Imagine being trapped in a confined space your entire life, forced to do unnatural actions. Only receiving your necessities to survive like food when you did as you were told. Then stripped of those necessities when you did not. What kind of thoughts run through your mind when you think of a life like this? These conditions are not something anyone who desires a happy, fulfilled life would imagine. But, this is the life of orcas who are exhibited in marine parks and aquariums. If this isn’t a life you would like to live why should orcas be forced to live a life as such?

It’s easy to just ignore things that don’t affect you directly, but you shouldn’t.We can’t sit around letting living creatures that eat, think, and feel just like humans be stripped of the life they were naturally given. By ignoring what is happening to these exhibited animals we are enabling them from living their natural freedoms. As humans we fight for people's natural rights everyday, especially in America. An orcas rights are no different because they are living creatures just like us. They do not have voice or control over their fate, so we must fight for their right to be free.

Keeping orcas in captivity leads them to a large amount of stress and frustration. It is quite common to see an orca in captivity with a collapsed dorsal fin. 100% of male orcas in captivity have a collapsed dorsal fin. This is a sign of stress or ill health of the animal (SeaWorld Fact Check). Marine parks  claim their orcas are in good health and at peace though this is clearly not the case. Exhibited orcas are in such bad health they are dying prematurely. “Of the orcas held in captivity since 1961—both wild-caught and captive-born—78 percent are dead. Few would be considered old by wild standards if they were still alive” (WSPA 2009). The idea that orcas are in better health in captivity than in the wild is wrong. They are still becoming ill and dying of diseases even with veterinary care at their facilities. The orcas would be better off living in their natural habitat and dying there. Death is inevitable but orcas would live how the Earth intended, away from death by illnesses caught in captivity.

When captive orcas are separated from their family it takes a toll on their emotions. “In the wild children stay with their mothers for life” (PETA 2016). But, in captivity they get separated without a choice - never seeing each other again. This leaves the Orcas depressed and longing for their family members. Mother orcas have been heard crying and sending long distance messages to their young in the wake of their separation (Blackfish 2013). Separating orca families is similar to kidnapping human children, which is illegal, but marine parks and aquariums do it legally all the time. If it isn’t acceptable for these things to happen for humans, it shouldn’t happen to orcas.

Orcas become frustrated living their entire lives in a tank and their treatment within it. The size of the tanks in which they are kept are not equivalent or enough to what they need or would have in the wild. To reach the amount orcas are supposed to swim everyday in the wild “they would need to swim 1,208 laps around the perimeter of the tank in the park’s largest tank ” (Straitiff par. 5). In training to learn different tricks orcas are left without food. Not giving a captive animal food is abuse and disrespectful. Especially when they are unable to feed themselves specifically because they were captured without consent. If they were free the quest for food would be up to them. Small tanks and abuse aggravate the orcas and leads them to lash out. Tilikum (a whale at Seaworld) aggravation has led to him acting out and killing three people and injuring more (Blackfish 2013). If Tilikum wasn’t in captivity he wouldn’t have been upset with his condition and three more lives would still be on this earth.

Orcas deserve to live a free life in the ocean with the rest of their kind. They do not deserve to be exhibited and remain captive forever for entertainment. If you think orcas should be let free you must take action. Speak out against marine parks and aquariums that prevent the natural rights of animals. Protest, write letters to captive animal exhibits or congress, do what is best for you. But do not sit back and let this injustice be done to defenseless creatures.