If you haven’t already heard, Sea World has announced the end of their Orca entertainment shows.President and CEO Joel Manby stated that not only are they phasing out the shows involving the whales, they are even ending breeding. This means that the whales in captivity at the Sea World facilities now will be the last generation held in captivity.

This is a major step in the right direction for the Orcas. In an ironic turn of events, Sea World has actually teamed up with The Humane Society to make sure that they are doing the right thing for the whales. Critics are angry that Sea World isn’t releasing those already in captivity, but it’s actually close to impossible to successfully integrate the whales back into their natural habitat. Most, if not all, were born in captivity, meaning that they would never be able to thrive on their own. They don’t know what the ocean is like and have never had to find prey on their own. In a perfect world, we would be releasing them into a sea sanctuary, but there aren’t any existing sanctuaries that can house animals this size. For now, the only option is to keep them in captivity, no matter how unfortunate that is. Either way, this is still a huge step forward for animal rights activists.

Captivity for Orcas brings a wide array of problems, a number of which involve their serious lack of living space. The whales would have to swim about 1,300 laps around their tanks every single day to reach the same swimming distance that they normally would in the wild. Their living spaces are so small that it’s equivalent to us being forced to live in an elevator for multiple years. Can you imagine that? Making matters even worse, they’re forced to live among other whales (who most likely don’t speak the same language as they do). Aggression is a major problem between the whales in captivity. In the wild, Orcas actually have a social code not to attack one another, but if a fight does ever break out, they are able to swim away. In captivity, this is not the case. They’re stuck in the tanks with one another for days and unable to get away from the aggression. The whales sometimes even break their teeth trying to get out of their tanks. It’s not hard to find a few scars on each whale from previous fights.

One of the most talked about cons of captivity is the collapsed dorsal fin. Sea World initially stated that this is very normal, but, in fact, it’s very rare in the wild. A collapsed dorsal fin is a sign of an unhealthy whale and, ironically, it has happened to nearly all male Orcas in captivity.

After hearing all of these issues that result from captivity, you’d think that everyone would be thrilled with Sea World’s announcement, right? If only. In fact, I nearly fell over when I found out that people were angry that the Orca entertainment was coming to an end. Somehow, there are people out there who are mad that the captivity is ending.

I understand that Sea World has done amazing things for us. They're one of the best platforms to teach us about marine life. I wouldn’t know half of the things that I do if it wasn’t for their aquariums. They also do so much to help wildlife all around the world. Recently, there has been a crazy problem with sea lion pups washing up on shore without their mothers and Sea World has done so much to help. Sea World is an amazing organization and it does so much good. That has to have been the initial goal at the beginning of it all. However, once they started capturing whales in the ocean and bringing them inland to create entertainment for us humans, that’s when it took a wrong turn. Sure, Sea World has done amazing things for us and it continues to every single day, but that doesn’t make it all OK. We shouldn't write off what is happening just because we benefit from it.

These creatures are magnificent. They’re strong, sociable, and smart. They have the second largest marine brain (15 pounds) and are able to teach languages and learn better ways to survive. They are able to have emotions. These animals are so mentally aware that it is horrifying that we have kept them in cement tanks for so long. They are just as aware as we are. They feel love, sadness, and fear. How could we bring such an incredible species to such a low point? How are there people who are okay with that continuing just because it’s "good entertainment?"

There are some who are against the new Sea World because they believe that this will lead to the extinction of the Orcas. In fact, some are even blaming the activists for what is to come. Yes, Orcas are threatened, but this isn’t any activist’s fault. Whaling is a serious problem when it comes to the decline in Orca populations. While it is considered illegal internationally, Japan, Norway, and Iceland all still continue to hunt whales for their oil, meat, and blubber. They are also targeted by many countries for entertainment purposes. Recently, a couple of Orcas washed ashore, their stomachs filled with garbage. That's a telltale sign of pollution. That isn’t any activist’s fault, it’s humans as a whole. The animal rights activists fighting for the end of captivity are the same activists who are fighting for a better ecosystem and the end of whaling.

It doesn’t matter what side you are on about the Sea World announcement. At the end of the day, what is important is that we learn from our mistakes. The trouble won't end once the Orcas are out of captivity. We need to fix our issues. Pollution is such a devastating problem nowadays and it’s almost so far along that we can’t turn back. Sure, it’s easy to keep going as we are, but we are losing so many species because of it. We are losing not just whales, but shellfish, coral, and so many other species of fish. We can go back and forth about the pros and cons about Sea World for days, but we can all agree that pollution is a problem. Until we decide to change our ways, we are going to continue to lose many magnificent species just like the endangered Orcas.

I’m so incredibly happy to hear that Sea World is ending their entertainment shows featuring the Orcas. I wish for so many happier days for the whales and, if I could, I would use every tree hugging bone in my body to give them just that. Sea World has done amazing things for us, but it’s time for the world to move on. Orcas have done great things for us and now we have to do great things for them. I truly believe that we will be able to come together as a whole to make a better world for future generations—a world where Orcas are safe in the wild and pollution is a just a distant thought. This is just the first step.