Audience: Customers of SeaWorld

Research Argument
Megan Kearbey
University of Texas at El Paso

Introduction/Main Claim
Animal abuse is a growing epidemic worldwide and sadly people pay to see this abuse
that is going on. SeaWorld has been abusing animals since 1964. This abuse wasnt exposed until
2013, when Blackfish was released. Blackfish is a documentary that tells the story of Tilikum, a
killer whale used for performances that has killed 3 people while in captivity. This emotionally
wrenching story challenges people to consider their relationship to nature and reveals how little
humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentimental sea creatures.
Since the documentarys release SeaWorld has lost millions in profits (84%) due to people
realizing the heart breaking entertainment that awaits them. Since the release of Blackfish,
there has been a huge drop in attendance and stock prices of SeaWorld. At the end of last month,
SeaWorld shares dropped a staggering 5.1% in one week. SeaWorld should release its
performance animals back into the wild because its inhumane for the sea creatures to be forced
to live in captivity which is shown not only in blackfish, but in recent studies and even at the
park in person. SeaWorld is crashing.
Confirmation
SeaWorld is known for lying straight to peoples faces. In an interview a SeaWorld trainer
told the reporter that collapsed dorsal fins are normal. All the captive adult male orcas at
SeaWorld have a collapsed dorsal fin, and the company has said that this is a common and
naturally occurring problem. The truth is that this rarely happens to wild orcas (less than 1
percent), and when this does happen, it means that theyre injured or sick (SeaWorld of Hurt.
2014. p. 1). In the same interview the trainer to the reporter that captive orcas life spans are
equivalent to those in the wild. Granny, a wild orca who was spotted off the coast of Canada in
May 2014, is 103 years old. Other wild orcas have been known to live as long as 90 years old,

only five of the captive orcas at SeaWorld are more than 30 years of age. Most of them die in
their teens, with the median age being 9 years old, and not a single captive orca has ever died of
old age (SeaWorld of Hurt. 2014. p. 6). Sadly, if you were to ask for a tour of the tanks at
SeaWorld, these are just some of the many lies they would try to make you believe. This happens
on a daily basis. There have been over 30 recorded accidents involving the orcas and the trainers.
And finally after the 3rd death of a human, SeaWorld finally did something to help the trainers
from being hurt even more. It took 3 deaths for SeaWorld to finally do something. "Do you
really believe its acceptable that we rip these animals from their natural families in the wild,
killing some of their family members in the process, then put them in concrete pools, for a
corporation to make enormous profits and for people to be entertained?" (Beneath the Surface.
2015. p. 45). In this book a former trainer talks about his life stories and his career at SeaWorld.
He was also in Blackfish, he talked about how SeaWorld was running things and how what they
do and stand for is morally not okay. All the books written about killers whales in captivity talk
about how wrong it is and how almost all the whales have put trainers in danger. It was a
trainer. Young girl named Keltie Byrne, a championship swimmer from Victoria. She had slipped
by the pool and the whales took her into the water. It took them 2 hours to recover her body
(Death at SeaWorld. 2012. p. 20) Killer whales do not belong in a tank. They need to be in the
wild, not forced into a bathtub. There are no recorded killer whale attacks in the wild, only in
captivity. Because of the stress involved in being deprived of everything that is natural and
important to orcas in captivity, orcas have attacked and killed three humans just since 1991 and
many others have been injured. In the wild, orcas have strong social bonds that last for life, their
social rules prohibit serious violence against each other, and when fights do occur, they can find
space to flee. In captivity, theres nowhere for them to go, which leads to injuries and death.

Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 years. The average age of death for
orcas who have died at SeaWorld is 13 years old. SeaWorld confines orcas to tanks that are
equivalent to the size of a bathtub. They would need to swim 1,208 laps around the tank in the
parks largest tank to equal what theyd swim in the wild. Orcas suffer mentally and physically
just to line SeaWorlds pockets.
Refutation
I saw my first SeaWorld show when I was 6, but I didnt find it amazing until I swam
with the bulooga whales when I was 15. That was the day I decided I wanted to be a marine
mammal veterinarian at SeaWorld. I think this is a similar feeling almost every child gets when
they see such a remarkable thing taking place right in front of their eyes. I can see why having
whales in captivity can be a good thing. If it werent for these kind of conservations we wouldnt
have been able to see the majestic animals so close. There is a big difference from watching
whales from a big boat in the wild and seeing them up close and being able to touch them and
feed them. Blackfish focuses on a handful of incidents over SeaWorlds long history at the
exclusion of everything else. There wasnt an interview with a guest who was inspired and
enriched by their experience with killer whales at SeaWorld. There was not one word about the
thousands of ill, orphaned and injured animals rescued by SeaWorld or the millions of dollars
they dedicate to supporting conservation and research. The film relies deeply on the uncertain
reflections of scientists who have aggressively campaigned against marine mammal display for
decades, and have no expertise with killer whale behavior in captivity. Although Blackfish is a
powerful and emotionally moving piece of activism, it is also shamefully dishonest, deliberately
misleading, and scientifically inaccurate. SeaWorld hasnt collected a killer whale from the wild
in more than 35 years; more than 80% of the killer whales at SeaWorld were born there or from

other zoological facilities. SeaWorld claims the film is nonsense, but they havent fully
addressed the issue of whether orcas are suitable for captivity. Other trainers have also spoken
out against the film. Two trainers who contributed to the film have now come out strongly
against it. The trainers believe that Blackfish omitted counterarguments in favor of emotional
manipulation to make a better story. The goal of the film shouldn't have been to shut down
SeaWorld, it shouldve been used to be seen as opportunity to improve the lives of the whales
SeaWorld is dedicating their lives to.
Conclusion
Theres no denying Blackfish is a powerful documentary. They focus on the mistreatment
of orcas by SeaWorld and other such marine mammal parks for human entertainment, the
captivity of these animals is something that needs to continually be addressed as it has been for
several years. There is also some concerns that Blackfish didnt use their facts properly and that
they misused their information. SeaWorld worked long and hard to create the illusion of being a
conservation organization that housed happy, healthy marine animals. Luckily, Blackfish
shattered many of the lies that SeaWorld has been telling for years. While theres no hiding from
the truth now, SeaWorld is still hoping that people will buy into the myths its fabricated. Orcas
kept in confined spaces can develop violent behavior and breeding captive whales can pass on
these developed and dangerous traits. Since 1961, 141 orcas have been captured. Out of those
141, 125 of them are now dead. The median lifespan of those 125 captive orcas was
approximately four years. These small facts are heartbreaking because no whale should have to
go through these kind of things. Seeing a killer whale show at SeaWorld is one of the most
beautiful things ever. If youre not in awe, youre in disbelief. There will never be a grey matter
for this type of argument, its either black or white. I remember watching Blackfish in my living

room with my mom and I could see my dream career crashing right before my eyes. It was a very
devastating experience for me. I loved SeaWorld, but I couldnt support what they were doing
and how they did it. There is a sense of wonderment when you watch the killer whale show at
SeaWorld, but now just the thought of it is so painful.

Reference Page
Hargrove, J., & Eoan, H. (2015). Beneath the surface: Killer whales, SeaWorld, and the truth
beyond Blackfish (1st ed., p. 264). New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kirby, D. (2012). Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity
(1st ed., p. 480). Brooklyn, New York: St. Martin's Press
Death Toll Rises At SeaWorld. Original Baby Shamu, Kalina is 4th Orca Casualty This Year (The
Orca Project) Retrieved from https://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/deathtoll-rises-at-seaworld-kalina-fourth-orca-casualty-this-year/
Former Trainer Slams SeaWorld for Cruel Treatment of Orcas (National Geographic) By: By
Simon Worrall, National Geographic (2015) Retrieved from
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150329-orca-blackfish-seaworld-dolphinskiller-whales-ngbooktalk/
'Blackfish' film ignores SeaWorld's benefits to conservation, research - CNN.com (CNN)
Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/opinion/seaworld-blackfish-controversy/
11 Facts Everyone Should Know About Orca Captivity (BuzzFeed) (2014) Retrieved from
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/facts-you-should-know-about-orcacaptivity#.doGP63Aqg