Dear SeaWorld,

I am writing to express my deep concern and extreme discontent about the care
you provide for you Orcas. I feel very strongly about this issue and would be
grateful if you read my letter.
My name is Abigail Russell I am 15 and from England. I have always loved Orcas
ever since I was a little girl and I even wanted to be one of the trainers at your
park. I looked up all the information I needed years ago and have been dreaming
about it ever since. I have recently found out that my family is going to Florida in
July and I was overwhelmed with happiness because I can finally come and see
the Orcas. However something started picking at my brain and I started to do
some research, I have found out a lot of new information that I didnt know
before. I watched the blackfish documentary when it first came out in 2013 and I
didnt really think much of it but I watched it again recently and was shocked by
the amount of information I had missed. Its safe to say that I will not be coming
to your park when I come over to your country as I will not pay a company like
you to waste my money and mistreat your animals. Your trainers give out false
information to the public and I think have started to believe it themselves
because of the work they do.
Life span Orcas in the wild have a lifespan of 80-90 years, in captivity their
lifespan is 20-35 years. What part of that is natural? Do you think this is okay?
No its not, doesnt this show you something is wrong? Your trainers give out false
information saying that the lifespan they have in captivity is the same as in the
wild but its not! Orcas have the capability of living as long as a healthy human
being but being kept in captivity kills them at a young age!
The Chase the capture of the first initial whales is appalling and when I was
watching the documentary I sobbed and I wouldnt talk to anyone for a whole
day because I was so upset. You stole baby whales away from their mums and
dads forcing them into coves with nets reaching the bottom so they couldnt get
out. 3 of the calfs died and do you know what the capturers were ordered to do?
Cut them open stuff them with rocks and tie an anchor to their tail so they would
sink! This is vile and unhuman I cant believe anyone with a heart could do this.
They were separated but the mums stayed crying to their babies this is so wrong
I cant believe things like this happen in the world I live in.
Danger to humans There has been over 40 attacks on humans all involving
orcas in captivity most of these could have easily have ended in death. Sadly
over 5 deaths have occurred with orcas in captivity all recorded to be the fault of
the trainer or an accident how dare you? How dare you stand there and call
that an accident when you have captured these animals and forced them to be
show dogs. How dare you stand there and say it was the trainers fault trying to
cover up you actions, its inexcusable. In the wild there have been no deaths
involving humans and orcas and very few incidents this is just one example of
why it is wrong to keep them in captivity. How would you like to be kept in a bath
for the whole of your life?
Danger to other whales- often the whales have been seen with great big gashes
out of them and rake makes caused by other whales in the tank. There is no
escape for the whales they are big and have no way of swimming away like in

the wild. They get severely hurt and injured and nobody can save them because
we are powerless over them. They could kill us in an instant and yet we still trust
them. Maybe we shouldnt they are wild animals too. Orcas have a great family
bond in the wild and work as a team aggression is unfamiliar in the pods. Orcas
in captivity have a lack of bonds because the orcas are shipped all over the world
for entertainment that is like someone taking your child to be a slave. Aggression
was so bad that once a whale died in your park due to a severed artery caused
by another whale.
Collapsed dorsal fin A collapsed dorsal fin in killer whales is nowhere near
natural less than 1% of killer whales have this in the wild yet all of the male killer
while at SeaWorld have this. It is still unexplained why these creatures have this
but dont you think that if it was natural you would see more of this in the wild?
Causing them to have this makes them stand out in a pod and they may not be
accepted. Dorsal fins are known to grow up to 6ft high but if they are flopped
over it could stunt their growth. Certain scientist believe their dorsal fins collapse
due to too much time at the surface, dehydration, not enough exercise, warm
temperatures and overall poor health.
Habitat and diet Orcas live in cold salt water and swim around 100 miles per
day in the wild they hunt and eat around 500lbs of fish a day. Captive orcas are
kept in tanks filled with chlorine and in warm outdoor temperatures. They are
taught to beg and plead for food or receive it for performing in shows. The fish
they receive are dry and not at all fresh they are filled with medication to combat
ulcers and infections brought on by stress. Captive whales show signs of stress
behaviours due to mental upset and boredom. These behaviours include biting
the metal gates, just floating at the surface of the pool for hours and banging
their heads against their enclosure walls. Many orcas in captivity have bad dental
heath due to biting on metal and they may need teeth drilling or freshwater
flushing to fight infections
Breeding The way you breed orcas is just pure cruelty you use Tilikum like a
sperm donor and he has killed 4 people. These aggressive genes will be passed
onto all of his descendants. When causing the whale to think he is having sex he
releases a hormone which allows him to make a special connection to the female
whale. Once you have finished with him there isnt a whale for him to connect to
so he gets very lonely. Most of the offspring produced in captivity are still born or
do not live for very long. After a while you send the calfs to another amusement
park leaving the mother hopeless and destroyed. Would you want your child
snatched away from you and you cant do anything to stop it?

No aquarium, no tank in a marine land, however

spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the
conditions of the sea. And no dolphin who inhabits
one of those aquariums or one of those marine lands
can be considered normal.

There is as much education benefit to be gained in

studying whales and dolphins in captivity as there
would be by studying mankind by only observing
prisoners held in solitary confinement
You just think about that for a second and then think is this right? The answer you should
come to is NO so free the whales its been done before with Kieko it can be done again! I will
not attend your parks as long as you are keeping mistreated animals and I have talked the
whole of my family out of it as well. That is 6 people who will never come to your park and
thats not including all my friends at school! i sincerely hope you read this I am just 15 I dont
know much about the world yet but I have the capability of knowing this is wrong and the
courage to write this letter. I do not expect to hear from you but if I do I will be more than
happy to read your response
Abigail Russell