Have you ever wondered where SeaWorld gets their killer whales from?

I was watching a documentary on killer whales at SeaWorld, some of the things that they showed was so heart breaking. These animals are only kept in captivity to make money for their owners.  People pay money to go watch killer whales at SeaWorld, do these people know how these animals suffer?  These animals are not meant to be in captivity, they meant to be free.  They are very social animals and very family orientated. They grieve for their losses just like humans do, as they watch family members and their babies being captured, they look on helpless  as they hear the cries of their babies and family members. They not only capture for use in SeaWorld, there is a lot of senseless killing as well. My heart broke, how can we just sit back and watch?  You can see these animals in their natural environment  go on booked tours, marvel at these amazing creatures.  Please think before you support places like SeaWorld, the cost and pain to these animals that are kept in captivity for our amusement.

The orca, or "killer whale" (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale and is the largest member of the dolphin family. It is highly social and composed of matrilineal family groups. Orcas have long, rounded bodies with large dorsal fins at the middle of their backs. Their black bodies are marked with white patches on the underside and near the eyes.

Orcas feed on fish, squid, birds, and marine mammals. Like dolphins, orcas use echolocation - bouncing sound off of objects to determine their location - to hunt and use a series of high-pitched clicks to stun prey.

Members of orca pods very often work together to catch a meal. Pod members sometimes will force many fish into one area and then take turns feeding or will beach (slide out of the water onto the shore) themselves to scare seals or penguins into the water, where other killer whales are waiting to feed.

Official worldwide populations of orcas are currently unknown, but likely not to be less than 50,000 individuals.




Found in all oceans of the world, orcas are most common in the Arctic and Antarctic and are often spotted off the west coast of the United States and Canada. Orcas are found in both coastal waters and open ocean.

Orcas are highly social animals that travel in groups called pods. Pods usually consist of 5 - 30 whales, although some pods may combine to form a group of 100 or more. Orcas establish social hierarchies, and pods are lead by females. The animals are thought to have a complex form of communication with different dialects (slightly different language) from one pod to another

Orca gestation is 13 to 16 months. A calf is born in autumn weighing almost 400 pounds and measuring up to seven feet in length. A calf will remain with its mother for at least two years

In 1970, more than 90 orcas were stalked and herded into a three-acre net by deafening explosives, speedboats and airplanes at Puget Sound, a deep inlet of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington. Alongside the hired captors was Terry Newby, a young marine mammal researcher (in the red and blue sweater). Images taken by Dr. Newby himself tell the story of the horrific captures that led to a lifetime of confinement and exploitation of orcas in marine parks and aquariums around the world. (scroll to continue)


Confined and desperate, the orcas futilely searched for a way out. Their frantic cries reverberated over the cove and were heard for miles. The squeals, clicks and shrills were so disturbing and deafening that Dr. Newby says that he can still hear their screams today.


Panicked and stressed, the orcas lifted themselves high, hoping to be rescued by their family members outside the nets.

When an older male was present, the captured orcas cried out to him for help, but being in the same predicament, he was unable to do anything.
There was no way out.


Young calves were torn from their mothers inside the pens using speedboats and nets. The helpless mothers could do nothing but watch their children be taken away. They would never see them again.
What happens next is shocking.


Seven frightened young orcas, fighting with everything they had, were pulled closer and
forced into slings.


They never stood a chance in their last attempt to escape and were lifted out of their ocean homes, never to return.


Lolita, one of seven captured orcas, takes a final glimpse at her home and family before she is ripped from the ocean. She is the only living orca from the captures and has spent more than 40 years confined at the Miami Seaquarium.  Goodbye to the life she knew.

The boats delivered the orcas to a dock opposite of Captain Whibey Inn on the north side of Penn Cove. From there they were loaded onto flat bed trucks to be transported to the Seattle Aquarium. Little did they know their suffering had just begun. They were on their way to marine parks around the world, including SeaWorld, to perform and die in tiny cement pools.


The Aftermath
Captures
In Puget Sound between 1970 and 1971 ten orcas were captured from their ocean homes. Half of those were sent to SeaWorld. Some only survived a few months; all died prematurely with the exception of Lolita who still lives at the Miami Seaquarium. During the 15 years of capture in Washington and British Columbia:
275 to 307 whales were caught
55 were transferred to aquariums
12 or 13 died during capture operations



The People Have Spoken
In 1976, Washington State sued SeaWorld for violating its permits during the violent captures, and the court ruled in favor of outraged citizens and Dr. Newby, who testified against the capturing of orcas in Puget Sound. SeaWorld was included by name in the court’s decision prohibiting orcas from being forcibly removed from their rightful ocean home.


Endangered Orcas
Orcas belonging to the Southern Resident orca population in the Pacific Northwest have been classified as endangered and Dr. Newby believes that the mercenary and merciless captures of orcas in Puget Sound contributed to the problem. The National Marine Fisheries Service, in an official report, concurred:


“The capture of killer whales for public display during the 1970s likely depressed their population size and altered the population characteristics sufficiently to severely affect their reproduction and persistence.”


Do Not Support SeaWorld or the miami seaquarium


SeaWorld’s history of confining and exploiting orcas is appalling, including premature orca deaths, avoidable orca injuries, and the death of a trainer. Honor all the orcas torn from their home in the 1970 and 1971 captures and forced to perform at SeaWorld and the other 28 orcas confined today at SeaWorld in Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio and at Loro Parque in Tenerife Spain. Never go to SeaWorld. Ask SeaWorld to immediately set in place a firm and rapid plan to release the animals to protected sea pens that would allow them greater freedom of movement; the ability to see, sense, and communicate with their wild cousins and other ocean animals, feel the tides and waves; and engage in the behaviors that they’ve long been denied.