As our community knows, orcas are a big deal in the Pacific Northwest.
On Aug. 8, 1970, 80 orcas were trapped in Whidbey Island’s Penn Cove, near Coupeville, by a company named Namu Inc. Eight of these were captured an sent away to be the next showcase of marine parks. The most prominent from this capture was Tokitae (or Lolita). The other seven all died within five years, and Lolita was left in the tanks of Miami Seaquarium for the next 53 years of her life, which ended last August.
The documentary “Blackfish” highlighted how poorly orcas like Tokitae were treated in captivity, and how captivity affects the orcas. The way these orcas live in the tanks is not natural.
Many marine parks have orcas on gelatin diets, which are bad for the overall health of the orcas. It is an attempt to keep them hydrated but unnatural for their diets. How have marine parks gotten away with this?
A former trainer at SeaWorld, which continues marine mammal shows at some parks, said that feeding the orcas makes them more stressed, along with being alone with no pod. Orcas in captivity face many stressors, some even from fellow pool-mates. Raking and violent actions often occur, by orcas trying to assert dominance.
SeaWorld has undergone many lawsuits, some resulting in fines and some safety restrictions for the trainers. In 2016, SeaWorld claimed they would move away from the trick shows and toward an “educational” experience. But is this educational? They teach the spectators about the orcas, but they are still doing tricks.
I conducted a survey with my fellow students at Fairhaven. The results showed that 19% of the students I surveyed have been to a SeaWorld park, and 15% would buy tickets to see the shows at SeaWorld, Seaquarium, etc.
These parks do not deserve your money for so many reasons, such as drugging animals, tanks like prisons, and animal self-harm. I have pledged never to visit a marine park and give them money, and I think you should too for many reasons.
SeaWorld trainers have claimed that they had to drug animals that are dangerous even to the people administering them. In an interview in the documentary, “Inside the Tanks,” SeaWorld trainer John Hargrove admitted to drugging whales at marine parks where he has worked.
One of the drugs was the class benzodiazepines, used to calm the animals. Trainers also claimed that orcas needed the drugs just to be able to live in a tank. Is the money you spend on a ticket to SeaWorld, or other marine parks being spent on drugs for whales?
Another reason you should not give marine parks your money is the concrete tanks that are essentially concrete prisons. Orcas in the wild can dive down distances as far as 3,566 feet. In captivity, an orca can dive 35 feet. This isn’t natural, in the wild they can dive more than a hundred times more! If you give these parks money, the orcas will continue to be in a shallow tank. Instead, we can support organizations like the Whale Sanctuary Project, which is working to get orcas out of captivity and into seaside sanctuaries for rehabilitation.
The tanks that orcas are in do not fit the needs of an orca. Orcas must swim in circles, whereas they have the endless ocean in the wild. Orcas in captivity harm themselves because the tanks have nothing for them to do. They will chew on the concrete, leading to broken teeth, which need painful drilling with no pain relief.
There was a Miami Seaquarium orca named Hugo, who slammed himself into a gate so many times, that it ultimately led to his death. Orcas also rake (dragging teeth along another orca’s flesh) each other, even young orcas. In the wild, raking occurs, but not nearly as common as in captivity and never to young. During performances, you can see the scars from raking on many of the orcas. Why should you go to a show to see orcas that are harming themselves because they have nothing to do?
In summary, going to a show at SeaWorld or other marine parks promotes the unnatural and inhumane ways of captivity that need to be stopped. My fellow students and I must speak up because we are the next generation of leaders. We need to work together to help free captive orcas and conserve the orcas of the Southern Residents that roam freely as all orcas should.
Will Parnow is a seventh-grade student at Fairhaven Middle School in Bellingham.
Fairhaven student: For orcas’ sake, don’t give your tourist dollars to SeaWorld
How is a jailed whale doing tricks at shows 'educational'?
As our community knows, orcas are a big deal in the Pacific Northwest.
On Aug. 8, 1970, 80 orcas were trapped in Whidbey Island’s Penn Cove, near Coupeville, by a company named Namu Inc. Eight of these were captured an sent away to be the next showcase of marine parks. The most prominent from this capture was Tokitae (or Lolita). The other seven all died within five years, and Lolita was left in the tanks of Miami Seaquarium for the next 53 years of her life, which ended last August.
The documentary “Blackfish” highlighted how poorly orcas like Tokitae were treated in captivity, and how captivity affects the orcas. The way these orcas live in the tanks is not natural.
Many marine parks have orcas on gelatin diets, which are bad for the overall health of the orcas. It is an attempt to keep them hydrated but unnatural for their diets. How have marine parks gotten away with this?
A former trainer at SeaWorld, which continues marine mammal shows at some parks, said that feeding the orcas makes them more stressed, along with being alone with no pod. Orcas in captivity face many stressors, some even from fellow pool-mates. Raking and violent actions often occur, by orcas trying to assert dominance.
SeaWorld has undergone many lawsuits, some resulting in fines and some safety restrictions for the trainers. In 2016, SeaWorld claimed they would move away from the trick shows and toward an “educational” experience. But is this educational? They teach the spectators about the orcas, but they are still doing tricks.
I conducted a survey with my fellow students at Fairhaven. The results showed that 19% of the students I surveyed have been to a SeaWorld park, and 15% would buy tickets to see the shows at SeaWorld, Seaquarium, etc.
These parks do not deserve your money for so many reasons, such as drugging animals, tanks like prisons, and animal self-harm. I have pledged never to visit a marine park and give them money, and I think you should too for many reasons.
SeaWorld trainers have claimed that they had to drug animals that are dangerous even to the people administering them. In an interview in the documentary, “Inside the Tanks,” SeaWorld trainer John Hargrove admitted to drugging whales at marine parks where he has worked.
One of the drugs was the class benzodiazepines, used to calm the animals. Trainers also claimed that orcas needed the drugs just to be able to live in a tank. Is the money you spend on a ticket to SeaWorld, or other marine parks being spent on drugs for whales?
Another reason you should not give marine parks your money is the concrete tanks that are essentially concrete prisons. Orcas in the wild can dive down distances as far as 3,566 feet. In captivity, an orca can dive 35 feet. This isn’t natural, in the wild they can dive more than a hundred times more! If you give these parks money, the orcas will continue to be in a shallow tank. Instead, we can support organizations like the Whale Sanctuary Project, which is working to get orcas out of captivity and into seaside sanctuaries for rehabilitation.
The tanks that orcas are in do not fit the needs of an orca. Orcas must swim in circles, whereas they have the endless ocean in the wild. Orcas in captivity harm themselves because the tanks have nothing for them to do. They will chew on the concrete, leading to broken teeth, which need painful drilling with no pain relief.
There was a Miami Seaquarium orca named Hugo, who slammed himself into a gate so many times, that it ultimately led to his death. Orcas also rake (dragging teeth along another orca’s flesh) each other, even young orcas. In the wild, raking occurs, but not nearly as common as in captivity and never to young. During performances, you can see the scars from raking on many of the orcas. Why should you go to a show to see orcas that are harming themselves because they have nothing to do?
In summary, going to a show at SeaWorld or other marine parks promotes the unnatural and inhumane ways of captivity that need to be stopped. My fellow students and I must speak up because we are the next generation of leaders. We need to work together to help free captive orcas and conserve the orcas of the Southern Residents that roam freely as all orcas should.
Will Parnow is a seventh-grade student at Fairhaven Middle School in Bellingham.
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