Orcas; Killer whales.  To some they are beautiful animals.  To others they are to be feared.  Unfortunately, to businessmen, the orca is an opportunity to make millions by mistreating these massive animals like how they are treated at SeaWorld.  To the millions that visit SeaWorld each year, orcas are an exhibit to be enjoyed.  Many find it a wonderful experience and their kids find it more so.  Some of the money eventually goes back to preserve orcas in the wild.  That is what Seaworld says ("Truth About Blackfish.").  All seems to be good until you look beyond the surface.  They take huge animals and put them in a glorified swimming pool.  These animals that separate themselves by sex in the wild are cramped together regardless of gender.  Most males will be bullied by the females, as seen in the movie Blackfish (Cowperthwaite).  The care they may be receiving is made void by the damage caused by the animals being held in captivity.  So these animals should not be kept in marine parks.  No amount of money is worth abusing an animal.  It is one thing to eat an animal and another to turn it into a beaten showpiece. 

When it comes to aquariums or sanctuaries, it depends on the animal’s circumstance.  If the aquarium provides an extremely large area for the whale to live then maybe they could live there.  Yet I wonder if we have the right to hold them.  If they are hurt and we are providing care until the orcas can return to the wild, then that is perfectly fine.  If the orca is hurt to the point where it can not return to the wild then possibly.  Yet if the orca is perfectly fine and the reason for its capture was entertainment, then it is a matter of what we are willing to do.  Why we do an action like capturing a whale is as important as the action itself.

SeaWorld says that much of the Blackfish was biased because the scientist were animal rights activists and that most of the people interviewed had not worked at SeaWorld for many years (Truth About Blackfish Sec. 2-3 ).  This is a good point and of course the movie may be biased yet two facts remain.  SeaWorld still captured these Orcas for entertainment, and SeaWorld declined to be interviewed for the movie.  While their side of the story is under represented, they had a shot to try to change that.  Instead of taking action, they waited and reacted to the backlash instead.  They raise justifiable points but perception is everything when it comes to public opinion.   
I believe that these animals shouldn’t be captured anymore than we would want to be captured by another species.  Yet we both have the ability and apparently the want, so should we go against ethics and still capture these whales.  It’s money and entertainment versus; animal rights and what animals may or may not deserve.  Which is truly more important, the life of an animal or entertainment and money?  To answer the question, we as a people must decide on what we find more important.  My opinion on this does not matter as much as what is beneficial to our conscience. Which is why discussion on this topic is needed.  SeaWorld, the creators of Blackfish, the public, scientists, and animal rights activists all need to have a discussion on what we as a society want to do.

Work Cited
Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. 2013. Film.
Raja, Tasneem. "SeaWorld Says It Has to Keep Orcas in Captivity to save Them." Mother Jones. 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
Rose, Naomi. "A Win-win Solution for Captive Orcas and Marine Theme Parks - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
"Truth About Blackfish." SeaWorld Cares. SeaWorld. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.