Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by valkea » Thu Oct 29, 2015 6:17 pm

Orcas are definitely whales and not fish.
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by twinlinskis » Thu Oct 29, 2015 6:23 pm

KisabellaBlue8 wrote:I don't think ocras are whales because whales are mammals while ocras are fish.
hey man not to rain on your parade or anything but here's a thing that you should definitely look at so that you aren't misinformed:
Class - Mammalia
  • Mammals are characterized by the following features:
  • Mammals breathe air with lungs.
  • Mammals are "warm-blooded": they maintain a constant, high body temperature independent of their surroundings.
  • As a rule, mammals bear live young. (Two primitive mammals are exceptions to this rule: the duckbilled platypus and the spiny anteater/echidna both lay eggs).
  • Mammals nurse their young with milk.
  • Mammals have hair, at least at some stage in their development. A whale's smooth skin is an adaptation for swimming. A newborn calf often has a few sparse hairs around the rostrum that are lost within the first days of life.

via seaworld.org

and we can't forget our good friend wikipedia
The killer whale (Orcinus orca), also referred to as the orca whale or orca, and less commonly as the blackfish or grampus, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member.
Oceanic dolphins are members of the cetacean family Delphinidae. Delphinidae is the largest family of cetaceans, with more than 30 species as members.
Cetacea is a widely distributed and diverse infraorder of fully aquatic marine mammals.
all sources can be found at these links, respectively:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_dolphin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetacea

i'm not exactly sure where you got the idea that orcas were fish, but i hope this clears it up for you!
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by Wolvencall » Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:09 am

The only problem i have with seaworld is the small space for the orcas and dolphins if it was bigger by 4-7x i would be more accepting of it and if there were a way to help them so they arent always hearing their voices bouncing back to them from against the walls, echolocation you know. it would stinking drive me nuts and it would be nice if they had other means of feeding and put rubber on the metal bars or something so they wouldn't hurt themselves, they need to think over their tanks and feeding a lot more.
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by SimplyGreenflower » Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:32 pm

It sounds like Blackfish is questionable, but while it may be hard to know what may be fact and what is fiction, I won't doubt there is shady things happening. Orcas are large creatures and they were made to be nomad. Always on the move and always looking for food (with very interesting methods like spyhopping and in one documentary two orcas were tipping a small ice floe to get a seal who was clinging on to dear life. I think the seal won). I wouldn't mind being able to see an orca up close (which can be hard in the wild because they are on the move), but every animal should be happy, even if kept in captivity.

But you know, the media is also as much to blame as the people who run these parks. We have terrible movies about aggressive, killer orcas and I recall there was a lot of coverage on the death of that trainer.

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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by Pegasos » Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:06 am

Sea as a "world" sounds interesting but about the animals in there not so much. I do not mean that the underwater and near animals are not important or I do not care, but I'm not interested enough to I could search more info.

But thanks for sharing anyway!
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by The Dancing Demon » Sun Jul 23, 2017 10:38 am

I have always loved orcas and all things underwater. Orcas are the reason I wanted to become a marine biologist. However, I would more enjoy working at SeaWorld now... So maybe one day I can shut SeaWorld down for what they've been doing to these poor animals.

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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by Ecliptic » Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:30 pm

Are there any places at all where you can see orcas, dolphins, and so on, but without all the mistreatment? That's something I've wondered for a while now.

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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by alethe » Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:48 pm

yes, you can still see dolphins and orcas at various aquariums.

However, minus the cruelty will be something you need to define. Many would argue that keeping orcas and dolphins in captivity alone is cruel due to how much water they need to survive; they require miles and miles of water to simulate being in the wild.

However I believe Seaworld is the only place in the US that does the real shows.


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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by Polynesia » Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:50 am

I am against the captivity of killer whales because they are arguably the smartest animals on the planet after humans and denying them their freedom and health is wrong. Killer whales are SeaWorld's biggest attraction and SeaWorld is a business (we can see the problem there).

But SeaWorld has stopped their breeding program forever! (: It doesn't help the ones that still have to live out their lives in a tank, but at least those killer whales will be the last ever in SeaWorld's captivity.. I just wish it didn't take them so long.
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by Writers Block » Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:49 pm

Ecliptic wrote:Are there any places at all where you can see orcas, dolphins, and so on, but without all the mistreatment? That's something I've wondered for a while now.
Depending on where you are, you can always go whale watching! It's a bit of a gamble because they can never guarantee that you'll see anything, but I went last year and saw SO MANY WHALES? Like, at least five I think, and a few of them followed the boat for a while, and we got to watch them coming up for air and then going down again to eat, it was really heckin' cool. I saw a whale breach its entire body out of the water, it was awesome!

In my area (Massachusetts in summer) I mostly see humpback whales, but really all whales are majestic creatures. You don't have to worry about the creatures being abused because whale watching tours (and all boats, I believe?) are forbidden from coming within a certain distance of the whales, so the whales don't get fed by tourists or get forced to do tricks or anything like that. They might nickname the whales based on identifying markers on their fins or tails, but it's very clear that they're wild animals and not pets.

Depending on where you go and what time of year it is you can see different animals. I'm not actually sure where you can go to see wild orcas, or if that's even a good idea (I've seen videos of them hunting seals -- personally I wouldn't want to get near one haha) But I think it's a great idea if you're in an area that offers it and you can afford it. I'm pretty sure a lot of whale watching tours donate some of their profits to help protect sea life/encourage donating to protect-the-whale funds, and you get to learn a lot about the local aquatic fauna!

I'm not sure how ethically sound it is since I've never done it myself, but again if you're in an area that allows it and you can afford it swimming with wild dolphins is supposed to be a lot of fun too! I've had friends who have done it, the dolphins are super curious so they just come up to you. If the dolphins are really wild I think a lot of organizations limit the amount of times you can get off the boat and into the water so the dolphins don't feel overwhelmed or mistreated by the humans and can keep their distance if they want, which is really nice.

Obviously aquariums are going to be cheaper and more accessible most of the time which is why people use those instead of seeing the wild versions, but I thought I'd throw those out there because I think they're really cool and great experiences!
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by Link2001 » Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:55 am

I watched 'Black Fish' in my english class. We done a essay about the horrors and the cruelty. Personally the doc had mant of us tear up because of how bad it was. I despised how we learned that Orca's had a part of the braim us humans and many other mammals/animals dont have. And that their instincts aren't to kill humans. The kindest and harmless Whales to humans. Their wasnt any reports of a random Orca that had killed/injured/drowned a human in the wild or out and about. But magically a soon as it came to SeaWorld the had killed many. And the petty excuses SeaWorld cane up with were horrid. Sometimes even blamed the person who died for it. And to this day they do nothing what society says is best. Only place a wall between the and the mammals for their safety. Not caring about the poor magestic creature only caring about thereselves and the money they get from people who again may not care or who are completely blind to what happens to these creatures.

Another thing i hate begond belief is how babies are taken away from their mothers all because it distracts their shows when a baby calls for its mother. And how they capture the Orca. Many Orcas even died during the capture. By getting tangled up in their heavy nets and drowining because they try and save their babies / family.


SeaWorld refused to be interviewed and still do to this very day. How the lie and blame the innocent and keep secrets. I personally have never been to SeaWorld. But after watching BlackFish i was so angry. Im glad i never have i'd hage myself if i even gave a small penny to the sea fair. I recommend the doc to everyone.

P.S ever since watching and even researchinf afterwards. I have donated most my pocket savings to the charites and donations of the people who had died and the freedom of the mammals. I VOTE ORCA INDEPENDANCE!!
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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by 2wolf22 » Sun Jul 15, 2018 5:58 pm

I heard about all this and the vicious orcas. Animals shouldn't be performing in shows and in such small tanks. I wouldn't spend a penny on such a cruel performance and I'm glad I haven't been to Seaworld. :x Wild orcas don't even attack people. It is shocking to see the differences in wild vs. tamed animals.

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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by alebrije » Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:03 pm

I’ve always had a huge distaste for SeaWorld even before BlackFish was published to the public. Since that very first attack, they should have known to close their doors for good. They claim they are experts on the species, then they should know violence from Orcas and marine wildlife isn’t common unless provoked! And their tanks are not large enough to hold animals of that size comfortably. It breaks my heart.

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Re: Animal Cruelty in SeaWorld

Post by -Wolfdog- » Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:52 am

laika_wolf wrote:
Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:40 pm
I recently saw Blackfish, a documentary that discusses the life of Tilikum, the orca who killed head SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau. As someone who grew up going to SeaWorld, I was horrified at what I learned about the cruelty these animals go through. Today, however, I will just be discussing orcas. Here's 10 reasons why you should boycott SeaWorld and similar marine parks:

1) Orcas swim up to 100 miles per day and dive as much as 200 ft below the surface in the wild, while captive whales are kept in tiny tanks. Imagine being stuck in a few rooms for 25 years.
2) In the wild, male orcas usually life to about 30, but can live up to 50-60. Females usually live to around 50, but can live up to 100.
3) Out of all 159 orcas that have died in captivity, the 2/3 whales died before the age of 10 and only 30 lived beyond 20.
4) Orcas are extraordinarily intelligent creatures. They are known to have distinct languages and cultures that are unique to each pod. Because of this, two different orcas in captivity cannot communicate with each other, as they were captured from different pods. (Not all of SeaWorld's orcas are captured from the wild, but many whales born in captivity die well before adulthood)
5) Orcas are extremely emotional, more so than humans. These whales have an enlarged limbic lobe which is divided into three separate lobes. Humans only have one lobe. They have more spindle cells, which process social organization and empathy, than humans!
6) Orcas have a variety of things they eat, which depends on the pod's location. They eat different species of fish, seals, sea lions, squid, birds, sharks, other whales, and more. In captivity, their diet usually consists of dead herring.
7) As I described before, these whales are extremely intelligent. In their tanks, they have very little enrichment. (If you've ever seen their tanks at SeaWorld, you know what I'm talking about.) Their daily activities consist of swimming laps and doing some tricks several hours a day.
8) There is no record of any wild orca harming a human. In captivity, there are 129 incidents where an orca has injured or killed a person. This is obviously a major safety issue.
9) Orcas have been severely injured by other whales and are commonly seen harming themselves (like chewing on metal bars that break their teeth). In the wild, threatened orcas would flee the scene and return when everything has settled down. In captivity, there is nowhere to go. You can google images of such injuries, but I won't link to them as they're quite graphic.
10) Heavily pregnant females are often forced to perform tricks in shows like flipping and leaping out of the water. One female orca was performing 5 days before she gave birth. This is why SeaWorld doesn't discuss their orcas' pregnancies until the babies are born.

Overall, all of this evidence suggests that captivity is not a suitable life for orcas or other large marine mammals. You can help by boycotting marine parks like SeaWorld and spreading the word.

I'd love to discuss this with you guys and answer any questions you have on this topic! Thank you so much for reading my lengthy post. I really appreciate it. :)

Sources: keepwhaleswild.org greymattersjournal.com/killer-whales-are-non-human-persons/ orcahome.de/incidents.htm
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I believe any animal can comfortably live in captivity with adequate care. Seaworld may have failed at that, but trust me, it can be done. Personally, I would rather have the orcas in a sanctuary rather than for entertainment, because even though they're "tamed" they are still wild animals can be easily stressed as a result (even with good care by the staff). Let me point out nature is smart. Just because an animal travels hundreds of square miles a day, does not mean they want to. In captivity, animals are guaranteed to be fed. Why would they waste all that energy? This isn't an excuse to force an animal to live in a tight space, because tight spaces=stress (e.g. fighting, self-mutilation, destruction, hostility etc). But they don't need the huge amount of room you think they do. A few zoological parks have attempted to give their animals lots of brain games, which seem to be more effective than physical activity. I think it's also worth pointing out some "zoos" do live feed their animals. Some call it cruelty, but I call it natural (why would they not complain about it in nature?). It can be tough to watch as a visitor, but you know the animal is working for their food and practicing hunting skills like their wild counterparts.

PETA, as some of you (should) know, is not a reputable organization at all and is full of hypocrisy, however they have criticized Seaworld. I agree with PETA, as much as I hate to admit, but I think Seaworld isn't necessarily inherently cruel to their animals, because the staff do love their orcas (please don't blame them) and even the orcas love their trainers. However I can't speak for all trainers or all orcas. Sea world is worth a fair bit vvv and I believe they have the potential to seriously overhaul their system. Improve, don't remove.

As of October 2020, Seaworld is worth a hefty $1.78B. How exactly are we going about this boycott to ensure the effectiveness, and if Seaworld were to ever close, are we certain they can give their animals to reputable aquatic sanctuaries?
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