i heart orca whales.

Another trainer dead. Not too surprising.

Anyone that knows me well knows how I feel about Seaworld. I haven't been there in about 10 years and it was 10 years ago that I realized why I could never go again. It is easy to see the animals are used in a circus-like manner with little to no regard for their well being. Although there are some rehab programs for some injured sealife, it is primarily a place that captures beautiful sea creatures and keeps them in captivity for entertainment and profit.

Some say "the animals love it-- they get to play all day and don't have to look for food." Any educated person knows better. This could not be further from the truth especially when talking about dolphins and orca (killer) whales. Whales are complex and very intelligent creatures. They swim 50-100 miles per day in the ocean. They spend their entire lives with their family and they enjoy looking for food. In a tank they do not use any of their senses and they become what many to believe is depressed and stressed.

Did you know?

• Orca whales in captivity often develop pathologies, such as the dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of captive males. This is their beautiful, high fin all flopped over when in captivity. You rarely see this in the wild.
• Captive orca whales have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living 10-20 years. In the wild, females can live 70-80 years and males can live 50-60 years.
• Captive life is stressful due to small tanks, false social groupings and chemically altered water. Captive killer whales occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of stress.
• Orcas live in small pods of 5-30 whales; they are very social animals. The bonds between the close-knit members of orca pods are strong and last for life. This is why many believe the whales become so "depressed" in captivity. They are unable to swim the hundreds of miles they normally would swim in one day and they miss their family that they swim with for life.

The Humane Society of the United States and the World Society for the Protection of Animals say in their report "The Case Against Marine Animals in Captivity," captivity causes marine mammals to lose their natural feeding and foraging behaviors. Captivity also changes their social behaviors. The report explains, "Stress-related conditions such as ulcers, stereotypical behaviors including pacing and self-mutilation, and abnormal aggression in groups frequently develop in predators denied the opportunity to forage. Other natural behaviors, such as those associated with dominance, mating, and maternal care, are altered in captivity, which can have a substantially negative impact on the animals." Animals that are normally peaceful in their natural environment can become violent when confined.

"In some ways, the lives of marine mammals in captivity are less stressful than in the wild. Having little or no stress, however, can actually be stressful---just as with humans. Imagine what it would be like if you lived in a small, dark room with nothing to do. You might be physically comfortable, but you wouldn't get to smell all the smells of the outdoors, of different foods cooking or of different environments. You couldn't go for a hike and wonder what was just around the next bend. You wouldn't be able to surf the Web and learn interesting things about other species. You would surely become extremely stressed out. Our minds like to have some problems to solve, and new information to process. Orcas (or "killer whales") are the same. We have much more in common with other species than we often realize, and as Rose says, relating to orcas is pretty commonsensical. Because they rely on their echo-location, she says, they are used to processing a great deal of sound. When they are kept in an aquarium, they have no variety and no reason to use their echo-location. For them, it is like being kept in a small, dark box. Orcas in captivity are bored, and it has an effect on their health, just as it would for a human."

It is baffling to me how anyone can support these places and encourage the captivity of these beautiful creatures. My children will never see Seaworld. Because if it's my job to teach them compassion for others, taking them would simply make me a hypocrite. They do not need to see a whale doing a circus act (don't get me started on the circus) to learn about it.

Another trainer has died and Seaworld is again saying "we can't believe this happened." Of course this happened! They are KILLER whales that are stressed and frustrated by their man-made environment!! Seaworld will not stop on their own-- this poor whale is back to his "show" starting today. The only thing that will make this circus show stop is the public refusing to buy tickets. By buying tickets you are supporting the abuse of these whales. It's as simple as that.

References: ehow, wikipedia, humane society, orca network, national geographic