made up of random, orphan orcas who were forced to live together in tiny quarters while food depravation was common in order for the animals to learn new behaviors for the shows (“Blackfish”). Sealand of the Pacific was established to make money and the orcas well-being emotionally and physically was unimportant to the owners running the business. Tilikum, living with two female orcas, was bullied and harassed and he was unable to escape from the physical abuse while being housed in a tiny, dark, back pool. The female, dominant orcas would “rake” Tilikum with their teeth causing scratches and bleeding (“Blackfish”). The life these orcas were living was unfair, unsafe, and in humane. The beautiful and majestic killer whales deserved to live with their families in the wide open spaces of the oceans but instead, they were suffering and forced to perform in front of a crowd of people in order to escape starvation. What the trainers at Sea Land did not realize was that the mistreatment and abuse was leading to a kind of