SeaWorld's abuse of Orcas must be stopped

Today’s essay is guest written by my daughter, who inspired me to write about Orcas last week. She felt that there was much more to say about them, and so I’ve given her the opportunity to share more information on the topic below.

Steve

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As someone who grew up in mostly landlocked states — a competitive skier my whole life, and now attending the University Of Iowa (Go, Hawks!) studying sports management — my passion for Orcas is quite random, but I have been truly fascinated and passionate about saving Orcas my whole life! Sometimes I wonder why I am not studying marine biology, but I do not possess science and math skills (thanks, Dad) that would be necessary. I have been fortunate enough to see these animals in the wild several times in my life, and I will always cherish those moments. 

Regarding The Warning “Subscription-gate” controversy, I appreciate all of you backing me up! While my father hasn’t given me a free subscription to read all of his content, he did just buy me tickets to see Morgan Wallen, one of my favorite artists, and the show happens to fall on my 20th birthday. So I think I’ll let it slide!

This essay is a follow-up to the one my dad did last Friday on Orcas. Over the course of my schooling, I have probably done 40 projects on Orcas when topics are open choice. I felt that there was important information missing from my dad’s essay, and so I asked him if I could fill in some missing pieces.  

Here is some additional information about Orcas from a project I completed during my freshman year of college, and specifically about the actions of SeaWorld, a company that I have long protested against.

To this day, there has been no record of any Orca harming a human in the wild. However, that is not as quickly said for the Orcas that are in captivity. There have been countless attacks on trainers caused by captive Orcas, but one that stands out is the death of Dawn Brancheau. She was killed by Tilikum, a large male killer whale who was captured off the shores of Iceland at just two years old, stripped away from his mother and family, and brought to a bath-like swimming pool. Dawn began her “Dine with Shamu” show on February 24, 2010, just as she had many times before, but this particular show included a gruesome finale that left Brancheau’s body without her left arm and part of her scalp gone, as well as other injuries. She was pronounced dead just shortly after the attack began. SeaWorld, to this day — almost 12 years later — takes no responsibility for this deadly attack. 

Former SeaWorld trainer Samantha Berk stated, “My understanding of the animal’s past was very limited. In fact, there had been 30 incidents between killer whales, and trainers prior to my being hired at the park. And I didn’t know about any of them until after I left SeaWorld. So, I think that’s a serious mistake on SeaWorld’s part that they weren’t letting people know the history of all the animals.” (“Dawn Brancheau’s Death: The Shocking Truth” n.d.) Trainers were not informed of previous incidents, such as a show at SeaWorld that ended early because an Orca began to ignore signals and started to swim rapidly, grabbing at a trainer's arm. A SeaWorld executive responded in a two-page document that stated the show should have gone on. They brought unnecessary attention to the incident, ignoring the official ruling that states trainers may end a show anytime they feel uncomfortable. The death of Dawn Brancheau was completely avoidable. The SeaWorld trainers were given false/missing information on the dangers of their job. SeaWorld tried everything in their power to cover up Dawn Brancheau's death.

SeaWorld blatantly lies, and these lies cost lives. Footage is shown in the “Blackfish” documentary of the shows and the trainers speaking to the crowds, and doing their bit with the Orcas in the water. In one scene, you can hear the trainers blatantly lying to the crowd stating that the Orca's dorsal fins are flopped over because it happens to over 50 percent of wild Orcas. However, less than 1 percent of wild Orcas have a fallen dorsal fin. They were seen telling the crowd that Orcas live longer lives in captivity, which is also untrue. They live much longer lives in the wild. These lies were not at the fault of SeaWorld trainers, but at the fault of SeaWorld and those above them telling them to share misinformation with guests. These simple lies grow to be dangerous, and can cause death, including that of Brancheau.

Tilikum is the famous orca known for killing Brancheau. Tilikum was stripped from his mother and pod off the shores of Iceland. He was brought to a small sea aquarium called Sealand. There were multiple attacks involving Tilikum, including a death. 

Sealand eventually shut down, and he was purchased by SeaWorld. SeaWorld ignored his background because he was needed for breeding. They knew he was dangerous. They knew what he had done, and they failed to share this information with SeaWorld trainers in Orlando, and immediately put trainers in the water with him. On February 24th, 2010, the day that Brancheau died, she asked him to do a pectoral fin wave where he goes around the pool with one of his fins out the whole time. He displayed perfect behavior. Brancheau blew her whistle to let him know to come back. He did not hear, and he did another lap. When he came back to Brancheau for his treat (fish) he was met with a three-second mutual response, indicating he did not complete the behavior correctly. 

Her bucket was emptying quickly. Orcas can hear when they are running out of fish. Brancheau walked over to a ledge where she was lying in a few inches of water. Tilikum swam up and grabbed her by the arm. A full 27 minutes passed before paramedics were notified. By the time first responders got to the scene, nothing could be done. Brancheau was dead, and her body was mutilated.

After this horrific attack, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) decided to file a lawsuit urging SeaWorld to keep all trainers out of the water. SeaWorld responded by saying that Brancheau’s death was her fault — that it was because of her ponytail that she was attacked. However, this is false, and just another example of SeaWorld trying to cover up its wrongdoings and not taking responsibility for anything that had happened to one of its trainers. 

A trainer can only do so much. At the end of the day, it is captivity of large mammals that causes these types of tragedies. A scientific piece, titled the “Journal of Veterinary Behavior,” dives into the harmful effects of captivity and chronic stress on the well-being of Orcas. A 1979 review was done on captive Orcas and their deaths. From 1965 - 1979, 17 captive Orcas died due to infectious disease. (Marino et al. 2020)  The US National Marine Mammal Inventory and USDA Inspection Reports obtained under public records law demonstrate that, between 1971 and 2017, there have been 35 documented Orca deaths at SeaWorld facilities alone. (Marino et al. 2020) The poor health and short lifespans of captive Orcas are most clearly understood as connected elements in a cycle of maladaptiveness to the conditions of captivity, which involves behavioral abnormalities, physical harm, and vulnerability to disease. 

In the wild, Orcas typically swim 80 - 100 miles a day, and this results in their dorsal fin being straightly sculpted. In captivity, the pools are very small, and they are typically always swimming in a counterclockwise circle causing the dorsal fin to flop. The Orcas are not getting the physical activity that they need. Overall, the Orcas are proven to be stressed. That stress turns into aggression, which can lead to death, like that of Brancheau. 

One trainer who worked with Tilikum noted that the Orca would sometimes have streams of blood running behind him as he moved through the water. He had to be removed from shows until his raked and bloody skin healed. Afterwards, he would exhibit nervous and agitated types of behavior, such as swimming in circles, making distress vocalizations, and avoiding contact with the other Orcas. 

The Orcas are also often seen floating in the middle of the pool, which means they are depressed. The other Orcas with which they interact in captivity are not a part of their pod, meaning that they cannot successfully communicate. This leads to whale-on-whale aggression. They are seen severely scratching each other's skin. Captive Orcas are constantly raking their teeth on gates, walls, and anything they can access. This causes severe dental damage. 

Orcas do not belong in captivity. Their common aggression against trainers is as a result of the stress they are under, as well as their unnatural living conditions. If you were kept in a bathtub for 40 years, wouldn’t you go insane?  

The death of Dawn Brancheau is a tragedy that could have happened to anyone. Her death sparked a controversy that needed to be talked about. SeaWorld covered up her death, making it appear to be her fault when, scientifically, it is known that it was not. Orcas in captivity kill because they have been in a bathtub for years and years. They are stressed and aggravated. 

SeaWorld is solely responsible for the tragedy of Brancheau and Tilikum. Both are victims of extremely cruel behavior. While they cannot bring Brancheau back to life, there is one solution that gives Orcas in captivity a happy ending: transporting them to a sea pen where they can live out the rest of their lives. They cannot be released into the wild because they will not be able to survive on their own after so many years in captivity. 

Brancheau and Orcas like Tilikum are both victims of misinformation, blatant lying and mistreatment. I hope none of you ever go to SeaWorld or any place that supports and profits off of the extremely cruel abuse of Orcas. As always SAVE THE WHALES — and America too (but that’s a topic that I’ll leave to my dad). 

I would encourage you to take the pledge to boycott Seaworld, which you can do here.

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Works Cited

BlackFish 2013 Full Movie. n.d. Accessed November 26, 2022.

“Dawn Brancheau’s Death: The Shocking Truth.” n.d. SeaWorld of Hurt (blog). Accessed November 26, 2022. https://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/seaworld-trainer-dawn-brancheau-death/.

Marino, Lori, Naomi A. Rose, Ingrid N. Visser, Heather Rally, Hope Ferdowsian, and Veronica Slootsky. 2020. “The Harmful Effects of Captivity and Chronic Stress on the Well-Being of Orcas (Orcinus Orca).” Journal of Veterinary Behavior 35 (January): 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2019.05.005.

“Orcas Don’t Do Well in Captivity. Here’s Why.” 2019. Animals. March 25, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/orcas-captivity-welfare.

“The Impact of Stress on Orcas Held in Captivity.” n.d. Big Think (blog). Accessed November 26, 2022. https://bigthink.com/life/orcas-and-stress/.