Can marine animal captivity be justified with education?

Leire – Stage 11 May 2022

A Global Perspectives IGCSE individual research project on the topic of humans and the environment.

Grade: A

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What is captivity? Captivity is the situation in which a person or animal is kept somewhere and is not allowed to leave (Cambridge Dictionary, N.D.). In aquariums across the world, we put wild animals captured from their natural habitats into severely compact water tanks and through the investigation work, we can tell that animals suffer for it (Freedom for Animals, N.D.). Orcas and dolphins exist in spacious, complicated social groups and they travel long distances daily in the large ocean. They are at aquariums in the tanks that, to them, are like bathtubs (PETA, N.D.).

Global Perspective

In World Animal Protection (WAP), investigators made a report on the many venues that are especially worrying. Some of the venues are: ‘Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada’ located in Canada; ‘Two Oceans Aquarium’ found in South Africa; and ‘SeaWorld San Antonio’ in Texas. Worldwide, there are over 200 aquariums with millions of animals in captivity, this is a global issue as there are many venues where the treatments towards the sea animals are cruel, like the ones mentioned above (Fobar, 2019; Fravel, 2003). 

Over 20 million marine fish are imported to more than 45 different countries annually. An article written by a licensed seller of marine life named Stockhausen (habitant of Miami) who has shipped marine life to Germany, Russia, Japan, South Africa and more, highlights this. The day this article was written (17th December 2018) she was prepping 60 yellow tanks that were previously caught by humans at Big Island (Hawaii). After being caught, they were sent to Kona, Los Angeles, Miami, then kept away at Stockhausen’s shop for five days. After the quarantine, they were picked with boxes and bags made of plastics to then be sent away to Moscow where they would be sold in pet or fish stores (Ebersole, 2018). This is a global issue, as these fish are travelling across the world in devastating conditions, instead of being in their natural environment (Ebersole, 2018).

National Perspective

For my national perspective, I’m going to focus on the USA (United States of America), as I will be talking mainly about SeaWorld, a famous aquarium. 

Lolita (a killer whale) is captivated in Florida and has been since 1970. She has been one of the most popular things to visit at the Seaquarium. Critics formed 13 objections to her incarceration, some being: the small size of the killer whale’s tank; her absence of an orca to share the tank with since the death of her last tank mate Hugo (about 38 years ago); stress, as well as injuries inflicted by the white-sided dolphins she currently lives with; and the inappropriate medical care done by Seaquarium personnel (Stempel, 2018).

Like this story, there are many others. During December 2015, January and February 2016, at SeaWorld in San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando, a white-sided dolphin, a Commerson dolphin, a beluga and two Orca have died along with many others not specifically mentioned in the article. Many of these cases were due to medical issues that they didn’t treat or didn’t treat properly, the small space of tanks, and the abuse they have received during their time at SeaWorld (Sea World of Hurt, 2016).

Causes

One of the main causes of animal captivity in aquariums is money. The money spent by aquariums on the goods and services they use is included in the direct economic activity. The good impact that an aquarium has on adjacent businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and stores, is considered indirect economic activity. Cities and states face additional taxation as a result of economic activity. 

The National Aquarium in Baltimore generates more than $9 million in annual taxable income for the city of Baltimore and more than $20 million for the state of Maryland, according to the city. With an operational budget of about $14 million, the Virginia Aquarium reports that it supports more than $257 million in annual economic activity in Virginia Beach and over $276 million across the state, which probably means that they care more about the money and income they receive rather than looking after these animals properly and giving them the attention and medical treatment they need. (Advanced Aquarium Technologies, 2020)

For both parents and children, visiting an aquarium can be a fun and enlightening experience. Because they are so enthusiastic about the aquariums and animals are seen; students not only enhance their learning skills, but they also want to share what they’ve learned with their family and friends. Parents who participate in their children’s school activities have a higher likelihood of doing so.  Teaching aquarium are a fantastic way for children of all ages to learn about a variety of topics while also learning important life lessons. (BBC, N.D.) 

Consequences

As a result of aquariums for money and ‘education’, animals are torn apart from their families to live in atrocious conditions. Orcas generally spend their entire lives in the wild with their mothers and siblings. Other wild dolphins dwell in pods with their families as well. Aquariums, on the other hand, are unconcerned with animal welfare, and some even steal animals from their families. Some will catch female breeding dolphins by chasing pods into the shallows with a boat. The animals are encircled by nets and raised into the air by boats. If water enters the lungs through the blowholes, it can cause shock, stress, and pneumonia, which can lead to death (Daly,2019). These treatments and conditions are inhumane, animals are separated from their families and their natural habitats.

Also, people justify aquariums as being educational but they are, actually, just miseducating, showing untrue information towards the treatment and behaviour of animals, when these animals are stuck in small tanks and cages, they are not able to act naturally and they start to show misleading performances. In captivity, they only swim in infinite spirals inside their tanks which for them, it is equivalent to a bathtub to us, not allowing them to engage in almost any natural behaviour. As well, they are forced to perform inhumane tricks, many die far short of their species’ natural life expectancy (PETA 2, N.D.).

Marine parks have demonstrated no interest in maintaining the natural habitats of marine mammals any more than they have in teaching visitors. In fact, the industry has actively lobbied to keep small cetaceans like orcas and dolphins outside of the International Whaling Commission’s jurisdiction (despite the fact that this would help protect these animals in the wild) because they don’t want to risk not being able to capture more animals in the future. This is the way they ‘educate’ people. The only real ‘message’ they are bringing out to the public is about exploiting and abusing marine animals. (World Animal Foundation, N.D.)

Course of action

A suitable course of action to improve or tackle animal captivity in aquariums on a local level would be by educating. If we educate people about this issue, they will do something about it and help with solutions; you can’t help if you don’t know there is a problem. To educate people we could go to give talks to local schools and universities, even on the busiest streets of the town so people that don’t go to the educational centres also learn about the topic. I would then organise groups of people to do activities in which they learn about this problem by making them contact specialists, finding information and making posters to put around town so other people can see them and also be educated, I would even ask them to write their own talks to deliver in the streets. The final step to spread more awareness would be to contact local newspapers and send them articles and images to put on their newspapers and magazines so people read about them and show others. 

This course of action may take time to implement as it takes time to plan and spread awareness on this problem. It may cost a bit of money to do this course of action, as we would have to pay for materials for posters, pay newspaper and magazine writers to spread awareness, etc. However, all this time and money will be used for good, and to gain a strong positive outcome once these steps have been achieved. 

Analysis of sources

I am conscious that I used some sources that aren’t entirely reliable which is why I looked for similar information on other websites so the information is still reliable and I can use it. Some can be biased or lack a date but I know that it is reliable because it was written by experts and organisations that are dedicated to this sort of content. 

My main place to find information was National Geographic, which is composed of several experts on topics like animal captivity, which is what my essay is about. As I mentioned before this website could be biased, but the information is reliable as it is based on facts, things that have happened and written by professionals in this area. I am also aware that some of the images, videos and stories that the National Geographic use are chosen purposely to provoke pity and make the reader believe the same things as the writer. Some of these images aren’t cited which takes away credibility but I checked on other pages to see if the information on these articles is valid, as I said before. 

Another organisation I quoted various times is PETA, which has similar articles and images to the ones of National Geographic but the articles are mostly based on facts and stories that happened as they provide evidence in images or with witnesses to prove their content.

Conclusion and personal perspective

I have met the requirements for this essay successfully as I have analysed both national and global perspectives of the issue of animal captivity. I have also considered and explained different causes and consequences of the said issue, as well as explained them and developed on them. Finally, I proposed a course of action to face this issue. 

Before I wrote this essay, I thought that animal captivity could be justified for educational purposes, now I believe the opposite, as animal captivity, isn’t morally or ethically correct. I have included anecdotes and considered both causes and consequences (as mentioned before) which has widely changed my point of view and opinion on the subject of animal captivity.

In conclusion, animal captivity can’t be justified for educational purposes. Animals shouldn’t be treated badly and abused just so is humans can learn about them. If we wanted to learn about them we should do it by researching on the internet, or seeing them in their natural habits, without doing things that aren’t morally nor ethically correct. Besides, by going to aquariums you are only teaching children the wrong message about sea animals: that you can capture and exploit them. That is why aquariums are not only bad for the animals, but they bring out the wrong message to the public.

Reference list:

Advanced Aquarium Technologies (2020) Top-seven benefits of public aquariums. [online] Available from: <https://www.advanced-aquariums.com/newsfeed/top-seven-benefits-of-public-aquariums/>

BBC. (N. D.) Animals for Entertainment. [online] BBC. Available from: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/entertainment_1.shtml>

Cambridge dictionary. (N. D.) Captivity. [online] Cambridge dictionary. Available from: <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-spanish/captivity?q=Captivity>

Daly, N. (2019) Orcas don’t do well in captivity. Here’s why. [online] National geographic. Available from: <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/orcas-captivity-welfare>

Ebersole, R. (2018) Inside the murky world of the aquarium trade. [online] National geographic. Available from: <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/murky-underwater-world-of-the-aquarium-trade>

Freedom for animals. (N. D.) Aquariums. [online] Freedom for animals. Available from: <https://www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/aquariums>

Stempel, J. (2018) Captive orca Lolita can stay at Miami aquarium: U.S. appeals court. [online] Reuters. Available from: <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-whale-idUSKBN1F12MR>

Laura F. (2003) Critics Question Zoos’ Commitment to Conservation. [online] National Geographic. Available from: < https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/news-zoo-commitment-conservation-critic>

PETA 1. (N. D.) Animals Used for Entertainment. [online] PETA. Available from: <https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/>

PETA 2. (N. D.) Aquariums and Marine Parks. [online] Peta. Available from:

< https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/zoos-pseudo-sanctuaries/aquariums-marine-parks/>

PETA 3. (N. D.) Aquariums and Marine parks. [online] PETA. Available from: <https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/zoos-pseudo-sanctuaries/aquariums-marine-parks/>

Rachel F. (2019) Hundreds of zoos and aquariums accused of mistreating animals. [online] National geographic. Available from: <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/waza-zoos-accused-of-mistreating-animals-wap-report>

Sea world of hurt. (2016) An Animal Has Died at SeaWorld Every Month Since November. [online] Sea world of hurt. Available from: <https://www.seaworldofhurt.com/an-animal-has-died-at-seaworld-every-month-since-november/>

World animal foundation. (N. D.) Marine mammal parks. [online] World animal foundation. Available from: <https://www.worldanimalfoundation.org/animal_encyclopedia/params/category/173772/item/1002266/>