Orcas Should Not Be Held Captivity

Keeping Whales in Orcas is Not Right!

By Kira Hampton

Should we keep Orcas in captivity? No! It is not right! Imagine living in a bathtub your whole life. Feeling like you just need so much more room! That is how an Orca feels in captivity! There are a lot of aquariums around the world with Orcas and many other animals that are being held captive. Captivity needs to stop because the Orcas don’t live as long, they take the Orcas away from their natural habitat and families, and most of all they need space to swim.

One reason that Orcas should not be held captive is because, they don’t live as long. Some people might say that the Orcas at aquariums are very taken care of. But I argue that Orcas do not live as long as they would in

According to the text, “In the wild, Belugas, also known as white whales, are social animals. They swim in Arctic Ocean waters in groups called pods. Highly intelligent, the whales use different sounds to communicate and find their way.” In other words, white whales are social animals. And they swim in groups called pods. The whales are highly intelligent and use sounds to communicate with each other to find their way. But when people take and capture the whales to put them in captivity, they break apart the groups and, the whales get separated from their group or their family. The text also states, “More than 210 belugas, including 31 in the United States, live in aquariums and zoos around the world. The Georgia Aquarium has asked for permission to bring 18 more belugas into the U.S. The whales were captured off the coast of Russia.” I am starting to wonder, why do they want to bring more whales and capture more? They already have a bunch! Other people might say that they are fixing the tanks to make it more natural. But I argue, can they really make it as natural as the habitat? The ocean has many different kinds of food for the animals, they can live in their family or swim with their groups, (pods.) But can aquariums really make it as natural as the ocean? Taking Orcas away from their natural habitat and their family is one reason

Imagine yourself being blindfolded in a jail cell. Your world would be dark, and cramped. How would you feel if you had to live like that all your life? I know if I had to live like that all my life I would be cramped and sad. How you might feel is how whales feel in captivity! In a cramped, small, tank. All your life. In the video, “Whales kept for amusement,” Jane compares what life in captivity would feel like. She states, “The human equivalent would be like sticking a human being in a bathtub. Now if you were in a bathtub for 25 years don’t you think you would get a little irritated, agitated, maybe a little psychotic? This animal was speaking with its fins saying get me out of this tank!” The important thing about this quote is the comparison and how the whale feels. If someone just came up to you and just stuck you in this little small tank, wouldn 't you feel a little irritated or psychotic? I know that I would feel very psychotic. Studies say that captive orcas suffer physically. They have chewed on cage bars and many orcas have collapsed dorsal fins. The dorsal fin is a triangular shaped fin on the back of a Orca, fish, or a whale. In the wild, the dorsal fins are standing strait up on the animals back. But in captivity, the dorsal fin is collapsed. Their fin is bent over and curved. Many of the Orcas in captivity have the collapsed dorsal fins. It is probably