In class, we watched a documentary called Black Fish. It is a story about a whale named Tilikum who has been living in captivity for the majority of his life. He was kidnapped when he was a baby and then trained to be a show marine mammal in places like Sea World.

I learned that this type of business is actually terrible for these marine mammals. Killer whales are supposed to live in pods (or groups) with their own families and with their own tribes. When whales live in captivity, they can become depressed and possible violent. Whales are migrating animals and they are supposed to swim hundreds of miles per day. Can you imagine being locked up in a tiny pool when you are supposed to explore the world with your family?

I also learned that a whale’s dorsal fin will naturally be standing straight up in the wild, however, in captivity, we will see many of these dorsal fins drooping to the side. That probably means the animal is depressed.

After watching this documentary, I don’t want to be a part of this type of business. I don’t think we should exploit animals as a business. I think we can learn and appreciate animals in a different way. Humans should put more energy into protecting animal rights and protecting animals’ habitats; not poaching animals and exploiting them for a profit.