For several years, Americans have visited amusement parks, such as SeaWorld and Six Flags, to observe large animals like orcas, also called killer whales. These whales are quite difficult to observe in the wild, but can now be observed for a simple payment. Orcas are known to be one of the most intelligent mammals. They are friendly, which encourages people to enjoy them. For sixty years, people have been bringing these massive creatures into their aquariums to profit from their displays. Often without taking into account the quality of life of the orcas. When kept in captivity, killer whales are forced to do many tricks that they normally would not do in the wild. Over the years, there have been many controversies regarding the keeping of killer whales in captivity. People wonder if this practice is safe for the whales and the keepers around them. Keeping killer whales in captivity should be prohibited, because keeping killer whales in captivity makes them aggressive towards employees, causes various health problems, and is painful for the whales. Over the past decade, there have been numerous attacks on killer whales in captivity. However, studies of wild orcas show that “there is no record in history of serious attacks by wild orcas on humans” (Kirby). This suggests that captivity is a significant aggravating factor contributing to orca attacks. Killer whales did not evolve to live in captivity, but are intended to live in the wild, where they can show off how powerful and intelligent they are. In recent years, numerous attacks by captive killer whales on humans have been documented. One of the most publicized incidents occurred at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. The park's beloved whale was named T...... middle of paper ......les-exposed/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/ 07/287330868/ legislator wants to ban orcas-in-san-diegos-seaworld http://articles.latimes.com/2014/apr/02/business/la-fi-mo-seaworld-entertainment-reports-drop -in -attendance-20140402http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/orcas-killer-whales-captivity/http://www.takepart.com/photos/wild-killer-whales/orcas-in-the-open -oceanhttp https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130803-blackfish-orca-killer-whale-keiko-tilikum-sea-world/http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/environment/ article/494760 /Captive-Killer-Whales/ http://www.orcahome.de/orcastat.htm http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/marine_mammals/killer_controversy.pdf http://animals.nationalgeographic.com /animals/ mammals/killer whale/http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/environment/article/391847/Pro-and-Con-Captivity-for-Orcas-in-Sea-World/