The exhibition of animals in amusements parks and other places has led to controversy due to the fact that these animals are in captivity and not in the wild. This controversy is very prevalent in relation to orcas who are being exhibited in marine parks and aquariums. As the youth of society, dealing with situations like animal cruelty may not seem very important. But as the youth of our society, we must take on the responsibility of stopping animal cruelty for all the animals that we share the Earth with. I believe that exhibiting orcas in marine parks and aquariums is wrong, and they should not be captured and taken out of their natural habitat. Taking a wild animal out of their natural habitat will cause their behavior to be negative, and cause potential injury or death to humans or other animals in captivity. This puts the animals in a very dangerous hostile environment, which can cause them to hurt humans or other animals while they are in captivity. I believe that there is no true way to completely justify the use of orcas as entertainment or research, and the deaths and injuries orcas have caused in captivity show even more why they should be in the wild.

In the 2013 documentary film Blackfish directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, displayed the unequal rights animals have compared to humans, and they used many people who worked with orcas to prove their point. The orca, Tilikum, was captured and used in shows at marine parks, and he was not being treated well at all. The film states how “ they would store all the whales together including Tilikum, and it caused tension and made the female whales attack Tilikum leaving him with injuries” (Blackfish). We should see that holding orcas in confined spaces together rather than in the ocean is not only unnatural, but it has the potential to be very dangerous and can cause these orcas to attack one another.

Having orcas in captivity has benefits because we can research. In an article from Mother Jones written by Tasneem Raja, it shows how SeaWorld responds to the backlash they have received due to the release of the Blackfish film. SeaWorld states how their whales in their marine parks are not just used as entertainment, but they are used as research to help with whale reproduction in the wild (Raja par.7). That is one way that there has been research that has been beneficial due to orca captivity in the America. Orcas in captivity do have beneficial effects to their species due to this research. But I feel that as part of the youth of society we must take the positives and negatives of having orcas in captivity, and decide what we think is the justifiable and right thing to do.
But a reason why orcas should not be in captivity is that fbeing in captivity has the potential to shorten their lives. In an article from CNN by Naomi Rose called, “A Win- Win Solution for Captive Orcas and Marine Theme Parks,” she states how orcas are three times more likely to die in captivity compared to orcas in the wild (Rose par.6). This is unfair to the orcas, because their lives are being diminished due to them being held captive in confined spaces, and not in the ocean where they belong. This is further proof as to why I think the exhibition of orcas is unjust and not right.

There are benefits as well as drawbacks to having orcas in captivity being exhibited to people. Having orcas in captivity has provided the ability to research them, and help orcas in the wild. Orcas in captivity can also help the growth of the overall population of orcas, because they can reproduce in captivity and protect the young orcas so that they survive. But the bottom line is that being held in captivity makes orcas’ lives shorter and causes them to be a potential risk to other orcas around them as well as the human trainers. This has been seen through the numerous amount of cases and reports filed on orcas attacking or killing people or their trainers. There is also an abundance of negative health effects that orcas endure due to being in captivity, and one way this is seen is through Tilikum's fin flopping over and no longer staying up straight. Very rarely in the wild will an orcas’ fin flop over, but being held in captivity is causing these negative physical health effects.  Taking an animal out of its wild habitat for our own personal gain is wrong, and that is what companies such as Seaworld is doing. To fix the problem that we have with orcas in captivity, I believe that having orcas in captivity or any exhibition center is wrong. They naturally are more comfortable in their own habitat, which is why I believe that this shows the need to create change. It is up to the youth as well to use our voices to express the need for change to our peers and others around the world. We are the generation that can create the change needed for orcas and other animals in captivity, and our actions have power and we must create this change together. So that orcas get the justice that they deserve, which is to be free of captivity in their natural habitat.