At only two years of age and approximately thirteen feet, an orca whale named Tilikum was captured and put into a big concrete pool at Floridas very own Marine World. He was torn away from his family and later used as profit , a prize whale, a whale thats sperm was beyond fruitful for Marine Worlds corporation. We humans stripped the very thing Tilikum needed in his life, family.

Orca whales do not belong in captivity because they are humangous creatures and can potentially can get hurt being in a swimming pool all their lives. Being held captive can lead to human deaths by trying to domesticate an animal that should not be domesticated. It is incredibly important to know as much as possible about an animal before training, let alone being around it. If we are going to keep the whales in captivity, they should atleast stay in sanctuaries.

On February 20, 1991, Tilikums trainor Keltie Byrne slipped into a pool where Tilikum and two other orcas were and potentionally drowned when the orca pulled her under. Byrne was the first of three people to be killed by Tilikums stress and depression. Articles and newspapers make it seem like the killing was completely Tilikums fault, but if he was never in a 100 ft by 50 ft pool that was only 35 ft deep, these deaths would have never happened.

Over the years, many orginizations and corperations have made an effort to bring justice to the whales. The Whaleman Foundations goal is to “bring the whales and human kind together to perserve  and protect our world.” Manifold people believe in the orginizations objective and greatly support it. They don’t just save the whales that come from marine parks, but all over the world. This organization is a great outlet to get involved with the whales and to make sure they stay out of captivity.

Orca whale sanctuaries are a good way to keep whales that have been in captivity for so long they can not be set free into the wild. These pens are designed to give the whales a large enough space to swim freely, but still keep them safe by having boundaries. There are nets around bays to keep the whales from swimming out into the open ocean. Technically they are still being held captive but experts believe it is for their own good. Since they were held captive for so long, it would be tremendously hard for the whales to just jump back into the open waters. Sanctuaries give them a bit more freedom then being in a tiny swimming pool.

People should take in account that we share this humungous world with many different creatures, including the orcas. Every creature living on earth is here because they serve a purpose and if we humans mistreat them, their purpose is not being served. Going forward, there are many nonprofits that help save the whales by collecting donations and serving the community anyway they can. People should do their research on the topic because it is a problem, not just for the orcas but for many other creatures. I encourage many to look into orginizations that are helping to save the whales and to possibly join one because this issue can use all the support it can get

Work Cited

"10 Things You Didn't Know About SeaWorld - SeaWorld of Hurt." SeaWorld of Hurt. Seaworldofhurt, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.