Captive Killer Whales

Captive Killer Whales In captivity, many orcas suffer from poor physical and mental health. In the wild, they can easily travel 50 to 100 miles a day. However, in captivity, a typical tank is only twice their size, forcing the animals to swim in small circles or float aimlessly. â€Å"The stress of captivity can drive orcas and other marine mammals to display neurotic behaviors that, understandably enough, can lead to tragic consequences†, says Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals, an animal welfare advocacy group. These results can include premature death, depression, and injury to trainers. â€Å"Science has confirmed that in captivity, dolphins and whales suffer from high mortality rates, low breeding success and may endure physical and psychological disorders. There is no justification for the capture, trade, and display of these wild animals†, according to Daniel Turner of the Born Free Foundation, another organization dedicated to conservation and animal welfare. In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30. Sometimes pods combine to form a group of 100 orcas with a complex social hierarchy led by females. Researchers believe that killer whales possess an advanced system of communication, with different dialects. In captivity, killer whales are often isolated, except during shows and training. They are unable to communicate with each other or form social relationships as they would in the wild. Another immoral practice is the mass breeding of these whales. They are being overbred, crossbred, and even inbred. Tilikum, the largest orca in captivity, is the chief sperm source of SeaWorld, and activists believe his value as a stud is the main reason why SeaWorld will not release him back into the wild. Often breeding methods pose safety conditions and threaten the animals health. In the wild, orcas choose their own mates, and the families stay together for life. To communicate, navigate, and hunt for food, orcas rely on echolocation, which is the process of emitting sound and then interpreting the vibrations. The sound waves bounce off objects and travel back, telling the orca what is around it. In captivity, tanks are made of solid concrete, which causes sound waves to bounce off the walls, making it impossible for orcas to locate food or navigate using echolocation. Many captive killer whales die prematurely, with the average life at about ten years. In the wild, they live between 50 and 80 years. The first orca held in captivity lasted one day; she swam around her enclosure at high speeds, ramming into the sides of her tank. Killer whales in captivity pose a danger to trainers, with four documented deaths and a long list of attacks. The most recent occurred in 2010, when Tilikum allegedly grabbed his trainer, Dawn Bran ¬cheau, by her hair and dragged her underwater. Tilikum, whose stage name is Shamu at SeaWorld Orlando, weighs 12,000 p ounds, and Bran ¬cheau was one of their most experienced trainers. â€Å"When these animals are taken into captivity, they can  ¬become very hostile, depressed, and even suicidal†, says Howard Garrett, director of the nonprofit Orca Network. Tragically, Tilikum had also been involved in an earlier death of a trainer, in 1991, when Keltie Lee Byrne accidentally fell into the tank. A homicide investigation showed that Tilikum and two other orcas prevented Byrne from getting out of the pool, causing her to drown. After Brancheaus death, Tilikum was banned from public appearances. However, just 13 months later, he rejoined the cast of Believe, SeaWorld’s most popular dolphin and whale show. In 2009, trainer Alexis Martinez, was killed by Keto, a 14-year-old male orca, during a training session. Keto held Alexis underwater. His autopsy revealed a violent death, with numerous scrapes, bruises, fractures, and several teeth marks. Although his immediate cause of death was drowning, the report states that the fundamental cause was â€Å"mechanical asphyxiation due to compression and crushing of the thoracic abdomen with injuries to the vital organs†. In other words, Keto violently crushed his trainer. Non-fatal attacks by captive killer whales on humans have also occurred. In 1984 at SeaWorld California, two killer whales grabbed the legs of their trainer, Bud Krames, and pinned him against a glass wall during a show. Krames eventually left his job – and he isn’t the only trainer working with orcas to do so; in one year, a total of 35 orca trainers left their jobs. There have been over 100 documented attacks in captivity, but no human deaths from orcas have been recorded in the wild. Only one attack has been documented involving a killer whale in the wild, but this was probably due to mistaken identity, since the victim was surfing in an area highly populated with seals, orcas natural food source. These cases prove that unnatural living conditions in captivity are the most likely cause of aggressive behavior and attacks on humans. It is unfair and immoral to profit from the mistreatment of animals. Killer whales are the main attraction at many marine parks and, without them, park attendance would drop drastically. Therefore, these facilities want to keep attendance levels high by offering shows that provide entertainment and allow guests to view the animals up close. Orcas are suffering major physical and mental problems due to their captivity, such as broken teeth from gnawing on steel gates, dorsal fin collapsing from lack of exercise, and signs of depression. However, the shows go on.

Mao zedong Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mao zedong - Research Paper Example He became the main participator in the United Front. Mao was appointed as leader of the Peasant Movement Training Institute. Mao’s work included organizational and ideological instruction for peasant leaders. The opportunity opened Mao’s eyes to the potential of the Chinese peasants to engage in a revolution.2 Mao married Yang Kaihui, a daughter of one of his Beijing University’s mentors, in 1921. In 1930, Yang was executed by the Kuomintang. However, Mao had begun to stay with an 18-year old girl, He Zizhen. In the next nine years, they had sired five children. Mao divorced He in 1937 and married Jiang Qing. 1937 became a cataclysmic year for every person involved in the Chinese Revolution. Mao and his fellow Communists were involved in the futile southern China after the April Shanghai coup. The experience resulted into a distrust of Soviet advice. There was a deep animosity toward Chiang Kaishek that resulted in a search for new strategies to a mass-based revolution. Mao moved with a small group of loyalists to Jinggangshan, a mountainous and forested region in the province of Jiangxi. It was here that Mao faced the reality of real rural revolution.3 The political attitudes of Mao materialized against a background of great crisis in China in early 20th century. China was weak and divided. The main national problems were the need to reunify China and to expel foreign occupiers. Mao, who was young, was seen as a nationalist. He was strongly anti-imperialist and anti-Western and even before becoming attracted to Marxism. His nationalism combined with his combativeness to admire the martial spirit- martial spirit later became a pillar of Maoism. 4 There was a strong need for change and social reform. China’s social structure was obsolete. For instance, the gentry class was an obstacle to modernization. This class dominated the peasants, who comprised the significant majority

Bussines environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bussines environment - Assignment Example I will try to provide the information as per my knowledge and understanding. LO 1.1 Generally, business organisations can be broadly segregated as public sector organisations and private sector organisations. The organisations that are owned and run by the government are termed as public sector organisation (Adams & Periton, 2006, p.86). The organisations where the ownership lies with private owners are called the private sector organisations. These private sectors organisations can run the business either with the motto of earning profit or they can be non-profit making organisations that do not conduct the business for monetary gains (Beamish & Ashford, 2006, p.256). Before discussing different type of profit making organisations, I would like to explain the main purpose of non-profit making organisations. Generally, these organisations intend to provide services. While organisations like clubs and societies provide facilities and entertainment services to its members, charities of fer services to a particular group of people in the society who need help and assistance. These charities may also be involved with environment related issues (Lunt, 2010, p.9). The private organisations can be segregated into four broad categories. These are: sole proprietorship, partnership, private limited company and public limited company. The organisations and their purposes are explained as followed: Sole proprietorship: Such a business is owned by a single person, so he/she is the ‘Boss’. The owner of the business is solely responsible for raising capital and combining all the resources required for production. Thus, the owner enjoys the profit earned by the business. This business is not a legal entity, so the owner has unlimited liabilities. Due to limitation in availability of capital, these businesses are comparatively smaller in size. The main purpose of sole proprietorship is to earn profit and thus it has limited role in social development (Minars, 2003, p.6). Partnership: As per the definition provided by Uniform Partnership Act, â€Å"the association of two or more persons to carry on as co-owners of a business for profit, forms a partnership, whether or not the persons intend to form a partnership† (Spadaccini, 2007, p.5). Such business organisation enjoys immense freedom and simplicity in terms of starting and operating the business. The partners may agree to start a partnership firm even with an oral agreement but this often results in misunderstanding and dispute. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain a formal written agreement that specifies all the terms and conditions. This type of business firm diversifies the business risk and the partners enjoy certain tax benefits. As the business does not result in formation of a separate entity, therefore the partners have unlimited liability. Such businesses do not contribute much to the society because the main purpose is earning profit (Spadaccini, 2007, p.5-6). Private lim ited: A private limited company is a legal entity which has limitation on the number of owners. Restriction is also on transfer of shares. The company cannot raise fund by public subscription (equity shares and debentures). The firm has to specify its area of activity in the article of association. However, it enjoys certain degree of liberty as it does not have to disclose all the financial information publicly (Morse, 2007, p.58). The main purpose