SeaWorld Is Loud As Hell. Orca Ears Can't Take It.

<p> Irina Silvestrova/Shutterstock<span></span><br> </p>
<p> Irina Silvestrova/Shutterstock<span></span><br> </p>

Shouts, blasting music and fireworks.

These are some of the sounds that give SeaWorld theme parks a boisterous and festive atmosphere, which SeaWorld - while trying to change its face from diversion to dedicated scientific conservation institution - refuses to give up.

But some thoughtful people know that orcas have extraordinary hearing. They're concerned about how loud noises - like firework displays that will explode above SeaWorld parks almost every night this summer as well as the day-to-day shouts of crowds and music blasting from speakers during orca performances - affect the intelligent animals who have no way out of the noisy park.

So they asked SeaWorld about it. And SeaWorld answered.

SeaWorld writes on its website:

We have worked with independent experts in the field of bioacoustics from Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and the National Marine Mammal Foundation to measure the ambient noise in our environments (including music, etc.). Our underwater noise levels are quieter than the ambient ocean. And those above water sounds don't transfer underwater. So, based on these studies, we are confident the sounds in our environment are not detrimental to the animal's wellbeing.

It's true that noise doesn't transfer easily from air to water. But SeaWorld isn't even mentioning that orcas are forced to surface constantly for feedings and performances. This is would not be the case if they were in the open ocean, where the air above water is much quieter.

Irina Silvestrova/Shutterstock

And the experts we consulted say that captive orcas at SeaWorld are not unaffected by the surroundings they're forced to consider home. Dr. Darlene Ketten, a whale expert and neuroethologist who studies how behavior is linked to anatomy, said that real hazards can come from the impulse noise that firework explosions produce. And marine mammal scientist Dr. Naomi Rose of the Animal Welfare Institute added that SeaWorld orcas "will be exposed intermittently to the noise and it no doubt can be as terrifying to some orcas as it is to dogs ... and they can't avoid it."

This wouldn't be an issue if SeaWorld really cared more about its orcas than it cared about continuing a way of life that exploits wild animals for profit. SeaWorld says it is "confident the sounds in our environment are not detrimental to the animal's wellbeing." And when you're in the habit of telling bold-faced lies, confidence is key.

Update: Since we published this article a reader who lives near SeaWorld San Diego wrote in. We decided to include her perspective: "I live ten miles from SeaWorld San Diego. The have nightly fireworks shows during the summer, which freaks my dogs out every night, even this far away. I can't imagine what it's like for the animals in residence at the park. SeaWorld won't even acknowledge what the debris from the fireworks does to our bay and the animals, fish and birds they profess to care so much about."