Wild animals like cetaceans have been held in captivity and for public display for a very long time for educational and for entertainment purposes. Cetaceans such as orcas are being held in captivity in places such as Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and SeaWorld. Orcas from the ocean are wild creatures and they should not be kept in captivity. Captivity can cause mental illness to the orcas which result in depression or aggressiveness.

I believe orcas that have been in captivity should not remain in captivity. This is because they were raised in a different environment and they have a different mindset since they are from the wilderness they are wild animals who roam freely in the ocean.

Orcas who grew up in the wild will not survive in captivity because they are independent and they now have to depend on humans. Keeping wild orcas that have grown up in captivity allows them to be used for educational purposes but the zoological parks are harming or affecting a wild orca’s mental health.

This is important because zoological parks like SeaWorld are known for breeding orcas. They breed orcas to be more successful in the entertainment industry and/or to make money off of orcas. They will also capture orcas in the wild to be used as a breeding source. These orcas that were captured from the wild develop depression because they are no longer allowed to interact freely with other orcas. Most orcas stay with their own family group so, forcing orcas to interact with other orcas that are not from the same family or group can lead to aggression.

Since these orcas are used for entertainment they are being trained by trainers. These trainers do not know about the orca’s mental health. Orcas that show an aggressive trait are still being used for entertainment. There have been incidents where orcas are being treated unfairly. Punishment such as getting no fish when doing a trick incorrect or when they do not follow instructions.

Although training patterns like this are normal when training any animal, such as dogs. Orcas are different from dogs. Dogs have always been house pets and they have a different mind then orcas. Orcas are not pets they are wild animals. An orca can aggressively turn on any trainer at any minute if it is feeling annoyed or depressed. These attacks can be avoided if people stop training the orcas for entertainment purposes. Rather than having orcas in captivity for entertainment and educational purposes. Orcas are kept in their natural habitat: the ocean.

In the film Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite towards the end of the film, the previous SeaWorld trainers all took a trip on a boat to see wild orcas in their natural habitat. I found this scene to be very inspiring because it showed people can still be entertained by the beauty of an animal without touching it. They can still be entertained by watching wild orcas as they roam freely without any restrictions.

I believe orcas should live freely in the wild because people are no longer abusing an animal and people like the trainers are no longer putting themselves in danger just for the entertainment industry.

Once orcas are freed,  they should still be viewed in their natural habitat. If orcas are going to be used for educational purposes they should not be held in zoological parks and there should be some guidelines that keep people from encountering a wild orca in the ocean and putting them in danger.

Orcas are wild animals so they could be able to be viewed in their own habitat rather than a cage. I believe orcas could be viewed but not used for educational purposes and, they should definitely not be used for entertainment while being held in captivity.