Planning and Introduction
After creating my first project, there was a brief time where I was at a loss as to what to do for my second assignment. I ran through ideas such as problems with the educational system but, short on time, I decided that I would create something more in depth if I went with a topic that I already had a pretty significant amount of knowledge on. So, with this in mind, I decided to explore the issue of Orca's in captivity. I consider this problem to be of high relevance, especially following the death of Dawn Brancheau in 2010 and the release of the controversial film Blackfish in 2013, and as such it deserved recognition and analysis so that the public may be made more aware. With the technologies available to me at this time, I decided that the route of highest impact would be to write a research paper to document my findings.
Orcas in Captivity: A Deceiving Problem
Imagine that you're relatively young, a child still, and living happily with your family and friends. The world around you has problems, sure, but it’s unimpeded and full of things to pique your curiosity and enrich your life. Your young life has been full of sentiment and acquisition and though you live snuggly amongst your family and friends, you spend most of your time along your mother’s side, having a particularly close relationship with her. Life is peaceful--until it isn’t.
On one tragic day, these things, alien things that live above you and look so vastly different, they attack you and your family. You are afraid, and cannot understand them and their harsh sounds--it does not seem that they can understand you either, but you are not sure that they would care even if they could. There are explosions all around you, happening in such rapid succession that you and your kin have no choice but to be corralled at the whim of these extraterrestrials. You try to escape, your mother leads you and the other young away while the elders distract the beings--but it does not work. The strange things have ways of tracking you that you
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cannot comprehend and you are quickly found and, consequently, trapped. It is made so that you cannot leave the dead end that you have been herded into, and suddenly there are tethers all over your body. Around your neck, your abdomen. They are pulling, and so you fight. You fight hard, struggle against the restraints tearing you away from your panicking family, but it is not enough. Whoever these beings are, they are too strong for you, and you are hauled from your home into a place you should not be, a place you’ve never really been. When this happens, you can see your family but their voices are now gone. You are alone, being fussed over by the monsters. Some of your siblings are on the peculiar place too, but to your horror, you realize that they have died, and the beings throw them away.
From there, you are transported away from the place you’ve long called home to a new, strange locale. Things here are artificial, aseptic. It is far from comforting. Much of your surroundings are substances you’ve never seen or heard of before, and the room the beings have given you to reside in is too small and empty to be regarded as healthy or normal. The air is sterile and hurts your insides, but perhaps the most frightening
From there, you are transported away from the place you’ve long called home to a new, strange locale. Things here are artificial, aseptic. It is far from comforting. Much of your surroundings are substances you’ve never seen or heard of before, and the room the beings have given you to reside in is too small and empty to be regarded as healthy or normal. The air is sterile and hurts your insides, but perhaps the most frightening
thing is that you are not alone here. There are a considerable amount of others in the room too, and they are of your kind--but you do not know these people. They are strangers of varying ages, the majority of whom having likely been brought here in a similar fashion to you. Unfortunately, none of them speak your language. A correlation between the length of time spent here and instability and violence is quickly apparent, and because of this you find yourself constantly nervous and fearful. The mentioned residents frequently lash out at you with physical vehemence, and before long, your body is blanketed by scars and fresh wounds. At times, the strange beings that brought you here encourage these attacks as a way to make you do the things they wish, and after awhile it is realized that the only
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way to get food, though the food here leads to malnutrition and sickness, is to perform mundane and unusual tricks whenever you are told. The actions are unnatural but you have no choice, and life continues like this until you are driven mad. You’re constantly unhealthy, body beaten and teeth broken from boredom and the consequential gnawing it causes. You never, ever leave this cramped, uncomfortable room and, after being forced to bear a child that is then taken away, you lose nearly all your hope. You no longer believe you will see your family again, and your once emotionally poignant and complicated life has become merely existing. Eventually you die an inevitable, premature death, brought about by the horrendous conditions, both psychological and physical, of this awful, inorganic place.
If this sounds unpleasant, then you now have the first shred of an idea of what the life of a captive Killer Whale is like. In fact, orcas, vastly intelligent and emotional types of delphinidae, are frequently the victims of world wide confinement at the hands and leisure of detached corporate tycoons--and this is an economically motivated practice that has proven not only grossly inhumane to the animals and
If this sounds unpleasant, then you now have the first shred of an idea of what the life of a captive Killer Whale is like. In fact, orcas, vastly intelligent and emotional types of delphinidae, are frequently the victims of world wide confinement at the hands and leisure of detached corporate tycoons--and this is an economically motivated practice that has proven not only grossly inhumane to the animals and
trainers involved, but additionally a psychological detriment as well as very dangerous, thus prompting the need for both acknowledgment of the issue and action towards a solution.
The convention of keeping Orcinus Orca, or Killer Whales, in captivity has been shown to be a very consistently inhumane procedure that money motivated companies such as SeaWorld, along most of the world’s marine parks, have tried valiantly to avoid admitting, eat despite huge levels of evidence suggesting agreement with the former claim. For instance, Lolita, focus of the documentary Lolita: Slave to Entertainment and currently the oldest and one of the largest orcas in captivity, is a 44-year-old whale that was abducted on August 8, 1970 in one of the largest and most infamous round ups of Killer Whales to date. A pod of between 80 and 100 whales were |
corralled with explosive and relentless herding into coves where they were surrounded by a net that prevented escape as the corporations determined which of the calves they would take, as they were uninterested in adults. It was, by the locals, said to be a heart-shattering sight that continued for days. One witness who was interviewed in Lolita’s documentary recalled that “the sounds they made were what we really noticed. What you really felt were the cries of the--both the small ones and the adult ones. And I remember one day I stopped over there right close to them with my children…and they kept saying ‘why are they crying? They’re crying!’...you kept wanting them to let them go, quit harassing them” (Lolita: Slave). Public interest, however, was generally ignored, both then and now. Though the residents surrounding the kidnapping of these whales went as far as discussing cutting the nets themselves, the operation, Namu, Inc, was aware of such plots and, consequently, heavily guarded; which was detailed by yet another witness who explained “they were being guarded, all day and all night by people on the boats with rifles. They would pretty much shoot anybody who showed up and tried to free them” (Lolita: Slave).
As there was no intervention that could be safely or legally performed, despite instances of death brought about during the task by mothers desperately trying to reach their babies ( who never naturally leave their side ), seven orcas were taken from their pod and sold to various aquariums vying for ownership over the moderately endangered creature. Lolita, who was originally named Tokitae, was sold to veterinarian Jesse White for somewhere between $6,000 and $20,000. After that she was moved to a marine park where she lived in confinement with only one other orca, a male named Hugo, who had been in captivity two years prior. Though undebatably being imprisoned in a cramped show tank was a detriment to their now unnatural lives, the pair getting along quite well did aid slightly to their well being--although, apparently not enough for Hugo. It has been documented before that “dolphins become so stressed out from the capture
As there was no intervention that could be safely or legally performed, despite instances of death brought about during the task by mothers desperately trying to reach their babies ( who never naturally leave their side ), seven orcas were taken from their pod and sold to various aquariums vying for ownership over the moderately endangered creature. Lolita, who was originally named Tokitae, was sold to veterinarian Jesse White for somewhere between $6,000 and $20,000. After that she was moved to a marine park where she lived in confinement with only one other orca, a male named Hugo, who had been in captivity two years prior. Though undebatably being imprisoned in a cramped show tank was a detriment to their now unnatural lives, the pair getting along quite well did aid slightly to their well being--although, apparently not enough for Hugo. It has been documented before that “dolphins become so stressed out from the capture
and prolonged captivity that they often develop ulcers and either die from stress or commit suicide” (Blackfish Review), and this is, regretfully, the fate that befell Hugo. After ten years of being paired with Lolita, it became evident that the male was unable to cope any longer with the tortures of a confined life, especially after having once known the freedom of open sea. Due to this, on March 4, 1980, Hugo began slamming his head viciously and repeatedly against the walls of the Whale Bowl, his enclosure, in what has been described by many as an act of intentional suicide. This, of course, lead to his death and Lolita’s general isolation. Though the former now lives with a pair of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins, it is not the same as the wild in a pod nor the companionship of another orca--saying it is an equivalent would be comparable to saying that a human living
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amongst apes is, for the human, a suitable replacement for socialization and stimulation from their own kind. It just simply isn’t.
Despite isolation being a very serious problem for Lolita, perhaps the biggest issue are the horrific living conditions she suffers constantly that are not only stunningly inhumane, but also break a grotesque amount of the Animal Welfare Act’s regulations. Violations include but are not limited to: perimeter fence and protection from abuse and harassment, protection from weather and direct sunlight (a regulation also broken by Tilikum’s Dine With Shamu tank at Seaworld Orlando), space requirements for an orca, housing with compatible animals, emergency contingency plans, pool environment enhancements, and hurricane threats with no plan to protect marine life and contamination of biscayne bay. In fact, Lolita’s tank is not only the smallest and oldest one of any captive orca to date (with the exception of Morgan’s year long stay in a recovery pen), but it also literally only amounts to one and a half times her size. Imagine laying on the floor of a room with only three feet between the wall at both your head and your feet and you will begin to understand the sickening proximity of the enclosure that Lolita has spent forty years in, most of which being served in solitude after Hugo’s previously described death.
Unfortunately, even with the perpetration of so many aforementioned issues in the capture and continued confinement of the vastly misunderstood Killer Whale, the only predicament that has seized the attention of the general populace is the deeply grotesque danger presented to not only the imprisoned animals, but the often misinformed trainers who try to care for them as well.
In perhaps the most famous case of violence between an Orca and trainer, Dawn Brancheau was killed by the aggression prone and reportedly unpredictable whale, Tilikum. Ms. Brancheau, a highly regarded senior trainer working at SeaWorld Orlando, died on February 24, 2010 after an attack that Blackstone CEO, and thus major investor in SeaWorld stocks, Stephen Schwarzman, referred to as trainer error; making the claim that Dawn “violated all safety rules we had” (Jason Garcia). This, as testified by a multitude of other trainers and experts, is a blatant lie, not only in that there was no true trainer error or violation, but in that they insisted that this was not an act of aggression on the part of the whale. In fact, Kelly Flaherty Clark, one of SeaWorld’s curators of animal training, went as far as to say “‘In my 25 years, I’ve reviewed one behavioral incident that did not show something that I would have done differently’...that one incident, she added, was Brancheau’s death” (Jason Garcia). In even more contradiction to the allegations that this was not a result of captivity-born aggression but instead purely accidental, the injuries assaulting Ms. Brancheau were in no way minor or supporting of an ideation that this was not aggression--such injuries detailed in the official autopsy include “Avulsion of the scalp and associated galeal and subgaleal hemorrhage…fractures of the posterior aspects of the 9th through 11th left ribs...fracture of the sternum at the level of the 2nd rib insertion...liver lacerations...abrasions, lacerations, and contusions of the extremities...complete avulsion of the left upper extremity with associated fracture of the proximal left
Despite isolation being a very serious problem for Lolita, perhaps the biggest issue are the horrific living conditions she suffers constantly that are not only stunningly inhumane, but also break a grotesque amount of the Animal Welfare Act’s regulations. Violations include but are not limited to: perimeter fence and protection from abuse and harassment, protection from weather and direct sunlight (a regulation also broken by Tilikum’s Dine With Shamu tank at Seaworld Orlando), space requirements for an orca, housing with compatible animals, emergency contingency plans, pool environment enhancements, and hurricane threats with no plan to protect marine life and contamination of biscayne bay. In fact, Lolita’s tank is not only the smallest and oldest one of any captive orca to date (with the exception of Morgan’s year long stay in a recovery pen), but it also literally only amounts to one and a half times her size. Imagine laying on the floor of a room with only three feet between the wall at both your head and your feet and you will begin to understand the sickening proximity of the enclosure that Lolita has spent forty years in, most of which being served in solitude after Hugo’s previously described death.
Unfortunately, even with the perpetration of so many aforementioned issues in the capture and continued confinement of the vastly misunderstood Killer Whale, the only predicament that has seized the attention of the general populace is the deeply grotesque danger presented to not only the imprisoned animals, but the often misinformed trainers who try to care for them as well.
In perhaps the most famous case of violence between an Orca and trainer, Dawn Brancheau was killed by the aggression prone and reportedly unpredictable whale, Tilikum. Ms. Brancheau, a highly regarded senior trainer working at SeaWorld Orlando, died on February 24, 2010 after an attack that Blackstone CEO, and thus major investor in SeaWorld stocks, Stephen Schwarzman, referred to as trainer error; making the claim that Dawn “violated all safety rules we had” (Jason Garcia). This, as testified by a multitude of other trainers and experts, is a blatant lie, not only in that there was no true trainer error or violation, but in that they insisted that this was not an act of aggression on the part of the whale. In fact, Kelly Flaherty Clark, one of SeaWorld’s curators of animal training, went as far as to say “‘In my 25 years, I’ve reviewed one behavioral incident that did not show something that I would have done differently’...that one incident, she added, was Brancheau’s death” (Jason Garcia). In even more contradiction to the allegations that this was not a result of captivity-born aggression but instead purely accidental, the injuries assaulting Ms. Brancheau were in no way minor or supporting of an ideation that this was not aggression--such injuries detailed in the official autopsy include “Avulsion of the scalp and associated galeal and subgaleal hemorrhage…fractures of the posterior aspects of the 9th through 11th left ribs...fracture of the sternum at the level of the 2nd rib insertion...liver lacerations...abrasions, lacerations, and contusions of the extremities...complete avulsion of the left upper extremity with associated fracture of the proximal left
humerus...dislocation of left elbow…dislocation of left knee” (Autopsy Report for Dawn 2 - 3). Undebatably this is supportive of the accusation of danger made previously, and as it is not the only instance of predation from the captive animals, the danger to these trainers only worsens with more research, and the perpetrator is not Tilikum alone.
On December 24, 2009, it seemed to be a normal day at Loro Parque, a marine park in Tenerife, Spain, and one of the latter’s biggest tourist attractions. The season was picking up as the 25th drew closer and, as a result, SeaWorld trained Alexis Martinez was going through a routine rehearsal for the Christmas Day show that |
was to be presented to attendees the following day. At 29 years old, Martinez, who had been working at the park since 2004, was considered one of Loro Parque’s most experienced trainers--but as we have seen before, experience is not a immunity when it comes to an animal as massive and sophisticated as an Orcinus Orca. In this rehearsal, Martinez was working with Keto, a fourteen year old male orca who had been brought to Loro Parque with four other SeaWorld whales years prior. Although Martinez and Keto had worked together many times before, the large orca was known to be unpredictable and rough, even picking fights with animals that were bigger and more dominant than himself. During this particular rehearsal, Alexis and Keto were executing a move that they’d performed nearly every day together for the past three years when suddenly Keto, who maybe was rough housing maybe was being intentionally aggressive, decided to ram (allegedly) the trainer hard in his chest, resulting in a loss of consciousness. He was taken by the whale in question and repeatedly attacked, resulting, eventually, in death. Loro Parque trainers as well as executives claim that Martinez had drowned before anything could be done and that this had merely been an accident, not an attack on part of the whale (again, similar to what they did with Tilikum)-- but his autopsy as well as the accounts of his fiancee, Estefania Luis Rodriguez, tell a different story.
After the incident, Estefania was called by Miguel Diaz, Alexis’ boss, who explained that there had been an accident and that “Alexis is fine” (Blackfish). But when Estefania arrived with her fiance’s mother to the hospital, they discovered that instead of fine, Martinez had actually been killed. Both attest that “only his head was showing, he was completely covered up” (Blackfish). He had been tightly veiled with a white sheet,
After the incident, Estefania was called by Miguel Diaz, Alexis’ boss, who explained that there had been an accident and that “Alexis is fine” (Blackfish). But when Estefania arrived with her fiance’s mother to the hospital, they discovered that instead of fine, Martinez had actually been killed. Both attest that “only his head was showing, he was completely covered up” (Blackfish). He had been tightly veiled with a white sheet,
concealing his body, but despite claims of drowning when Rodriguez leaned over his chest to hug him she said “I noticed something was wrong. It seemed as though his chest had burst” (Blackfish). The autopsy later revealed that Alexis died on December 24, 2009 at approximately 11:45 AM of blunt force trauma that included multiple compression fractures, tears in his vital organs, and bite wounds all over his body--and loro Parque claimed that it had been drowning, that it had been an accident. It wasn’t an accident, in fact, it wasn’t even unpredictable. Rodriguez recalls that Alexis, who had complained of aggression between the whales, exhaustion, and even contemplated leaving numerous times before, had “complained to me that he was tired, but I didn’t take it seriously. I said everyone gets
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tired from their job. That’s normal. He said ‘but my job is physical. I have to be fit, because I’m in danger every single day. If I am not fit, who knows? Maybe tomorrow something might happen to me.’ He said that the night before the attack” (Blackfish).
With such an alarming number of issues, only a slim portion of which were discussed in this article, how, I ask, can the continued captivity of these intelligent, emotional creatures be allowed? Is it worth subjecting them to psychosis, depression, injury, and premature death just for some revenue? While solutions are hotly debated, they are definitely there. If not solutions then at the very least improvements--so why is it taking so long to implement them? Why aren’t penalties being faced in regards to the AWA violations? These questions should be unsettling, but being aware of the faults in this captivity systems can help assist progress towards an eventual resolution. Education on these beautiful animals and the horrors they face within human confinement can potentially move the public, and as a forced result the corporations, to help these cetaceans. This isn’t an issue of merely passion, but compassion.
With such an alarming number of issues, only a slim portion of which were discussed in this article, how, I ask, can the continued captivity of these intelligent, emotional creatures be allowed? Is it worth subjecting them to psychosis, depression, injury, and premature death just for some revenue? While solutions are hotly debated, they are definitely there. If not solutions then at the very least improvements--so why is it taking so long to implement them? Why aren’t penalties being faced in regards to the AWA violations? These questions should be unsettling, but being aware of the faults in this captivity systems can help assist progress towards an eventual resolution. Education on these beautiful animals and the horrors they face within human confinement can potentially move the public, and as a forced result the corporations, to help these cetaceans. This isn’t an issue of merely passion, but compassion.
Research Review
The precarious matter of determining solutions for such a troubling issue is not one of ease, as there is no real consensus between either side of the coin in this scenario. I do believe that there are some measures that could be taken to, at the very least, make the lives of the whales
more tolerable and meaningful, though, and hope for the sake of this intellectual species that some are implemented soon.
Debatably, the most widespread and feasible suggestion at the moment for providing the orcas a more natural life, free of shows and water that causes complications in regards to their health, is retiring them to a coastal sea pen. Of course, one would likely wonder why they could not simply be returned back into the sea, and while those initially born in the wild instead of in captivity potentially could, it would be risky to release the cetaceans into open ocean without first locating their pods. A lone orca has a much lower chance of survival than one living with its natural family, though in instances like that of Tilikum and Lolita where we know the whereabouts of their former pods, complete release is not only possible, but highly |
recommended. It is feared, however, that some captive born whales would be unable to adopt the skills needed to survive in the wild, or even a wild-like enclosure such as a sea pen. Experts say that, for these animals to go into sea pens, “it would require an enclosed area and involve being taught to hunt and eat live fish again, along with conditioning work to return them to wild killer whale physical condition” (The Monumental). Difficult, yes, but definitely not impossible. It’d all be worthwhile for these poor creatures to live a life less cruel than the one they’re currently leading--and though there are currently no constructed sea pens, that isn’t to say there hasn’t been in the past. Most famously, Keiko, the orca who starred in the successful movie Free Willy, was released into a coastal sea pen after going through a strict training regimen to ready him for such endeavors. In the sea pen, he thrived and improved greatly in health. Releasing him into open waters was, debatably, a mistake, as his birth pod was unable to be located. The male was too shy to truly integrate into a new pod and although he learned survival behaviors from nearby clusters he never rejoined a family. A tracker was attached to his dorsal fin and he was traced as he journeyed, alone, all the way to Norway--when he arrived, scientists evaluated his health and confirmed that Keiko was healthy and had adapted well to the wild. He died in 2003, leading those in favor of captivity to consider the ordeal a failure, but Keiko had actually contracted pneumonia and thus died of natural causes. To consider this release a failure is to completely ignore what Keiko was going through living at Reino Aventura, the marine park in Mexico City, where he formerly resided. Had the whale not been released when he was, he likely would have died in a few more months. A serious skin condition had caused lesions all over his body and he had been severely underweight. Digestive problems, ulcers, extremely weak muscles, and a poor immune system were all present in Keiko. He could only hold his breath for three
minutes, vastly under the average eighteen for a wild orca. Blood work and common sense, made it clear that Keiko was, without a doubt, withering away and growing closer and closer to death the longer he spent in captivity. He may have died in the ocean, but for years he lived happily in freedom, largely better than the short months he had left in the too warm, chlorinated waters of his small tank in Mexico. The whole ordeal proved that coastal sea pens and even full releases are plausible, greatly beneficial solutions. Plans to construct more sea pens are very realistic possibilities, and it is an exercise of good moral foresight to push legislations towards moving
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captive Killer Whales into these larger, much more natural habitats. Small seas, if you will
If absolutely nothing else, these captive tanks definitely need to be made into more humane, hospitable environments for these cetaceans. Comply to the Animal Welfare Act or face penalty like they legally should, not like they are now with breaking regulations and enforcers letting it slip under the radar. Tilikum’s, Lolita’s, and Morgan’s tanks, to name a few, all break AWA regulations and have not been corrected. Until these animals stop experiencing psychological trauma and intense health problems from their environment, these Killer Whales are not even close to being okay as they languish in these pools, eventually dying painful deaths. They need to be given bigger spaces, better tanks (if they have, for some reason, to remain completely captive), better food, and better care. The food they eat now, as well as the gelatin substitutes they use for the whales that literally involves feeding them bones, are hurting their health and causing malnutrition. Instead of eating fresh fish, the whales are given frozen, dead creatures--some of the whales are not even meant to eat fish at all, as while some species of Orca do live off of fish, others eat only animals such as seals. Both types are kept in captivity, but dead fish is fed to all the whales. This needs to be remedied.
Now, it is plausible that one wonders how we, as individuals, can be part of implementing these changes and being of use to this cause--and
If absolutely nothing else, these captive tanks definitely need to be made into more humane, hospitable environments for these cetaceans. Comply to the Animal Welfare Act or face penalty like they legally should, not like they are now with breaking regulations and enforcers letting it slip under the radar. Tilikum’s, Lolita’s, and Morgan’s tanks, to name a few, all break AWA regulations and have not been corrected. Until these animals stop experiencing psychological trauma and intense health problems from their environment, these Killer Whales are not even close to being okay as they languish in these pools, eventually dying painful deaths. They need to be given bigger spaces, better tanks (if they have, for some reason, to remain completely captive), better food, and better care. The food they eat now, as well as the gelatin substitutes they use for the whales that literally involves feeding them bones, are hurting their health and causing malnutrition. Instead of eating fresh fish, the whales are given frozen, dead creatures--some of the whales are not even meant to eat fish at all, as while some species of Orca do live off of fish, others eat only animals such as seals. Both types are kept in captivity, but dead fish is fed to all the whales. This needs to be remedied.
Now, it is plausible that one wonders how we, as individuals, can be part of implementing these changes and being of use to this cause--and
surprisingly, the answer is quite simple. The purpose of writing this article as well as my wish for you after reading it is to raise awareness amongst the general populace. It has been shown that without the attention of the media, any pursued legal action by animal rights groups will be shot down by courts that favor large corporations such as SeaWorld. After all, we know that the push of the public works in that our outrage over the death of the aforementioned Dawn Brancheau was enough to encourage the judge presiding over OSHA’s case to charge SeaWorld over violations of safety laws. So share this article with others, inform those you know, and look into the organization of boycotts and protests. These are things that need to be done, or else nothing will change--remember Tilikum, who suffers alone ever since Taima died, barred from shows and contact
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with trainers, literally just bobs there in the pool listlessly, without so much as a toy to play with. It’s pitiful, it really is. Whether it be with a coastal sea pen and release training, complete release, or heavy betterment of the current living conditions, something needs to change--and we need the media’s help to do it.
Art Portion
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When establishing my art portion for this project, I chose the route of digital art work. I wanted to convey the plight of captive orcas through my piece, this particular one focusing on the notorious whale Tilikum. It covered the thinking skill of perspective and is intended to elaborate upon either the emotions a captive whale really endures during their "performances", or how someone in opposition to these animal's exploitation sees and feels about the ordeal. Instead of entertaining and "educational" as people who either don't understand the effects of captivity or people who are in favor of it view this institution, it is depicted as being inhumane. A grotesque violation of the rights of these animals and thus our moral
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convictions. I wanted the piece to carry a deep, resonating meaning and so accomplished this with abstraction in addition to the use of perspective. For instance, it is pretty clear that the ropes and chains binding the animal are a reference to the restriction of freedom and the inescapable confinement of these facilities. Such restraints are intended to portray the impuissance of these Orcas, how they are interned in these marine parks and performances. To be fed, to prevent harm from being inflicted unto them, they must adhere to the whims of human beings. Their free will was stripped away the second they were torn from the waters of their home or born in the synthetic, sorry excuse for environments that places like SeaWorld offer.
In this picture Tilikum is in a popularly used position meant to display themselves to their spectators. This was intentional, as it adds more potency to the presence of the ropes and chains. Implies that no matter how much he may be suffering, no matter how much he may want to break free, he cannot escape the falsified life of exhibitionism and glamour that the people who I suppose own him have established. It is also notable that in this image the mammal is laced with injuries known as rakes. Rakes are when Orcas drag their teeth over one another in acts of aggression and dominance, and when they are crammed into a place as tiny as captivity tanks this sort of behavior is magnified to the extreme. Since they do not live in open waters, there is nowhere to flee to when conflict arises. The animals cannot disengage from the situation and so it can only escalate, resulting in their bodies being covered in the damages. There is not much concern showed over this, however, seeing as some trainers literally use this as a method of training, encouraging the whales to hurt each other. I wanted to show the physical abuse that these cetaceans go through, most of which is completely overlooked. I wanted people to see how much they are really suffering.
Another thing I would like to mention is the presence of the chains. First and foremost, I deliberately made them golden as an allusion to the true reason these corporations are refusing to release these Killer Whales. It is not about trying to educate the masses on the animal, it is not about conservation, rehabilitation, or enlightenment. It is about money, and the fact is that Orcas like Tilikum bring in a huge amount of money, more than any other type of animal in most of these parks. These executives, they do not care about the animal. Not really. If they did they would let them go, there is no refuting the research that has been conducted. They know captivity is bad, they know it leads to premature deaths and health problems. They have to know, because they indoctrinate their employees with lies about the species. They say that Orcas have shorter life spans than they really do, that dorsal collapse is common, that the whales are happy in their tanks. They know, of course, that this is all false. The only possible motivation for such dishonesty are their bank accounts, and I felt it important to in some way make that noteworthy when creating my content. The chains lead back into the water of the tank, preventing hope of one day leaving. It is a reminder, a restriction on the whale that prohibits them from straying from where they've been put--an artificial tank not even vaguely meant to reflect what their natural environment would have been. No matter what Tilikum does, those chains will pull him back. The income he produces is too large for his, or any of his counterparts, release to be contemplated. He is trapped, all because of greed.
Lastly, I applied a text overlay to my art in order to push the statistical relevance and reality of Killer Whale captivity. The writing includes information about the captures at Puget Sound, excerpts from Dawn Brancheau's autopsy, information about Lolita, etc. It adds both aesthetic appeal to my image as well as more political relevance. It is helpful to how big of an impact the work makes on its audience--makes it seem more real, more unavoidable. People can accuse art of being hypotheticals and exaggerations, but they cannot truly refute facts. I mean yes, they can sure make an effort ( we've all seen politics ), but that doesn't change the truth of the scenario. I want this reality to be haunting, I want it to make people feel things--guilt, anger, anything. It will make it more memorable, and regardless of your stance on the topic, memorability will make the subject's relevance remain steady and that is important when seeking change and reformation.
In this picture Tilikum is in a popularly used position meant to display themselves to their spectators. This was intentional, as it adds more potency to the presence of the ropes and chains. Implies that no matter how much he may be suffering, no matter how much he may want to break free, he cannot escape the falsified life of exhibitionism and glamour that the people who I suppose own him have established. It is also notable that in this image the mammal is laced with injuries known as rakes. Rakes are when Orcas drag their teeth over one another in acts of aggression and dominance, and when they are crammed into a place as tiny as captivity tanks this sort of behavior is magnified to the extreme. Since they do not live in open waters, there is nowhere to flee to when conflict arises. The animals cannot disengage from the situation and so it can only escalate, resulting in their bodies being covered in the damages. There is not much concern showed over this, however, seeing as some trainers literally use this as a method of training, encouraging the whales to hurt each other. I wanted to show the physical abuse that these cetaceans go through, most of which is completely overlooked. I wanted people to see how much they are really suffering.
Another thing I would like to mention is the presence of the chains. First and foremost, I deliberately made them golden as an allusion to the true reason these corporations are refusing to release these Killer Whales. It is not about trying to educate the masses on the animal, it is not about conservation, rehabilitation, or enlightenment. It is about money, and the fact is that Orcas like Tilikum bring in a huge amount of money, more than any other type of animal in most of these parks. These executives, they do not care about the animal. Not really. If they did they would let them go, there is no refuting the research that has been conducted. They know captivity is bad, they know it leads to premature deaths and health problems. They have to know, because they indoctrinate their employees with lies about the species. They say that Orcas have shorter life spans than they really do, that dorsal collapse is common, that the whales are happy in their tanks. They know, of course, that this is all false. The only possible motivation for such dishonesty are their bank accounts, and I felt it important to in some way make that noteworthy when creating my content. The chains lead back into the water of the tank, preventing hope of one day leaving. It is a reminder, a restriction on the whale that prohibits them from straying from where they've been put--an artificial tank not even vaguely meant to reflect what their natural environment would have been. No matter what Tilikum does, those chains will pull him back. The income he produces is too large for his, or any of his counterparts, release to be contemplated. He is trapped, all because of greed.
Lastly, I applied a text overlay to my art in order to push the statistical relevance and reality of Killer Whale captivity. The writing includes information about the captures at Puget Sound, excerpts from Dawn Brancheau's autopsy, information about Lolita, etc. It adds both aesthetic appeal to my image as well as more political relevance. It is helpful to how big of an impact the work makes on its audience--makes it seem more real, more unavoidable. People can accuse art of being hypotheticals and exaggerations, but they cannot truly refute facts. I mean yes, they can sure make an effort ( we've all seen politics ), but that doesn't change the truth of the scenario. I want this reality to be haunting, I want it to make people feel things--guilt, anger, anything. It will make it more memorable, and regardless of your stance on the topic, memorability will make the subject's relevance remain steady and that is important when seeking change and reformation.
Criteria and Its Relevance
Though I did allow myself creative freedom while constructing my art piece, it is not to say that I did not have anything particular or necessary in mind during the process. In order to reach my highest potential as