I recently read several articles about marine animals in captivity and I also watched a documentary called Blackfish about an orca in captivity. I’m going to tell you the pros and cons about marine animals in captivity and my opinion about it.
When marine animals are in captivity, they are put together with other animals that they don’t know. That sometimes causes them to hurt each other. They also sometimes hurt people. The documentary Blackfish talked about Tilikum, an orca who has killed three people while in captivity. Another thing that can happen to orcas in captivity is fin collapse. Fin collapse is when the dorsal fin flops over. It happens to all male orcas and lots of female orcas in captivity, but only about 1 percent of orcas in the wild.
When marine animals are in captivity, they are put together with other animals that they don’t know. That sometimes causes them to hurt each other. They also sometimes hurt people. The documentary Blackfish talked about Tilikum, an orca who has killed three people while in captivity. Another thing that can happen to orcas in captivity is fin collapse. Fin collapse is when the dorsal fin flops over. It happens to all male orcas and lots of female orcas in captivity, but only about 1 percent of orcas in the wild.
Above is a picture of Tilikum with his collapsed fin.
The life of marine animals in captivity is very different than in the wild. Dolphins in captivity spend most of their time on the surface. Dolphins in the wild spend most of their time under the water. Whales and dolphins in the wild swim long distances, sometimes even 100 miles at a time! Here’s one thing that’s really different that I just noticed myself. In the wild, they are free to just swim around and do whatever they want. When they are in captivity, they have to do shows and entertain people, and the rest of the time they’re locked in a little swimming pool with not much to do.
I looked for articles for and against keeping marine animals in captivity and I was only able to find one article in favor of it, The case for captive animals, by John Nightingale. He is a biologist and the president of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. He’s in favor of marine animals in captivity because he says that people need to connect with nature more often. He says that more species are becoming extinct, and if people can come and learn about them, they will care about conservation. One way aquariums help marine animals is by rescuing them, rehabilitating them, and releasing them into the wild.
I don’t agree with most of John’s arguments. I agree that people should connect with nature more often, but I don’t think that they should do it by going to an aquarium. Technically, an aquarium isn’t nature. Some better ways to connect with nature would be going to a forest or taking a boat ride in the ocean or going snorkeling. Animals in the wild are real nature. I also don’t agree that going to zoos or aquariums makes people want to protect animals and nature. Animals in aquariums or zoos are there to entertain people. I’ve been to a zoo many times, and I haven’t done anything different to protect animals and nature because of it. I think people go to zoos and aquariums to be entertained and see the animals. I do agree that it’s good to rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals to the wild, but I don’t agree with keeping them in captivity unless they cannot survive in the wild.
I think that animals should only be kept in captivity if they are injured, and should be released if possible. They should not be kept just for entertainment. One thing that frustrated me about the documentary Blackfish was that after Tilikum killed all those people, and they knew he wanted to come out, they still kept him because he was worth a lot of money. I read that Sea World only spends .0006 percent of its money on rescue and rehabilitation! If you buy a ticket to an aquarium that keeps animals for entertainment, the money goes to more capturing. Instead, you should go to places that only take in hurt animals and release them if they can survive in the wild. Even better, you can see them in the wild if you take a boat ride in the ocean!
I don’t agree with most of John’s arguments. I agree that people should connect with nature more often, but I don’t think that they should do it by going to an aquarium. Technically, an aquarium isn’t nature. Some better ways to connect with nature would be going to a forest or taking a boat ride in the ocean or going snorkeling. Animals in the wild are real nature. I also don’t agree that going to zoos or aquariums makes people want to protect animals and nature. Animals in aquariums or zoos are there to entertain people. I’ve been to a zoo many times, and I haven’t done anything different to protect animals and nature because of it. I think people go to zoos and aquariums to be entertained and see the animals. I do agree that it’s good to rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals to the wild, but I don’t agree with keeping them in captivity unless they cannot survive in the wild.
I think that animals should only be kept in captivity if they are injured, and should be released if possible. They should not be kept just for entertainment. One thing that frustrated me about the documentary Blackfish was that after Tilikum killed all those people, and they knew he wanted to come out, they still kept him because he was worth a lot of money. I read that Sea World only spends .0006 percent of its money on rescue and rehabilitation! If you buy a ticket to an aquarium that keeps animals for entertainment, the money goes to more capturing. Instead, you should go to places that only take in hurt animals and release them if they can survive in the wild. Even better, you can see them in the wild if you take a boat ride in the ocean!
Before I started this article, I really, really, really, really wanted to go to Sea Wolrd, because dolphins are my favorite animal and I wanted to see them. When I learned what the dolphins go through and how they are treated, I did not want to go. It would be the last place I would want to go. Next year, my family is going to Disney World. One of our plans was to go to Sea World, but now we will not go. Instead, I want to see dolphins by going on a boat ride in the ocean. I hope that you’ve also changed your mind after reading my article!
SOURCES:
http://grist.org/list/seaworld-only-spends-0-0006-percent-of-revenue-on-animal-rescue-and-rehabilitation/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/02/Nightingale.vancouver.whale/index.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/captive_marine/facts/marine_captivity.html
http://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/our-work/animals-wild/marine-animals-captivity
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?p=2688&more=1
Blackfish documentary
http://grist.org/list/seaworld-only-spends-0-0006-percent-of-revenue-on-animal-rescue-and-rehabilitation/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/02/Nightingale.vancouver.whale/index.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/captive_marine/facts/marine_captivity.html
http://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/our-work/animals-wild/marine-animals-captivity
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?p=2688&more=1
Blackfish documentary
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