Blackfish Documentary

Friend or just Food Provider?

It is hard to imagine an animal you have raised and taken care of turning on you and suddenly attacking you. You and this animal have lived and interacted peacefully for a long time and have a unique unshakable bond. But do you really? I am ready to argue whether or not animals and humans actually have such a bond, or if animals just understand we provide their food.

In the movie Blackfish we get a glimpse into the lives and relationships of the whales and the trainers. The documentary Blackfish premiered in 2013 bringing to attention the deaths surrounding Sea World’s whales and the training and holding of killer whales in captivity. It also goes on to explain how Sea World is lying and keeping things from their employees. The film also talks about how killer whales interact with other killer whales and how they are very social creatures in their pods. The film also shows previous trainers looking back on the relationships and experiences they had with the whales while working at Sea World. Many of the trainers mention the relationship and teamwork they put in while working with these animals.

So when people argue that these animals and trainers have a special relationship and teamwork when working together, they can say it is because of the social nature of these animals.

To support this claim it would be helpful to look into other animal and human relationships like wolves, bears, and lions. These animals are social animals in the wild, and are trained in captivity and have bonds with their trainers. I would defend these relationships by using quotes from Blackfish trainers and quotes from other trainers who train these sorts of animals. I would also use examples of people and their pet dogs, people and their dogs have a good relationship, even though dogs are still proven closely related to wolves. With this information I would argue that trainers and animals have a unique

relationship.
However the counter argument is that animals only see their trainers as people who give them food and tell them what to do. I would show this opinion by using examples of animals attacking their trainers. I would use the example of Tilikum attacking Dawn and the ideas and theories of why people think he did what he did. I would also use the science that animals are animals and they do what they do to survive, they do not have a complex brain like humans. I would also use the theory that humans make up emotions for animals to feel more connected to them. People may also make the argument that we shouldn’t try to have bonds with these animals, that they are predators and that they are dangerous. They would argue that the problem is not that we can or cannot, the argument is that we should not.
Although those points are valid and are appropriate opinions, they do can be counter argued. To redefend the original statement that animals and trainers have the ability to have a close bond I would research and point out the science behind animals and their emotions. I would also use animals social interactions with other animals to defend why animals act the way they do around humans. I would use Blackfish and other websites to cite aggression and frustration behaviors of animals. I would then point out that those behaviors to another animal may be harmless and get the point across, but then point out how animals may not be able to be aware or comprehend that a human is much smaller than they are. That a simple bite, or aggressive charge to show dominance or frustration can easily kill a human.
I believe with all the information I would be able to gather from sources and using the documentary Blackfish, I can make a compelling argument that animals and humans can have a unique bond with one another and create a mutual relationship that gives them the ability to work with one another. There is information out there suggesting the opposite but looking at all the information I put on the table towards this discussion. My hope is that I may be able to get some people thinking, or even rethinking about their opinion on how animals and their trainers are friends; and not just people with food.