The Pros And Cons Of Seaworld

Improved Essays
There is a big controversy whether wild life should be held captive or not, Sea World specifically has gotten a lot of bad attention because of all the trainer and killer whale incidents. The way they keep their killer whales contained is also a big part of why Seaworld is getting bad attention. Seaworld has come out with a new commercial telling people that they are not a bad place and how the animals are being treated great there. From what has been said the whales that are kept captive do not have enough space, Animals show signs of aggression and depression when given limited space and little contact with others of their kind. Orcas are a lot like humans, they live in families and when not held in captivity their lifespan is similar to …show more content…
In 1992 Tilikum a killer whale that was sent to Seaworld after an incident that happened at another “theme park” called Sealand, because of the death caused by Tilikum he was supposed to only be used for breading and not to be in any shows because there is a high chance that he would act out again. Former Seaworld trainers were interviewed and said that trainers were not informed about the accidents that have happened between trainer and Orca (49:33), there has been over 70 trainer/orca accidents that have happened and were not told to the current trainers. Tilikum was probably annoyed and tired of being locked up, When he was at Sealand the trainer used punishment, at Seaworld he was put into a tank with two females that did not treat him right. Killer whales should have an area that is huge and designed for the different social structures that the Orcas have (noonan). All the stress that these animals are put under could be the reason they lash out. It is not right that Seaworld tries to cover up these incidents and put the blame all on the trainer. The Dawn Brancheau incident is a great example of how Seaworld tried to cover up and put the blame on the trainer rather than the whale. Towards the ending of her performance her and Tilikum were lying and he pulled her from the shoulder and dragged her down (1:09). At first Seaworld reps tried to say that Dawn had slipped into the tank but once there was many witnesses that said otherwise (1:11), that is when they changed their story and said that Dawn was pulled in my her long ponytail (1:12). They made it seem like a trainer error when it obviously was

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Blackfish Research Paper

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages

    One day three whales were performing at Sealand, the trainer was on the platform because they aren't allowed to get in the water with the orcas. The trainer took a misstep and slipped in the water, she started to pull herself out but a whale grabbed her boot and pulled her back in. The owners told reporters that it wasn’t Tilikum that pulled her in but the people who were watching it happen said it was him because they saw the floppy dorsal fin. Sealand was shut down and Tilikum was moved to Seaworld where he would probably have a better life, right?…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Tilikum Research Paper

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tilikum Imagine being captured and taken away from your family at a young age to live in captivity. This is exactly what happened to an orca whale named Tilikum. Tilikum was born in 1981 and lived at SeaWorld of the Pacific in South Oak Bay, British Columbia. He currently is located in SeaWorld Orlando, Florida. He is the largest orca living in captivity.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This inhumane treatment of orcas in captivity is what leads these animals to become unstable and irate, which is why they attack the trainers, themselves, and other whales near…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    So why is it so normal to keep animals in captivity for the rest of their lifes? It is not ok. They have time to live, they do not want to be a captive and be ordered commands every second. The trainers and SeaWorld owners have made the orcas into killers and that is not what they are.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Tilikum Case Study

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Pages

    The argument that was that was been touched upon in Blackfish was that if killer whales turn aggressive when been kept for amusement. For example, Tilikum a male orca that was kept being judged for accidents that he was involved in like the one with a former SeaWorld trainer where it’s said that she slipped into the pool and Tilikum drowned her, but other former workers would say it happened because she wasn’t being careful, so it was all her fault not Tilikums. Also, there was another accident that happened with Daniel Dukes he wandered into the pool after hours. The next day a former trainer saw Tilikum swimming with him on his back. After having the autopsy it was proven Tilikum attacked him and after he was dead.…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Whales life outside captivity. In the documentary, it is talked about how Orca’s live longer in the wiod than captivity. Now some may thi8nk that would be wrong. People may think that since the animals are kept in an enclosure that they are better off. Better off by having an enclosed closure so no whales are getting injured and they are kept on a feeding schedule so no one is hungry.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Why don’t you ask the 150 orcas that have been taken into captivity from the wild? In fact, 127 of them are now dead due to the cruelty by humans. Tillikum, a very well-known orca, is known for being a bad behaved orca because of a few incidents. But why is it that we blame Tillikum rather than SeaWorld or these incidents?…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Seaworld Research Paper

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Due to the living conditions, and mental health of their orcas, SeaWorld should be shut down. At…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    SeaWorld should not be blamed for keeping whales in captivity because the history of animal abuse for human entertainment is too complex to assign a single villain. Therefore, whales should be eased out of captivity, but that process should be…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    At least 161 orcas have died in captivity at Seaworld due to the small enclosures and dangerous training. Seaworld is a marine resort that captives water related animals such as orcas, dolphins, and flamingos. They train the animals to put on shows and do tricks that they would never naturally do. Tilikum, a 22 foot, 12,500 pound orca, was captured in November of 1983 when he was just a calf. Trainer Keltie Byrne was pulled to the bottom of a tank by Tilikum and drowned.…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    So, is captivity good for the orcas? Despite the fact that millions of people go to SeaWorld every year to see the killer whales, the animals are actually mistreated. If SeaWorld doesn’t change their ways, then orcas shouldn’t be in captivity any longer. Four powerful arguments prove that captivity is not suitable for orcas. First, orcas in captivity are very unpredictable.…

    • 1603 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 2013 the documentary “Blackfish” premiered at the Sundance festival, but was later spread to a larger community with the help of CNN. The film “Blackfish” questions the treatment and imprisonment of Orca Whales and proposes the idea that being held in small enclosures is detrimental to the health of these intelligent beings. After the documentary aired, “Seaworld’s profits dropped 84%” (Rhodan), but there are some visitors who still choose to attend the amusement park. What is the amoral history behind Seaworld? Are Seaworld visitors an accomplice to the abuse of Orca Whales?…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “SeaWorld reported that a trainer slipped and fell into the water and drowned.” Then eye witnesses reported that this was not how it happened and they switched their story to “that the killer whale pulled her in the water...” (Blackfish). The lies that SeaWorld used at first to explain what had happened reveals that they put in effort to come up with stories that will fool the public so their name will not lose its reputation. After fixing the original story they chose to bring the blame on her saying her pony tail is what caused the orca to be aggressive.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s film, Blackfish (2013), Cowperthwaite captures the psychological torture killer whales, specifically Tilikum and Kasatka, face at Sea World after being brutally separated from their families. The film takes us through the journey of captured killer whales becoming mentally unstable and being used for entertainment purposes. This film displays archival footage and interviews with former trainers who had close experiences with killer whales at Sea World. The attacks at Sea World stem from the whales’ separation from their families, the trainer’s demand for the whales to do tricks in solitary confinement, and the punishment done to the whales when their tricks are not properly executed. All major accounts of killer whale attacks on trainers develop through the distress of the whales outside of their natural habitat.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animals should be allowed to live in their natural habitat. Removing an animal from its environment at a young age is similar to separating an infant from its parents and placing it with strangers. Killer whales live in organized social structures, like we do, and are negatively affected when they are separated from their young. Research has repeatedly shown that orcas held in captivity suffer from elevated levels of stress. A clear example of this is seen in the collapsed dorsal fin of captive male orcas.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays