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 whale
Zaneski, Cyril. "Will Performing whale Fail or Flourish in the Wild?" Knight-Rider New Service 10 March 1995. Online. Internet. 23 April 1998. Available: Knight-Rider There needs to be more awareness about poaching, saving endangered species, and hunting for one species that won't harm another. Many dolphins die every day when they get caught in fishing nets because fisherment use techniques that catch dolphins along with the intended catch. 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 successful. This brings us back to the question: is it worth the time and large amounts of money to try and teach animals that have been either held or born in captivity to live in the wild again or for the first time in their lives? It appears that many people feel this way by the outpouring of money to help just one whale.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1775
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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