Inside The Tanks (Full Documentary) 

This only stops when we stop going. It's really that simple.

15:58 "It's even worse than a prison. Because the prisoners have done something wrong. These guys did nothing wrong except for look beautiful." 😭😭

I love that Dr. Ingrid has the same energy and attitude in every documentary and every film she’s In. She never gets tired of talking about this issue.

I was dragged to SeaWorld Florida, a few years ago. I stayed with the baby dolphins for hours, playing hide and seek, just to entertain them. They loved it, but it was heart breaking. People were following me around, asking how I got them to follow, and play. It was simple, I mentally stimulated them. Thankfully I proved my point, and the people I went with, won't be going back.

Swimming in endless circles until they die. Heartbreaking.

Everyone is complaining about quarantine and staying home everyday but not realizing that animals feel like this every single day

Dr. Ingrid Visser has my whole heart. The energy, time, resources and sleep she gives to fight for these animals, deserves all the respect and donations in the world ❤

The person who was interviewed actually surprised me a lot he understood the problems and even agreed when many of the issues instead of denying them

as a kid, i used to think all of the aquariums are connected to the sea so creatures are free to come and go everytime they wanted. reality hurts.

Those “ big tanks “ are like bathtubs to them .

Lolita/Tokitae spent 53 years in the world's smallest orca tank. She was from the L pod of the Southern Resident orca community. She was the last surviving Southern Resident in captivity. Rest in peace, sweet lady. ❤

This broke my heart 💔 I pray that the breeding program will no longer be allowed EVER again. These beautiful orcas deserve better. Thank you for this documentary 🩵🩵🩵

Everything here I was told by my grandpa when he took me ONCE to such place. He was a marine (in Romania) and he saw dolphins in real life, so he told me that those dolphins are sad and hate that place, and the reason he took me once is to understand how wrong that is. Then he took me with a boat to see „the real dolphins”. Huge difference. Those were alive.

62 orcas have died at SeaWorld, and not one has died of old age. They currently hold 27 captive in their marine parks.

This is absolutely heart breaking. They shouldn't be allowed to do this. I watched blackfish when it first came out, and it was so enlightening. Definitely worth a watch.

I personally had an experience with orcas in captivity. Went to Loro Parque in Spain's Canary Islands, where nowadays only 4 orcas live and only one of them is female. An orca I'm getting on my focus here is Kohana (who sadly died on September), who was born in SeaWorld San Diego in 2002. She's Takara's first daughter, and her father is Tilikum. Takara and Kohana were both moved from SeaWorld San Diego and sent to SeaWorld Orlando in 2004 and then, in 2006 Kohana and another female named Skyla, were both moved to Spain's Loro Parque. There, Kohana gave birth to her first calf, a male named Adán, and since she was so young when she gave birth (Only 8 years old) she rejected her calf, as she didn't have the experience to raise her calf. That first calf was the result of breeding with her own half-uncle, as Keto (Adán's father) is Takara's half-brother. Then in 2012, Kohana and Keto bred again and Kohana had her second calf, a female named Victoria, whom she also rejected. Victoria died shortly after reaching her first year. Kohana was very close to Skyla, with who she passed the most of the time until Skyla sadly passed away in 2021. And then, Kohana sadly died on September 14, 2022 due to a cardiac malformation that she would've been born with. This is a glimpse of how twisted and awful life in captivity is for the orcas.

As a former employee of Sea World San Diego I watched and witnessed the treatment of the Killer Whales during the mid 80's to early 90's. When the first baby " Shamu" was born in the midst of Jan 1985 , they did not have the technology to determine when and if the calf when would be born. Surprisingly on a rainy Wednesday morning in Jan 1985 the calf was born. It was alive and swimming in the main tank of then the old Shamu stadium. Everyone was so excited , employees, management , trainers were overjoyed that the baby was alive and seemed to be well. However the show must go on, during the winter time prior to the new Shamu stadium construction there were only 2-3 whales at the San Diego park . One was Winston whom was never talked about but was one of the original whales was to large to perform and was kept in a tank much too small and he could hardly even turn around and was often kept out of the sight of the public. The other two were females both which had too be used as performers seven days a week. When the baby was born at first Sea World allowed the baby too swim beside its mother and was seen as a big draw for the park. But just after a couple days the bay whale often got in the way and distracted its mother and the other whale, after only a couple days the baby was separated from its mother during the shows which were 2-4 times per day during the winter and held in back until after the show then reunited once again. Each time they separated the newborn the more scared and nervous it became. The baby then was not nursing as previously then one morning when I arrived to my post just outside of Shamu stadium a team of doctors were around the pool and trainers were trying their best to distract a frantic mother whale and suddenly a stretcher was lowered into the pool and the lifeless baby whale removed. The first baby orca bred and born at Sea World San Diego had died. Within hours everything that publicized the birth of the calf was immediately removed. I worked in merchandise and the two piece mother and baby plush set that were sold were pulled from shelves anything that has a reference to baby Shamu taken off shelves . Employees were told to not discuss the death of the whale and should park visitors inquire we were to answer that we knew nothing about it and failure too do so would be grounds for immediate termination. A few days later Sea World released a statement that the baby died of some sort of infection and that they did everything too save it. However one of the lead trainers whom I was good friends with informed otherwise , after the internal investigation it was discovered Baby Shamu died of separation anxiety and malnutrition brought on by being kept from its mother several times a day and being traumatized by Winston the large male orca attempting to ram the cage that separated them. Sea World never spoke about the death of this baby and it was overshadowed and forgotten by the second birth in Orlando a couple months later that was successful and the baby lived. I have never forgot about this whale and often wondered how a park like Seaworld can continuously lie and think they could ever get away with the treatment of all the animals in the park and say that they were being cared for and researched. I quit two months later and have never returned to Seaworld. All of these whales should have never been caught and used for entertainment purposes . Do not visit Seaworld to show your support to stop the inhumane treatment of one of the most beautiful and smartest animals on earth.

when someone says "it's for education", what they mean is "we make a lot of money"

Disgusting. As a child I was too uniformed to know any different. As a young adult, I was too selfish to think about it. As a full grown adult I am horrified and disgusted by this and think it's one of the worst abuses of power humans have displayed (among many, many others). We are stewards over this earth and we are responsible for the care and treatment of animals and all living things. God forgive us for these atrocities.

I went to an aquarium akin to SeaWorld once as a kid, seeing an animal that massive and powerful doing tricks for a 110lbs trainer in that tiny pool felt like such an insult to the creature, it was demeaning and cruel. What was worse was that this orca in particular had given birth a week earlier. They separated the two during the show then let the calf into the enclosure, made her perform relentlessly just so she could get back to her baby. Never went again, never.

" These guys did nothing wrong except for look beautiful" Ooof, that hits hard

There’s a place in Florida where you can go see wild dolphins, they willingly come up to the docks and see people. Sometimes they aren’t there, but that makes seeing them so much more special. Edit: To clarify, obviously you can see wild dolphins in the ocean. Y’all are killing me with the smart-butt “yeah the ocean” comments 😂 if you had read the original post, you’d notice I say “docks”…. I’m talking about a specific TOWN we went to in FL when I was young. I have no clue where it was, but I remember it was a smaller town with boat docks that the dolphins frequented for treats.

21:38 pretty honest answers. Not canned answers either. Seeing these animals in captivity is so heartbreaking 💔

Love that John was so forthcoming and open to honestly discussing the issues. He seemed genuine in his responses

The whales don’t have a bond with the trainers... they do what their told just because they want food! That’s all!

These animals lose their minds with boredom, there’s not enough stimulation for them. These are really intelligent, beautiful animals and they deserve to be in the wild where they belong.

Thank you so much for making this. Short but very educational. I really hope more people can open their eyes and free those tanks

This needs to be shared by millions!! I want to help be a part of the change. Jonny did great a job at staying neutral but clearly these shows are all about making the public happy and making money, not making the animals happy!!!Please someone do something to close these parks.

"Shes trained for artificial insemination" Do you realise how messed up that sentence was? That you have trained her to not struggle during something that's probably painful? Da hell mate.

“It’s even worse than a prison, Because the prisoners have done something wrong. These guys did nothing wrong except for look beautiful.” 15:58 That’s heartbreakingly one of the truest things I’ve ever heard.

This absolutely breaks my heart. The tragedy is clear to understand the instant you point out the ocean just beyond the concrete dolphin pool. I’m ashamed to say my daughter practically grew up at SEA WORLD as i made sure to get us season passes each summer we visited my parents…and I took her 2x-3x a week with hardly a thought about the animal’s plight. Thank you for making this film - it’s important to keep educating people.

Great work John thank you for making this documentary. This is such a big issue! please make more documentarys on orcas in captivity the world needs to know what's really going on in these money making marine parks

What impacted me the most was knowing that orcas form strong family bonds like humans. In the wild they live with their family for life, they mourn death and protect their young. Humans have really fucked up a lot of things for me.

I can’t imagine going to see one of these shows as a kid and then realising that same whale is still in the same tiny swimming pool 15 years later. Gosh it’s just too cruel.

At least the guy didn’t flat out deny everything. He seemed pretty honest about most questions even though some responses were twisted to fit the parks narrative

Couldn't make it to the end. That last guy getting interviewed almost made me throw my phone. These beautiful creatures deserve so much better. If I could put my place in theirs to save their pain I would but this world doesn't care about care.

FACT: No one has ever been attacked by an Orca in the wild. 4 people have died by Orcas in captivity. Solution: KEEP THEM IN THE WILD WHERE THEY CAN BE FREE AND HAPPY!

I HATE AQUARIUMS. THESE ANIMALS HAVE THEIR OWN LIVES TOO. THEY ARENT JUST TOYS TO ENTERTAIN US.

Thanks for this documentary ❤❤

Thank you for making this video.

"This is worse than a prison because these guys have done nothing wrong except for looking beautiful" - heartbreaking words 💔

These animals are not for entertainment, circus animals aren’t for entertainment either. It’s the same idea. They should be swimming in the sea, not surrounded by humans.

Omg this was fantastic you did it a brilliant job I couldn’t keep eyes off it please more like this completely enjoyed fantastic that all I can really say can’t wait to watch more of channel

Very respectful doc, I appreciate seeing both sides. I can understand how they feel, but I hope one day they see things differently.

‘They keep hurting themselves’ these Poor whales are so depressed to the point of being suicidal. Heartbreaking :(

You would attack to if you were forced into captivity. So heartbreaking

Incredible documentary. Well done lad.

I'm amazed at how calm Jon is and how he is willing to explain his logic. I enjoyed the interview with Jon and I agree. Sea pens are no different from these places, and sea sanctuaries are better for animals in captivity. But honestly, no living thing deserves to leave in captivity whether they are whales dolphins lions or sharks. I used to think dolphins swimming around and around was them being happy but it's actually because they are bored. I'm glad Jon only has 4 whales and I hope that once all of them passes away they would stop having orcas and dolphins in their land, or at least improve the living conditions of these prisoners

honestly the only attractions with whales and dolphins etc should be organized boat tours that can take customers to their natural habitat so they can see them in the wild. That's all. I don't need to see a dolphin playing with a soccer ball, there's literally hundreds of places you can spot dolphins and orcas in the wild. We can't harm them for convenience and greed.

Another point: Why is a polar bear in south France? It's like over 30°C in summer?

The end made me tear up 😢

Thank you so much for this unbiased and amazing documentary 👏🏻👏🏻

we’re complaining about being stuck in our homes for 6 months, but imagine being stuck in a pool for 20+ years.

one of the most heartbreaking things is that their dorsal fin flops over because they aren’t swimming enough in the tank

I'm french and went to marineland when I was 11 with my parents. At the time I remember thinking 'wow thats a kinda small thank' but we were sure it was only their ' show' pool and that they lived in something way bigger. What was also shocking was the place in which polar bear are... it was way too small and I felt that they must be way to hot in there compared to where they lived in the wild :///

Great documentary, and truly unbiased. Great interviews from both perspectives.

Kalina's story breaks my heart. Not only was she separated from her mother, all four of her calves were taken from her. When her fourth calf, Skyla, was moved to another pool and lifted out by a stretcher, Kalina began to ram violently into the gate that separated them. She ended up with severe lacerations on her face. She never saw her daughter again and died within a few short years. They forced her to breed at only six years old. In the wild, orcas typically start calving between thirteen to fourteen years of age. Having a calf at eight years old is unheard of in whale society - at least in the wild. Kalina isn't the only orca to have been bred too young. Takara was torn from her mother, hauled across the country three times to different SeaWorld parks, treated like a breeding mare and separated from two of her calves. Kohana (Tilikum and Takara's daughter), Skyla (Tilikum and Kalina's daughter), Tekoa (Tilikum and Taima's son) and Keto (Kalina's son and the orca who killed Alexis Martinez) were torn away from their mothers at young ages and shipped off to Spain. Kohana rejected both of her calves, Skyla is dead, Keto has serious anger issues, Tekoa and Morgan are frequently harassed by the other orcas. Corky and Lolita have been in captivity for over half a century. Lolita is from the Puget Sound Southern Resident orca population, which was decimated by captures in the sixties and seventies. They are now listed as critically endangered. Her mother, Ocean Sun, is estimated to be between eighty and ninety years old. They will probably never be reunited. Corky is a Northern Resident and member of the A-23 pod. Her sister, brother, niece and grand-nephews can still be seen roaming the coastal waters of British Columbia. What different lives they must lead.

In prison I did the same thing. I walked circles in my cell for hours. There was a faded circle on the concrete ground in the cell from inmates walking the same circle for decades.

Heartbreaking, I used to be all for watching orcas and loving the shows but to have but being kept in captivity is cruel, inhumane and unacceptable. Thank you for your research and educating anyone who really care. The sea animals are definitely lonely and depressed 😢

Great video. U should do part 2

People need to stop visiting these 'seaparks'. They'll soon stop once there's no profit.

I... I just feel guilty. I once saw a dolphin show, and I thought the animals were having fun doing tricks. But now... I feel guilty and sorry for them. I feel like reality slapped me hard in the face.

The idea of the rehabilitation island has a lot of potential to do so much good

Morality aside I very much appreciate the Honesty of this documentary viewing both sides so people can decide for themselves. I can honestly say I feel like I have a better understanding for watching this and that effect on people is what true journalism is all about

This guy was so respectful, especially when interacting and interviewing people. He actually lets people talk and has meaningful discussions. It was good to see someone approach this with seriousness, dedication and respect

This documentary is the best I’ve seen. I’ve always believed “...there is what he says and what she says, and somewhere in the middle, lies the truth.” The guy investigating was awesome. He didn’t go off on his own opinion. Rather, he gathered both sides and allows us to draw our own opinion. This... is true documentary investigation. Excellent job!

Great video. Really good job mate.

This was great!

"the chewing, biting..." if you've had big dogs you can relate. When a dog is kept at home doing nothing, it will make itself busy somehow. A pool is just not enough for such big animals. They miles and miles of water..

To me if an animal is self harming, it's like a person self harming it's a form of depression they dont need to be in a jail cell (tank)

Amazing💙 Thank you

You should come and see the dolphinarium in Varna. Not only do the poor creatures live in captivity, but the facility is so old and hasn't been renovated ever since it was built back in the Soviet era. There may only be Black sea dolphins, but the conditions are absolutely horrid! The place is literally rotting, it isn't safe for humans, let alone for sweet dolphins.

Better than I expected! Loved the part with Ingrid, she's so passionate. "These guys did nothing wrong, except for look beautiful" really struck a note with me.

What I don’t understand is how these whales can be trained to wave and jump on command but can’t be trained to catch live fish so they can be released. Like unless they have a condition or something where they absolutely can’t be set free they should not be held captive for amusement this absolutely breaks my heart

To actually see Orca in the wild close up is the most amazing and thrilling adventure I’ve ever experienced. A pod at Peugeot Sound swam beside and under our little 12’ boat. They all looked at us as we looked at them. They were respectful of our space and I felt at ease but thrilled. The best way to admire Orca is a chance meeting because they enjoy the experience also. Leave these magnificent wonders where they belong….. free

About a year ago, we moved to a seaside home on an island in the Pacific Northwest. The week we arrived, we went on a whale sighting tour, and we learned that Orcas routinely travel 20+ miles/day! I used to like marine parks, but now I understand they are prisons in which highly intelligent animals are held captive.

Netflix should buy the rights and give Jonny the chance to make more nature related documentaries.

I have to admit I like how John seemed to be honest in the interview and was willing to admit it's not all sunshine & rainbows

future marine biologist here, going to school in september.. always loved sea animals and this has been on my recommended for 4 years now… i’m horrified but here i go… time to watch

Thank you to everyone involved in this film. I can only pray for the best now. #FreeTankAllOverTheWorld

The ONLY exception for having animals in captivity is I'd they are endangered ans you breeding them to repopulate them....and then set them back into the wild

“She’s trained for artificial insemination” I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit😞 They are so beautiful and majestic creatures, it breaks my heart to know all they go through

Why not fill that pool with sharks, fish, turtles, etc. and offer scuba diving and snorkeling experiences in it. Better than having these animals in here and would likely be an even bigger tourist attraction.

Phenomenal work.

This is so brutal to see. I can’t believe that this isn’t illegal.. they are killing these animals slowly while people watch..

I'm still waiting for Jurrasic Park to open.

Yous are great people to help the animals,thank you!

Quite interesting. Wonderful work.

The guy said they're not financed by outsiders yet his T-shirt is plastered with logos and advertisement. This stuff makes big, big bucks.

Just personally, I think these orcas would rather die swimming for miles and miles than living another day in their jail cells. End the generations of whales. End captivity.

And the pressure from the public is mounting daily

I understand that the trainers fall in love with the dolphins and orcas; but then again- who wouldn't? Maybe the humans develop bonds with the animals, but the love is one-sided. The marine animals only look to them for food, and they know not to bite the hand that feeds them. They are so remarkably intelligent that it shows. The trainers might like these animals- but to a point. If they truly loved these animals, then they would know that they belong in the ocean, wild and free. The way they were meant to be.

“preserving life” don’t they have a shorter life span in the tanks vs the wild

Rest in peace Lolita (Tokitae). 😢

Its just heartbreaking. Nothing less.

How is this still acceptable? I really do not understand with all the information out there, how people still support these disgusting parks.

I’m so happy these ‘sea parks’ are FINALLY closing.

Keep up the good work!

Everything Ingrid said was just brilliant

I have never brought my kids to any of these types of places, and never will.