In the movie Free Willy, a young boy rescues a neglected killer whale from a water park and releases it back into the ocean where it belongs. For an apex predator like Willy, there can be no denying that freedom beats captivity. But for the helpless creatures this killer lords over, it’s quite a different story.
Despite the fact that most living organisms must hunt other living organisms to survive, we often think of the natural world as a peaceful and harmonious place, far from much of the suffering we encounter in our own society day in day out. In truth, many ailments that afflict us humans can afflict animals as well, and PTSD — induced by traumatizing encounters with predators like Willy — is just one example of that.
