SeaWorld has been a popular marine life park for many years. I can remember going to the Orlando SeaWorld with my family when I was younger to see the Orca whales perform tricks during the shows. I fell in love with Orca whales! I even made my mom buy me a Barbie SeaWorld Trainer doll. However, the older I got and the more research I did on my beloved whales, I discovered the ugly truth about SeaWorld.
Some of you may recall the horrible trainer death at SeaWorld in 2010. Unfortunately, Dawn's death was not the first, and certainly not the last. Orca Whales, also known as Killer whales, in the wild are very docile and intelligent mammals. They hunt together in pods and swim up to 100 miles per day. In captivity they are forced to live in tiny pools and interact with other Orca's that they are not familiar with. This causes aggression, confusion, agitation and even what experts call depression. This behavior can explain why a normally calm whale could turn on one of its trainers. These mammals were not meant to live in a pool.
The best example of the negative effects captivity has on Orca's would be one of SeaWorld's oldest whales, Tilikum. Tilikum is approximately 30 years old, and so far in his life has killed three people. Before you start protesting to euthanize Tilly, take a look at his background.
Tilikum was kidnapped from his family when he was only the tender age of two. According to a documentary, "Blackfish," this can be as psychologically scaring for a whale as it is for a human. He was then brought to a marine park in Canada where he was brutally attacked by two other territorial female Orca's that he was forced to share a confined space with. During one of his performances, Tilikum dragged 20-year-old Keltie Bryne to her death. He was then transferred to SeaWorld Orlando. If you have ever been, you might remember Tilikum as the "big splash" whale at the end of the show. Once at Orlando, Tilikum was found guilty of a second killing. In 1999, eight years after the death of Keltie, Daniel P. Dukes was found dead inside Tilikum's tank. Investigators assume that Dukes was a homeless man who broke in and jumped into Tilikum's tank in the middle of the night. However, the media frenzy surrounding Tilikum didn't start until 2010 when Tilly killed a senior trainer Dawn Brancheau, before a show.
Captivity has devastating effects on Orca whales. It turns them from docile, calm creatures to killing machines. Thankfully, after financial backlash from the release of "Blackfish" and past SeaWorld trainers speaking out against captivity, SeaWorld has announced that they will not longer force the Orca's to perform in shows, continue breeding, or separate mother whales from their babies. It's a hopeful start to a nightmare that no creature should have to endure.
