On a hot afternoon in April 2014, I sat alongside my family at the Killer Whale Show in SeaWorld Orlando. The display began with dolphins and sea lions performing for the crowd and hoping to please the trainers. There was no doubt, they were both adorable and very talented. Eventually, the music faded out, the animals disappeared from the audiences’ view. The water stood still and the audience at once became silent. With a crash and the introduction of some overly-dramatic music, came the piece de resistance; the Orcas. I was simultaneously in awe and slightly fearful of these majestic creatures dancing and darting through the water. Never before had I been in the presence of such an immense being, so powerful yet elegant in the way they were navigating the water. As I watched them perform their heavily choreographed dance, I couldn't help but wonder if they were truly happy in that little pool.

I had heard the rumors and facts about animals in captivity. Some seemed legitimate while others seemed far-fetched, only believed in by the most intense animal activists. My younger sister opted out of watching the show and remained outside of the aquatic amphitheater. This was mostly because of her fear of whales but also, in part, because she sided with the activists.

I didn’t know it at the time, but my sister had the right idea.

During a recent bought of procrastination, I found myself perusing through the list of documentaries on Netflix. I settled on Blackfish for its exceptional ratings. Essentially, the documentary delves deeper into claims of the inhumane treatment of orcas in SeaWorld. The compilation of disturbing footage and emotionally charged interviews with former SeaWorld trainers certainly get the point across that something is not quite right here.

In short, the saga began when SeaWorld imported a killer whale named Tilikum to breed with their female Orcas and build a small population of whales for their shows. Tilikum seemed to be doing well. He was performing incredibly for the crowd, breeding successfully and had developed a very special, trusting relationship with his trainer. That is, until he pulled that trainer into the water during a show, killed her, and mutilated her body in front of an audience. This was not the first instance of an orca killing a human at this facility. Many of Tilikum’s children have injured or killed trainers during shows. SeaWorld claims that these are freak accidents and are entirely the fault of the animals.

This is a lie.

The documentary interviews a psychologist that specializes in Orcas (yes, that is actually a thing). She explains that the emotional psyche of the orca is far more complex than that of a human. In the wild, like humans, the babies remain with their families for their entire lives. However, unlike humans, the whales travel in herds exclusively with members of their families. Each heard has its own language, incomprehensible to other herds. They will do absolutely anything for each other and anything to protect each other. We’ve all heard of Secure Attachment Theory. Well, this is secure attachment magnified by a thousand.

SeaWorld makes a lot of its money by trading its orcas with other facilities around the world. This means that the families that would stay together through thick and thin in the wild, are being ripped apart so that the company can make a profit. Blackfish shows footage of mother whales immediately after their newborn babies have been ripped away from them. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching. You can actually hear the mothers screaming, huddled in the corner of the pool. Because orcas are so emotionally advanced, humans can’t even begin to imagine the pain these mothers are feeling. In fact, we aren’t even capable of reaching this level of emotional disturbance.

Another phenomenon that we are familiar with is Operant Conditioning Theory. This is the learning process that occurs through reinforcement and punishment. Orcas at SeaWorld are trained through this method. If they perform the task asked of them, they are given food. If they fail to perform well, food is withheld. This seems to be an effective technique for animal training. However, it is extremely dangerous for Killer Whales. Because they are so intellectually advanced, they take this training method to a higher, more intense level. They become so neurotic towards the reinforcement-phenomenon, that if they are punished and do not receive food, they can easily become so angry that they are driven into a psychotic break. Anger takes over their entire being. They do not care if it is the trainer that has taken care of them for their entire lives. All of their frustration is suddenly channeled toward the withholder, frequently resulting in trainer deaths. Reinforcement and punishment are human-made techniques. It may work for domestic animals. However, killer whales are certainly not meant to be domesticated. This technique has quite literally driven these orcas to insanity.

Wake up, SeaWorld. This is your fault.

Blackish was incredibly effective in its efforts and has greatly decreased SeaWorld’s profits since its release in 2013. As a result of this, in March, SeaWorld Orland announced that they will no longer breed orcas. This means that no more baby killer whales will be born at the facility and fall prey to the mental and physical abuse that the company has stood behind for years. It was also recently announced that they will phase out killer whale shows by 2019. However, this means that the whales that are still living in those pools will likely die there. At this point, they are too unstable and incapable of survival in the wild. The most heartbreaking news is that Tilikum, the original and most-psychologically disturbed orca is reaching the end of his life. At this time, he has been deemed so dangerous and mentally unstable, that he has been sentenced to live out the remainder of his life in a small pool, all by himself.

Tilikum was taken into captivity in 1983. He was two-years-old. Orcas in the wild typically live to be 50 years old. Tilikum is expected to die within the next few months. He is 33 years old.

On behalf of the human race, we are so sorry.