Tyski 1

Alyssa Tyski
Professor Campbell
UWRT 1103
12 October 2015
When I was about eight years old, I saw a whale for the first time ever, but it was not in
any ocean. It was at SeaWorld, what I thought at the time to be one of the coolest places ever
since I could see turtles, dolphins, and so many other cool sea creatures. I could not wait for
the show though, to see the killer whales up close. They did flips and tricks but I was not as
amused as I thought I would be, mostly because I was in the splash zone and was soaked by
the end. Not only that, but I remember thinking wow it must really stink to be stuck in those
small tanks but for years, I never gave it another thought. Not until I saw Blackfish, a
documentary of the truths of SeaWorld and orcas lives in captivity. I started doing more
research on whales at a later age, and I come to the realization that the treatment and
conditions of these animals that are in captivity are even worse than I thought, and I
undoubtedly believe that a change needs to be made.
Since the 1960s, orcas have been SeaWorld and many other theme parks main
attraction. These majestic creatures have the ability to learn cool tricks that wow visitors
from all over the world. Although orcas are incredible to watch, over the past few years the
ethics of the containment and treatment of them have been questioned for several reasons.
Orca whales are extraordinary creatures for many reasons. The way they communicate with
one another and their brain development make them unique, as well as the life they live in the
ocean.

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The orcas species, having the second biggest brain next to sperm whales (Sperm
Whales, Sperm Whale Pictures, Sperm Whale Facts- National Geographic) is a species with
a brain very similar to humans, especially when it comes to the areas involving emotion and
communication. In the human brain, the limbic system is what processes and controls our
basic moods and emotions. Orcas have a similar limbic system as well and has a paralimbic
area that, overtime, has evolved and has become enlarged. In comparison to the human brain,
the orcas limbic system is massive and this suggests that orcas have developed a higher
level of emotional consciousness. Their limbic system also includes spindle cells, which are
associated with empathy and social organization (Crawford, Killer Whales Are Non-Human
Persons). Social organization is defined in the dictionary as the structure of social relations
within a group, usually the relations between its subgroups and institutions. This means they
have the capability to form their own groups or families even and heavily rely on social
interaction. It was found that the relative number of spindle cells was actually greater than
the human brains amount. Similar to humans, Whales also have highly developed
neocortexes, which are responsible for conscious thought, reasoning, language, and sensory
perception (Morino, Neuroanatomy of the Killer Whale from Magnetic Resonance
Images). If humans are capable of extreme emotions, orcas must be capable of the same,
since our brains are wired very similarly. Since research shows that it is highly possible for
orcas to experience emotional sensations, they must experience quite an array of emotions
whenever theyre taken from their natural habitat and then forced into living in environments
that are the size of ponds instead of an ocean, or even a decent fraction of the size. Mixing
the conditions of the orcas environment when in captivity with the emotion they may be
capable of feeling can be disastrous and has been an actual problem.

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In the wild, orca whales can travel hundreds of miles a day. They are also highly
socialized creatures, swimming in pods for miles and miles. Whales eat a variety of fish in
the ocean and are very smart, therefore are prey driven creatures. In captivity whales are fed
dead fish and normally only for training purposes. The whales are kept in small tanks away
from other whales which limit their activity, socialization, often causing then to become very
bored and even aggressive. (Wild vs. Captivity)
Orca whales lifespan is something that has been hindered in captivity compared to in the
wild. In the wild, female orcas live on average to be 50 years old but have known to live up
to even 80 years. Males on the other hand live to around 30, although can live for up to 60. In
captivity, unfortunately most whales do not live past their 20s, which is a major red flag as
to the negative impacts on having whales in captivity (Whale Facts). Due to the fact that
orcas are such social and emotional creatures and travel so much, this can have play a role
into why whales do not live as long in captivity. Stress plays a major factor in many animals
health. Being contained, not having social interaction, and not being able to live their natural
lifestyle can and does cause stress among these creatures. Stress cannot only affect the
lifespan of orca whales, but also their behaviors.
There have been quite a few instances where orca whales in captivity have acted out due
to undesirable circumstances. Specifically, Tilikum the whale who has killed three people,
two of which were trainers and one was a man who snuck into the pool and was said to have
slipped into the pool after hours at SeaWorld. It is debated that Tilikum actually pulled the
man into the pool, though. Regardless, Tilikum has purposely killed at least two people
causing much debate on whether the captivity of whales is ethical. Tilikum exhibits
aggression due to stress in many other aspects, as well. He chews on metal gates and concrete

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in his tank to the point where his teeth are worn down (Over 30 years and Three Deaths:
Tilikums Tragic Story). This is common for other captive orcas as well. Tilikum is not the
only whale to show aggression towards humans, although he may be the worst of the cases.
According to the anti-SeaWorld website Sea World of Hurt, SeaWorld has hundreds of pages
of incidents of aggression from orcas towards humans. In nature, there have been nearly no
incidents of orcas showing aggressive behavior, but stressful circumstances cause the whales
to rebel against their unpleasant situation.
Years after Tilikums validation of his extreme aggression problem, he is still one of the
main studs used for breeding. This makes the ethics of SeaWorlds breeding program
questionable due to the fact that temperament in animals can be genetic. There has also been
evidence to show that SeaWorld inbreeds more than what is natural. A specific instance is
Taku and his mother Katina. Male orcas reach sexual maturity at 6-8 years old but at the time
Take was 11 years old. He and his mother were kept in a small contained area when he
reached sexual maturity and Katina gave birth to Nalani. (Rose, SeaWorld Fact Check)
SeaWorlds claims are that Taku unexpectedly reached sexual maturity at 11 years old and
inbreed was unavoidable and also very rare. They also backed up their case by claiming that
in the wild, breeding within pods happens all the time. Although this may be true, inbreeding
in nature is believed to only happen due to the fact that there are not many other options due
to the endangerment of the species. There is no evidence of mother-son mating in the wild,
which discredits SeaWorld (Does SeaWorld Allow Killer Whale Inbreeding?).
There have been some efforts made towards bettering the lives of the orcas in SeaWorld.
Specifically, The San Diego Sea World in California is working towards an expansion that
will cost millions to build bigger and better tanks that will improve orcas captive

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environment. The California Coastal Commission approved the expansion but voted 11-1
for an amendment forbidding SeaWorld from breeding, selling or transferring its whales
stated in The Orlando Sentinel (Pedicini, California: To Expand Tanks, SeaWorld Must Stop
Breeding Killer Whales). Although this seems like a step towards a better life for SeaWorlds
orcas, some are in protest. PETA is opposed to the expansion of the tanks in general and are
demanding that the orcas be freed. They have sent thousands of emails and postcards to
SeaWorld opposing the tank expansion. SeaWorld is against the conditions of the tank
expansion, saying that breeding is critical to orcas lives and it would be cruel for them not to
breed.

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Works Cited
Crawford, Lars. "Killer Whales Are Non-Human Persons." Grey Matters. N.p., 07 Dec. 2013.
Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
"Does SeaWorld Allow Killer Whale Inbreeding?" SeaWorld Cares: You Ask We Answer.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, 09 May 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Morino, Lori, and Chet Sherwood. "Neuroanatomy of the Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca) from
Magnetic Resonance Images." Wiley Online Library. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 14 Oct.
2004. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
"Over 30 Years and Three Deaths: Tilikums Tragic Story." SeaWorld of Hurt. PETA, n.d.
Web. 07 Nov. 2015.
Pedicini, Sandra. "California: To Expand Tanks, SeaWorld Must Stop Breeding Killer
Whales." Orlando Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Rose, Naomi, Dr., and Ingrid Visser, Dr. "SEAWORLD FACT CHECK:." SeaWorld Fact
Check. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
"Sperm Whales, Sperm Whale Pictures, Sperm Whale Facts - National Geographic."
National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.
"Whale Facts." Whale Facts. WhaleFacts.Org, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
"Wild vs. Captivity." Animal Welfare Institute. Animal Welfare Institute, n.d. Web. 8 Nov.
2015.