Multi-million dollar companies give in exchange suffering for money.

Killer Whales have been locked at marine parks since 1965. One of the largest
entertainment companies, SeaWorld, has been in trouble for violating the 13th
Amendment of the Constitution. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a
crime. (It states the prohibition of slavery without reference to person or any particular
type of victim). It is not a matter of opinion that orcas do not adjust to captivity; it is a
matter of fact. After more than 45 years of exhibiting orcas for human entertainment,
while at the same time studying them in the wild, we have learned enough about them in
both settings to realize that orcas do not belong in captivity, either other marine
mammals.

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), is the largest animal rights
organization in the world that protects and stands for animal rights. PETA focuses on the
four areas in which large numbers of animals suffer the most: factory farms, clothing
companies, laboratories, and entertainment industry. This nonprofit charitable
organization created a campaign called, Sea World of Hurt that sued Sea World for
violating Orcas constitutional rights. Blackfish is a film release in 2013 that tells the
story of a killer whale called Tilikum that killed several people while in captivity. This
documentary is a good information source to learn about Orcas nature, how they suffer
while in captivity, and create conscious for the species cruel treatment by the multibillion dollar sea-park industry. There are other non-profitable organizations that protect

and stand for animal rights, in which, most of them incriminate the billion-dollar
company for captivating killer whales and not providing the necessary resources.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International
published an article outlining the arguments and scientific evidence against the public
display of Orcas for human entertainment. The debate on captive orca welfare has been
going on for more than 30 years and thats far too long, said Naomi Rose, Ph.D., senior
scientist for Humane Society International and the author of the report.
There are currently 42 living Orcas under captivity around the world, in which
Sea World owns 26 of them, and over years 130 have died in captivity. Orcas are the
largest of the dolphin family and one of the worlds most powerful predators. They hunt
in family groups of up to 40 members they protect their young, and other females often
help their mother in caring for them. Whales make a wide variety of sounds and each pod
(family) has a distinctive language that family members are able to recognize even miles
away. Their average life span in the wild is 50 to 80 years. Their size is between 23 to 32
ft. (relative to a bus) and weight around up to 6 tons (5,443 kg). Orcas are easily
recognizable by their black-and-white colors, and they are considered to be extremely
intelligent mammal specie aside from dolphins. Premature deaths- the median age of
orcas in captivity is between 18 to 30 years, but usually do not live past the age of 25.
They are not killers- there has never been a documented Orca attack on a human in the
wild. In the other hand, Orcas have attacked and killed three humans and many others
have been injured while in captivity. Collapsed dorsal fins- all captive orcas have
collapsed dorsal fins, likely because they have no space to swim, hurt themselves with the
concrete walls, and fed with dead fish. Sea World claims that is a normal condition in

killer whales- however, in the wild, it is not common and it rarely happens. Their tanks
are very small- Orcas often swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild, and Sea World tanks
are the size of a bathtub. Fights- Orcas who do not get along with other orcas are forced
to live in tight hindquarters. Their anxiety, tension, and frustration leave them to fights
and even death. Diet- in captivity, whales are unable to hunt and obtain water from their
prey; Sea World feeds them with gelatin, an unnatural substance not good for their health
that keeps them hydrated. Breaking their teeth- they gnaw at iron bars and concrete from
frustration, stress, anxiety, depression, and boredom, breaking their teeth resulting in
painful dental drilling. Family bonding- Orcas are highly social mammals that live in
stable social groups, in some populations babies stay with their mothers for life. In
captivity, orcas are forced to live with different families that speak a completely different
language. The campaign, SeaWorld of Hurt claims that Sea World enslaves orcas
forcing them to perform unnecessary tricks for entertainment for long hours per day. In
2011, PETA, three marine-mammal experts, and two ex- Sea World trainers sued this big
company for held as slaves five wild orcas in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S
Constitution.
PETA, Blackfish, and SeaWorld of Hurt by PETA give reasons why Orcas
dont belong at Sea World or other marine parks, and should not be living in concrete
tanks. These campaigns and films are incriminating the entertainment industry Sea World
and other marine parks around the world for violating animal rights, remove killer whales
from their habitat, forcing them to perform unnatural acts in front of audiences, and not
giving them the proper treatment they deserve. On the other hand, Sea World keeps up
political spending and wiling to spend more on campaign contributions to continue to

have a prestigious reputation. The first captive birth that survived took place in Sea
World Orlando in 1985. Since, then Sea World depends mostly in killer whale captivity.
The director of the film Gabriela Cowperthwaite reveals the story of a captive male orca
named Tilikum in Sea Worlds worst nightmare- Blackfish. Tilikum was born in the
coast of Iceland. As a young whale, he was forced to separate from his mother and sent to
a marine park in Victoria, BC. Hes been in captivity since 1983 and is now confined in
Sea World Florida. The film reveals the complicated life of Tilikum, his frustrations, and
how "hes been picked on by other whales in the pool. During off seasons he is cage in a
dark and small garage, and force to perform day by day. Because of his frustrations and
stress, Tilikum has killed three people, two of which were trainers of Sea World. The film
shows the reality in which captive orcas are living, the horrors of wild capture and
captive nurture, the unnatural acts orcas are force to perform during shows and training.
Blackfish is an important resource that explains and details Orcas life; what orcas eat,
the miles they swim, how they live in captivity and how they live in the wild, it talks
about the training and acts they are force to do, their intelligence and highly developed
emotions, and the terrible mistake marine parks have been making with the captivity of
this beautiful and intelligent marine mammal.
Sea World Entertainment has been hurt financially since the release of
Blackfish. The company has reported second-quarter losses, its stock and credit rating
has degraded. For the first time since SeaWorld opened its doors to the public, the marine
park industry testify their financial problem after the bad publicity that Blackfish has
given them. But even with their financial problem, the marine park is maintaining its
political influence. The companys political committee is willing to spend more money

on campaign contributions; given 30 Democrats and Republicans in the House and five
Senate campaigns. In total, it has spent around $50,000 on campaigns contributions. Still,
SeaWorld has not sealed the deal with their political campaigns contributions. In June,
the House approved an amendment to a bill of $ 1 million dollars for a scientific study to
examine the impact that marine mammals have under captivity. Further, the aquatic
theme park has created a Truth Team that has already fought against the international
criticisms. The Truth Team says that the film manipulates viewers, their campaign 69
reasons you shouldnt believe Blackfish, and that PETA and the film Blackfish are
activists. California lawmakers created an act Orca Welfare and Health Act- or the
Shamu Bill, but it is still in doubt. The public is not only concerned about the
mistreatment of killer whales in captivity, but the risk that trainers and workers run while
working with a huge wild marine mammal. After Brancheaus death (SeaWorld trainer),
a federal investigation revealed that SeaWorld doped whales with psychotropic drugs to
calm them down. The public has learned how orcas suffer psychologicallyand theyve
responded with public protests and legislation, PETA said in a statement. But, the Truth
Team is fighting back against all the protests and criticisms. However, they dont know
how to answer the central question that Blackfish asks: Do killer whales thrive in
captivity and are trainers safe?
The most effective genre in conveying its message is the film Blackfish produced by
Gabriela Cowperthwaite. It gives most of the information needed to understand that Orca
captivity is clearly a suffering environment for these enormous beautiful marine
mammals. The documentary doesnt only points out important information about the
difference of Orcas in the wild and in captivity but it blames SeaWorld Entertainment

Aquatic Industry for captivating, forced breeding, and violating the 13th Amendment of
the Constitution. Since the release of Blackfish, there has been quite controversy,
especially in San Diegos SeaWorld Park.
We look at this important prestigious company as an entertainment, amusement park, but
we dont realize how much suffering we are inducing to these beautiful intelligent
mammals that make nature look unique and wonderful. Everything is fun and amazing
once you are inside SeaWorld or other marine park. While you are sitting in the stands
waiting for the show to start, you dont realize what every Orca in those tanks are going
through. The stress, despair, hopelessness, and sadness are taking over them. For them,
its just another show, for us is a joyful moment that will remain in our memory for the
rest of our lives. In my opinion, we have the right to be happy, have beautiful moments
full of joy, but one thing we dont have the right on is creating our happiness based on the
suffering of others, that is not fair.

Reference

Zimmermann, T. (2010, July 30). The Killer in the Pool. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nature/The-Killer-in-the-Pool.html?page=all
About PETA's Campaign Against SeaWorld | SeaWorld of Hurt. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014,
from http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/about/
Itkowitz, C. (2014, August 19). After Blackfish, SeaWorld hurt financially but keeps up political
spending. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-theloop/wp/2014/08/19/after-blackfish-seaworld-hurt-financially-but-keeps-up-political-spending/
Northwest Animal Rights Network. (2013, June 2). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from
http://narn.org/blog/category/issues/activist-rights/page/2/
8 Reasons Orcas Don't Belong at SeaWorld - SeaWorld of Hurt. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014,
from http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/8-reasons-orcas-dont-belong-seaworld/