New Scientific Paper Offers Strong Argument Against Orca Captivity
For years, opponents of captivity have argued with the aquarium industry over whether orcas and other cetaceans should be kept in captivity. Now, a group of expert scientists has published a peer reviewed scientific paper laying out the strong arguments against keeping orcas in captivity.
Published last month in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, the paper should put to rest the lies of the captivity industry that favor the keeping of these large, social and highly intelligent marine mammals in small tanks to do tricks for profit. It should help speed the day when all such tanks are shut down.
The paper points out that there are now 63 orcas known to be in captivity worldwide. They are the third most popular cetacean kept in tanks, after bottlenose dolphins and beluga whales.
Yet, “(d)espite decades of advances in veterinary care and husbandry … cetaceans in captive facilities (e.g., marine theme parks, aquariums, zoos) consistently display behavioral and physiological signs of stress and frequently succumb to premature death by infection or other health conditions. The breadth of available scientific data demonstrates that, by every appropriate metric, captive orcas do not fare as well as their free-ranging counterparts.”
Orcas have one of the largest brains of any animal. The brain is also very complex and accounts for their high levels of intelligence and social interactions. The highly developed areas of the brain that involve emotions are especially important considering the strong lifetime attachments established within orca pods. Captivity removes these complex animals from their own families in the wild to substitute strangers in their tanks. The confines of the tanks themselves are sterile and cannot replace the complex ocean environment. Orcas, like other marine mammals, also have to work for their food – if they do not do the trick, they don’t eat.
The paper goes on to explain the impacts of constant stress on the health and well-being of the orcas, including examples of adverse behaviors seldom seen in the wild, such as logging at the surface, aggressiveness towards other orcas and their human trainers, and chewing on metal gates and the concrete borders of their tanks, resulting in severe tooth damage. Infectious disease accounts for most captive orca deaths, despite considerable effort to intervene with antibiotics and other medications. Boredom, lack of exercise in small tanks, and challenging interactions with trainers and tank mates, is implicated in immune system decline. These stresses often result in infections. Additionally, ulcers can cause considerable problems.
Drugs administered include antacids, antibiotics, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, hardly signs that the orcas are “happy” in their tanks and confinement.
The paper concludes with a long list of scientific references, important guides to scientists and marine mammal advocates for ending the captivity of these very special animals.
The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute is working to end the captivity of dolphins and whales worldwide. We’re dedicated to ending captures in the wild and breeding of these marine mammals in captivity. Existing captives should be retired to live out the rest of their lives in seaside sanctuaries.
