A Park of Hurt Imagine living in a bathtub filled with harmful substances, no companions or family to socialize with and having to endure violence every day. As people are reading this, twenty-six killer whales are imprisoned at four SeaWorld parks as victims of their fulsome treatment. Many visitors of SeaWorld are incognizant to the reality behind the Shamu show. The amusement park hides behind a mask of care and benevolence, but truthfully it is an abusement park. SeaWorld does not and never will have the right to keep orcas in the palm of their hands, let alone risk their trainers’ lives to have such proximity to a wild, untamed animal.
Killer whales, despite the softness they display in marine parks, are still feral animals who are …show more content…
A neuroscientist discovers that “a particular area of the orca brain is enlarged” (Rutkin). That particular area is the limbic system, where emotions are processed. It is miraculously larger and more complex than a human brain. When the neuroscientist compares the orca brain to a human brain, it is very clear that the killer whale’s brain has much more emotional depth. Orcas form a complex and high social cohesion with their group, putting their family first before themselves. For instance, “...in the case of [some male orcas] if the mom dies they may die as well” (Rutkin). Their social cohesion is a complicated question that remains unanswered, among neuroscientists and marine biologists. When I shared the emotional depth of an orca’s limbic system to my family, they were shocked and even shook their heads in disbelief of keeping such creatures in a tank. Unfortunately, orca groups that are claimed to be families at SeaWorld are only temporary social groups. Instead, calves are separated from their mothers at a surprisingly young age which traumatizes them. In-depth, female calves that are abducted lack maternal experience, causing many female orcas to reject their young. It proves that having no family or friends is also a traumatizing effect on captive
Killer whales, despite the softness they display in marine parks, are still feral animals who are …show more content…
A neuroscientist discovers that “a particular area of the orca brain is enlarged” (Rutkin). That particular area is the limbic system, where emotions are processed. It is miraculously larger and more complex than a human brain. When the neuroscientist compares the orca brain to a human brain, it is very clear that the killer whale’s brain has much more emotional depth. Orcas form a complex and high social cohesion with their group, putting their family first before themselves. For instance, “...in the case of [some male orcas] if the mom dies they may die as well” (Rutkin). Their social cohesion is a complicated question that remains unanswered, among neuroscientists and marine biologists. When I shared the emotional depth of an orca’s limbic system to my family, they were shocked and even shook their heads in disbelief of keeping such creatures in a tank. Unfortunately, orca groups that are claimed to be families at SeaWorld are only temporary social groups. Instead, calves are separated from their mothers at a surprisingly young age which traumatizes them. In-depth, female calves that are abducted lack maternal experience, causing many female orcas to reject their young. It proves that having no family or friends is also a traumatizing effect on captive