Orca Whales Abuse

The physical abuse of orca whales remains a growing problem in today’s national SeaWorld parks. Physical abuse starts when orca whales are captured from the wild using horrendous methods that have ended in mass fatality for the whales in question. Zimmermann (2010) said “Griffin bought the 8,000-pound animal for $8,000. He towed the orca, which he named Namu, 450 miles back to Seattle in a custom-made floating pen. Namu’s family pod-20 to 25 orcas-followed most of the way” (p.5). This is said in regards to the first ever capture of an orca whale. Ted Griffin and Don Goldsberry eventually developed the method of locating orca pods from the air, and then chasing them into coves with seal bombs and boats. Once the whales were trapped inside the
During the day, orcas are transferred to a larger pool surrounded by seating for spectators to watch shows, and enjoy the ambiance. These large pools offer little protection from the sun, which causes severe sunburns for the whales. Typically, in the wild orcas will submerge themselves under the cool water during the heat of the day to protect themselves from the sun’s harsh rays; in the pools they cannot. In the evenings, the orcas are transferred to a structure much like a horse stable. The area is quite small, and the whales have little room to swim around. This causes them to simply float without moving for several hours. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation [WDC](2017) reported that one-hundred percent of captive orcas experience dorsal fin collapse. Dorsal fin collapse only occurs in male orcas, and is a sign of poor health. With a collapsed dorsal fin, males are less attractive to females in regard to sexual reproduction; which has lead to SeaWorld breeding orcas in captivity. Almost all of the captive whales born in captivity die within a year after birth. Wise (2015) explained that “The Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act (ORCA), which aims to outlaw orca captivity, prohibits breeding, and also prevents “taking,” or wild capture by prohibiting importation and exportation of all orca whales” (p.4). With this act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, SeaWorld is violating the law. The higher-ups of SeaWorld are only concerned with the amount of capital they can produce from the suffering of captive orcas. Of course, the lifespan of captive orcas is much shorter than that of wild orcas. Therefore, with SeaWorld’s failed attempt at breeding, they resort to capturing once