[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Dolphins begging for fish, sea lions putting on a show, Shamu showing off his new tricks, adoring crowds cheering loudly for their favorite attractions. As a kid, I could think of no place more exciting than SeaWorld. The entire park seemed to be made of magic, as if the shows were strung together by fairy dust. Several years later, the wonder has slowly faded. When I think about SeaWorld, I’m no longer awestruck- I am disgusted. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, since 1961, at least 151 orcas have been taken from the wild and forced into captivity. Of those 151 whales, 127 are now dead. Like humans, orcas are social and family-oriented. When raised away from their families, whales have a low quality of life, and a low rate of survival, with only 8 percent of SeaWorld’s orcas living past the age of 25. In the wild, male and female orcas, on average, live to the ages of 30 and 50 years old, respectively. The fact that so many people seem to genuinely believe that SeaWorld is an excellent place to take their children is actually sad.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Captive orcas are also experiencing an almost 100 percent dorsal fin collapse rate. All of SeaWorld’s male orcas, and some of their female orcas have a collapsed dorsal fin. SeaWorld claims that this is perfectly normal, that all whales should have collapsed dorsal fins, but that is a blatant lie. Less than 1 percent of the wild orca population have a collapsed fin, so it clearly isn’t normal. Collapsed dorsal fins only occur in injured or unhealthy whales, so the high percentage of collapse in SeaWorld’s whales is likely due to their limited swimming space and their horrible diet of thawed, dead fish. Dorsal fins are not supported by bone; they are supported by collagen, which are connective tissues. If fins are collapsing, it means the tissues aren’t healthy, signifying that these whales in captivity are definitely not being taken care of. SeaWorld is not only getting away with capturing, injuring and killing orcas, but also getting away with lying about it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]I hate what SeaWorld is doing, but what I hate more is the number of people that think this is not a problem. Why has this gone on for so long? SeaWorld’s poor treatment of the animals they capture is ridiculous, and people are just letting it happen. It isn’t just the corporate side either; the animal trainers and everyone else working for or with SeaWorld know exactly what has been going on this entire time and they have done absolutely nothing about it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Petitions are being signed, documentaries are being made and protesters are lining the park’s gates. Still, the fight is not over. If we continue letting SeaWorld abduct and practically slaughter whales, who knows what they will do next. They need to be stopped before the cruelty goes any further.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]