By Jonathan Flynn Below is an image of Amaya, a captive orca at SeaWorld Florida. Other than the artificial surrounding Amaya is imprisoned by, do you notice anything unusual? Amaya’s Dorsal fin, her primary appendage for stabilization and sharp turning, has collapsed. Marine biologists believe this phenomenon is a result of the unhealthy conditions which captive orca are subjected to. Lack of space, poor diet and nutrition, stress and health issues, chemically treated water, gravity from spending too much time on the surface all contribute to dorsal collapse. Occurring in 90% of captive orcas and only 1% of orcas in the wild, dorsal fin collapse serves as a perfect visual metaphor for the larger ethical issue of subjecting such an intelligent creature to unnatural conditions and the profoundly negative impact of life in confinement. Source: dolphinproject.com Since 1961, approximately 166 orca whales have been stripped from their natural habitat and taken into captivity for commercial entertainment. Despite being capable of swimming over 140 miles in a day and diving hundreds of feet deep, orca are kept in tanks no deeper than twice their length. The average life span of orca in the wild is 50 to 80 years. The average lifespan of orca in captivity is 17 years. Since 1977, approximately 70 Orca have been born in captivity (excluding 30 which died in utero). Not a single captive-born orca has lived past the age of 30. Source: North Gulf Oceanic Society - Comparison Orca Brain vs Human Brain Their captivity is even more distressing considering their highly developed neuroanatomy and intelligence. Like humans, orca have all the areas of the brain responsible for memory, thought, attention and consciousness. They even possess a cerebral cortex more developed than our own. Most astonishing is their insular cortex, which is by far the most developed of all species. The insular cortex is responsible for conscious experience of compassion, empathy, perception, self-awareness, and interpersonal experience. This is no surprise given their extremely complex social behaviour. There has only been one recorded instance in history of an orca leaving its family for more than a few days. There is even recorded instances of orca grieving the death of their loved ones. The most famous example is Tahlequah, who, after losing her calf at birth, carried the body for over 17 days and over 1,600 kilometres, a poignant reminder of the emotional depth these creatures experience. All of this is to suggest that orca have extremely rich and complex emotional experience. Source: ABC News - Image of Tahlequah carrying her calf Indeed, other than the cartoonishly depressing dorsal fin collapse, there is a mountain of evidence demonstrating captive orca’s signs of suffering. For instance, a 2017 peer reviewed study in the Journal Archives of Oral Biology found that more than 25% of orca in captivity in the U.S have severe tooth damage and over 70% have moderate tooth damage. The study suggests that the damage likely occurs from the orca grinding their teeth against the walls of their tanks. This behaviour leaves the orca’s nerves exposed and creates cavities susceptible to infection. In zoology, this type of behaviour is called stereotypies, stress-induced repetitive behavioural pattern that serves no function and often involves self-mutilation. The 2013 documentary Blackfish also highlighted the psychological toll captivity causes. Part of the film followed the story of a wild-caught orca named Tilikum. In 2010, Tilikum tragically killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in SeaWorld Orlando by grabbing her ponytail and pulling her under water. The documentary included testimony of former SeaWorld trainers as well as cetacean specialists who argued that Tilikums aggression is a direct result of stress induced by Tilikum’s captivity. Following a court case filed against SeaWorld by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), it was revealed that SeaWorld had documented over 100 instances of unusual and aggressive behaviour towards trainers. The documentary also outlines SeaWorld’s blatant corporate malfeasance, in which they consistently downplayed the risks and unusually aggressive behaviour of the orca by placing the blame on the trainers (rather than themselves for keeping the orca in captivity). The idea that their aggressive behaviour is a result of their degrading captivity is further reflected in the fact that orcas have demonstrated no such aggression against humans outside of captivity. This is in stark contrast to the several hundred incidents of aggression in captivity, resulting in numerous injuries to trainers and 4 fatalities. Looking to the future Fortunately, there has been some progress to abolish this cruel practice. Documentary’s such as Blackfish have been pivotal in bringing the issue into the public consciousness, particularly in North America. This is reflected in the gradual legislative change in states such as California, which in 2014 introduced the Orca Welfare and Safety act. The law made it illegal for any person, institute or corporation to breed captive orca or use them for entertainment/performance purposes. Despite no such legislative change in Florida, SeaWorld Orlando released a statement in 2016 in response to public criticism, announcing they would end their orca breeding program. Source: WhaleSanctuaryProject.org
Perhaps the biggest issue, however, is the captive orca industry in China. China currently has approximately 80 sea-parks in operation, with over 20 more under construction. Many of these parks have orca breeding programs. Most cetaceans in captivity in China are wild-caught and imported from Russia and Japan, which are also not making much progress in favour of the orca. It seems that some countries are yet to have their ‘Blackfish moment’. a
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May 2024
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