The Ryan Thomas Collection

I was 10 years old when the move “Free Willy” was released. I fell in love with the movie and found a new love for marine life, particularly whales. Growing up in San Diego, I had the ocean minutes away and down the freeway, Sea World.I had visited Sea World many times before seeing “Free Willy.” Family visits always included this excursion. I loved seeing the dolphins and killer whales up close. After watching this movie, my 5th grade self decided that I could no longer support keeping these beautiful and prestigious killer whales in captivity. The boycott began. I refused to go Sea World from that point forward, and 17 years later, I still have yet to go back.

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My 5th grade boycott also entailed doing research on the negative effects of captivity on killer whales and presenting this to my class in speeches, etc.  I could not possibly stand by my personal boycott without the rightful research. The recent incident involving Tillikum, the killer whale at Sea World’s Orlando park, killing a trainer, brought these memories back to the forefront. All the issues that people discussed around Keiko, “Free Willy’s killer whale star, are coming up again as the animal rights groups, the media and various other organizations discuss holding these massive marine mammals in large pools.

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The debate is fruitful. Holding animals in captivity and allowing people to see them up close helps create a better understanding as to why humanity needs to protect the environment and the animals. It creates a deeper appreciation for nature and broader awareness of how all aspects of nature and humanity truly work together. The research conducted at aquariums and zoos is extremely helpful in creating a better understanding of the world and how to protect. This all makes very clear sense.

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On the flip side, holding whales and dolphins in captivity can be harmful to these animals for a plethora of reasons. For one, these animals use sound to navigate. In an ocean, this sonar activity does not bounce off cement walls and back to the animals. In a tank, it does. There are numerous records of killer whales smashing into tank walls due to this effect.  Another effect of captivity, includes the physical change in the dorsal fin and its vertical form falling  to a side due to swimming in circles. Albeit not harmful or painful, it is a clear indication that these tanks are not suited for these large animals. Lastly, killer whales have been seen displaying unusual behavior not seen in their activity in nature, including masturbation and aggression towards humans. I think about going from the world’s oceans to a bright blue pool and this change can not healthy for a highly social animal.

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Contemplating the idea of keeping animals in captivity and the newly sparked debate of holding killer whales captive, I ponder the difference between holding killer whales captive in Sea World and its difference from keeping elephants in a zoo. Elephants are massive animals that go from having the freedom of roaming large masses of land to smaller exhibits in zoos.  The San Diego Zoo has a family of elephants and I had no problem visiting. So why the difference? I came to the following conclusion.

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Sea World’s problem is that it is profit focused. It acts more like a theme park with animals, rather than an aquarium, with roller coasters, Budweiser beer, training killer whales to do random tricks in an amphitheatre. It is owned by a beer company. It seems more heavily profit focused than research focused, almost as though it claims “research” solely to validate its existence amongst critics. The San Diego Zoo and most zoos seem to be more like a research facility that we are allowed to view. Yes, zoos have shows with trained animals, and yes, they sell souvenirs and such. The end goal of a zoo just seems to be more on protecting animals, helping animals and researching animals. Sea World seems to get lost in the mix of Disneyland, Universal Studios and Six Flags. The San Diego Zoo, and other quality zoos, seem to be more of a living museum. So, is it simply a moral difference; the motive behind the captivity that makes it okay, rather than the actual effects on the animal? I believe so.

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Sea World is not going away and the killer whales currently captive will have  a difficult time being reintroduced to ocean life, so the least Sea World could do is make the killer whale tank look more like an ocean and less like the local community swimming pool. Until something changes, my personal boycott lives on. My 5th grade feelings remain unchanged. What are your feelings about this issue? Here is some CNN coverage to get the mind going…

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Whale photos courtesy of:

free-stock-photos.com & free-stock-photos.co.uk

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