Is sea world meeting the five freedoms for dolphins and killer

whales?

Jeffrey Ventre: But we never told the

public that they broke their teeth on
the concrete and steel enclosures that
they were living in. When I noticed
that 100% of male dorsal fins, and
most of the females were collapsed or
significantly bent.

Carol Ray: food rationing, as theyd call it,

came into play on certain occasions.
generally when there was an important
One faction views SeaWorld as a Garden person or group of people coming to a
What we should enjoy, perhaps, is not
Hilton for killer whales, and the other performance or to the park during the day
their performance, but the mere fact of
views it as a Hanoi Hilton for killer wed be instructed to decrease food
their existence. That, we believe, is
whales. allotments for some animals the day before.
wonder enough.
sort of for extra motivation to put on a
great show.
 Contents page

(Page 3 - 6) Introduction/ Literature review

(Page 7) Materials and methods (Page 17) Future work

(Page 8-10) Results and Evaluation (Page 18) References

(Page 19-23) Appendix

(Page 11-13) Diary of progress

(Page 14-15) Discussion

(Page 16) Conclusion

 Hypothesis/introduction:

This project was aimed at finding out whether seaworld is truly meeting the five needs of the orcas that they are keeping for
public display. The prediction that was made at the start of the project was that Seaworld would not meet the animals five
freedoms but rather far from it. From the research that I have done into this project so far I have seen several scenarios in
which animals have been cruelly treated by seaworld and none so far of how well seaworld have been and are treating their
animals during and after performances.

Literature review:

SeaWorld of hurt brought to us by PETA explain these facts on there website that i have found and researched: Orcas at
SeaWorld spend most of their time floating listlessly at the surface of the water with little to no shade from the hot blistering
sun. In the wild, orcas spend up to 95 percent of their time submerged and would find shade in the depths of the ocean, but
at SeaWorld their tanks are far too shallow. Their deepest tank is 40 feet deepnot nearly deep enough to give them a
reprieve from the harsh elements. Because of this, orcas have perpetual sunburns, which are shielded from the public eye
with the help of black zinc oxide, which matches their skin. Although zinc oxide is also used as a sunblock, orcas almost
always have sunburn before it is applied.

Five orcas currently at SeaWorld were kidnapped from their ocean homes, as were others who have since died. For
example, Tilikum, a 32-year-old orca, was captured at the age of 2 by a marine cowboy. Tilikum wasnt taken from his
natural environment because he was injuredinstead, he was torn away from his family against his will and confined to a
small concrete tank for a hefty profit.
In 1965, the first-ever orca show at SeaWorld was performed by a female orca named Shamu at SeaWorld San Diego.
During Shamus capture, her mother was shot with a harpoon and killed before the young orcas very eyes by a marine
cowboy named Ted Griffin. Griffins partner, Don Goldsberry, later worked for SeaWorld and was assigned to bring orcas
into the park. He continued kidnapping and slaughtering orcas, and at one point, he hired divers to slit open the bellies of
four orcas, fill them with rocks, put anchors around their tails, and sink them to the bottom of the ocean so that their deaths
would not be discovered.

In nature, orcas choose their own mates. But at SeaWorld, orcas are forced to breed on a regular basis. Male orcas are
trained to float on their backs, and their trainers masturbate them to collect their sperm. Females are artificially inseminated
and forced to breed at a much younger age than they would in nature. Katina is used as a virtual breeding machine and is
even being inbred with her own sons.

SeaWorlds corporate incident log contains reports of more than 100 incidents of orca aggression at its parks, often resulting
in injuries to humans and even causing one death by extensive internal bleeding.

Following a 2006 attack by an orca on a trainer at SeaWorld in San Diego, the California Division of Occupational Safety
and Health concluded that it was only a matter of time before someone was killed while interacting with the orcas. A further
investigation into these attacks could have prevented injuries and deaths.

Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 yearstheir estimated maximum life span is 60 to 70 years for
males and 80 to more than 100 for females. The median age of orcas in captivity is only 9.
In captivity, all male orcas have collapsed dorsal fins as adults, which is a sign of an unhealthy orca. SeaWorld claims that
this condition is common and natural for all orcas. However, collapsed dorsal fins are caused by the unnatural environment of
captivity and are rarely seen in the wild. Only 1 to 5 percent of male orcas in some populations (and none in others) have fully
collapsed dorsal fins.

Contrary to popular belief, trainers often have no formal education in marine biology. Their main purpose is to entertain and
put on a good show for visitors, not educate people about the intelligence, social nature, or natural families, foraging
behavior, and habitats of the animals held at SeaWorld.

On January 11, 2012, the USDA issued an official warning to SeaWorld San Antonio for its repeated failure to provide drain
covers that are securely fastened in order to minimize the potential risk of animal entrapmenta violation that resulted in the
death of a sea lion.In March 2013, prompted by PETAs complaint about a child who had been bitten by a dolphin at
SeaWorld, the USDA conducted an investigation and cited the marine park for several violations of the Animal Welfare Act,
including the use of expired surgical materials, some almost a decade old. The USDA also documented that a dolphin tank
and the areas surrounding the orca performance tank were in disrepair and contained cracked and crumbling concrete and
rusty beams that could pose a threat to the health and safety of both the animals and workers. The USDA pointed out that the
unsafe conditions might create a health risk if these pieces of concrete fall off into the pool and get ingested, or if they
become abrasive and that they do not facilitate cleaning and disinfection.
SeaWorld confines whales and dolphinswho often swim up to 100 miles a day in the wildto tanks that, to them, are the
size of a bathtub.
I also researched into mail online and researched into the article named 'Killer whales at Seaworld had teeth removed with
power drills and were left to mourn on own after being separated from young' and found out this information: Since the
1970s, killer whales have attacked 24 people worldwide. Critics claim the animals can become aggressive in captivity due to
higher levels of stress. In November 2006, killer whale Kasatka dragged its handler Ken Peters underwater twice at
SeaWorld Florida during a routine trick. The same killer whale had also grabbed Mr Peters by the foot during a 1999 show
and dragged him in circles.

In 2004 at San Antonio's SeaWorld, another killer whale attacked its trainer repeatedly, leaving him in a serious
condition.Killer whales, the largest species of the dolphin family, eat fish, marine mammals including sea lions, seals and
walruses and are regarded as top of the food chain as they have no natural predators.

I also watched the video provided on this website and found out that the Orca attacked the woman because she had been
riding its back in just a two piece swim suit, this proves to me that Orcas should not be kept in captivity and that they are
wrongly treated.

I looked further into this by watching more videos on these issues, i found out that the same Orca had attacked another
person preciously but the park still reopened to the public and allowed another attack to happen. i also found out just how
dangerous Orcas really are and that their natural instincts play a big part in the attacks, Oras aren't suppose to be riding
or used for entertainment purposes and this is the purpose of these attacks. Some videos briefly spoke about how the
Orcas and Dolphins are made to do tricks and entertain the public multiple times a day and that it is not shown when the
orcas actually receive a break from their performances.
 Materials and Methods:

The materials that were needed for this project were:

A computer so that i was able to do my online research successfully and read up on articles that talk about the issue that i am
researching in detail in order for me to complete my project.

Access to articles discussing my project title whether that means newspaper articles, a blog or perhaps just a website that allows
people to discuss and put research into the page.

I also needed Microsoft Word and Google Drive so that i was able to type up my research for my project and piece it together; as
well as allowing me to copy and paste certain key points or quotes relating to my research.

The methods that i used for this project were:

I planned my time well with this project so that i was able to do enough research on the issue at hand, i spend a lot of time
researching for the project and then put my research into a document on the computer and wrote further on the topic. I wrote
down links for certain websites so that i was able to find them again if extra information would be needed for the project i.e if i
needed to know certain statistics or if that website had very good points i wanted to elaborate on.
 Results and Evaluation

What do i want to find out from my questionnaire?:

My questionnaire is experimental and will help me with my research by answering the questions i will be looking into. From my
questionnaire i would like to find out just how much people really know about my project title and if people need to be a lot more
educated on this matter. It will also show me how many people are actually concerned by my project title and would like to be
able to do something to help.

Questionnaire:
1. How large are the tanks that the whales and dolphins are kept in eg the width and height of the tanks and whether this size
is suitable according to the animals needs and rights.
2. What are the animals food sources and the source of their food, what quantity is it fed and how often a day and at what
times a day and whether this is correct and a healthy diet for the animal according to its needs and rights.
3. What are the animals means of exercise and how often they are exercised also whether this is enough or too much
excercises for the animal as well as if this is a healthy and safe mean of exercise for the animals.
4. How are the animals trained for entertainment in the park and is this ethical for the animals health.
5. Do they place more than one animal into the same tank and is this safe for the animals wellbeing.
6. Is it ethical to keep the Dolphins and Whales in captivity and what are the health concerns with keeping them in captivity?
7. What are the health concerns with keeping Whales and Dolphins from living in the wild e.g Dolphins are very social animals,
what are the concerns in restricting this.
8. Are their animals captive bred or wild caught? If they are wild caught then were they caught in a ethical way?
9. Does seaworld accommodate all of the animals five freedoms constantly and what factors are put in place to make sure they
meet each freedom.
10. What factors are put into place when the animal falls ill e.g is there a specialist vet that cares and treats them when they are
ill.
11. What safety measures are put in place to separate the public from these animals e.g barriers that keep the public from
causing the animals harm and vise versa.
12. How well trained are the staff that manage, care, train and perform with the animals e.g do they possess enough training to
be able to perform and train the animals for the public's entertainment?
13. Is it ethical to train the animals for the public entertainment e.g is it ethical to use Whales and Dolphins for the public's
entertainment and is it healthy for them to learn these tricks and to carry them out.
14. Do the Whales and Dolphins receive enough rest every day for the amount of energy they are using e.g are the animals
over worked without the adequate amount of rest allowed.
15. Do the Whales and Dolphins have the correct water type and the correct amount of water in the tank e.g is the water to
shallow for the animal.
16. Does mating season cause a problem e.g does the animal become frustrated and under to much stress from not being
able to carry out its natural mating process and are there any factors put into place to help the animal during this time and to
ensure its safety so no harm comes of the animal; to much stress could potentially in extreme measures cause the death of the
animal.
Results:

I have attached one of my questionnaires into my appendix to prove my points below. My results have shown me that, as i
thought, nobody really understood what exactly was going on behind closed door at Seaworld, however are concerned with
the factors mentioned in the questionnaire to do with the animal's health and wellbeing and were keen to know what was
happening and whether they could do anything for the animals if they were being mistreated. This is not a new topic and has
been spoken about a lot due to people interested in animal welfare and Seaworld being exposed for their mistreatment and
poor care of the animals.

My questionnaire also shows that people need to be informed of the things going on behind the scenes so that the issue is
able to be helped; people are very uneducated on this issue which leads me to believe that this is why it has been able to
continue for so long without Seaworld being shut down for the mistreatments that take place as people need to be educated
so they are able to speak up on this issue and something could be done about it.

Nobody was able to answer the questions that i provided meaning that i was clearly able to see that people had no
knowledge on this topic.
 Diary of progress

Week one During this first week I am going to be researching into what past employees have said about the
treatment of the Orcas and Dolphins while they were working at Seaworld. By doing this it gives me an
insight into what sort of behaviour is going on behind the scenes that are not available to the public eye.
It will show me any specific incidents that may have occurred linking to my project title, this will also give
me a clear insight as to when the indent happened and if any such chances have happened since this
time to improve or stop the incident happening in the future, the incidents could be anything from the
animals being caged in too small a tank to the animals themselves being underfed and starved.

Week two During the second week into my project I will be researching into the diets of the Orcas and Dolphins in
Seaworld and see if their diets contain the needed nutrients and dietary requirements for that animal. I
will then research into people's opinions on past employees, to get a better insight as to how they feed
the animals, what they feed them and whether or not it is to a correct enough standard to enable a
healthy lifestyle for the animals that will keep them free from stress and harm.

Week three During the third week I am going to be researching into the performances of the Orcas and Dolphins and
whether or not this is actually healthy for the animals or whether in actual fact it is causing them a lot of
stress and harm as it is not their natural behaviours. I will also look into whether their training of the
animals for performing is safe and healthy for the animal or is there any abuse or torture of the animals
taking place in order to train them, again here i will be using quotes and discussions from past
employees to look deeper into this and to see if i can find any incidents where incorrect treatment of the
animals took place or if in fact they are trained to the best standard possible. I am also interested to see
whether or not is it healthy for animals such as Orcas and Dolphins to be trained by humans do to tricks
and shows, so i will also research slightly into this to see if it gives the animals any health implications.
Week four During the fourth week into my project i am going to be researching into what effects being kept in captivity
is being put on these Orcas and Dolphins. For example is it healthy for them to be kept in tanks or does this
actually cause health implications, as both these animals are really social, does it cause them harm to be
kept on their own and to not live in a pack, does it cause them harm that they aren't able to communicate
with others of their kind. I read that the sound waves that these animals give out in order to communicate
with each other bounce of the walls of the tank they are kept in and cause confusion in the animal, i am also
going to look into this slightly to find out whether this is true or not and is this a big problem in keeping
creatures of the sea such as these in captivity, especially alone as the Orcas are kept due to their size.

Week five During the fifth week of my project i am going to be looking into the tanks given enrichment to the animals,
for example whether they have any beneficial factors of enrichment in their tanks and if they do not, whether
this causes them any problems. I will also look into what they have and what they should have and compare
the two to see whether the tank is equipped and healthy for the animal to be housed in, and if not what
changes will need to be made to make the tanks a more suitable living space for the animals. I will also
slightly look into the water used to fill these tanks and whether this is the best possible and healthier water
option for both the Orcas and the Dolphins to ensure that they are being provided with the correct living
conditions and water quality.

Week six During the sixth week of my project i am going to be researching into what safety precautions are put into
place to prevent the public from putting stress onto the animals. For example i will look into if there are signs
to say don't hit or press on the glass to the animals enclosures to ensure that the public do not put any
stress or discomfort onto the animals while visiting them or whether situations such as that are not
monitored and are allowed at Seaworld. I will see what actions or rules are put in place to ensure that the
animal's best interests are always being kept into close consideration by the team at Seaworld.
Week seven During the seventh week of my project i am going to be researching into whether the Dolphins and Orcas
at Seaworld are overworked; are they being made to partake in more performances a day then is healthy
for them and what are the consequences from the animal's point of view. I will also look into whether the
animals show any signs of stress or discomfort from being overworked as well as using the statements of
precious employees to give me a deeper look and a better understanding as to if these animals are indeed
overworked.

Week eight During the eighth and last week of my project i am going to be researching into the life span of the Orcas
and Dolphins kept as Seaworld, i will compare them to Orcas and Dolphins in the wild so that i can see
whether these animals do much better in either the wild or in captivity and as to why. I will also be able to
see the factors that hinder or change the lifespan of the animals in captivity and whether those factors
could be helped or changed in order to make the Orcas and Dolphins lifespans greater, as i suspect that
the lifespan in captivity will be a lot shorter than that of the Orcas and Dolphins that are in the wild free to
carry out their natural behaviours and free from the stress of humans.
 Discussion

My results gathered from my research and questionnaire show me that the public do not really have any idea as to what is going
on behind the scenes of Seaworld but however due to recent events of troubles going on at Seaworld more and more people are
becoming concerned and aware of the welfare concerns of the Orcas, Dolphins and other animals kept at Seaworld for
entertainment.

I have been able to look behind the scenes of SeaWorld through the statements and discussions involving ex employees and
the issues they've seen while working at SeaWorld and with the animals.

Sarah Fischbeck joined SeaWorld San Diego in 2007 as a water quality diver. During her six years with the company, Fischbeck
worked across the park's departments, regularly diving with the animals and performing maintenance on the different exhibits.

According to Fischbeck, SeaWorld was obsessed with secrecy. Departments were encouraged not to talk to each other; if
anything went wrong, the people who saw it were put under gag orders. Injuries or accidents to animals and people were
covered up.

"When we heard about animal sickness or injuries, it was the trainers talking about it before they were gagged," she said.

In one incident, Fischbeck entered the back of the Arctic exhibit to find one of the trainers crying. Corporate had just announced
that they wanted Ruby, a beluga who had a series of disastrous pregnancies, to be bred again, and the trainer knew she could
do nothing to stop it.
"If you speak out against it, you're fired," Fischbeck said. "They would instantly be fired. There's no question. They'd lose
their job."

This was just one of many incidents that I was able to discover from the ex employees of SeaWorld, by looking through these
I was able to draw a firm conclusion that SeaWorld are not treating their animals to the correct standard and do not have the
animals best wellbeing in mind; this is clearly shown in how appalled the ex employees were with how the animals were
mistreated and just seen as objects that make money rather than the sentient beings that they are with rather big needs, that
surely are not being met.

My questionnaire showed me that I will need to do a lot of research into my project title as not very many people have much
knowledge on my project title and were unable to answer my questions due to a lack of knowledge on the topic. This showed
how uneducated people were with the situation and how SeaWorld were able to keep their issues quiet for so long and the
public were unaware and the employees were scared to speak up as were threatened to be fired from their jobs.
 Conclusion

In conclusion i was able to see that people were rather uneducated when it came to issues such as this one as it is all behind
closed doors meaning they would not be aware of the issues and therefore see no need to look into it; this is the problem and
enables issue like this to continue.

I was also able to see from this project the mistreatment of animals at Seaworld, i was able to see the situations that
occurred through ex employees exposing them, this then allowed me to answer the question to this project, that Seaworld
barely meets the five needs of the Orcas and Dolphins that they keep in captivity, showing me that Seaworld have poor
animal welfare and do not correctly care for their animals as they need to be.

It showed me that this issues needs to be greatly discussed in order to improve the welfare for these Orcas and Dolphins so
that they are given the healthy, happy and content lifestyle that they so rightly deserve.
 Future Work

The possible changes that i could have made to this project might have been going to have a look at one for myself so that i
am able to judge the welfare of the animals at the park, taking notes from what i was able to see and having a look for myself
about how they treat the animals.

Another possible change that i could have made is that i could have looked into more cases of mistreatment at Seaworld and
tried to see if any changes had been made in order to either improve the issues or to completely stop it from happening again.

Future work that i could possibly do would be to look up the opinion of professionals and specialists in this area so that i get a
more expert opinion on the issues at hand; giving me a better understanding as to an answer for my project title.

Other areas that i would like to research would include finding more information of the diet of the Orcas and Dolphins at
Seaworld as i was unable to find very much information on this topic as Seaworld seem to be very secretive with what they
are feeding them which only leads me to become more curious as to what they are being fed.
 References

http://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/ten-things-didnt-know-seaworld/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2175966/Killer-whales-Seaworld-teeth-removed-power-drills-left-mourn-separated-
young-claims-shocking-new-book.html

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thedodo.com/amphtml/seaworld-former-diver-speak-out-fired-1502017204.
 Appendix

Name: Shannon Mitchelmore

Age: 17

Gender: Female

1. How large are the tanks that the whales and dolphins are kept in eg the width and height of the tanks and whether this
size is suitable according to the animals needs and rights.

I'm not sure.

1. What are the animals food sources and the source of their food, what quantity is it fed and how often a day and at what
times a day and whether this is correct and a healthy diet for the animal according to its needs and rights.
3. What are the animals means of exercise and how often they are exercised also whether this is enough or too much
excercises for the animal as well as if this is a healthy and safe mean of exercise for the animals.

They perform shows for people in the day a couple of times, there might be other times.

4. How are the animals trained for entertainment in the park and is this ethical for the animals health.

I don't know but they have special trainers to train them.

5. Do they place more than one animal into the same tank and is this safe for the animals wellbeing.

I think they keep Dolphins together but i'm not sure.

6. Is it ethical to keep the Dolphins and Whales in captivity and what are the health concerns with keeping them in
captivity?

I don't think so but i don't know the real answer.

 7. What are the health concerns with keeping Whales and Dolphins from living in the wild e.g Dolphins are very social
animals, what are the concerns in restricting this.

I'm not sure but i think that it does effect them as they can't contact any of their group or kind.

8. Are their animals captive bred or wild caught? If they are wild caught then were they caught in a ethical way?

I'm not sure, i think they might be wild caught but that could be a rumour.

9. Does seaworld accommodate all of the animals five freedoms constantly and what factors are put in place to make sure
they meet each freedom.

I don't personally think that they do.

10. What factors are put into place when the animal falls ill e.g is there a specialist vet that cares and treats them when they
are ill.

I don't know but i think that they would take them to the vets.
11. What safety measures are put in place to separate the public from these animals e.g barriers that keep the public from
causing the animals harm and vise versa.

Not many really that i know of i'm pretty sure you can just go up and touch the glass there might be a little barrier next to the pool
area where the animals perform.

12. How well trained are the staff that manage, care, train and perform with the animals e.g do they possess enough training to be
able to perform and train the animals for the public's entertainment?

I don't know, i should think they were well trained but haven't heard many good things about Seaworld so perhaps the average staff
are allowed to train them.

13. Is it ethical to train the animals for the public entertainment e.g is it ethical to use Whales and Dolphins for the public's
entertainment and is it healthy for them to learn these tricks and to carry them out.

I don't think so but i don't know for sure.

14. Do the Whales and Dolphins receive enough rest every day for the amount of energy they are using e.g are the animals over
worked without the adequate amount of rest allowed.

I think that they could be quite overworked as they do a lot of shows per day.
15. Do the Whales and Dolphins have the correct water type and the correct amount of water in the tank e.g is the water to
shallow for the animal.

I don't know but they seem to be coping and swimming well in the water provided to them so they might possibly have the
correct water quality
.

16. Does mating season cause a problem e.g does the animal become frustrated and under to much stress from not being
able to carry out its natural mating process and are there any factors put into place to help the animal during this time and to
ensure its safety so no harm comes of the animal; to much stress could potentially in extreme measures cause the death of the
animal.

I should think that it really would as they don't really let them mate i don't think as the Orcas are on their own so i don't see how
they would be able to mate but i'm not sure if this really would cause them health or mental issues.