The debate of whether an orcas should be in marine parks and aquariums is a hot topic in today’s society. We believe that these creatures are very similar to us and should be able to live their lives happily in the wild. We also believe that they should not be held captive because of many different health and safety reasons. However, these big corporations use these whales to entertain and inform people of all ages about how to conserve their habitat. I, myself believe that holding these whales in captivity at marine parks and aquariums is wrong, but it is necessary. The reason to is is that marine parks and aquariums could provide an animal a new safe home and provide valuable information for the people. It is not everyday where a human being can  encounter such a large animal.
Although it was sad seeing in the documentary of how the living conditions for the orcas were, it is important for them to be in captivity. This is because they are creatures found on Earth just like humans and we need to study them to gain our own benefit about these creatures. Studying these creatures through marine parks and aquariums can benefit the orcas also because humans can discover something new that could benefit an orca’s way or living. According to Tasneem Raja from Mother Jones who interviewed a SeaWorld employee, “[the orcas are] ‘education ambassadors’ that ‘encourage’ people to think more about the environment and what they can do to help preserve and protect it" (Raja Par. 11). Keeping them in conservation can allow research be done on these orcas and eventually the public will be able to know how to conserve them because of this knowledge. Shown in the film Blackfish, there are many studies performed on orcas in captivity. Then we can see how they react and see what they are capable of. It is morally wrong to keep them in marine parks and aquariums, but it is necessary and sometimes beneficial to the orcas.

However, when we do keep these orcas in captivity, we are depleting their lives by shortening their life spans significantly and allowing them to engage in conflict with other orcas due to the little space. These factors can eventually lead to the orcas being aggressive towards humans and could result to injury or death. An alternative is making a sanctuary for whales who are injured or retired so therefore they can be safe and can receive attention while in captivity. Having whales in captivity can be beneficial for the whale because of they long dependency on humans. According to Naomi A. Rose from CNN, she claims that since their homes are too small “this contributes to chronic stress, which can depress the immune system and leave captive orcas susceptible to infections they would normally fight off in the wild” (Rose Par. 4). Therefore, we should have some whales in captivity for entertainment and research and keep them in larger living environments. Afterwards, when they are close to retirement, they get moved to a sanctuary therefore they can get all the attention they require.

In conclusion, I feel that even though that is is wrong to see orcas kept in captivity in marine parks and aquariums, it is important to have them in captivity for future studies. Keeping them in captivity will also allow regular people see something that they do not expect seeing everyday. Through this experience, it could influence children to take care of these whales in the near future by conservation or working in a marine park or aquarium. Creating larger living environments and retirement sanctuaries fit the needs of both sides of the debate and can benefit the orcas greatly now.