SeaWorld Whale Deaths–Whales Die Young And Regularly
Written by Vegetarian Star on October 5th, 2010 in Animal Issues.
The recent deaths of three killer whales at SeaWorld certainly do nothing to appease animal rights activists who already view the marine park as an unsafe environment for the whales and people.
In the past 4 months, there have been three deaths–a 25 year old female, a 20 year old female and a 12 year old male. The exact cause of the most recent death is still under investigation, while officials have determined that the 20 year old died from complications giving birth.
This controversy is on top of the death of a trainer who was killed by a whale earlier this year, prompting the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to fine SeaWorld $75,000 and demand no other trainer ever come in contact with the whale that killed her.
Whales die young and regularly at SeaWorld. According to the Fisheries Service Records, 13 killer whales have died at SeaWorld’s parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio since 1996. That’s about one whale death per year. Causes of death included multiple cases of pneumonia, encephalitis and gastrointestinal ailments. The animals that died ranged from 1-23 years old. In the wild, the average life expectancy of a killer whale is 50 years for females, although they can reach up to 80-90 years. For males, the average is 30 years, but some live up to 50-60 years old.
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