Defending Orcas: No More Captivity

Young adults explore why orcas’ captivity in marine parks is a poor substitute for life in the open ocean and performing creates unnatural stress no orca should endure.
This book provides an educational and sobering look at the conditions orcas face by being captured or born into captivity. Young people will learn how orcas (who are part of the same biological order as whales) thrive at sea and have highly evolved forms of communication that are unique to each orca family. The book delves into the history of capturing orcas for sale to marine parks that then attempt to tame and train the orcas to provide entertainment to park visitors. Readers will find stories about individual orcas—some of them world famous—and discover how difficult it is for them to adapt to captivity.