Concerning Orcas: SeaWorld continues to face backlash from... Everyone.

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Although, I haven't written about this topic yet, I've been following the news closely. The public has been in an uproar since the release of Blackfish earlier this year. SeaWorld has faced all time lows, and companies are withdrawing support every which direction. Next on the list, is Virgin American Airlines, which just days ago announced their withdrawal from the company. Prior to this event, Virgin American offered points, that could be used for mileage or purchases, when buying tickets at SeaWorld. It has since then removed the option to buy said tickets from their website. 

A couple months ago, I did an in depth research of the issue, for a different medium, and I haven't been able to reach a conclusion yet. Much of the pop culture media has been demanding the release of these orcas, and I've got to say many of their arguments do garner my support, yet, I've so far seen no scientific studies backing up many of these points. However, Tilikum's story does lean me towards the side against keeping them in captivity. I've got to say, from what I know, it sounds like highly intelligent animals, such as dolphins and killer whales, struggle both mentally and physically in captivity. Thus, I do see the merit in releasing them, it is most certainly better for the animals, however, it's hard to say what the outcome would be with these captive killer whales, some of which have known nothing but captivity. Nonetheless, I don't think, at this point, any more cetaceans should be subjected to captivity until more research is published. In my very biased opinion, I say set the orcas free.