I don’t blame you if you’ve been to SeaWorld because I’ve been there too. Unfortunately, I was 10 and with my parents so I didn’t get much of a say of where I went or not. It’s cool in theory though. You get to see all these big fish do some tricks in the water and depending on where you sit you might be in the splash zone.
The problem with SeaWorld isn’t the price to get in, the parking, or having to walk around all day in wet clothes because your child INSISTED on sitting in the splash zone, it’s the fact that we’re forcing these big, magnificent creatures to be in such tiny tanks for the rest of their lives.
This is a photo of the SeaWorld San Diego park. As you can see the parking lot is huge, while the orcas which are one of the biggest animals in the park live in a habitat that doesn’t even make up a section of the parking lot.
Many of these killer whales are held in captivity for their entire life and they aren’t allowed to be in the proper environment they need to be healthy and survive. An article I found talks about why killer whales don’t belong in captivity and it explains just that. These killer whales act out of boredom and being cooped up in a tiny environment.
There is also a really great documentary called Blackfish that talks about a famous whale named Tilikum. He was in captivity since he was a baby and had a tendency to pull people into the water out of boredom. Tilikum pulled in a SeaWorld trainer back in 2010 and accidentally drowned her. People were furious, but being in captivity for long periods of time will turn these killer whales aggressive. They don’t have any freedom or learn social skills when they only interact with a trainer who starves them and then bribes them with food to perform new tricks.
These whales aren’t getting enough exercise from swimming around in their small pools. Most of these whales kept in captivity are suffering from dorsal fin collapse, which could be caused by the fact they are only given a small space to swim around in, the fact they’re spending more time at the top of the water rather than swimming below the surface, and aren’t getting the same protein from the frozen fish they’re fed compared to the fresh fish they would hunt in the wild.
So, if you’re the type of person that has to see all of these amazing creatures before your life ends, the best way to do it is by seeing them in their natural habitat. It’s also an excuse to take a vacation to a place these creatures are usually found. Don’t give places like SeaWorld your money. They treat their animals like crap and only care about the profit they bring in and not the well-being of the animals.
Alana's Blog 
I remember watching Blackfish years ago and seeing how terribly those Killer Whales are treated. It’s always a shame when you see on the news that a dolphin or orca killed its trainer. It’s sad to see people die because of it, but at the same time they’re wild animals, not show pets. It’s a shame they aren’t doing more for the orcas.
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