Orcas have been in difficult circumstances since the first orca was captured in 1961. The first orca captured lived for two days in captivity and then died and the reported cause of death was a pneumonia. Many things come to mind when people think of an orca in captivity. Many people tend to believe that they are being cared for, that they will enjoy life more and live longer because of the food and care they receive. These statements are told to spectators at Seaworld, Marineland and many other water parks around the world. The facts disagree with these assertions. Orcas are very friendly animals, no orca attacks have been recorded harming a human being in the wild. Most of them will approach fishing boats and be petted and fed. In captivity, many orcas have attacked humans. The average lifespan of an orca in captivity is between twenty and thirty years. In nature, its lifespan is three times longer, between fifty and eighty years. Although during shows, sea orcas swimming in huge pools of water are mostly found at the back of the arena in small confined spaces, which is unacceptable because in the wild, orcas swim between sixty and one hundred miles a day, in search of food and exercise daily. Whales should be released from captivity because they are more aggressive in captivity, they live less in captivity and they do not have good living conditions and are kept for profit. Orcas in captivity have shown more aggression than they ever did in the wild. In fact, “no orca attacks have been recorded in the wild but many in captivity” (p. 1). There are over one hundred and fifteen reported cases of orcas attacking trainers in captivity. No matter how experienced the trainer or connector... middle of paper ... it always happens because that's what the audience wants to see and what they pay for. Keeping whales in captivity does not benefit them. Whales have been proven to be aggressive towards their trainers, even though in the wild they have not intentionally harmed anyone. It also proved that they live shorter lives. Not only shorter lives, but also a thirty to forty year shorter life expectancy in captivity. Their living conditions are small, not large enough for them to exercise and hunt for food as they would in the wild. These are just a few of the many ways whales are mistreated and they don't deserve any of this. The way to stop this is simple. Don't visit theme parks where orcas are forced to do tricks they don't want to do. Support organizations that are there to treat and release whales, not to hold them and profit from them.