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The ethics of training orcas
By Lauren | March 1, 2010
The death of Orlando SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau last week has raised a firestorm of debate about whether it’s right to train big predators to entertain the public. Ms. Brancheau was killed by a 22-foot male orca named Tilikum. No one really knows what caused Tilikum to grab Ms. Brancheau by the hair and pull her underwater. But her death raises some pretty signficant ethical issues, as does the question of what will become of Tilikum now.
In the interests of full disclosure, let me say that I was one of the people who contributed to build the tank that housed Keiko, the orca from “Free Willy,” as a first step toward his eventual return to the wild. Nobody cheered harder for Keiko’s release, and nobody was more disappointed when he ultimately proved to be too tame to ever really transition back to life in the sea. (Keiko, who apparently loved people, was still playing with fishing boats when he eventually died of natural causes.) Nobody enjoys dolphin and whale shows at SeaWorld more, either. Watching children cheer from their parents’ laps, I always agreed with the experts who argue that big-predator shows perform an essential service, teaching children to love the animals so that, as adults, they’ll be a bit more inclined to protect them.
Now, I’m not so sure.
Anheuser-Busch has invested a lot of money in its SeaWorld parks and, when there’s a big investment involved, values can get a little skewed. The orca shows were briefly shut down, but it was inevitable that they would resume - big, empty tanks are bad for business. Can the shows operate safely, both for the trainers and the animals? If not, it will be bad not only for SeaWorld and its trainers, but for orcas. People have an ugly tendency to destroy any species that they consider dangerous. There are no recorded incidents of orcas killing people in the wild, but that fact may get lost if an orca is ever involved in another widely-publicized amusement park accident.
And what will SeaWorld do with Tilikum, a bull orca who weighs nearly six tons and who is now associated with three human deaths? Experts suggest that isolating him from the other orcas at the park could cause him to suffer real psychological harm, which might make him even more dangerous. He’s too valuable to euthanize - he’s sired over a dozen calfs for the company. Yet, allowing him to perform, especially if it would involve putting him in the tank with another trainer, seems like a crazy risk to take. And if Keiko couldn’t transition back to the wild, is there any reason to think Tilikum would do any better?
It’s not clear to me what the executives at SeaWorld should do. I only hope that, as they discuss Tilikum’s fate and the future of their orca shows, they’ll consider what’s right and humane, not just what’s profitable.
Topics: Business Ethics, Risk Management, corporate responsibility, customer relations, ethics |
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 am
I never thought of the point you made about it teaching kids to love the animals. It’s very valid. It certainly is a more complicated problem than I ever realized.
March 4th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Lauren,
I guess cases like this illustrated that business ethics is not always straightforward. Even if it wasn’t for any complications arising out of any situations of conflict between ethics and profit, there are many cases where there will not be a singular, ‘right’ answer as to what exactly the best course of action from an ethical viewpoint is. This is especially the so in cases like this, where there are legitimate questions revolving around both animal welfare and human safety.
Whatever they decide about Tilikum, I sure hope that a workable solution can be found.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
I respectfully disagree that animal shows such as those at SeaWorld teach children to love animals. Most children learn to love animals by having a pet (dog, cat, fish, whatever) in their homes while growing up. It is daily, meaningful interaction with animals that builds a strong bond of love and respect–not a one-time visit to an entertainment park.
Education is NOT the primary objective of parks like SeaWorld. Take a look at their brochures or their online promotions. (http://seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=134). SeaWorld’s marketing doesn’t tout educational benefits of attending a show, but rather the entertainment aspects. (Taking a quick look at the San Diego site: “Feel the amazing energy as Shamu Rocks” to rock and roll music. “Finish off the evening with Shamus fireworks displays.” The Orlando site has been changed to reflect more “animal interaction” programs and educational aspects..perhaps the three deaths prompted this change for the Orlando site???)
If anyone really wants to learn about animals in the wild, there are myriad “whale watching” tours and such that people can take. Oh, sure…these won’t have rock and roll music or fireworks and the whales won’t be doing inane fancy tricks that they’ve been taught. But what they will be doing is behaving exactly as their normally do in the wild. And isn’t that a real education?
March 12th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Ooops. In the second-to-last sentence I meant to write “…behaving exactly as THEY normally do in the wild.” Sorry for the typo.