number 13 family units are smashed although we might think that all orcas are the same they
actually come from very intricate and specific family units orcas are matriarchal meaning
that the dominant female of the group influences each pod these pods are extraordinarily clannish
developing their own communication methods and staying with each other through
thick and thin when orcas are snatched from the ocean and forced into captivity
these family units are pulverized leading to serious trauma for the captured orcas
and the orcas left behind since many orcas are stolen when they are young this is incredibly
stressful for their mothers and other members of the pod since male orcas are notorious mama's boys
not leaving their mother's side until they reach maturity separating familial pods is
a cruel practice orcas are the most social animals on earth even more so than humans
number 12 their body structure suffers go look at orcas in the wild one of the first things
that you will notice is that they have a strong proud dorsal fin that slices through the waves
now check out the orcas in captivity unlike their wild counterparts captive orcas don't
have a straight dorsal fin instead their fins are slumped over lacking the necessary collagen
required to stand up tall dorsal fins aren't made out of bone instead they're fused from
thick collagen which is fortified by exercise and the movement of gliding through miles of ocean
take away the exercise and the sea and you have one depressed looking dorsal wild orcas boast
six foot tall dorsal fins but sadly a terrible diet cramped living conditions and overall
stress can cause these lofty fins to flop in captivity number 11 their diet suffers out in
the wild orcas have their pick of the seas as the largest dolphins in the water orcas can feast on
small fish big fish or even sharks they pick and choose what appeals to their palate most and dine
on marine treasures from both chile and tropical waters not so much in captivity the reigning lords
of sea world or marine land don't care too much about giving their orcas a varied diet
or even allowing them to experience the thrill of the hunt instead orcas are fed dead fish
this bland diet of dead prey is not what orcas are accustomed to nor does it give them any kind
of stimulation number 10 they can't exercise in the wild orcas get as much exercise as they want
since they routinely swim up to 100 miles per day in the open ocean wild orcas are fit
and muscular unfortunately in captivity it's a very different story captive orcas are limited
to swimming in circles around their tanks or performing dull tricks for the public
they don't get the level of stimulation or exercise that they get in the great vast open seas
and it leads to a deterioration of their mental and physical health some proponents of keeping
these creatures captive say that orcas don't need to cover hundreds of miles of ocean to be healthy
technically they're right but the link between physical exercise and mental happiness is well
proven in intelligent species to their credit sea world did recently build an underwater treadmill
for its captive orcas which we suppose is a small start number nine they can't migrate and travel
confining orcas to itty-bitty tanks is effectively a jail sentence for the hefty mammals they
spend the vast majority of their natural lives exploring all of the furthest reaches of the ocean
orcas love to migrate and travel often wandering close to 700 miles per week throughout the seas
since their habitat is the wild ocean they can live virtually anywhere orcas enjoy nearly
unparalleled freedom of motion in the sea recently scientists tracked a group of orcas
and were amazed to determine that they migrated from brazil to the antarctic peninsula and back
traveling continuously in their pod across warm and cold water
not so in captivity even the most massive tank wouldn't meet the needs of travel loving orcas
and most are woefully inadequate enough to facilitate even one day of swimming number eight
orcas don't all speak the same language we tend to think that orcas all look the same and they all
speak the same language this is far from the truth orcas communicate in dozens of different languages
and each pod has its own personal slang and dialects orcas live in echo types units that
have different social habits diets and languages in each echo type is a pod a family of orcas led
by the head female these echotypes evolved organically over time beneath the waves
and it's both foolish and insensitive to put orcas from different ecotypes together
some ecotypes are so different that scientists classify them as variations on the same species
mash up these ecotypes and you'll see sparks fly not the good kind captive orcas constantly fight
sometimes inflicting horrific damage on each other because they are forced to coexist unnaturally
number seven their lifespans are slashed orcas don't live very long in captivity probably due
to stress boredom and depression in the wild these impressive creatures tend to mimic our lifespans
healthy female orcas can live up to 100 long years and males live to be 80. although this is on the
higher end of their lifespan orcas generally reach at least 55 years old in the wild captive
orcas see their lifespan slashed dramatically with many of them living to be only 14 years old
number six their health deteriorates take the orca out of the ocean and watch the amazingly painful
process of their health and wellness deteriorate beyond belief this is one of the biggest
atrocities of using orcas for human entertainment and a crime against the animal kingdom although
nobody knows for certain we estimate that at least 160 orcas have died in captivity
since they were first pulled out of the world's waters this doesn't even count stillborn deaths or
those who died of preventable health conditions the most common sign of a significant problem
is a collapsed dorsal fin which indicates poor diet and lack of exercise captive orcas have
terrible teeth a sad byproduct of gnawing on their cage bars they also suffer from ailments like
pneumonia and antibiotic resistant infections some get battered and bruised by fellow orcas
who gang up on them out of frustration overall it's a sad and tragic state of affairs
number five they're kept in cramped tanks free orcas have the run of the ocean
zipping around from sea to shining sea with ease but in captivity that's a whole other story
although we puny humans might think that the big tanks used to house orcas are large enough
for the mammals it's a much different story when you weigh up to 12 000 pounds it's the
equivalent of keeping a grown human locked in a small bathroom for their entire life
and as you can imagine there are serious consequences orcas go crazy in captivity
and are known to gnaw on the metal bars in their tanks to alleviate stress
aggression or boredom they also swim in circles growing more and more depressed as the years pass
number four they get zero stimulation orcas like all intelligent animals need stimulation in order
to be happy notorious sea world resident tilikum was once described as the loneliest whale in the
world after he defiled and drowned don branchow his trainer tilikum didn't kill branchow out of
natural aggression but a lifetime of abuse at the hand of his human captors and fellow orcas
his tale is a sad cautionary story about what happens when we interfere with nature
tilikum's tale of woe is far from alone as many problem orcas get the same cold shoulder
being isolated from their peers and given very little attention animal activists advocated for
tillakum and other orcas like him requesting that they go to a humane sea pin to live
as opposed to small tanks tragically telekom died in captivity in 2017 but his story sparked
enough outrage for us to start looking at the way we treat these big beautiful beasts
number three they are treated like breeding machines captive orcas are continually being bred
with one another not only do their offspring never know the joy of the full breadth of the open ocean
but the breeding process is cruel in and of itself wild orcas swim in pods and have very
elaborate social systems that designate who they choose to mate with and why
captive orcas don't have these choices orcas from different pods are regularly inseminated
with many female orcas forcibly impregnated several times during their short lives sea
world and marine land are essentially puppy mills for killer whales cranking out calves at
breakneck speeds without much care for the animals themselves in the wild female orcas generally give
birth at age 15. in captivity they are inseminated at age eight and immediately separated from their
calves after giving birth this inhumane practice fosters separation anxiety and depression
number two they are highly intelligent perhaps one of the most damaging aspects
of keeping orcas captive is that they know exactly what's happening to them
orcas are exceptionally intelligent animals and their brains are four times bigger than ours
orca brains clock in at an average of 12 pounds the product of a millennia of years of evolution
way longer than our short time on the planet some speculate that orcas are more cognitively advanced
than humans and they are undoubtedly able to do what we can do with ease set up complex
familial structures and develop language orcas are not just majestic marine animals
they are also exceptionally smart and capable of social interactions on par
with people so why is it fair to keep them locked up in tiny watery jail cells
number one they become dangerous wild orcas are not dangerous to humans
in fact there are few if any documented attacks of orcas on people in the open
seas orcas are ticking time bombs in captivity regularly attacking trainers and causing mayhem
in their tiny tanks one of the most famous orcas gone bad is tilikum who killed three people due to
stress and exhaustion tilikum's story is heartbreakingly documented in the movie blackfish
which makes the impassioned case that the constant pressure of performing and cramped quarters make
orcas go insane and lash out tilikum's tale is a tragedy not just for the people he drowned
but for tilikum himself and all the other orcas wasting away in minuscule tanks
in fact dozens of people have been gravely injured or died as a result of interacting with captive
orcas which is what possibly earned the creatures their nickname killer whales thanks for watching
would you rather see the remaining orchid population kept in captivity
or be forced to eat dog food for the rest of your life let us know in the comment section below