User:RW Marloe/Whale riding

Whale riding is a very rare aquatic activity, where a person might sit, stand or hold on to a part of a whale and is carried along through the water with the motion of the whale as it swims.

A whale in the wild is a protected and endangered mammal and to attempt close physical contact can be dangerous. Whales can be very large, powerful and heavy animals, and their wild nature makes them unpredictable. There have been recorded killer whale attacks on humans.

This human interaction is seen as unethical and strongly discouraged by animal rights advocates. In contrast a more common activity is whale watching, which is popular with wildlife enthusiasts and enjoyed at a distance, not to disturb their habitat or natural behaviour.

There are aquariums that have killer whales in captivity, and in front a live audience the whales have been trained to perform a dramatic display. Their trainers closely interact and ride on them occasionally during a routine. Whale riding is not something that the public participate in, only the whale's trainers are able to do so with years of experience and familiarity with the animal.

This confinement and the trained performance of whales in captivity has become a controversial animal rights issue. The animal theme park SeaWorld subsequently announced in 2015, that they are canceling the theatrical performance involving killer whales.^[1]

This activity in fictional literature and film has been featured in popular entertainment, notably the 1993 family film Free Willy and the 2002 New Zealand themed family drama film Whale Rider. This fantasy theme is predominantly about a new animal friendship, where a character has an encounter with a whale and is then greeted with the limited opportunity to ride on the whale's back through the water.

• Animal protectionism
• Whale conservation