Why...do we have a cemetery on campus?

 Throughout history, scientists have used many misleading terms to name various animals. Much to my chagrin as a young boy, dragonflies do not breathe fire under even the most dire circumstances. The smoky grass mouse does not smoke grass.  And as famously documented in “Finding Nemo,” clownfish are even less humorous than George Lopez.  However, one time the scientific community was close to spot-on in its nomenclature was the killer whale. 

The week before spring break, an unfortunate incident made this all too clear. Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer at Sea World, was killed by the “park attraction” named Tillikum during a demonstration. This was certainly a terrible occurrence; however, it was one that could have been easily avoided.  

While the early 1990s masterpiece “Free Willy” may have led you to think otherwise, killer whales are not the easiest animals to deal with. Their trainers certainly do an amazing job of taming these imposing creatures, but even the slightest mishap has the potential to be life-threatening.   The average male killer whale weighs over 10,000 pounds. At that size, even Clay Aiken would be a force to be reckoned with.

According to a report on CNN.com, killer whales can swim up to 100 nautical miles every day. Switching from living in the ocean to being contained within an area about the size of the quad is not conducive to such an animal’s happiness. Luckily for the whales, their intense physical discomfort is balanced out by the privilege of performing for hundreds of thousands of overweight Americans every year.  

Surprisingly, such a lifestyle does not work wonders on a whale’s psyche. According to Jim Borrowman, a prominent whale researcher, being held in captivity can result in whales developing “neurotic” behavioral tendencies. This behavior can include (gasp) becoming overly aggressive toward humans.  

Are the rewards of the whale training and entertainment industry worth all of these negatives? I’d have to go with no, as there aren’t really any.  While I’m sure the trainer-whale relationship is quite rewarding, it does not really offer society any benefits. Wouldn’t we be better served if the intellectual talents of these trainers were put toward something more practical? Between the commercialization and arguable abuse of the whales and the dangers they  present, I think it’s about time Sea World and similar parks put their whale shows to rest.