Orcinus Orca (Killer Whale)

What exciting things does one learn from viewing captive orca at Seaworld Orlando? That Katina, a mother of 7, lives with only 2 of her offspring? That the other 5 were taken from her, and of those 5, 3 are dead? That Tilikum is considered responsible for 3 human deaths, including the brutal death of a trainer at that very facility only a handful of years ago?  That Makaio, merely 4 years old, has almost completely destroyed his teeth, likely due to chewing tank walls and bars? That trainers now wear “spare air” in case one of the whales tries to drown them again? Those are just a few of the fun facts you should be privy to as you watch the whales slowly circle their featureless tank - but you won’t be. Instead you’ll be told that the animals are happy and thriving. (“Not dying as much as they used to” might be more accurate, but considering how many whales died to get us here - for a marine circus show in an amusement park - that hardly seems like cause for celebration.) Seaworld has no problem distorting the facts and truth of the situation for the sake of making sure you don’t think to question the 5th, 20th, or 100th lap a whale makes in the barren span of concrete-walled blue it unfortunately calls home. Please don’t buy a ticket or support Seaworld until it moves away from these archaic practices. 

Photo by Ashley Keegan (x)