SeaWorld - Playful orcas frolic in spacious pools as waves gently lap up against the edges. Schools of glimmering fish dart in and out of beams of sunlight. Pods of dolphins leap into the air and all of the animals are much more happy than they ever could be in the wild. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn’t true. It’s a fantasy facade conjured by SeaWorld. Reality for captive orcas is more of a cramped prison than a tropical paradise. So far, 35 orcas have died at SeaWorld parks and the remainder are definitely not happy. I bet they don’t put that statistic on their colorful brochures or website. To lessen the rate at which orca deaths are occurring, SeaWorld needs to vastly improve their living conditions. At the very least, their tanks should be enlarged and the cruel breeding program abolished.
After crunching numbers, PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, figured out that orcas at SeaWorld have a median lifespan of a mere 9 years. In contrast, orcas in the wild can live up to 70 years. That means that most orcas at SeaWorld are living roughly one-eighth of their potential life spans. How would you feel if humans only got to live for 10 years? The extremely short lifespan of captive orcas can be directly linked to the atrocious conditions in which they are kept. In the wild, orcas swim hundreds of miles per day. At SeaWorld, they are confined to barren tanks, only a few hundred feet in length. In addition to the lack of space, orcas are also subject to SeaWorld’s notorious streak of abusing animals. The conditions are so bad that pounds of skin regularly flake off and dorsal fins are collapsed.
Orcas are also forced to participate in SeaWorld’s breeding program. Backed by over 56 thousand supporters, a change.org petition states that SeaWorld is far behind and needs to catch up to industry standards. SeaWorld has a track record of repetitively breeding certain whales, even aggressive ones. A prime example of this is Tilikum, the whale who killed 3 of his trainers; he has sired 20 orcas calves. Whales are often bred amongst themselves, or inbred - sometimes even son with mother or daughter with father. In addition to these practices, SeaWorld also artificially impregnates orcas who are only 8 years old. Orcas aren’t of breeding age until they are at least 15. It is a tragedy that orcas rarely reach this age in the prisons of SeaWorld. These unnatural practices frequently result in both baby and maternal deaths.
Despite the evidence against SeaWorld being overwhelming, SeaWorld and its supporters have decided to put up a fight.
In 2013, a highly-critical documentary, entitled Blackfish, exposed many injustices that occur at at SeaWorld. In response, SeaWorld decided to dissect every single scene from the movie in a futile attempt to discredit it. Two of their counterclaims are that orcas get state-of-the-art medical care and that orcas aren’t really that smart. Unless slathering gallons of Zinc oxide on sunburns counts as “state-of-the art”, then orcas do not get very good veterinary care. In fact, these sunburns wouldn’t even be an issue if SeaWorld used the recommended sun-blocking covers or provided deeper enclosures. Blackfish said that orcas at SeaWorld don’t receive enough mental stimulus and that this has led to them losing teeth from gnawing at metal bars. In response, SeaWorld representatives said that orcas aren’t actually that smart. There is absolutely no evidence behind this claim. The orca brain weighs 15 pounds and scientists have discovered extreme potential for intelligence while MRI scanning one. SeaWorld stooped quite low in protecting themselves with deceit and lies.
Apart from blatant lies, SeaWorld’s main defense lies in that it funds animal causes and educates the public.
I can’t deny that they do fund a few animal causes. In fact, I am even happy that they do so. While this appears to be a noble act on the surface, it is actually another business ploy to attract customers. If SeaWorld really cared about animals, would they confine them to what is essentially a bathtub? SeaWorld helping out some animals is good, but I still won’t visit if they hurt others.
SeaWorld does educate the public. The only catch is that the public doesn’t get the full story - just SeaWorld’s side. I can’t imagine SeaWorld telling the public that their animals are deprived of social connections, space, and ultimately their freedom, just for them to make money.
Take for example, SeaWorld “educating the public” and telling them that the orcas can not be released. Yes, releasing the current orcas can’t be done right away as the orcas don’t know all of their natural behaviors necessary to survival. However, with vigorous training and socialization, I believe that most of the orcas could be ready for release in the next few years.
SeaWorld also tries to defend itself by comparing itself to zoos. Personally, I am against both SeaWorld and zoos. However, SeaWorld is definitely the greater evil. That is why some people are only against it and not zoos. Greg Levin once tweeted that “you don’t see trainers riding on the back of a lion, or teaching a gorilla to dance for bananas at the zoo.” I’m sure many people who are against SeaWorld, but are pro-zoos have similar reasons to him.
Don’t be that monkey who supports SeaWorld and animal cruelty.
As you can see, SeaWorld is a horrible place for its orcas. They have very short lives in the parks, get injured, are forced to participate in cruel and dangerous breeding programs, and are, of course, subject to extremely dismal conditions. “Shamu”, or shame on you, Seaworld? Until SeaWorld does the right thing by stepping up and making some headway at improving its orca’s conditions, I urge you to join me in boycotting them and refrain from visiting their parks. The power lies in your hands. Make a difference for the orcas.