Should Seaworld release its Orcas into the Wild?

The Justice League read an article on Kiwi Kids News about Seaworld's Orca programme. They then evaluated the claim "Seaworld should release its Orcas"

Should Seaworld release its orcas into the wild?

Seaworld is a theme park operator famous for its live orca shows. Seaworld has 12 parks across the USA with a total of 29 orcas. Recently there has been a lot of heavy criticism regarding the ethical treatment of these creatures. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is petitioning the US government to force Seaworld to stop breeding orcas and release them into the wild.

PETA and others believe that the orcas should be released because their enclosures are often too cramped. When the animals are kept in small enclosures they get bored and depressed. Signs that an orca is suffering in captivity include when their dorsal fin collapses and hangs down, they also bang their heads and teeth on the enclosure.

The orcas imprisoned by Seaworld often die prematurely too from stress and from other captivity related causes. The orcas held in captivity also have a history of killing their trainers. According to the documentary ‘Blackfish’ no humans have ever been killed by an orca in the wild.

Seaworld defends its orca programme by saying that the orcas would not be able to survive in the wild as they have only been trained in captivity and may lack the necessary natural behaviours to survive (LAtimes.com).

Overall we strongly believe Seaworld should release their orcas. We recommend that they are released in open water enclosures where they can gradually learn the behaviours they need to survive in the wild. We encourage people to not support Seaworld by not attending their parks or shows.