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Argumentative Essay On Dolphins

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The interactions between humans and dolphins started centuries ago when our ancestors carved drawings of cetaceans on rocks and passed on legends and folk tales; some described them as beasts and others as spiritual creatures. These marine mammals are also hunted as long as three thousand years ago as resources: their meat for food; their blubber for oil, and their teeth and bones for clothes, jewelry, or tools (Bauer, McCafferty, Simmonds, & Wright, 2013, p.201). As time pass, dolphin and whale hunting became a more prominent and structured industry, and the knowledge about these marine mammals’ biology and behaviors grew. In recent decades, with the help of ample media exposure and scientific publications, the public shifted its attitude …show more content…

As an animal with relatively high intelligence, some believe that keeping dolphins in man-made tanks are unethical because it prohibits them from performing behaviors that are common in dolphins in the wild. These dolphins live up to 30 years in small confined tanks that hinders their movements, much like a person spending the rest of his life in a bathtub-sized space. They slowly develop symptoms that suggest chronic stress, and might even attack human trainers out of frustration or aggression. As mentioned previously, killer whales are highly intelligent animals that can communicate with each other and swim up to 100 miles a day. However, they usually spend time with only two to three other killer whales in captivity, and often during the nights, they are isolated. Because the tanks in marine parks are cleaned every day and does not provide any entertainment for the animals, some killer whales started eating the paint on the walls out of boredom. One of the killer whales in SeaWorld, Unna, repeated this process so much that it bloodied and bruised her jaw. So much paint was peeled off that her trainer had trouble identifying his own position while performing in the water (Hargrove, 2015, p. 84). Since the killer whale performances require absolute precision, trainer rely on the paint on the bottom of the tank to position themselves, when the paint was bitten off, it poses great risks on the

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Orcas were not the only animals at SeaWorld exhibiting aggressive behavior. Several instances have been documented in which dolphins have acted aggressively to both a SeaWorld trainer and SeaWorld patrons. According to USA Today’s article, “Captive animals ' attack on trainers and public” dolphins have engaged in aggressive behavior. “In 2000 a dolphin entangled a trainer in a net, spun her around and held her underwater during a dolphin capture exercise. The trainer suffered three factures and torn ligaments in her right arm.

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Freeing Willy: A Rhetorical Analysis on Blackfish the Documentary The documentary film Blackfish, by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, is a daring venture, which claims that orcas in captivity become dangerous to human beings, as well as to other orcas. Cowperthwaite points to SeaWorld, in particular, since this world-renowned tourist attraction has had many examples that support her claim. In producing this film, Cowperthwaite hopes to bring about an end to SeaWorld’s practice of using killer whales as performance animals since the limited environment is ultimately doing more harm than good for both the whales and their trainers.

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Marine parks in the country like SeaWorld, have orcas in tanks that they live in captivity. They use most of the killer whales for their performances in the pool. We all know that orcas are social, and intelligent creatures, that live in the oceans of the earth. We also know that many scientist are trying to study these animals in captivity where they are in tankes. I think Killer Whales should not be in captivity because, of the injures they can get in their tanks, how they get stressed out and they are better in the wild.

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Orcas’ Behind Closed Tanks Imagine you are a four to eight year old child and you are on vacation with your family entering into a SeaWorld. The excitement has been built up from the commercials that show you these huge and majestic animals that are not like the everyday animal you see on a daily basis. The commercials have a way of taking your imagination to another level, and any child even an adult is at awe with the level of performance these orcas’ are putting on. Amongst the magic, laughter, and adrenaline that you feel you don’t question whether or not these wild animals should be contained like they are.

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For many years, people have enjoyed going to SeaWorld to see the shows they would present. However, based on the documentary, Blackfish, that has changed drastically. People are now opening their eyes and seeing the inhumane treatment that these whales are being put through. Tilikum, a SeaWorld-owned killer whale, would attack the trainers during shows and, most of the time, kill them. SeaWorld denies that they are responsible for the cause of the Tilikum’s behavior by saying that the trainers should know the risks of working with killer whales.

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In 2013, the documentary called Blackfish was released, a story about a killer whale that over the years at SeaWorld killed several people. It highlighted some of the major problems with animals in captivity. SeaWorld, known for having several different animal attractions; Dolphin Cove, Dolphin Nursery, Orca Underwater Viewing, Shark Encounter, Wild Arctic (Habitat) and many more. The organization first started with the intention of learning more about animals in order to educate the public about different behaviors of each animal. Trainers at Seaworld are offered the opportunity to get hands-on training with animals and are eventually are allowed to entertain the public with the skills they have acquired.

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In conclusion Blackfish is gives audiences a shocking, aggressive and deeply compelling look into cruel practices of marine parks for decades that will change the way you look at captive/trained killer whales and other animals. In watching this documentary has significantly opened my eyes regarding the brutal treatment and methods of capturing wild animals giving me a greater sympathy for orcas in parks such as SeaWorld. This startling documentary will surprise audiences as Cowperthwaite is unrelenting in showing the fatal consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity while also critiquing of the cruel and immoral practises of

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Andre Cole Ricardo Acosta G. English 101 September 22, 2015 Do Killer Whales Actually Belong in Captivity? Ever since wild animals such as Killer Whales have been captured and kept in theme parks and zoos as amusement, there have been issues on whether they should or shouldn’t be kept in captivity. Killer Whales, otherwise commonly referred to as Orcas, have regularly been taken away from the sea at a very young age so they can be trained, raised and kept in theme parks for exhibition. Although theme parks no longer capture whales from the wild, they are still bred in captivity for public display at marine parks such as Sea World (Gorman).

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The target audience of this documentary is the general public that includes a big emphasis on the customers of SeaWorld. The filmmakers are trying to inform the public of the inhumane treatment and the conditions that the orcas face while at amusements parks such as SeaWorld. As described in the film, orcas are seen as intellectual animals that are aware of their surroundings. Because of their intellect, orcas don’t belong in a place SeaWorld and should be released.

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It 's clear that the living conditions that these animals are forced to live in are just plain unethical, but something even worse is the relationship between animals in captivity and a spike in their stress levels. “It 's irrefutable that many zoos drive animals insane -- and if that isn 't cruel, I don 't know what is” (Masci) For starters, SeaWorld is one of the most notorious places in the world accused of stressing out their animals. Since the tanks are so small the whales tend to get very stressed out, and some former workers even say that the whales seem to go psychotic. “ If you were on a bathtub for 25 years, don 't you think you get a little irritated, aggravated, maybe a little psychotic ” (“Blackfish”)? A clear example is when one of the

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Furthermore, this can be the cause of all the incidence including to what happened to Dawn Brancheau who was completely mutilated by a whale. Despite the interview with a former trainer, from a document which was published after the release of Blackfish by SeaWorld to object

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But children are blind to this fact, as SeaWorld is a corrupt organization that is excellent at covering up their unfair treatment, such as abuse, kidnapping animals, and deaths. SeaWorld has been proven to abuse their animals. Imagine living in a bathtub your whole life; that’s the size that tanks feel to

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Imagine all the trouble of owning a puppy, owning a tiger is much worse. Imagine the expenses of that tiger and the dangers and hazards of owning that tiger. Do you really think it’s a good idea to get that tiger? No, it’s not. It’s a lot of work, and it’s also extremely dangerous.

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Dolphins have a much higher intelligence than other whales and should not be subjected to

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They usually swim in large spaces but because there is not lots of space in their new homes they swim around in circles and circles being cheerless! Occasionally, they start banging their heads on the tanks and abuse themselves, because they have nothing to do. Put yourself in their shoes, visualize you being stuck in a room that has nothing in it, except you. I would start banging my head on the walls after a while! As a matter of fact, whales are trapped in cramped enclosures, unable to dive deeply compared to the wild where they can.

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