Today we’ll investigate the claim that SeaWorld’s orcas are starved in order to force them to perform.

“Food deprivation was a tool often used when I was a trainer. The concept is straightforward: Reduce the number of calories a whale gets over a period of time and that animal becomes increasingly food motivated. Animals are generally more likely to cooperate with trainers when they are hungry. Food deprivation is a normal component of the training environment, at least while I was a trainer.” – John Jett, former SeaWorld trainer and Blackfish cast member The quote above came from an article on Voice of the Orcas, a blog run by four (anti-captivity) former SeaWorld trainers.

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