Friday, February 26, 2010

Should killer whales be captive?

Photo of orcas in the wild by Paul Chetirkin/Marine Photobank




Q: What do we know about killer whale intelligence?








What's in a dolphin's tool kit?
Dolphin therapy is all wet
What is the impact of zoos?


  1. I agree 100% with Dr. Marino.
    Orcas are simply inappropriate creatures to keep in tanks and pools, particularly for entertainment thinly masked as supposed "education." This latest tragedy simply underscores this fact.
    We need to phase these marine attractions out, starting now. Unfortunately this will not happen as long as these places remain so lucrative. People need to stop buying tickets.

  2. why do humans believe that everything on this planet is for our enjoyment? They belong in the ocean, just like zoo animals belong in their natural habitats.

  3. Sadly instead of decreasing sales to see these animals abused this will only make ticket sales skyrocket. After all we now know, or rather have been reminded, just why we call them "killer" whales.

  4. Whichever marine biologists thought that showcasing killer whales was an acceptable idea are just absurd.

  5. I don't have a problem with them being kept in parks, but there shouldn't be a big uproar whenever they kill or injure someone. After all, they are wild animals (and quite large). For all we know, the animal was just playing with her and not being aggressive, but we'll never know. No matter how much you think you know how these, or any, animals think, none of us really does (except maybe Dr. Doolittle)...

  6. It is very sad that many people do not value ALL life and ALL living creatures as much as they value the almighty dollar. These animals are magnificent creatures who were never intended to live in captivity for the sake of entertaining the human race. What a pity!

  7. I am quite disgusted by what I have seen at Sea World. They claim to be trying to educate people when really they are nothing more than a circus with the animals being made to perform to attract customers. While I do realize that some species of marine mammals, including some dolphins, do appear to survive well in captivity, that is not the case with orcas. If you take a look at Tilikum, you will notice that he has a collapsed dorsal fin, a feature that is rarely ever observed in wild orcas. In fact, the only time that collapsed dorsal fins occur in wild orcas is when they are ill. These animals are not living healthy, happy lives. Captive orcas have considerably shorter lifespans than they would have in the wild. Considering the magnificence and tremendous intelligence of these creatures I just think that it is inhumane to keep them in small tanks and have them entertain people at the animals' expense.

  8. Some of the animals/ Whales kept in Sea word are in no conidion to be let out in the wild ( People should just let the animals that can not be free not in shows) . But to take them out of the wild and put them in shows I do not agree if you take them out of there natural don't be surprised if they attack !