Slavery (noun): When an individual is removed from his or her home by force, imprisoned, made to work, and forever denied their freedom. The offender: SeaWorld.

    SeaWorld has captured the attention of many after the premiere of BBC’s Blackfish, a documentary detailing the horrors of life in captivity for orcas. These huge, formidable creatures, at the top of the food chain in the ocean, are highly social, intelligent mammals. Different pods even speak different “languages,” and are highly transient and closely knit. Captivity destroys everything that makes these animals living, conscious beings.

    Hunters from SeaWorld attack pods by encircling them and picking out the weakest, youngest whale, tearing them away from their families and putting them in tiny containers where they can’t move until they become effectively sedated. They are forced to swim in only one direction in cramped concrete tanks, which is why their fins flop over to one side. This is extremely rare in a natural environment.

    Orcas have a life expectancy of 80-100 years in the wild, but only up to 20 years in captivity. Whales die from diseases and suicide in their cages, kept prisoners from a young age. They are forced to perform circus tricks, taught by trainers withholding food until the orca performs the trick properly. Isolated by language barriers and tortured by forced behaviors, the orcas are induced into psychosis. They go crazy.

       There are no known records of killer whales attacking humans in the wild. But in SeaWorld, aggression by frustrated, terrified, isolated, and abandoned orcas is common. SeaWorld has turned orcas into breeding machines and circus animals for profit, kidnapping them and killing members of their herds to cause rapid deterioration of the animal’s spirit.

    Orcas aren’t the only fish damaged by the SeaWorld environment. Although it’s cute, scientific studies have shown that humans swimming with dolphins causes the dolphins extreme stress and disrupts normal behaviors such as feeding, resting, and caring for their young. Imagine being kidnapped and confined to a bathtub for the rest of your shortened life.

    Senior Victoria Johnson is horrified by this. “I am fully opposed to fully abled animals being stuck in tanks or cages. It’s just wrong!” The animals are bored, lonely, and driven to insanity, as everything natural has been violently taken away from them. It’s animal cruelty.

    If this sickens you, boycott Sea World and increase awareness. If people stop going to Sea World, then it will have to shut down. Sign petitions, start rallies, and pressure policy makers into forcing a legislative shut down of Sea World. PETA has recently brought a lawsuit against SeaWorld for violating orcas’ right to freedom and enslaving the animals.

    Due to legislative and economic pressures as well as rapidly declining ticket sales, SeaWorld has been forced to sell thousands of shares of the company’s stock. SeaWorld is on the decline, and now its gates needs to be closed for good. You can watch the documentary and talk about it for a few days, or you can do something about it! Visit http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/case-against-seaworld.aspx for more information.