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  • Essay / The issue of whale captivity in The Blackfish

    The documentary Blackfish draws attention to whale captivity as a form of entertainment. Sea World is filled every day with thousands of people, both adults and children, excited to see these amazing whales doing tricks. What they don't see is the suffering that whales endure on a daily basis. These innocent animals should not be kept in captivity as they face animal cruelty and animal depression. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Whales are one of the main attractions of Seaworld, and in people's eyes, these animals are considered happy animals, healthy and cheerful. who are having fun. However, what no one is ever aware of is the animal cruelty these whales face on a daily basis in captivity. Whales don't naturally know how to put on a show and wave to the crowd, they are taught to do these things. However, when they do not do what is asked of them, they are punished. In the documentary Blackfish, former director Steve Huxter states that Tilikum's "former head coach used techniques that involved punishment." Tilikum would either be deprived of food or become a rake with teeth. This means that whale trainers are intentionally harming Tilikum and other whales, which constitutes animal abuse. What people don't understand is that you can't go to extremes to punish an animal that wasn't born to be entertainment. In some places, Tilikum was covered from head to toe with rake-like teeth, all scratched and bleeding. They suffer simply because they don't want to do a behavior or splash, how is that fair to these animals? Killer whales are also massive animals that need enormous spaces to move and swim. Instead, they are kept in small, confined spaces. In an aerial image from Sea World, you can compare the size of the parking lot to the area where the killer whales are kept. The size of the parking lot in Orlando, Florida is approximately 50 times larger than the whale pool. This illustrates how much Seaworld and whale trainers truly care about these animals. Rather, they give more space for parking than more space for an animal that needs it. A whale can swim more than 140 miles a day and dive up to 1,000 feet in a single day. It would take about 4,348 times of repeated swimming in their tank to cover the distance the whales travel in a day. Being kept in small areas is what causes an animal to become irritated and frustrated. This is another reason why they are exposed to rotten skin infections. That said, many people believe that captivity is a great way to care for whales and that it benefits them. Even though they believe that these whales are not getting the proper diet that the wild animals get. In the article “5 Ways Seaworld Can't Compete with the Natural World” it states: “At Seaworld parks, orcas are fed frozen. -defrosted fish and I generally eat the same meal every day with little to no variation. This shows that killer whales are not receiving a proper diet, which can lead to death. Whales' normal diet consists of other marine mammals such as small whales, seals and even sharks. Being kept in captivity only harms the whales and does not meet their needs.