Sea World or Animal Prison?

Imagine being torn from your family and home and being forced to live in a bathtub for the rest of your life. The animals at Sea World are sentenced to things people could never imagine going through.

Orcas are big creatures, ranging from 16 to 26 ft and 3,000 to 16,000 pounds. Sea World's deepest tank is only 40 feet, their lives are how our lives would be if we lived in a bathtub. Orcas swim about 100 miles a day and dive as deep as 1,000 feet when they aren't in captivity. In captivity all they can do is swim in endless circle. Cassie Baron, Junior, said,“I went to San Diego’s Sea World before I knew about everything going on there. I remember feeling bad for all the animals, they seemed squished and unnatural.”

Seaworld has the ability and money to make coastal sanctuaries, giving all the animals a more natural lifestyle. They would have a less stressful life and be able to have a more natural behavior. They would be able to feel the waves of the ocean, have more space and be able to communicate with other ocean animals, in the tanks they are denied that ability. Despite all the evidence of harm and injuries, Seaworld still continues to abuse these animals.

Due to the stress put on these animals, they will participate in odd and harmful behavior which isn't natural in the wild. Some mother orcas will attack their children. If fights do occur in the wild, they are able to swim away and escape the attacker. They can’t do this in their cramped habitats. Many trainers have been killed or seriously injured by orca attacks.

A sign of unhealthy orcas is collapsed dorsal fins in males. Only about 5% of male orcas in the ocean have collapsed dorsal fins, while all males in Seaworld have collapsed dorsal fins.

The people performing with the orcas are performers, not biologists. None of the trainers have studied the lifestyle of orcas. This makes them unable to understand the needs, wants or warning signs of the animals. Their main goal is to entertain the visitors. They aren't educating on the intelligence or lifestyle of the animals.

Some students at Century believe SeaWorld is helping the animals. Zach Black, freshman, believes, “So many animals in the wild need help, SeaWorld gives them a better home and a way to entertain themselves, and students.” SeaWorld is getting less locals coming, a majority of the people buying tickets are from out of state. Many think this because there isn't enough education on SeaWorld’s actions countrywide.

In order to help the abused animals, you can, refuse to buy tickets for or support any of their locations, educate all your friends and other people on what happens inside, and be an advocate for animal freedom. Once people realize the abuse going on, less tickets will be sold which will hopefully result in changes happening to these animals. We can't achieve these results without your help, so advocate for the animals and refuse to go to SeaWorld.