Hello Everyone!
I put a copy of my research essay that I'm doing for my English class. It is a rough draft and I can use some honest input. I have a tendency to put in statements that make sense to me and me only. When I re-read my own work, I understand what I'm trying to say but others don't. I am also the queen of run-on sentences. I get excited and put all of my thoughts in one, very long sentence. I think I've noticed that I misuse commas. I tried to watch that when writing this but am unsure if I succeeded.
Any input would be great! I appreciate that you're taking the time to read it!
Thank you,
Amanda
Marine Animals in Captivity
By
Amanda Merkes
Mr. Steven Beech
English 102 - 12082
19 July 2014
SeaWorld, Marine World, National Aquarium are a few large marine parks that millions of people go and visit. Seeing the animals in a tank, doing tricks that aren't natural to them, being separated from their family, trying to teach the public facts that aren't true and aren't backed up by sources is all part of the fun in going to an amusement park. But wait, some of those aren't fun. Most of the public isn't aware of the separation of the families. The customers of some of these parks don't know that the facts that the marine parks are telling them are not true. There are alternative ways to see the animals in their natural habitat, preforming their natural instincts. There are parts of these amusement parks that they didn't want the audience to know about. It all starts with how the whales and dolphins got to the aquariums they're in now.
Whales and dolphins live with their pods their entire life in the wild. There are generations of families in each pod. Some experts say that each pod has its own language or way of communication that varies from pod to pod. Calves and mothers do not separate. Not when the calves are in their infant state nor when they're in their adult state. In most countries, it is illegal to capture whales and dolphins from the wild and put them into captivity. However, there are a few countries where it isn't illegal. Capturing the mammals in the wild causes high stress situations for the pods.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a brief on their website that talks about an instance of the high stress environment. In Japan, there was a pod that was corned into a fishing port. Guesses are that there were around 200 dolphins in this port. The dolphins ran into each other and boat hulls causing them to become exhausted and ended up drowning.
For orcas, Blackfish, a documentary about the captivity life of some marine animals, has an example when it was legal to capture dolphins in the state of Washington. Fisherman were trying to capture young orcas. To help aid the capture, the fishermen had planes watching from above to make sure they didn't miss the pod. The area of water the orcas were in had a split and the males went one way and the females and calves went the other way. The females and calves stayed under water as long as they could before surfacing for air. The fisherman that were there during this catch thinks that this specific pod has been hunted before and that's why they split. Once the females and calves surfaced for air, they were unfortunately spotted and captured.
Since capturing is mostly illegal throughout the world, amusement parks have looked into a breeding program for the captured mammals. The research that is being learned about breeding is remarkable. There have been dozens of births in captivity. One would think that since these animals are being born in captivity that they would keep their families together, as what would happen in the wild. This is not true for every case.
Blackfish had a story of a mother whale and calf in captivity at SeaWorld. The calf was causing disruptions during the show and was also challenging its mother. Management did not like the distraction so they took the calf to another park. In another similar situation with a different mother and calf pair, the calf was taken away to another park. Following that, the mother went into depression. Trainers recalled her sitting in the corner of the tank making noises and calls that they have not heard before. The called in an expert and they recorded the wave lengths of the noise. The calls were long range calls. The expert thinks that she was calling for her calf.
SeaWorld has tried to answer some of the questions that park audiences ask when it comes to this new documentary Blackfish. Blackfish targets SeaWorld specifically for the treatment of their animals. SeaWorld has posted a page on their website that's titled: Learning the Facts. SeaWorld put a mention on their website about the mother and calf separations. All it addresses is: "SeaWorld recognizes the important bond between mother and calf. On the rare occasion that a mother killer whale cannot care for the calf herself, we have successfully hand raised and reintroduced the calf. Whales are only moved to maintain a healthy social structure." Depending on SeaWorld's definition of "healthy social structure", it could include interruptions in the shows. They also mention that the young taken from the mothers aren't infants. In the first situation, the one calf was 12 and the other one was four and a half. Regardless of age, whales do stay with their mothers for life. If they're going to breed in captivity, they need to assist in the natural habits of these animals and keep them with their families.
The breeding program in captivity is not always successful. One amusement park is trying to make a change for their dolphins. The company's eyes have been opened to how they treat their animals. National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland announced that they may retire their eight bottle nose dolphins. Why? After the birth of a still born dolphin, the National Aquarium is trying to figure out a way for the public to still be able to interact with dolphins that is more in tune with the dolphin's natural habitat and lifestyle. Shortly after the still born, the company closed their dolphin show. The CEO, John Racanelli, said that the park lost a good amount of money, but it didn't feel right having the shows continue. He stated that the dolphins and trainers were depressed and they came to the agreement that something has to change. This interview was conducted by National Geographic after the public announcement was made. Bacanelli said:
"Times have changed, and our understanding of the needs of the animals in our care have changed. A lot of valid research has been done in the last 20 years to open our eyes to the cognitive and social behavior of dolphins. It's incumbent upon us to avail ourselves of these findings, and that means figuring out how we can better care for these dolphins in the future."
On the other spectrum of an amusement park that is very well known, SeaWorld is telling visitors on their website that they are doing the best for the whales and dolphins in their care. SeaWorld states that for the past 50 years, they have been safely caring for their whales. SeaWorld said that their habitats are state-of-the-art and the physical fitness of the whales are in the healthy range. SeaWorld is very defensive in how they care for their animals. What SeaWorld fails to mention is the never ending need for improvement.
On SeaWorlds website they say that "While our whales do not live the same lifestyle as their wild counterparts, this difference does not translate to negative welfare of these animals." This statement by SeaWorld on their website doesn't make their claims to be treating their animals right. SeaWorld only states afterwards that the distance whales travel in the wild is not necessary. They travel for food. Being in captivity, they don't have to do that. Wild animals have instincts that need to be utilized and challenged. The repercussions mentally could be drastic.
The battle between SeaWorld and Blackfish will probably be never ending. Blackfish brought out some points about SeaWorld that the public was blind to. SeaWorld, at the time that the documentary was being filmed, did not have a comment to what was being said. Blackfish producers tried to contact SeaWorld multiple times. Since Blackfish is a well-known documentary, SeaWorld is trying to set the record straight. The responses they provide are repetitive and lack experts. They bullet point the claims from the documentary. They don't mention where or who said that what SeaWorld is doing with their animals is the best case for captivity.
In one part of Blackfish, undercover cameras and microphones ask SeaWorld staff what the lifespan is of an orca. SeaWorld's website only mentions that the life spans of their orcas in captivity are equivalent to those in the wild. This mention about orcas age is from a bullet pointed list with no sources. Blackfish, had experts rule in on the actual age of orcas in the wild. Orcas in the wild live two to three times longer than those in captivity. Blackfish has a credited source. SeaWorld is filled with professionals but in this situation, SeaWorld can use all the help it can get and not give the public any reason to question it. Another question that was asked while being recorded was the collapsed dorsal fin on male orcas. SeaWorld on the camera said that 25% of whales in the wild have the collapsed dorsal fin. One of the experts on Blackfish said that less than one percent of whales in the wild have a collapsed dorsal fin. The fin being bent like that is a sign of stress. SeaWorld's website doesn't mention this on their website.
The main focus of Blackfish is about a whale named Tillikum who has a history of killing trainers. Tillikum has killed two of his trainers and maybe an individual who broke into the SeaWorld Park after hours. SeaWorld's comeback to Tillikums aggressive tendency is that he's been cooperative for the past 18 years.
One of the trainers that was killed by Tillikum was Dawn Brancheau. Brancheau was a professional was has been an employee at SeaWorld for some time. After a Dine with Shamu lunch, Brancheau was tragically killed by being pulled under water by Tillikum. Blackfish implies that his aggression towards his trainers is due to being in captivity and the abuse received from other whales. Blackfish does claim that SeaWorld said it was Brancheau's fault that she was killed. SeaWorld said it was not Tillikum's fault.
SeaWorld's defense to this was that the company never blamed Brancheau for her death. SeaWorld doesn't put blame on either trainer or whale. The website only said it was not Brancheau's fault.
Blackfish has some very valid points when it comes to the care of animals at SeaWorld. The National Aquarium in Maryland is the first to admit their faults and is looking for a change. In the meantime, there are other ways to see these magnificent animals. There are whale and dolphin watching programs certain times of the year on the east coast and the west coast for people to see the animals in their natural habitat. The audience can witness how the mammals act naturally. No jumping through hoops and no splash zone. The price for whale watching trips are a fraction of what SeaWorld charges for admittance.
Not all whale watching trips are guaranteed. The boats don't have a way to track the pods throughout the ocean. They use clues from nature to be able to find the pods. Birds in groups diving into water is a sign. Dolphins have a habit of pushing their food to the surface to make it an easier catch. Birds are able to see these habits and join the meal as well.
SeaWorld and other marine parks allow the public to be able to go and see whales and dolphins and sharks whenever they please. This convenience is nice for the public but the animals, not so much. The public needs to be aware of what the marine parks are doing with their whales and raise the awareness. The parks don't need to close. If the parks did what the National Aquarium did in Baltimore, the lives of the whales will flourish. Jumping through hoops isn't educational. Watching the animals in their natural habitat is educational. Separation of the families and lying to the customers is going to get SeaWorld more in trouble than the company expects. Blackfish already called them out on it. Writing a letter to the local theme park, researching alternative ways to see the animals in nature, and knowing the facts is going to make the marine parks change. It's up to the public now to help make a difference in these animals lives. There are parts of the marine parks that the company doesn't want the public to know about. The public is learning. And shortly will be acting upon their knowledge.
Works Cited
Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. , 2013. Film.
Morell, Virginia. "Q&A: National Aquarium CEO Discusses Dolphins' Retirement." . National Geographic, 20 May 2014. Web. 20 June 2014.
PETA. "Marine Animal Exhibits: Chlorinated Prisons." . N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.
"SeaWorld's Letter: From our Zoological Team | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment." SeaWorld's Letter: From our Zoological Team | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Sea World, n.d. Web. 13 July 2014.
"Whale Facts." Whale Facts. Whale Facts, n.d. Web. 13 July 2014.
