Due to these facts, there have been many debates that whales be let out of captivity and into the wild. But if these animals were released back into their natural habitats, would they be able to survive? That is another issue that comes along with keeping animals confined and what their fate may be if let back into their natural habitat.
Orcas that were born into captivity would have an incredibly hard time readjusting their living arrangements. Seven out of the 10 Orcas at SeaWorld were born into captivity and it is believed that they would not survive if let out into the sea. Why is this? Well, to begin with, whales have a sense of navigation and communication skills and those are both altered when in captivity. Also, when they are in captivity, these animals do not fully utilize these skills and this then compromises their ability to be released. Another reason why they may not be able to be released has to do with the fact that humans are all they have ever known. Human like activities and being around humans their entire life is not what a born at sea whale has to deal with. This could be harmful to these animals and many don't think about the consequences of letting the Orcas back into the sea (Stupi). .
There are very serious incidents involved in the mistreatment of the animals at SeaWorld. Two that are better known are the kidnapping of the Orcas from their homes and the many reports of Orca aggression in the park. Five Orcas that currently reside in SeaWorld today were taken from their home at a young age and taken to the park. They were not taken from their ocean home for scientific research but for entertainment purposes. The whale Tilikum mentioned earlier is an example of this. He was taken from the ocean and into captivity and trained to perform. SeaWorld also has a number of injury reports on trainers who have been harmed by these same whales. Orca aggression is very common with these animals due to being kept in captivity and this is unsafe for the trainers that work with them.