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Jacquelyn Arthur

Professor Sipes

ENG 1101

24 November 2020

SeaWorld and Orca Mistreatment

“Orca Kasatka is dead at SeaWorld, the third orca and sixth marine mammal to die at one

of its parks this year” (Orca Kasatka Dead). If you were to be told that a huge corporation was

abusing and not taking care of their animals what would your reaction be? By now it is well

known to the public the way that SeaWorld operates regarding their marine wildlife. SeaWorld

mistreats their Orca’s by keeping them in captivity where they breed them too much, push them

past their limits, and disregard the seriousness of the illnesses that these unique creatures suffer

from under their supervision.

The first topic covered will be the way that captivity affects orcas physically. Male orcas

suffer from LSI, when the dorsal fin loses its strength causing it to bend or lose its structure. “It

is said that around 1% of the wild population experiences this. In captivity, 100% of male orcas

experience dorsal fin collapse” (Stevens, Blair). This is due to the unnatural exposure of sunlight

and water pressure. The depths of the tank also contribute to LSI. In addition to this the average

length of a males life span is around 50 or 60 years and a woman’s is 80 to 100 years while “...In

SeaWorld, their average lifespan for each orca was 14 years” (Stevens, Blair). These are only a

few of many examples on the way that captivity affects the orcas physically.
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Not only does captivity affect the orcas physically but it also affects the way that orca’s

react when faced with humans. The movie Blackfish was released in 2013 following the death of

an orca trainer that was attacked at SeaWorld. John Hargrove, a previous trainer who quit in

2012, was one of the first voices heard in Blackfish. “Confined to unnatural social groups for the

convenience of their owners, bored and restless, forced to perform tricks for food that trainers

withheld as punishment, they occasionally slipped, he writes, ‘into the dark side’” (Adler, Jerry).

As of right now there have been no reports of people being injured by killer whales in the wild.

The killer whales are forced so far past their breaking point that they attack their trainers due to

being stressed out.

Furthermore, SeaWorld has been breeding their orcas since they were young and even ill.

Kasatka was an orca suffering from a bacterial lung infection since at least 2008. “Even though

she was sick and on medication, SeaWorld artificially inseminated Kasatka again in 2011 and

forced her to bear a fourth calf for the parks to exploit” (Orca Kasatka Dead). In 2002, one of the

calves at SeaWorld named Takara gave birth via artificial insemination at 10 years old. This is

much younger than the average age for orcas to give birth “…despite scientific studies showing

that, in the wild, the average age at which female orcas begin to reproduce is 14.9” (Orca

Kasatka Dead). With this only being a few of the examples, I urge you to look into this.

It is equally important to take note that despite their claims, SeaWorld is not ending their

orca shows. In November of 2015, SeaWorld made headlines stating that they were going to

phase out the orca shows in San Diego. This however, is not the case as the headlines were

misleading. SeaWorld is only reworking their shows to be more “educational”. “The lack of

meaningful change left many advocates frustrated. ‘SeaWorld fully intends to continue forced
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breeding of orcas in captivity,’ (Bridgeman, Laura). Although this is a small change, it does no

justice for the orcas.

Now, many people, despite knowing all of these things, still believe that SeaWorld is a

great company. Sylt writes “…Since the first SeaWorld park swung open its gates in San Diego

in 1964 the company has helped more than 33,000 animals with more than 2,100 rescued and

rehabilitated last year alone” (Sylt, Christian). Some people may say that SeaWorld is making

positive changes such as rebuilding and doubling the size of their habitats. “Trainers have begun

carrying emergency compressed air. And the San Diego park plans to begin construction this

year on a new orca habitat, called Blue World, that will more than double the swimming space”

(Adler, Jerry). So, it is to be noted that the company is making some changes. Whether these are

good changes or not are to be determined.

Here is my response to these claims. SeaWorld has helped a large number of animals

since it has been open, they are one of the largest animal rescue centers in the world. However in

just one year alone in 2017 they lost 3 orcas. “...he believed that SeaWorld was likely ‘doing

everything known to science to keep her alive’ so that Kasatka would not become the third orca

to die at the parks this year… She’s the 41st orca to die on SeaWorld’s watch” (Orca Kasatka

Dead). Not one of those orcas had died from complications of old age. In addition to this, it is

important to note that even though SeaWorld doubled the size of the orcas swimming habitat it is

still not healthy for them. According to Stevens, orcas swim up to 160 miles a day. “All these

orcas grow old and migrate together, and swim up to 160 miles per day. With their living

conditions, they aren’t even swimming ⅓ of this in a day” (Stevens, Blair). Even with an updated

habitat it will still not be big enough for the orcas to have enough room to thrive.
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In conclusion, SeaWorld does not take care of their orcas well enough to keep them in

healthy condition and in a calm mindset. In the events that orcas are too stressed out they get sick

or attack the trainers that they build a bond with. They need space and to be with other orcas

instead of held captive inside a tank to perform tricks. SeaWorld, despite their claims of

improving their parks, are keeping many secrets about the way that they treat their marine life.

The company makes more than enough money to provide positive changes and genuinely care

for the orcas. Be their voice, make a change.

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Works Cited

Adler, Jerry. "Why Killer Whales Belong in the Ocean, not SeaWorld", Smithsonian Magazine,

March 2015, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-killer-whales-belong-in-the-

ocean-not-seaworld-180954333/, 24 Nov. 2020

Bridgeman, Laura. "Sea World Is Not Ending Orca Exploitation." Gale Opposing Viewpoints

Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/LSNRWI280609651/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=07a29121, 24 Nov. 2020.

"Orca Kasatka Dead at SeaWorld—Condition Called 'Painful Way to Die' SeaWorld of Hurt, 16

Aug. 2017, https://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/kasatka-39-years-seaworld-captivity/, 24

Nov. 2020

Stevens, Blair. "Even Years After Blackfish, SeaWorld Still Has Orcas" 8Forty, 10 June 2020,

https://8forty.ca/2020/06/10/even-years-after-blackfish-seaworld-still-has-orcas/, 24 Nov. 2020

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Sylt, Christian. The Other Side of SeaWorld. Forbes, 13 Oct. 2018,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2018/10/13/the-other-side-of-seaworld/?sh=5dbc5d0b2e8f,

Accessed 24 Nov. 2020