SeaWorld: Their Reason For No Freedom

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     On March 17, 2016, SeaWorld announced they were ending their captive breeding program and the orcas currently held in captivity would be the last. Later on, in the month SeaWorld announced that they would not be sending their orcas to Sea Sanctuaries.

"While most are celebrating these announcements, some critics want us to go further; they believe we should simply 'set free' the whales and release them into the ocean. We

believe that would likely be a death sentence for our whales."- SeaWorld Cares

     SeaWorld claims that "sea cages" are dangerous for the whales because they would be helpless to contagious diseases, that they'd be "sitting ducks" stuck in one place. A captive Orcas' current living conditions sound about the same, stuck in a tank with nowhere to go. These whales have more dangers living in the state they're in right now than they ever would in a sea sanctuary. 

     Orca whales need to swim and dive down far below the surface but in their tanks, there is nowhere to go, many suffer sunburn from the lack of depth in the tanks. Lack of space also causes a backlash, whales will get frustrated and become violent, when this happens there is nowhere to go. Many whales and dolphins as well have suffered from the skin being ripped off, being pushed out of their tanks and some have even died from the violence. This is what these whales endure every day and what they will continue to endure for the rest of their lives if they are not released. 

     In the article, SeaWorld Cares wrote they bring up Keiko. Keiko is a whale who was born into the wild and then captured and used for entertainment before being retired to a sea sanctuary. SeaWorld Cares, states that sea sanctuaries for whales are not a concept and there is not one sanctuary around the world. This is a false statement. They continue to say that Keiko was released into the wild and then died soon afterward. This is a false statement as well. Keiko lived years after being rehabilitated into the wild and reunited with his family; the point is that he died happily. 

     SeaWorld can make all these claims and a lot of people will believe them, but we can't, in order to make a difference you have to see right through them. There is multiple, factual evidence out there that this can happen. SeaWorld could make this happen if they wanted too, but they don't care, they care about one thing; the money.      

Read More About This Topic Here: 

- https://seaworldcares.com/2016/03/Why-Sea-Cages-Are-Dangerous/
- https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-orcas-sea-sanctuaries-pens-1700373682.html

My Visit To SeaWorld.

     I went to SeaWorld, and I'm not proud of it. In April 2016 my family and I took a trip to Florida and one of the stops on the way was SeaWorld. Now I have to say that this wasn't my choice and I preferred to go to Disney or Universal but this decision was heavily outweighed by the rest of my family. To avoid distress and family arguments I decided that I had to go. Though I'm not proud that I was a SeaWorld visitor, I am glad I was able to experience it as an insider... 

     The first question of the day as if the whales would perform because of the recent announcement that shows would be ending, after being reassured that the show would go on, my family happily proceeded into the park. We started the day at the dolphin rehab where a lot of unsanitized hands touched the vulnerable dolphins. The caregivers feeding them did not advise cleanliness but rather that you could pet a dolphin if it came close to you. Next, we moved over the Blue Horizons show where multiple dolphins performed vigorous routines for close to an hour. After that, it was immediately to the Sea Lion and Otter show where we then watched a Sea Lion and Otter do very unnecessary tricks that you would never see in the wild. Then to Shamu Stadium for the big event. 

     I remember sitting there and wishing and hoping the show wouldn't start. That they would cancel the show and it would all be over and we could go home. From the beginning I knew this wasn't right, the feeling in the pit of my stomach was almost unbearable. The show started and ended but it seemed like an eternity in between the start and finish. Don't get me wrong, seeing one of my favorite animals of all time up close was really cool, but it was not the ideal circumstance and I wouldn't wish it on any Orca, nor will I ever go back to witness it again. 

     At the end of the show, we went back to the viewing area where the most beautiful creature to live on this planet swam inches away from me, it was the most fulfilling and depressing moment of my life. This wasn't how I imagined it. I wanted the freedom to see this in the wild, much how he wants the freedom to live in the wild, this was the moment I met Tilikum. 

     The "expert" that was standing by was answering the questions everyone was asking. A young child asked if Tilly was Shamu, "No that's not Shamu but we call them all Shamu because it is like their last name, they're all family." If only that young child knew the truth behind that horrifying statement. Tilly swam by a few times before being released into a different pool so the other whales could come in. Someone else asked why Tilly's dorsal fin was collapsed and the "expert" told us that it's 'natural,' that all males have collapsed dorsal fins in the wild. 

     My dad then proceeds to ask about the baby Shamu that was born in 1985, the "expert" blatantly lied to my fathers face claiming that there was no "Baby Shamu" born in 1985 and she had no idea what he was talking about. My dad visited the park just days after the birth of Kalina (baby Shamu.) Kalina was baby to Katina and was taken at only 4 years old and moved to SeaWorld San Diego. 

     SeaWorld lies, they tell you what you want to hear because it sounds good. Wild Orca males never have collapsed dorsal fins unless injured or ill. Kalina was the original baby Shamu who was ripped from her mother at a very young age. All the whales' last names are "Shamu" because almost all of them have the same dad, Tilikum. 

     I will never step foot back into SeaWorld, I felt sad for the animals and mad at the world for letting this happen, for letting humans take these beautiful creatures away from their homes. They deserve a life worth living where they belong, in the ocean.