Pros And Cons Of Animal Captivity
So let’s say that you were an orca or a dolphin and you were held in captivity against your will by another human being, How would you feel about this situation? Well, in the case of many unfortunate aquatic mammals in marine parks and zoos around the world, most of these magnificent animals are held captive in tanks with no room to roam around, or have to deal with being alone, which can trigger stress and aggression. Over the years since the 1960s, the first marine mammals were put into display for entertainment shows in Marine Parks like Seaworld or any other marine parks that was on the globe; around the world, people wondered if captivity was a good or bad idea. By the time the 70s came and movies like “Free Willy” and “Blackfish” being
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These animals can become dangerous because the biggest factor that triggers anger in marine mammals is stress. This is due to the amount of space they are offered and since it’s space is very lacking with interaction and no roaming-space, this can cause psychological damage and can damage the internal organs like the immune system. In the case of orcas, the damage of the immune system will leave them open to infections that they easily fight off in the wild (“Win-Win Solution” 1). Psychological damage can also increase misbehavior of marine mammals and can cause tragic accidents to occur. For example, A survey from the university of California was conducted and the results that came out was there were 251 cases where more than half of marine mammal workers have been injured by these animals (Farinato 35). Some incidents that are notable include the infamous death of Dawn Brancheau, A Seaworld orca trainer, who was pulled into a tank by a killer whale named Tilikum during a Seaworld show; it is still considered controversial if Tilikum was playing or he was frustrated with being captive (Harmon 1). It’s most likely that he was attacking due to frustration because orcas in the wild rarely attack humans, and they are usually extremely friendly with humans when they are encountered. They also have complex brains, and vocal communications like humans do (Gorman 1). When dolphins are captured from the wild, they experience traumatic stress because they never have been in an enclosed space before and they never have moved between two enclosures; thus, stress will increase the chance of a dolphin dying. Even though marine mammals showing signs of aggression is a major controversy when it comes to marine confinement, there are more than one issue
These animals can become dangerous because the biggest factor that triggers anger in marine mammals is stress. This is due to the amount of space they are offered and since it’s space is very lacking with interaction and no roaming-space, this can cause psychological damage and can damage the internal organs like the immune system. In the case of orcas, the damage of the immune system will leave them open to infections that they easily fight off in the wild (“Win-Win Solution” 1). Psychological damage can also increase misbehavior of marine mammals and can cause tragic accidents to occur. For example, A survey from the university of California was conducted and the results that came out was there were 251 cases where more than half of marine mammal workers have been injured by these animals (Farinato 35). Some incidents that are notable include the infamous death of Dawn Brancheau, A Seaworld orca trainer, who was pulled into a tank by a killer whale named Tilikum during a Seaworld show; it is still considered controversial if Tilikum was playing or he was frustrated with being captive (Harmon 1). It’s most likely that he was attacking due to frustration because orcas in the wild rarely attack humans, and they are usually extremely friendly with humans when they are encountered. They also have complex brains, and vocal communications like humans do (Gorman 1). When dolphins are captured from the wild, they experience traumatic stress because they never have been in an enclosed space before and they never have moved between two enclosures; thus, stress will increase the chance of a dolphin dying. Even though marine mammals showing signs of aggression is a major controversy when it comes to marine confinement, there are more than one issue