Free Willy! Why We Should Free Captured Whales Essays - Free Essays

Free Willy! Why We Should Free Captured Whales Essays - Free Essays Free Willy! Why We Should Free Captured Whales Many people have heard about Keiko, the killer whale, who starred in the movie Free Willy. After seeing the movie, audiences discovered that the friendly whale in the movie was in a tank too small and in bad health because of that and other complications that come with being taken from its natural habitat to a place where it can't meet it's own needs. Soon a foundation was set u[ and money started pouring in from children and their schools to come up with a plan to one day free Keiko. The tank/habitat cost $7.3 million to build and $9 million for staff, veterinarian, care, food, utilities and other costs for the first two years alone (Oregon Coast Aquarium). With all the problems in the world with humans and animals, it is hard to see this much money going to help just one whale. There are different types of animal stories that people hear about. There are the wonderful stories about adorable animals that do something amazing or need our help. There are also stories about animals that are used in good and bad experiments. When you hear about the treatment of some animals for research, you feel like forgetting about research. One such story was in 1988, three gray whales got stuck in freezing waters in Alaska, the whales were at risk of drowning because the holes in the ice that they were using to breathe were slowly freezing over. a large rescue was put together that ended up involving the National Guard and the U.S. and Soviet governments to get the whales free (Luke 87). Another story is of a mother cat that risked burning to death to save her kittens from a burning building. She and her kittens needed a home, which they got after the news coverage of the amazing act of the mother. The first story is amazing because two separate governments (which haven't been able to get along for the most part of the last 50 years and have only recently started to become friendly) came together to help three animals that needed some outside help. The question is: were the two governments and other groups that helped, really trying to help the whales or get attention for themselves, and say Hey, we are helpful to everyone including animals that can't even ask for help. The news is just as bad as the two governments and groups. the reporters give the animals names, which makes viewers feel like they know the animals involved, so they keep watching to find out what happens. TV is the land of ratings and the only way to get ratings is to grab the audiences' attention, with stories that make audiences have strong emotions about something (Luke 87). The cat and her kittens all got happy homes and the whales were able to go on their way, so in these two cases everything was successf ul. Then there are the more extreme cases of when activists illegally raid research facilities to free animals that are being experimented on. Some of these stories are justified, when the experiments being done and the condition of the animals are discovered. In some cases newborn animals such as monkeys are taken away from their mothers as soon as they are born, and are started on experiments. Some experiments range from implanting devices, electrical cords for stimulation, or a variety of things. These are some of the more extreme cases of experimentation and sometimes groups, such as PETA, step in and take things into their own hands, Illegally (Newkirk). Most people don't think about what it really means to try and release an animal back into the wild and what all needs to be done for the act to take place. People and activists that are saying that the animals should be released aren't thinking about the fact that many of the animals have been in captivity for many years or born in captivity. These animals have been hand fed and not had to worry about predators. They have forgotten how to hunt and protect themselves which, in the wild, are the two main survival needs. The animals have