Over the past decade, especially after the movie ‘Blackfish’ was released, it seems to have become trendy to be against cetaceans in captivity. Many people do not seem to have an issue with other species being kept and bred in zoological facilities and aquariums but that’s because there has never been a movie made that slanders them. People watch this and believe that they themselves are ‘orca experts’ and ‘animal activists’ just because they’ve watched one biased movie that manipulates the truth about keeping these animals in the care of man.
One ‘solution’ activists say would be beneficial for these killer whales (O.orca) is to retire them to seaside sanctuaries instead of keeping them confined to concrete tanks, where they can live out the rest of their lives in their natural habitat without being exploited for entertainment and monetary purposes. Now, there are several things incredibly misleading and false about that statement but I’m here to break it all down for you. Bear with me, this is a longer post but it should help explain why sanctuaries are not the best alternative to a life in captivity for killer whales.
What Is A Sanctuary?
Before I discuss anything else, it’s important to be aware of what a sanctuary actually is. The aim of a sanctuary is to provide neglected, abused or abandoned animals with the care they so rightly deserve. On the outside, these places seem like a wonderful idea and many people who disagree with cetaceans in captivity think the whales would live more fulfilling lives in an environment like this. However, what many fail to realise is that there are not any laws or legislations in place to make sure the staff in sanctuaries are actually providing the best care for their animals. Many ‘sanctuaries’ in places like Thailand still exploit their animals for entertainment and profit by offering animal encounters, and will continue to abuse them behind closed doors. These private collections are not regulated by the federal government or legislation; therefore the animals are not always protected.
On the other hand, zoological facilities and aquariums are regulated under law and legislation to make sure they are providing the best standard of welfare to the animals in their collection. Due to zoos displaying animals to the public, they are inspected often for compliance with legislations that protect each species’ individual needs and requirements; the Animal Welfare Act 2006 being the main source of legislation zoos must abide by. Under the Animal Welfare Act, animals must be provided with the five main needs: appropriate accommodation, appropriate diet & fresh water, appropriate social structures, protected against harm & disease, and given the opportunity to exhibit natural behaviours.
At the end of the day, sanctuaries are still captive environments for animals. Transporting an animal from one location to another does not make keeping killer whales in captivity more ethically acceptable. The risks involved in a project like this are immense and must be thoroughly evaluated before any animal can ever be relocated.
Why Is Retiring/Releasing Captive Orcas A Bad Idea?
Many people believe that a sanctuary isn’t good enough for these orcas; that they deserve to be completely free of nets, tanks, and even contact with people. However, they fail to see how detrimental this would be to the lives of these whales.
As incredible as it would be to release all cetaceans into the wild or sea sanctuaries, in reality, it is incredibly difficult, expensive, time consuming and dangerous for the animals. In fact, releasing them would most likely be fatal. This has been proven in the past with many dolphins and whales perishing after being released into sea sanctuaries after spending a couple months to several years in captivity; Keiko (the star of ‘Free Willy’) being the most famous example. Those animals died while still being in the care of man. How on earth are these animals meant to survive being released if they aren’t able to cope with the conditions within a sanctuary?!
So why is releasing these animals into the wild or moving them to sanctuaries off the cards?
Firstly, especially for SeaWorld’s orcas as they have spent either their entire lives or majority of their lives in captivity, the whales’ immune systems are not strong enough to cope with the new and exotic pathogens that are found in the ocean. The water they receive in their pools is filtered salt water so they are not exposed to any harmful organisms that could cause them to be contract diseases. The water is also recycled back into the sea surrounding each park which helps protect wild ecosystems from pollution. I also wanted to mention that the levels of chlorine within the tanks are miniscule; with our own tap water having higher levels of chlorine. This is not enough to have any detrimental effect to health of these orcas.
You cannot train these animals to have a stronger immune system to combat new diseases, therefore are likely to contract a fatal case of pneumonia or gastrointestinal issues. These whales are fragile and depend on their watery environment being clean and toxin-free in order to be healthy.
Secondly, the whales would probably die of starvation as they have little knowledge of how to hunt and fend for themselves. Killer whales learn through observation and passing knowledge down through generation to generation. Since trainers do everything for their animals (including feeding), the SeaWorld pods would be lost as their matriarchs have never obtained this knowledge that is so critical for life in the wild. Most of the whales within the parks were born in captivity and are not aware of what the ocean is. The other whales were captured decades ago by other facilities (NOT SEAWORLD) but have spent the vast majority of their lives in a captive environment. But the most likely cause is that there would be no fish for them to hunt as the overfishing taking place in our oceans as we speak has already lead to the demise of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population and other species of cetacean. The SRKW pods reached a stage of having to be hand-fed fish from boats because they physically aren’t strong enough to travel the distance to find the fish that still exist. The individuals at SeaWorld are predominantly Icelandic and Resident Killer Whales, meaning they would naturally hunt fish in the wild.
Then there’s stress related issues. To take an animal that is use to perfection in every format and transport them to a place where multiple elements and factors change daily would cause them unprecedented amounts of stress and disorientation. The killer whales are use to perfect and consistent temperature, PH, nitrate, chlorine and salt levels within the tanks, as well as being fed restaurant quality, sustainable fish on a daily basis. These factors are constantly changing and unpredictable in the wild which only add to the issues they would face. That’s like taking a dog out of a home and putting them on the streets expecting them to be able to cope with everything. You cannot prepare any animal for such drastic lifestyle changes.
Lastly, we must consider pollution. Everyone must be aware by now that our oceans are in great danger due to all kinds of pollution that humans have introduced into this fragile ecosystem. The ocean is one toxic cocktail of plastics, chemicals and disease as the human race continue to exploit this natural resource and dump dangerous substances into our waterways. Even the temperature of the water has significantly risen in the past decade which in turn affects all organisms that call it home. The orcas’ wild counterparts are already suffering due to our carelessness and selfish greed. By releasing or retiring them, we would actively be putting these animals at risk by introducing them into a dying habitat. Many wild orcas have washed up on beaches deceased within the past couple of year with the same thing in common – each animal has a high level of the PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) chemical in their blubber. PCBs are known to cause cancer, suppress the immune system, disrupt hormonal signals, and impair reproduction within wild killer whale populations and are becoming more of an issue by the day. If they were lucky enough not to come into contact with these toxic chemicals, the orcas’ immune system would struggle to cope with other unknown pathogens. They would be at high risk from developing pneumonia and other respiratory infections, as well as gastro intestinal problems.
So you think sea sanctuaries are the solution?
When you really dive deep into what it takes to set up a sea pen for killer whales you begin to see that it is no simple task. Questions must be asked: How will it be built? What materials are safe to use and protect the animals from their surrounding environment? Where will it be located? How many animals will be living in this pen? Will there be more than one? Will the animals still be trained to exhibit natural behaviours? Will the whales be allowed to breed? How can you separate animals from one another for medical procedures or for the general wellbeing of the whales? Where is all the money going to come from? There are so many aspects that must be evaluated before deciding to just throw a bunch of orcas into a ‘sanctuary’ and expect them to thrive.
As I stated before, moving the killer whales into a sectioned off piece of the ocean will not prevent the whales from coming in contact with harmful pathogens. In order to make sure they have a clean environment, filtration systems must be put in place to remove the harmful organisms. Nets will not provide any protection either and this leave the animals at risk from entanglement, as well as other wild animals that live in the surrounding environment.
Whatever is used to form the foundations and framework of the sea pens will have to be strong enough to withstand violent weather conditions, the animals themselves, the current, and other natural forces.
Theoretically, if all twenty whales within SeaWorld’s three parks were to be retired to sanctuaries, how many pens would be needed to house them? They are unable to all live together in one area as this has its own welfare issues. At SeaWorld, the trainers are able to create appropriate social structures within the pods to allow animals to socialise with other individuals they want to be around, while avoiding confrontation with others. In the wild, whales can avoid this as they are able to escape so how would a sea pen tackle this issue? Gates could be installed to allow trainers to continue to monitor the whales’ social activity and decide when it’s appropriate to mix certain members of the pod. But adding such things is just another expense on top of an already ridiculously expensive project. If it was decided to keep the whales together then the issue you’d then face would be trying to prevent social tension and aggression from occurring (which is almost impossible when working with 12,000 pound apex predators). These animals live in highly complex societies. Forcing animals to live together would definitely cause an increased level of hostility within the pod and fights to break out if not controlled.
I have seen so much concept art on social media platforms suggesting that killer whales could be kept in sea pens just off of shore, on sandy beaches. There are already a handful of bottlenose dolphin (T.truncatus) sea pens, in places like Hawaii, that have similar set ups. However, people fail to understand that many pods of dolphins inhabit shallow, sandy ecosystems, whereas orcas do not. A sea pen for killer whales would have to be located in deeper water, allowing the animals to roam freely and exhibit natural behaviours. The area would have to be protected from violent open-ocean weather conditions, out the way off main shipping routes, not interfere with other species’ welfare, and be in an area which is easily accessible to trainers who look after the whales. For anyone who has ever gone on a whale-watching trip before, remember how long it took just to get out to open-ocean from a harbour. It’s no simple feat.
So where in the world would someone get the funding to start such a project in the first place? There are the costs for the set-up, food, enrichment, veterinary care, cleaning equipment, transport devices, and staff wages. When Keiko was released into a sea pen, over $10 million was spent over three years to not only create the sanctuary but also look after a single whale. Let me remind you that the long-term project failed due to Keiko contracting pneumonia and eventually dying. So if a project for releasing one whale into a sea pen was over $10 million then you can work out roughly how much it would be to do the same with the twenty whales at SeaWorld. The whales will continue to require being looked after 24/7 365 days a year which is a hefty cost and time consumer in itself. This begs the question whether any of this is worth it if there’s a very high possibility of the whales dying within the first three years of the project.
By charging people admission to sea sanctuaries, to try and gain income to look after the animals, you are already going against the whole idea. Sanctuaries are meant to stop people from viewing these animals in a captive environment as it’s seen as ‘exploitation for entertainment’. Might as well keep them at SeaWorld and continue to raise the funds for rescue & rehabilitation efforts and conservation projects etc.
Another issue to consider is the training of the killer whales. Many people believe the ‘tricks’ seen at facilities like SeaWorld serve no purpose to the animals welfare. However, the vast majority of these ‘tricks’ are extensions of natural behaviours that have been documented in the wild. Training these behaviours not only acts as both physical and mental stimulation for the animals but is also an educational tool for guests. They are able to see for themselves what these whales would naturally do in the wild to pursue and hunt prey, communicate, and survive. Husbandry training also allows staff to provide the best veterinary care possible by being able to complete physical examinations in a stress-free and efficient manner for both animals and people. This allows the team to be proactive when diagnosing potential health issues or concerns, aiding in keeping the whales fit and healthy. Training is a massive part of the orcas’ lives within SeaWorld. Stopping trainers from doing this with their animals would have a massive detrimental impact on the whales’ physical and mental wellbeing. It could lead to severe boredom and frustration, which often leads to self mutilation, aggression and the appearance of stereotypic behaviours. Along with these potential issues, without being able to efficiently carry out full body health examinations and medical procedures how are trainers meant to help the whales recover from health issues or injuries? The high level of bacteria within the ocean would cause infections and chronic health conditions.
Conclusion
Why risk the welfare and lives of the twenty orcas that call SeaWorld home when they are provided with what was rated the world’s best veterinary and welfare care? Their trainers and handlers love these animals with all their heart and have dedicated their lives to making sure these whales have the most enriching and fulfilling lives possible. The trainers know what’s best for these animals. They spend every single waking second getting to know the whales’ individual requirements and personalities in order to provide them with this standard of care. Many neglect to consider that the team at SeaWorld are specialists themselves; studying marine biology, animal psychology, zoology and animal science, as well as having years of experience within the field under their belts. The pioneering research and studies the animals are involved in is also aiding in conserving their wild counterparts, while they act as ambassadors in educational shows that inspire hundreds of thousands of people to make a positive change every day. The whales are constantly stimulated both mentally and physically, being given a variety of enrichment devices and taught natural behaviours to challenge them daily. By releasing them straight into the wild, you would be stripping these animals of the only life they have ever known to only benefit your own moral beliefs. The level of shock and stress from moving into such a drastically different environment would be unprecedented and cause the whale a mass amount of confusion and fear.
‘Activists’ may think that releasing the animals into sea sanctuaries is the most ethical thing to do for these animals but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It may help them fall asleep at night believing that they’re advocates for ‘saving the whales’ which is ironic due to it being possibly the worst thing for the whales. People refuse to do their own primary research on the subject so do not understand the complex requirements of killer whales. They may think it’s what these animals want but that does not mean it’s what these whales NEED.
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