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BryceSheedy
Ms.Robillard
LA8Hour3
11March2015
SeaWorld
Since1961,136orcashavebeencaptured.Howmanyarestillalivetoday?Thirteen,only
thirteenarestillalive.(Mccarthy)Thesemagnificentcreaturesusuallyliveupto100years,so
whyarenttheylivingsolongincaptivity(Halverstadt)?TheansweristhatSeaWorldhasbeen
capturingandkeepingorcasinunhealthyenvironments.SomepeoplearguethatSeaWorldis
beneficialfororcasandresearchers,butonelookatthefactsandyouwillknowitisnot.
SeaWorldshouldbeclosedbecausetheykeeporcasinunhealthyenvironments,makethem
aggressive,andshortentheirlifespan.
SeaWorldshouldbeclosedbecausetheirorcaslifespanisgravelydecreased.For
example,inthewildorcascanliveupto100years.However,incaptivitythatlifespanis
decreasedtoabout2030years.(Halverstadt)Themedianagefororcasincaptivityisonly9
yearsold(10Things).Thatisalifespandecreaseof7080years.Ifhumanshadthatlifespan
decrease,mostofuswouldonlylivetobeabout20.Wehumansshouldcareabouttheorcasas
muchaswecareaboutanyothertypeofanimal,andifwedontcontinuetocareforthemand
protectthem,theorcaswilleventuallybecomeextinct.Weshouldntbetakingorcasoutofthe
wildwheretheycouldlivetheirjubilant,healthy,andlengthylife,andsticktheminameager
tankwheretheywillonlysurviveforabout20years.Thatisnotthehonorablethingtodo.
Anotherexampleoftheirshortenedlifespanisthatwehavebeencapturingtheseorcasfromthe

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wildsince1961,andoutofthe136orcasthatwehavecaptured,123ofthemhavedied
(Mccarthy).Thatmeanssincethebeginningoforcacapturing,over90%ofthecapturedorcas
havedied.Theseorcasshouldbeuntiltheyare100,notdyingshortlyafterbeingcaptured.
SeaWorldhasbeencapturingorcasandeventuallykillingthem,onlyforourownentertainment.
Inthewild,theseorcashavebeensurvivingbythemselvessincethebeginning,butofcourse,we
havetocomeinandmessthingsupforthem.Notmanypeoplewouldbeveryhappyifsomeone
tookthemoutoftheirsafe,comfortablehomeandploppedthemintoatankmillionsoftimes
smallerwheretheywillliveouttherestoftheirshortenedlife.Anotherexampleonhowwe
endangertheorcasisthatwhenwecapturethem,theirdiseaseresistanceisloweredsignificantly.
Thismakesthemmoresusceptibletodiseases,andlowerstheirlifespanevenmore.(Mccarthy)
Orcasdonothavethemedicinethatwehumanscantakeifwegetsick,soitisimportantthat
theirresistancetodiseasesisstrong.Captivitypreventsthemfromhavingastrongdisease
resistance,somanymoreorcasgetsickincaptivitythaninthewild.AtaplacelikeSeaWorld,a
ailingorcaisadangerousorca.Thesediseasescouldbespreadthroughthewatertootherorcas,
potentiallygettingallofthemsicktoo,loweringtheirlifespans.Ifwewantanyhealthyorcasleft
inourworld,weneedtodosomethingaboutthemdying30%earlierthanorcasinthewild.
SeaWorldshouldbeclosedbecausetheiranimalsdevelopaggressionandotherserious
issues.Forexample,captivitycancausemanyissuesintheseanimalsespeciallyiftheir
enclosuresaresmall.Oneproblemcaptivitycausesiscaptivityrelatedstress.Captivityrelated
stresscausesawholebunchofhealthproblems,includingshortenedlifespanandaggression.
(Mccarthy)Aggressionisaveryseriousproblembecauseitendangersthelivesofhumansand
otherorcas.Whentheirtrainersgointothepoolswithorcas,theycouldbeinjuredorevenkilled

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byanaggressiveorca.Anotherexampleisthatcollapseddorsalfinsareasignofanunhealthy
orca.Inthewild,only1%oforcassufferfromcollapseddorsalfins.However,incaptivityall
maleadultorcashavecollapseddorsalfins.Thisiscausedbynothavinganyspacetoswim
freelyin,andanunnaturaldietoffrozendeadfish.(10Things)Inthewildtheseorcashavethe
wholeoceantoswimfreein,butincaptivitytheyareconfinedtotheirtinypool.Whilefree,
orcasfeedonavarietyoflivefishbutincaptivitytheyarerestrictedtofrozendeadfish.Another
exampleoftheproblemsorcasdevelopincaptivityisaggression.Orcasincaptivityoften
developaggression(Mccarthy).Aggressionisdangerousbecausetheycouldattacktheirtrainers
and/orotheranimals.Thisdevelopedaggressioncanbepasseddowntootherocraswhenthey
areborn,creatingawholepoolofaggressive,unstable,andunhealthyorcasthatarelikea
tickingtimebomb.(Halverstadt)Ifwewouldjustleavetheseorcasoutinthewildliketheyare
supposedtobe,wewouldnthaveaproblemandtheorcaswouldbeagreatdealhealthierand
happier.
SeaWorldshouldbeclosedbecausetheirorcasareperiloustohumans.Oneexampleis
anorcaatSeaWorldnamedTilikumhaskilledthreeofhistrainersinthepast30years,which
addsuptooneeverytenyears.Tilikumdragsthemunderwateranddrownsthem,butsometimes
evenattacksthem.(Halverstadt)Thesedeathsareallcausedbythesameorca,whichshouldbea
redflagforSeaWorld.Thisremindsmeofthesayingfoolmeonceshameonyou,foolmetwice
shameonme.SeaWorldshouldtakeresponsibilityfortheiractions,anddosomethingtochange
it.SeaWorldissupposedtobeaplaceofprosperity,notaplacewherehumansareendangering
theirlivestogiveothersanentertainingshow.Tilikumstrainersarenottheonlyonesattacked
byorcas.Thisisprovenbythe24peoplewhohavebeenseverelyinjuredfromanorcaattack

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since1970.Thatistwopeopleayearbeingwoundedbytheseorcas.Thatiswaytoomany
attacksconsideringtherehavebeennodocumentedorcaattacksfromthewild.(Mccarthy)The
wholereasonwearecapturingorcasistohavethemperformtricksforourentertainment.To
mostpeople,someonegettingmangledbyanorcaisnotagloriouspastime.Thereisobviouslya
causetoalloftheseattacksbycaptiveorcas.Onereasonistheorcastrainersarejustperformers,
notactualmarinebiologists(10Things).Thatmeansthetrainersusuallydonotknowthenatural
behaviors,diet,andothervitalthingstheyshouldknow.Beforedoctorscangointopractice,they
needtogothroughaconsiderableamountofschoolandyearsofstudyingthehumanbodyso
theycanknowasmuchaspossibleabouthumans.Thisisnotthesameaboutorcatrainers,who
donotstudythenaturalbehaviorsoforcasandnaturaldietbeforetrainingtheorcas.Duringa
showatrainermightaccidentallydosomethingthatorcasdespisewithoutknowingit.Notonly
isthehealthofhumansatrisk,theorcashealthisatrisktoo.
Somepeoplemaysaythatonlyoneorcaisattackingitstrainers,notanyotherorcas.
Theyarecorrect,partly.TheorcainquestionisTilikum,a33yearoldorcaatSeaWorld.Over
thelast30years,hehaskilledthreeofhistrainersbydraggingthemunderwaterwhiledrowning
andattackingthem(Halverstadt).Thisshowsthatthereisoneorcaattackingandkillingpeople.
However,heisnottheonlyone.Sincethe1960s,therehavebeenover100documentedattacks
onhumansfromorcas(Incidents)Peoplethinkonlyoneorcaisattackingpeople,butthe
evidenceshowsmanyorcashaveattackedpeoplemanytimes.
AlthoughSeaWorldstatesthatcollapseddorsalfinsareanormalandhealthyoccurrence
inorcas,theyarenot.Acollapseddorsalfinisasignofanunsoundorca.Alloftheadultmale
orcascurrentlycaptiveatSeaWorldhavecollapseddorsalfins,whichSeaWorldstatesishealthy.

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IfSeaWorldiscorrect,thisisjustanaturalandhealthyoccurrenceintheirorcas.However,itis
notassimpleasthat.Collapseddorsalfinsoccurinunhealthyorcas.Theseorcasdonothave
enoughspacetoswimfreelyin,andtheirdietisunnaturalandunhealthy,causingthecollapsed
dorsalfins.Thisisnotnormalatall,becauseonlyfewerthan1%oforcasinthewildsufferfrom
collapseddorsalfins.(10Things)
SeaWorldkeepsorcasinunhealthyenvironmentsandshouldbeclosed.Orcasin
captivitybecomeaggressive,attackpeople,sometimeskillingthem,andliveadramatically
shorterlifethanorcasinthewild.Itisimportanttofreetheorcasbecauseifwearenotcareful,
morepeopleandmoreorcaswilldie.Ifthiscontinues,orcasmightbecomeextinctaltogether.If
youthinkSeaWorldtreatsorcasfairly,thentryspendingyourwholelifeinatankmillionsof
timessmallerthanyourprevioushomeperformingtricksalldayfortheenjoymentoftourists.

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