Since 1961, orca whales have been held captive against their own free will. According to “The Fate of Captive Orcas,” killer whales are not healthy and they die faster in captivity. SeaWorld continues to have orca shows in present day, even though these whales are suffering by living in an unnatural environment.

Orca whales should not be exhibited in marine parks and aquariums due to the horrifying conditions they live in. Just like humans, orcas live on this planet too and deserve to live freely; however, these whales would suffer if they were released into the wild. They would have a difficult time adapting to the ocean since they have been kept in captivity for so long. An alternative option to freeing the whales immediately is to retire and rehabilitate orcas by creating sea pen sanctuaries. According to Naomi A. Rose, who wrote the article, "A Win-win Solution for Captive Orcas and Marine Theme Parks,"  in order to prevent the whales from becoming agitated, “public interaction with the animals is usually minimized.”

Orcas are unhealthy in captivity. Since they are large creatures, they cannot swim for long distances in the tiny tanks they live in at aquariums and marine parks. Rose claims, “The largest orca tank in the world is less than 0.0001% [compared to] the size of the smallest home range of wild orcas.” Since their space is so confined, this makes them extremely unfit. Many orcas deal with chronic stress due to the social groups they are put into. They have no choice to roam freely and meet new whales; they are stuck with the same trainers and other killer whales for years. Since orcas become frustrated by living in these horrendous conditions, “they often break their teeth chewing compulsively on metal gates,” states Rose. Their broken teeth allows bacteria to enter their bloodstream, which essentially kills them. Because of how unhealthy the orcas are, “Orcas are more than three times as likely to die at any age in captivity as they are in the wild,” Rose cites from a recent study. Keeping these miserable whales in tight spaces does not benefit them at all. Orcas are held captive purely for entertainment purposes.

In captivity, orcas are forced to mate with a selective amount of whales. Most of the time, inbreeding occurs between orcas, which can risk their health. According to Lindsay Patton, the writer of “Why Breeding Dolphins and Orcas in Captivity Is a Horrible Idea,” “An example of this sort of inbreeding is Katina, the killer whale, who was impregnated by her own son, Taku, in 2006.” In order to continue orca shows at SeaWorld, they breed the whales at young ages, such as eight and ten years old! This disturbs their natural lifecycle. 

Due to the frustrations that orcas have from being held in captivity, they display aggressive behavior. It is a known fact that orcas have attacked their trainers before. Patton states, “SeaWorld has had over 100 “incidents” involving captive orcas and staff.” This proves that it is dangerous for trainers to be around orcas. One of the most remembered killer whale attacks involved an orca named Tilikum and his trainer, Dawn Brancheau. In 2010, Tilikum killed Dawn by dragging her under the water. Melissa Hogenboom, who wrote, “Why killer whales should not be kept in captivity” explains that Tilikum also killed a man in 1999 who was trespassing in SeaWorld Orlando. Orca trainers will know their lives are not at risk if they stop training these whales.

Orcas have the right to live freely without being forced to perform in animal shows at marine parks or be exhibited in small tanks at aquariums. Humans are not forced to live in a small tank for the majority of their life and neither should orcas. Teens should take part in preventing orca whales from exhibiting at marine parks and aquariums by not visiting any places where orcas perform. If many people no longer attend orca shows or aquariums, then the orcas will be able to live freely without living in small tanks.