SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment is widely known as a fun place to visit. Walking around while glancing at the abundant marine animals allows for a fun-filled day. Although a majority of people come for the animal entertainment, the information sessions, or just to walk around the beautiful parks, many people do not know about the main purpose of SeaWorld. In the article, "Corporate Response and Facilitation of the Rehabilitation of a California Gray Whale Calf", Andrews explains that SeaWorld's main goal is to "return sick or injured marine mammals to their natural habitats". SeaWorld prides itself on obtaining marine animals who are in need of assistance and nursing them back to health in order for them to return safely to their natural habitats. This may be the main goal of SeaWorld, but it does not always stick to it. In fact, SeaWorld does not follow this objective for the captivity and release of the orcas, or killer whales. SeaWorld has been capturing orcas from the wild since 1961 and keeps them in captivity for years, usually until death. Orcas are wild animals and deserve to live in their natural habitat, not putting on shows for the public and being held captive in small living spaces, which leads to not only physical but also mental abuse. Orcas should not be held captive in SeaWorld and other marine parks and forced to perform tricks for public entertainment; this behavior is unnatural and create physical and mental abuse for the orcas, which has resulted in human attacks. 

Not only is the behavior of orcas unnatural, but they also experience both mental and physical pain and abuse while held in captivity. PETA's "8 Reasons Orcas Don't Belong at SeaWorld" is an article explaining eight specific reasons how orcas at SeaWorld are being mistreated on a daily basis. Among these reasons are premature deaths, collapsed dorsal fins, tank sizes, fights, and unhealthy diets. In the wild, the average life expectancy of an orca is 30 to 50 years, but "the average age of death for orcas who have died at SeaWorld is 13 years old". All male adult orcas in captivity have collapsed dorsal fins. Although "SeaWorld claims that this condition is common ... in the wild, it rarely ever happens and is a sign of an injured or unhealthy orca".  Orcas are designed to swim hundreds of miles per day. This is impossible to accomplish while being held captive in a tank "the size of a bathtub. They would need to swim 1,208 laps around the perimeter of the tank or 3,105 lengths back and forth at the longest part of the tank in the park's largest tank to equal what they'd swim in the wild". Orcas are also not meant to be forced to live in small quarters with other orcas. The tension and competition for space results in fights between the orcas. Since the tanks are so small, the orcas have nowhere to go, "which leads to injuries and death". Orcas in the wild hunt their own food consisting mainly of fish in large quantities. But SeaWorld is unable to duplicate both orcas' diet and amount. Instead of feeding them fish, "SeaWorld gives them gelatin ... in an attempt to keep them hydrated". PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, does numerous things to help spread awareness and educate the public of the cruelty done to animals in SeaWorld. This article fully explains reasons why orcas should not be held captive and it also provides pictures showing how these reasons directly affect the orcas and how they are physically damaged. Also written by PETA, "10 Things You Didn't Know About SeaWorld" has outlined ten ways SeaWorld puts orcas' lives in danger. This article provides information and pictures to prove that SeaWorld's orcas are not healthy or living correctly. This article gives examples that may not be known to the public. Since orcas spend most of their time floating on the water surface of their tanks, orcas have sunburns. In order to cover this up, workers dye the sunburns with black zinc oxide, which matches their skin color. Trainers also have to masturbate the whales to collect sperm in order to continue breeding within SeaWorld's walls. "Male orcas are trained to float on their backs, and their trainers masturbate them to collect their sperm. Females are artificially inseminated and forces to breed" at the rate of which SeaWorld believes is necessary. The main purpose of this article is to inform the public of the harm that SeaWorld is doing to its orcas. Because many of these issues are internal and SeaWorld does such a great job to cover it up, the general public does not notice any of these problems. The article "The Fate of Captive Orcas" explains the statistics and facts regarding orcas held captive in marine parks around the world, outlining how many orca deaths have been reported from their captivity and how many orcas are continuing to be captured and brought into marine parks. It has reported that "at least 150 orcas have been taken captive from the wild since 1961" and put on display in marine parks around the world (WDC). Since SeaWorld breeds most of its orcas, more then 150 have been resided in marine parks across the globe. But the harsh treatment and living conditions have caused at least 163 captive orca deaths. This article is written by the WDC, or the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. This organization is the leading global charity dedicated to protecting these animals and defending their rights. WDC's core belief is that all whales and dolphins have the right to live in their natural environment as they were meant to be, and not have their lives determined by humans.

Among the physical and mental abuse of captive orcas comes consequences. Because of the unfamiliar and unnatural living conditions in SeaWorld and other marine parks, some orcas have lashed out and which resulted in human casualties. Among the numerous orca attacks that have happened in the past, the most well-known is about the performing killer whale named Tilikum. Tilikum had been involved in "three of the four human deaths attributed to killer whales in captivity" according to ECM Parsons's academic article, "Killer Whale Killers". These incidents created tensions and worried regarding the "potential and specific dangers ... killer whales pose to trainers" (Parsons). The Netflix documentary, Blackfish, mainly focuses on Tilikum and his attacks. Tilikum was the whale involved in the 2010 SeaWorld accident involving the death of Dawn Brancheau. Throughout the documentary, the living situations of Tilikum is discussed and how he was forced to perform for crowds of people. Dawn Brancheau was a notorious orca trainer and performer in the Orlando SeaWorld. In a recent interview conducted by Simon Worrall in the National Geographic, former orca trainer, John Hargrove, speaks out against what he witnessed while working at SeaWorld. Hargrove was working at the Orlando SeaWorld at the same time as Brancheau and actually witnessed her death by Tilikum. In the interview, Hargrove mentions that "[Tilikum] had a great relationship with [Brancheau], and she had a great relationship with him. I do believe that he loved her, and I know that she loved him." Tilikum and Brancheau were not only a great performance pair, but they got along throughout training as well. But at one show, Tilikum decided not to listen to Brancheau. Instead, he "dismembered her.  He tore off her left arm and scalped her. Her scalp and full head of hair were on the bottom of the pool. He severed her spinal cord," says Hargrove. The trainers actually had to physically take Brancheau's body away from Tilikum. This event is tragic because there was no sign of this happening. As Hargrove mentioned before, Tilikum and Brancheau were very fond of each other and there had never been any problems prior to her death. This incident shows that forcing orcas to perform shows mentally hurts them and may be the cause of these human accidents. In response to the human attacks, other organizations are petitioning to have their affiliation with SeaWorld be removed. According to "Biodiversity News" in May of 2014, a petition had been signed by over 27,000 people "calling Southwest Airlines Co. to relinquish its partnership with SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. due to the marine theme park's treatment of its killer whales and other marine mammals." Similarly, Change.org has asked SeaWorld to release its orcas and dolphins which it holds in captivity. Both of these petitions involve big companies, which is not good for SeaWorld's publicity. The release of Blackfish sparked a lot of commotion regarding how SeaWorld captures and sells its marine animals and since two companies have already realized the cruelty SeaWorld does and do not want to be a part of it, other companies may continue to do the same.

A major notion currently popular is how SeaWorld should change its orca program. There are many people who believe setting the orcas free into the wild is best for the animals, but others believe otherwise. There is one idea floating around about putting captive orcas in sea pens. Sea pens are netted off areas in ocean sea coves. Sea pens allow orcas much more room to live and swim, while permitting only one orca per pen. Hugo Martin's article "Are SeaWorld's Whales Better Off Staying in Their Glass-and-Concrete Enclosures?" is about whether or not whales currently held captive in SeaWorld would actually be better off if they were set free. Within the article, he has gotten reviews from many marine biologists with differing opinions on this topic. Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute stated that "[Orcas] are not good candidates for release to the wild, either because they were born in captivity or because they have been in captivity for a very long time." Similarly, Chris Dold, the lead veterinarian for SeaWorld Entertainment agrees with Rose. Dold said, "They would not be better off in sea pens than where thy are not. We would not ever feel comfortable putting our whales into that setting." Him and other SeaWorld supporters then explain how "sea pens could expose whales to ocean toxins, viruses, and harsh weather that long-captive whales can't withstand" (Martin). Since these orcas were raised in captivity, they are not exposed to the normal bacteria present in oceans. Although the bacteria are not detrimental to orcas born in the wild, the sudden exposure would kill the orcas previously held captive. On the contrary, David Phillips, the executive director of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, is all for the sea pen movement. He has even developed a plan to transport all currently captive orcas into sea pens: use a "giant stretcher hooked up to a crane to lift the whale from its pen. Then, a flat-bed truck with a specially made cradle would haul the whale to Miami-Dade International Airport, where it would be loaded onto a commercial carrier or military aircraft," (Martin). The major problem with Phillips's idea is the cost. He estimated it will cost roughly $200,000 just for transportation alone, along with around $1.5 million to care for the whales for the first year in the sea pen. Although this is the ideal situation, it is highly unlikely because of the high expenses. Another plan made was proposed by Adam Schiff, a Congressman from Southern California. In Kelsey Warner's article, "Orca Protection Bill Would Put an End to SeaWorld's 'Shamu Shows'", Schiff explains how he is proposing a bill that would end the capture of wild orcas and breeding within SeaWorld and stop the importing and exporting of orcas around the world. In a statement, Schiff said, "If approved, the Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement (ORCA) Act would in effect ensure 'that this will be the last generation of orcas who live in captivity'." The ORCA Act will forbid both capturing orcas from the wild and breeding and raising them in captivity. In the end, this bill will close the orca exhibits in SeaWorld. 

There are many reasons why SeaWorld should close its orca shows and many people and organizations are now realizing this. In fact, SeaWorld itself is taking steps in favor of the public regarding this issue. Ann O'Neill's article, "SeaWorld Can Expand Tank but Not Breed Whales" is about how SeaWorld proposed to the California Coastal Commission to expand its pool "from 5.8 million gallons to 9.6 million gallons, include[ing] orca-friendly pools 50 feet deep that contain spots where the killer whales can rub and scratch themselves" (O'Neill). The Commission unanimously approved this $100 million plan as long as they agree that SeaWorld "cannot breed any of the 11 whales in captivity in California" (O'Neill). SeaWorld did not immediately agree with these terms, but rather decided to take their time to review and consider the options proposed. The most recent article released in the media is regarding how SeaWorld plans to eliminate the killer whale shows. In Kate Gibson's CBS News story, "SeaWorld Draws Curtain on Killer Whale Shows in San Diego" the decision was made in November 2015. SeaWorld's president and CEO, Joey Manby, stated that, "In California, [guests] want experiences that are more natural. The theatrical production of the show in that market is what they wanted to see less of." The guests of the San Diego SeaWorld wanted to see more of a natural depiction of orcas and their living conditions instead of lavish and unnatural shows. Manby said, "2016 will be the last year of our theatrical killer whale experience ... in 2017 we will launch an all-new orca experience." Although the San Diego SeaWorld has made this decision, it is still unclear if the SeaWorld locations in Orlando and San Antonio will adopt similar or duplicate policies.

In conclusion, orcas should not be held captive in SeaWorld or in any other marine parks and forced to perform for public entertainment. This captivity is detrimental to both their physical and mental health, which has resulted in human casualties. There is evidence that SeaWorld mistreats its orcas while they are held in captivity in every aspect of their lives. They are mistreated not only during shows and training, but also during everyday necessities such as diet and protection. These living conditions have lead to orca attacks on humans and having fatal results as bad as death. There are also many plans regarding how SeaWorld should improve its orca experiences and SeaWorld is actually listening to the public and ending the theatrical orca performances. A lot of negative attention is brought onto SeaWorld because of the harsh conditions it keeps its orcas in. But SeaWorld does a lot of positive work for the marine and zoological environment. As one of the leading and largest marine organizations, SeaWorld is also responsible for a great deal of research and rescue. Without SeaWorld, the zoological community would not have made the advances and information it is provided with today.

