SHamU YoU!

My childhood is officially complete: I saw Shamu.

Ok, well maybe it wasn't THE shamu. After all, I hear that whale has been dead for awhile. But it doesn't matter. Whether I saw Shamu the killer whale, or his daughter Shamusina, the show was amazing!

Sea World has a variety of shows throughout the park. From dancing dolphins and beluga whales to a walrus doing sit ups, Sea World was jaw dropping. One show I really enjoyed was Believe. The show featured four Orcas (AKA KILLER WHALES!) who were unbelievably intelligent. The trainers had taught these whales to flip, splash, and carry humans on their noses/backs. Watching the show I felt like I was at church, not Sea World! The believe theme of the show told audience members that anything was possible (and led most of us to feel our true calling in life was to work with these strikingly beautiful mammals.

While all the Orcas looked very happy to be in captivity, later research on this topic has made me not too happy about Sea World after all. Some research stated the following:

Captive Orcas have vastly-reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s. In the wild, female Orcas can live to be 80 years old, while males can live to be 60 years old.

These figures are a bit worrisome. Much of Sea World focused on helping preserve the planet and endangered species living on it. Why then, I wonder, are they keeping these animals in captivity to begin with? I would love to interview a trainer working there and here some more information about why/how they choose which animals to bring into captivity.

Whatever the answers, I cannot deny how life changing the experience was. I hope to have the chance to visit again someday. Until then I will just have to hug my Shamu stuffed animal souvenir.

YES I am 23 and I bought a stuffed animal to take home. Go ahead, judge me.