Captive orcas have exhibited in marine parks and aquariums, since “1961” (“The Fate”). Orcas should not be on display for the public because they should be able to live out their life the way they should. Orcas are supposed to be living out in the ocean because the ocean is the best place for orcas to feel connected to their own kind. Orcas in the ocean learn how to survive on their own, while orcas that grow up in marine parks and aquariums are developing guided life skills. Even though captive orcas are “kept in an environment free of predators, pollution and other threats, they die young” (“Captivity”). Aquariums and marine parks are preventing the orcas to live out their full potential in the ocean. Because captive orcas are attacking humans, there are other ways to study orcas and experience them for educational purposes.

Humans are naturally curious about the world we live in, but there should be a healthy medium to the ocean versus our nature. We are still capable of acquiring knowledge about these orcas through technology and observation. From the “[a]dvances in technology... satellite tagging to biopsy darts, [technology] ha[s] made it much easier to get detailed data on wild marine mammals” (Raja par. 10). Because we get attracted to other species and feel connected, our interpretation of how an orca is acting may be different how the orca sees it. If an orca leans in for “kiss,” we might think that they were doing that for affection. The orca might have been hungry therefore we cannot predict the outcome of how an orca is going to act. We cannot assume if orcas live in captivity their lives would automatically be better. From research, captive orcas die younger.

Orcas act out because of their circumstances, and we should not promote this profession to the younger generation. From the time orcas has been on public display, there has been “significant incidents between people and captive orcas, including serious injuries requiring hospitalization, throughout the 47 years this species has been on public display” (Rose 8). Because orcas are hospitalizing people, the younger generation needs to see the true reality. The younger generation should not get the impression that these creatures are just friendly. Orcas should be a concern to the public because they are promoting a profession in which people are getting injured.

Orca shows only amplify the desire to become an orca trainer, in which captive orcas are neither good for the trainer nor the orca. I believe orcas should be used for educational purposes, but not to the extent of putting orcas for show. Since orcas are mentally and physically damaged by show, orcas should live out their life in the ocean and not feel confined in a tank. Orca shows are not always used for educational and conservation purposes but are for money. In order to conserve, we need to keep orcas in the ocean. Most of the time, “the young and fit” orcas are captured leaving the future generations to fail (“The Fate”). Orcas were doing a splendid job on their own, until the want of capturing orcas became popular. Orca shows inspire the younger generation; however, the best way for the younger generations to learn is to physically go out and see orcas in their natural habitat. Orcas that are in captivity act out differently because of their circumstances. In terms of how an orca behaves, I believe researching on captive orcas is useless. Captivity seems to be all about the money.
We put on these shows to make money, while the orcas have to do these tricks to get their food. Most of their life is in a tank, while the orcas have no say in what they do. In spite of orcas only following what the trainer does in order to survive, orcas get punished when they do not do a task right. I feel bad for their lifestyle and how they are treated. Personally, I think seeing an orca in the wild is more enjoyable than to see an unhappy orca in a tank because the ocean is drastically different from a tank. Furthermore, captive orcas need to be able to live out and be an orca in the ocean.

Works Cited

“Captivity.” us.whales.org. WDC, n.d. Web. 23 September 2015.
Raja, Tasneem. “Seaworld Says It Has to Keep Orcas in Captivity to Save Them.” motherjones.com. MotherJones, November/December issue. Web. 23 September 2015. 
Rose, N. A. 2011. Killer Controversy: Why Orcas Should No Longer Be Kept in Captivity. Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States, Washington, D.C. 16 pp.
“The Fate of Captive Orcas.” us.whales.org. WDC, n.d. Web. 23 September 2015.