Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement
Based on neuroanatomical indices such as brain size and encephalization quotient, orcas are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. They display a range of complex behaviors indicative of social intelligence, but these are difficult to study in the open ocean where protective laws may apply, or...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-2615/6/8/49/ 2023-08-20T04:09:04+02:00 Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement Robert Anderson Robyn Waayers Andrew Knight agris 2016-08-18 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6080049 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani6080049 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Animals; Volume 6; Issue 8; Pages: 49 orca Orcinus orca cognition Theory of Mind (ToM) emotion aggression animal ethics Text 2016 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6080049 2023-07-31T20:56:13Z Based on neuroanatomical indices such as brain size and encephalization quotient, orcas are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. They display a range of complex behaviors indicative of social intelligence, but these are difficult to study in the open ocean where protective laws may apply, or in captivity, where access is constrained for commercial and safety reasons. From 1979 to 1980, however, we were able to interact with juvenile orcas in an unstructured way at San Diego’s SeaWorld facility. We observed in the animals what appeared to be pranks, tests of trust, limited use of tactical deception, emotional self-control, and empathetic behaviors. Our observations were consistent with those of a former Seaworld trainer, and provide important insights into orca cognition, communication, and social intelligence. However, after being trained as performers within Seaworld’s commercial entertainment program, a number of orcas began to exhibit aggressive behaviors. The orcas who previously established apparent friendships with humans were most affected, although significant aggression also occurred in some of their descendants, and among the orcas they lived with. Such oceanaria confinement and commercial use can no longer be considered ethically defensible, given the current understanding of orcas’ advanced cognitive, social, and communicative capacities, and of their behavioral needs. Text Orca Orcinus orca MDPI Open Access Publishing Animals 6 8 49 |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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English |
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orca Orcinus orca cognition Theory of Mind (ToM) emotion aggression animal ethics |
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orca Orcinus orca cognition Theory of Mind (ToM) emotion aggression animal ethics Robert Anderson Robyn Waayers Andrew Knight Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement |
topic_facet |
orca Orcinus orca cognition Theory of Mind (ToM) emotion aggression animal ethics |
description |
Based on neuroanatomical indices such as brain size and encephalization quotient, orcas are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. They display a range of complex behaviors indicative of social intelligence, but these are difficult to study in the open ocean where protective laws may apply, or in captivity, where access is constrained for commercial and safety reasons. From 1979 to 1980, however, we were able to interact with juvenile orcas in an unstructured way at San Diego’s SeaWorld facility. We observed in the animals what appeared to be pranks, tests of trust, limited use of tactical deception, emotional self-control, and empathetic behaviors. Our observations were consistent with those of a former Seaworld trainer, and provide important insights into orca cognition, communication, and social intelligence. However, after being trained as performers within Seaworld’s commercial entertainment program, a number of orcas began to exhibit aggressive behaviors. The orcas who previously established apparent friendships with humans were most affected, although significant aggression also occurred in some of their descendants, and among the orcas they lived with. Such oceanaria confinement and commercial use can no longer be considered ethically defensible, given the current understanding of orcas’ advanced cognitive, social, and communicative capacities, and of their behavioral needs. |
format |
Text |
author |
Robert Anderson Robyn Waayers Andrew Knight |
author_facet |
Robert Anderson Robyn Waayers Andrew Knight |
author_sort |
Robert Anderson |
title |
Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement |
title_short |
Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement |
title_full |
Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement |
title_fullStr |
Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement |
title_full_unstemmed |
Orca Behavior and Subsequent Aggression Associated with Oceanarium Confinement |
title_sort |
orca behavior and subsequent aggression associated with oceanarium confinement |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6080049 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Orca Orcinus orca |
genre_facet |
Orca Orcinus orca |
op_source |
Animals; Volume 6; Issue 8; Pages: 49 |
op_relation |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani6080049 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6080049 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
49 |
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1774721758615568384 |