Orcas, also known as killer whales, are incredibly intelligent and are top predators, just like humans. However, when the ocean's top predator collides with the land's top predator, the situation can turn fatal for both humans and whales. Keeping these incredibly massive marine animals in captivity is not only inhumane and harmful to the whales' health, but also a potentially fatal activity in which humans can participate. Orca trafficking is the equivalent of human trafficking: kidnapping a baby or calf from its mother to be used for the entertainment of others. Killer whales are family oriented and all of a mother's offspring remain with her for life (spon). When a calf is taken or captured, the entire orca family follows it until it can no longer keep up. For them, transporting the young orca is terrifying; they don't understand why they have just been taken away from their family and are being kept in shallow water, without light, together with other orcas with whom they have no family ties, which causes psychological stress (Killer Whales in Captivity). Some baby orcas died from the stress of capture and were cut open and filled with rocks so they would sink to the bottom (blackfish). Taking a child away from its mother is immoral, regardless of species, especially if it is to be used for the entertainment of others. When a baby orca is taken out of the ocean and away from its supportive family and sent into a small chlorinated pool with strangers, it can cause many potential health risks. The most obvious health problem is whale aggression. Almost none of the killer whales in captivity are blood related, so most of them are all strangers and will fight or even kill and...... middle of paper ......live in very close families in the wild . However, when humans interfere, they disrupt the lifestyle of these majestic animals by kidnapping baby orcas and taking them into captivity to entertain a crowd of humans. The stress of bringing them into captivity causes many health problems and even brutal, sometimes fatal, attacks on humans. The captivity of killer whales should be phased out until there are no longer these beautiful animals to torture in captivity. Works Cited Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Magnolia Pictures, 2013. DVD.Jett, John S. and Jeffrey M. Ventre. “Keto and Tilikum express the stress of orca captivity.” The Orca project. Np, Jan. 20, 2011. Web. Nov. 17, 2013. “Orcas in Captivity.” Killer whale facts and information. Np, nd Web. November 17, 2013. Spong, Paul. "Orca (Orcinus Orca)." PBS. PBS and Web. November 17. 2013.