Killer Whale Persuasive Speech outline- upload PDF

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Topic: Killer Whales kept in captivity Specific Purpose: To guide and persuade the audience to feel opposed about killer whales being kept in captivity specifically at Sea World. Thesis Statement: Killer Whales, also known as Orca’s, have been used for entertainment purposes for over fifty years. These highly intelligent animals are taken out of their home, pulled away from their families, and then put in a tank to flip around for paying customers. It is wrong; Orca’s do not belong at in captivity. History has a way of repeating itself, I will cover sad events that have occurred with captive whales and discuss the terrible emotional and physical effects that these animals have being kept in a tank. I. INTRODUCTION a. Attention getter- Cringe Factor i. You know that feeling when you’re watching something and it doesn’t feel right but you cant look away? Everyone around you is also watching and getting enjoyment out of it but deep down you know that it is wrong. Its called “Cringe Factor”, and it’s the feeling associated with watching something terribly not ok… it’s the feeling you get at Sea World. b. Tie to the audience & credibility- While the issue of using animals for entertainment purposes extends way beyond just simply Orca’s I feel strongly about this subject from watching the CNN documentary “Blackflish”. After seeing the documentary which covers the killer whale Tilikum’s life and Orca’s in captivity I was moved and took it upon myself to research and learn more about the situation and see what I could personally do. c. Thesis- Killer Whales, also known as Orca’s, have been used for entertainment purposes for over fifty years. These highly intelligent animals are taken out of their home, pulled away from their families, and then put in a tank to flip around for paying customers. It is wrong; Orca’s do not belong at in captivity. History has a way of repeating itself, I will cover sad events that have occurred with captive whales and discuss the terrible emotional and physical effects that these animals have being kept in a tank. II. BODY a. Main point 1- TILLYS STORY i. Explain how his past adds up to what’s happening now 1. This is Tilikum. In 1983 Tilikum was captured near Iceland at the age of two years old. He was transferred to Canada and as a training technique food was withheld and the other two whales constantly attacked him. He was forced to perform eight times a day and the stress gave him stomach ulcers. At night the workers would put all three park whales in a small metal box and it was pitch black. They stayed there for 14

hours and it was evident he was attacked each night by the scratches. 2. The first death- Febuary 1991 in Canada a trainer fell into the pool with the three whales and Tilly pulled her down under water where the other two whales hurt her and she drowned. After that the Canada park Sealand shut down and when SeaWorld heard that Tilly, who was now a huge whale was up for sale they transferred him and saved his sperm for the future of creating more whales. 3. The second death- was in 1999, Daniel Dukes was drunk and climbed over the wall at SeaWorld in Orlando and was found naked, drowned, and dead the next morning in the Whale’s pool. Not only in the whales pool but laying on Tilikum’s back with his genitals gone. Though SeaWorld has cameras above and below water they stated that no camera captured the event and covered their tracks with the idea that he died from hypothermia. All signs point to Tilly. 4. The third death- was in 2010, Dawn Branchau. Dawn was a senior trainer at the park and her and Tilly had a bond. But he dismembered her body and broke every single bone during a trick… in front of a crowd. It was the end of the day and he didn’t hear her whistle saying that he was done doing a trick. She was running out of food and when 5. He is only one whale but he represents every single whale who has ever been in captivity and who is now. (the 54 now). 6. He is not the only whale who has become extremely aggressive as a result of the stress that these performer captive whales endure. He has killed three people while captive, and its believed that his actions are a result of the damage mentally of being kept in captivity. 7. “Tilikum is not an evil animal – he is a highly intelligent, emotionally complex mammal. And we’ve made him psychotic," says ex-trainer Sam Berg ii. An overview of the whales who are captive, some facts 1. While Tilly's story may be unique to SeaWorld it remains true that whales should not be kept in captivity. 2. There are 54 whales worldwide that are in captivity now according to the organization whale and dolphin conservation, 150 whales in all have been captured and 54 remain. But whales are no longer taken from the wild they are now bred in captivity using the whales that the marine parks have at their disposal. iii. Facts about whales in general also 1. Researchers have found that whales can live to be over 100 years… in the wild.

2. Orca’s live in strong family groups known as “pods”. They are like humans each pod is different, they are like cultures. When the whales grow up in these pods they learn their families customs (things such as dialect, sexual behavior, food to eat, and hunting techniques) 3. They are extremely intelligent animals but their beauty and their willingness to work with humans has made them performers in marine parks since they were first captured in the 1960s. iv. Blackfish documentary information 1. The death of Dawn Branchaeu on February 24th 2010 by a was what ultimately lead Gabrielle to pursue a documentary. She told the Daily Beast, and I quote “I began researching the story for my next documentary because I couldn’t fathom why a highly intelligent animal would essentially “bite the hand that feeds it.” END QUOTE b. Main point 2i. Effects mentally 1. They face excessive stress from social isolation, poor nutrition, and over crowding in the tanks a. In an interview that Bridgette Pirtle, former SeaWorld trainer, did with Jane J. Lee National Geographic reporter in January 2014. She too believes that using animals for entertainment should end and she highlighted her concern for the space that the animals have she said quote” this was a battle I fought in my last year at SeaWorld. It is disappointing to see more money spent on the parks that doesn’t benefit the animals. They will spend millions renovating a play area or a sound system but there isn’t enough pool space for the animals” END QUOTE. The pools are way to small and these living accommodations are affecting their behavior. 2. Birthing complications 3. Over worked 4. They try to hurt themselves by banging their heads against the wall 5. Their sad and unhappy ii. Hurting people, unfair 1. No killer whale has ever killed a whale in the wild, it has only happened in captivity. iii. Hurting and killing each other 1. There is no documentation of a whale killing another whale or even seriously injuring another whale. This has only happened in captivity. There are smushed into a small tank

but in the ocean they have miles upon miles to swim not near one another 2. They get aggressive with each other in such small areas, they are mostly from different pods and don’t get along. Also the female is known to be the dominant family member so the females gang up on the males. 3. In the open sea if there are issues there is a whole entire ocean to escape to, but not in the tanks at SeaWorld. 4. Examplesa. In 1989 an incident was reported that one orca, Kandu, violently slammed into another, Corky, because Corky showed interest in Kandu’s calf. She went crazy, Kandu hurt Corky so hard so badly that a major artery in her top jaw was cut and blood was everywhere. Kandu bleed to death. b. Often the whales skin shows teeth marks from aggression of the whales, the small space leads directly to aggression and problems. iv. I said before that research shows Killer whales are known to live 100 years but that’s in the wild. Over the past years the average lifespan of orca’s in captivity is 7.18 years. In the past 25 years, 25 whales have died at SeaWorld all under 30 years old. v. Counter Argument 1. Some people believe that keeping the whales in parks is in the nature of education not pure entertainment. The Newspaper The New York Times had an article In July 2013 titled “Smart, Social, and Erratic in Captivity”. In the article James Gorman, science reporter for the NYTimes highlighted Christopher Dold, VP or veterinary services at SeaWorld point on the subject. He explained that SeaWorld offers a high level of veterinary care and enrichment programs for the animals. Another point he makes in the article is that a lot of research is being done on the Orca’s while they are in close range. They can test their cognition, their behavior, and the physiology better than in the wild. And the knowledge and chance for the public to see the animals Dold says can educate the public. 2. I recognize my opponents views and that the research being done to the whales in captivity is as up close as its going to get but the research being done doesn’t represent the population of whales in the wild who are free. It represents the cognitive skills of the damaged stressed whales who are trying to kill themselves and kill each other in the fish bowls at SeaWorld. And on top of that viewing Killer Whale’s jump, splash and flip trainers is not educating the public, it is merely using them for entertainment and money purposes.

3. Secondly, when Blackfish was released Fred Jacob’s, Sea Worlds spokesman sent out a letter to the critics denying claims that the film made against them. David Kirby, professional journalist and author of “Death at SeaWorld” rebutted everything that Jacobs said in 2013 in a take part article. a. Jacobs first claimed on behalf of SeaWorld that they do not stock their parks with captured whales, and that they haven’t captured a whale in over 35 years. i. Kirby responded showing the truth by saying I quote “ The wild Orca Morgan, who was rescued in waters off the Netherlands a few years back, has now been claimed by Sea World” END QUOTE b. Then the letter went on explaining how the allegation that killer whales live twice as long in the wild than in SeaWorld was also incorrect and suggests numbers without research. i. In response Kirby again confidently states I quote “The research that has been done on Killer Whales in the wild does not suggest average life expectancies, it methodically and scientifically documents them. END QUOTE He goes even further to prove that there is zero evidence that Orca’s in captivity live as long as the ones in the ocean, most whales at SeaWorld have died in their 20’s and mostly younger. 4. While the documentary did attack SeaWorld, they are clearly incorrect and there is something “fishy” going on. c. Main point 3i. Making this stop 1. The shows need to come to an end 2. Animals need to stop being forced to perform for human’s enjoyment. Think about it like how when humans entertain they are paid from it, they reap benefits… the killer whales do not. 3. The animals that are young and healthy enough to be released into the wild should be 4. Gabriella Cowperthwaite the director of Blackfish thinks– “And the animals like Tilikum, who are old and sick and have put in 25 years in the industry, should be released to an open ocean pen” END QUOTE 5. The shows could be replaced with other exhibits that are educational without physically using the email ii. The story about the little girl

1. Environmental journalist, Brian Clark Howard, for National Geographic online, published an article in December 2013 titled “Schoolchildren boycott SeaWorld “Blackfish” Flap” which covered the backfire the documentary was having on the park. 2. He shared a inspiring story about a 12 year old girl, Kirra, whose school in California has a tradition of an overnight field trip to SeaWorld that the school has been doing for over a decade. Howard said I quote “ But Kirra reportedlty told her parents and teachers that she didn’t want to go, after seeing how the film depicted the park’s treatment of whales” END QUOTE. She is passionate about the animals, and her successful cancellation of the field trip wasn’t small at all. It lead to musical acts such as the Barenaked Ladies, Martina McBride, and Willie Nelson pulling out of scheduled SeaWorld performances. iii. How everyone can be that girl and make a change iv. Online petitions etc III. CONCLUSION a. Summary b. Tie it back to the audience c. Reinforce that Tilly is one whale who represents everyone d. Concluding with leaving them to make their own choice and then leave them with the “cringe factor” idea of going to sea world so they form their own opinion on not wanting to go.

References Cowperthwaite, Gabriela. "‘Blackfish’ Director: Killer Whales Don’t Belong in Captivity." Weblog post. The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company LCC, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Gorman, James. "Smart, Social and Erratic in Captivity." New York Times 30 July 2013, New York ed.: D1. New York Times. 29 July 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Howard, Brian Clark. "Schoolchildren and Musicians Boycott SeaWorld in "Blackfish" Flap." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 20 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

"Former SeaWorld Trainer: Stop Using Killer Whales for Entertainment." Interview by Janet J. Lee and Bridgette Pirtle. National Geographic News. National Geographic, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Kirby, David. "SeaWorld Refutes New Film That Exposes the Cruel Treatment of Captive Whales." TakePart. Participant Media, 13 July 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014....