Environment

Journalist : SeaWorld death tragic reminder re captivity

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | February 25, 2010 at 07:35 am

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Journalist Kate Santich of the Orlando Sentinel has posted an opinion piece regarding the tragic death yesterday at SeaWorld of trainer Dawn Brancheau at the hands of a killer whale, Tilikum.

Santich points out that although Brancheau was an animal lover and SeaWorld does many good things for wildlife conservation, it is still a very ill-conceived thing to keep these whales in captivity.

They are too big, for one thing, weighing more than 6 tons, and measuring 26 feet long. In addition, they are meant to swim freely in social groups, not to be constrained within tight quarters in chemically treated waters.

There have been other organizations - World Society for the Protection of Animals and Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society are just two - who have said that the line should be drawn at least at killer whales in terms of captivity.

The and the re just two of the organizations that have campaigned against the practice. First, killer whales in captivity often get sick and live on average only into their 20s (though there are exceptions). In the wild, the females typically live into their 50s or beyond and the males at least into their 30s.
Advocates for the orca blame the stress of captivity — the lack of natural social groups, the tight confines, the chemically treated water. These are highly intelligent creatures with entrenched socialization habits and sophisticated communication skills. And you cannot ignore their most obvious feature: their size. Perhaps I’m being simplistic, but if you were 26 feet long and weighed more than six tons, where would you rather swim — in a tank or freely in an ocean?

I’ve been a fan of SeaWorld for years, and I will continue to be — at least for certain parts of it. I happen to love the “Pets Ahoy!” show the park started using shelter dogs and cats and other small animals, who probably live a pretty happy life at the park. But they are creatures domesticated over centuries.

Somewhere I think you have to draw the line. I’m not sure precisely where, but I think you can safely say that it’s well before you get to killer whales.