Anyone who knows me knows I love whales more than anything in the world, more specifically Orcas, also known as Killer Whales. Yesterday, I got an email from my mom saying:
“Did you see Tilikum told his trainers at Sea World he wanted to go back to work and so now he is happy giving shows again…saw it on the 5:30 news, sea world says he is sad when not working….”
Since Tilikum drowned one of his trainers last year, he has been isolated from pretty much everything. With Tilly being back in shows, he will be able to socialize with the other Orcas more. This is good, because Orca’s are very social mammals. But, I do not believe these gorgeous creatures belong in captivity… They belong in the wild with their families, hunting and swimming free.
Sea World says that their shows are educational and entertaining. Below I have provided a video of Tilikum’s first performance since the attack. Can someone please tell me the educational value of this?
All I see there is entertainment… Well actually, I really just see the audience getting splashed with water by a whale.
Tilly isn’t the only whale to attack a trainer. Many other Orcas that are/were in captivity have attacked trainers too. What people need to understand is that they are wild animals. They are unpredictable. Tilly is also a transient orca, which means in the wild he hunts birds, seals, other whales, and fish. They also travel in groups of 2-7. Sometimes they travel alone. The Orca’s that we think of traveling in huge pods are called residents, which only eat fish. These groups are very distinct from each other, eating habit and behavior wise.
What do I think they should do with Tilikum if I don’t think he should be in shows anymore?
Like Lolita’s Retirement Plan, I think Tilly should be retired to a sea pen in Iceland (where he was captured). Since we do not know his family, it would be hard to reunite him with them. He would be free to do what he wants, when he wants. Which I think is better than being in captivity.
I know there is the argument of, ‘we released Keiko and he died in the wild’. Keiko’s release was a HUGE success! We proved to the world that we can successfully release an Orca back into the wild. Keiko, like Tilly, was a transient orca. We never knew his family. Keiko met other orcas and learned to socialize with them. He proved that he could survive on his own.
Lesson Learned: We call them wild animals for a reason… They belong in the wild.
For more information on Orcas in the wild and in captivity check out these sites:
Orcahome (Captivity)
Orca Network (Wild)
Robin I couldn’t agree more. Sea World and other theme parks like them are not about the animals welfare, unfortunately they are about the profit that they bring in. They sell them to be educational and entertaining. But at who’s expense. I understand that it is really cool to be able to spend a Saturday afternoon at one of these parks and see live animals that would not be normally see at the beach, but these animals deserve a better life.
Robin, I love going to the Shed Aquarium back in chicago it is the best! i love looking at different animals swim and play in the water. They look as if they are having so much fun and enjoying life. I think that all animals should be able to live there lives rather than being held hostage or something like that. looking at the video kind of reminded me of the movie “FREE WILLY”. That movie gets me in tears every time.
It seems a little ridiculous for Sea World to rush back to letting Tilikum “perform.” Regardless of whether or not he should be in captivity, the fact that they’re putting him at risk for injuring or killing another person is not smart at all. However, the first death should have been an indicator that he was not meant to be in captivity and forced to perform. I value the lives of animals very much, and having to perform tricks all day for people who won’t care about the him (or for him) after they walk away is no life for an animal.
It is because of you I know about these whales, I can’t believed I spouted those names the other day. You are a good (or bad?) influence Robin! Not really relevant but I needed a comment
! Have a great day!
Thank you Tyler