These statements are supported by information from Lori Marino of the Nonhuman Rights Project (Kohn). Of course, there is more to the dispute than just Tilikum's aggression and what may have caused it. Another issue is the length of time orcas typically live in captivity versus the length of time they generally live in the wild. SeaWorld has stated that captive orcas can live 50 years if they are female and 30 years if they are male, which are both very comparable to orcas in the wild (Kohn). The Blackfish documentary disputes this claim, however, with the belief that captive orcas do not survive as long as their counterparts who are allowed to remain in the wild …show more content…
This was believed to be the case with Tilikum. His captivity resulted in close proximity with other whales, and he was often harassed by them. After a long time dealing with this, Tilikum developed aggressive tendencies which may have contributed to the three trainer deaths in which he has been involved during his time in captivity. While it is hard to prove that Tilikum became aggressive due to captivity, the pattern to indicate this does seem to be found in the whale's actions and reactions to various stimuli.
• These animals actually will not live as long as their wild counterparts (Kohn). While SeaWorld argues that captive whales live just as long as those in the wild, they did not produce data to prove this statement. More research would need to be done in order to determine if this claim is accurate. The Blackfish documentary strongly disputes the idea that captive whales will survive as long as those in the wild, and advocates for leaving wild animals in the wild where they belong.
B3