The anticipation builds as a child sits on the cold metal bleachers waiting for Tilikum the orca to explode out of the water, splattering his clothes with droplets of ice cold water. The crowd cheers with excitement as the dalmatian colored giant shoots out from below the crystal colored tank. Little does the crowd know- more tragedies are submerged under the water than they can imagine. Since 1991, orcas in captivity have killed three people and injured over 100 due to the stress. However, there has only been one case of a wild orca injuring a human. Orcas should be able to live out their lives under the sea without interference from people.
The stress is caused from the small tanks they are forced to live in for the entirety of their lives. According to SeaWorldofHurt.com, in the wild orcas could swim up to one-hundred miles per day, but they would have to swim up to 1,208 laps around their tanks to even begin to get their normal amount of exercise they could achieve in the wild.
Captivity and stress is another health effect of the orcas, which can cause the whales to gnaw at the iron bars and concrete surrounding their tank- sometimes out of pure boredom- which causes them to break their teeth resulting in pain for the whale, and a whale-sized dental bill for SeaWorld. Another health affect that brings harm to the whales is the fact that being too close to the surface, and an unhealthy diet of thawed fish makes their dorsal fin (top fin) droop down due to gravity. This is usually a sign of an unhealthy or injured whale and rarely occurs in their natural habitat.
When the orcas are left alone to their natural current in the wild, the graceful beasts can live thirty to fifty years, but in captivity their average lifespan is only thirteen years. Like people, whales also have a family, who they are cruelly taken away from at a young age. They are then forced to live with whales of a completely different pod with a completely different language who they may not get along with, causing even more stress and fights.
The captivity of the orcas is all about making money with no education received. According to savethewhales.org, for every one million dollars of SeaWorld revenue, only six-hundred dollars go to the conservation of the whales, which is only about five cents per ticket. Some say SeaWorld provides vital education about the orcas; however, there are many amazing opportunities to view these bubble blowing creatures from their own habitats, instead of forcing them into a tight human dominated cage. So while Shamu impresses with her ability to touch a bag of sand with her nose, remember SeaWorld has many more tricks up their fins.