Cetacean captivity in marine parks has been one of the most publicly debated animal welfare issues of recent decades, with declining public support and regulatory restrictions emerging globally.
Cetacean captivity welfare science has reached a clear consensus: wild cetaceans have social, cognitive, and physical needs that cannot be adequately met in any realistic captive environment. Orca in particular, as apex predators that swim hundreds of kilometres daily in complex social groups, experience profound welfare deprivation in even the largest tank environments. The entertainment-education justification for cetacean captivity has eroded as evidence of welfare harm has accumulated and public attitudes have shifted. Remaining captive individuals cannot be released but welfare improvement for existing animals and a phaseout of captive cetacean programs without wild capture is the welfare-positive trajectory.