Currently, live whale performances have become a main attraction for tourists. When visitors are at SeaWorld, they only see what is right in front of their eyes and do not care or want to know about the complications the whales go through just to make people smile. The documentary “Blackfish” exposes the truth about killer whales, their habits, and why they behave in the manner that they do when in captivity. The inhumane treatment of whales in captivity causes negative effects on the animals which, in turn, affects the humans who care for them. “Blackfish” has had people thinking about the tragic events happening at SeaWorld and the reasons behind it. SeaWorld tried to cover up the deaths of trainers, but the truth will always be set free. The trainers who have been killed, even one of the well known trainers, Dawn Brancheau, were blamed for the incidents caused by the killer whales even though they had no control over how the animals lashed out. The trainers knew that keeping any animal locked up could not be good. The documentary questions if keeping the whales in captivity was the best idea. SeaWorld’s most popular whale, Tilikum, killed his trainer Brancheau, and there are many theories on why he …show more content…
There were two preceding attacks by Tilikum before his attack on Brancheau. The first tragedy Tilikum was involved in was a drowning in British Columbia, Canada, with a trainer at one of the marine parks in 1991. The second attack occurred in 1999 with a man who decided to trespass after hours, and Tilikum ended up drowning him. Yet supporters have said that it should not be about the tricks the whales do, but it should be to keep them safe. There have been some laws passed to keep the animals safe, but they are still being harmed. All animals can be dangerous if put in a bad situation, but they are usually more harmful when kept in captivity (“Whale
Blackfish is a 2013 documentary, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, about the captive orca, Tilikum. The documentary chronicles Tilikum’s life in captivity while examining the conditions that SeaWorld’s orcas live under. Cowperthwaite argues that SeaWorld mistreats their Orcas and intentionally misinforms both their employees and the general public. Rhetorical analysis reveals that Cowperthwaite uses emotional appeals and juxtaposition to sway the viewer to her perspective.
The director includes footage of Tilikum and Dawn having a good time and performing together to show that Tilikum didn’t have any animosity towards her. Thomas Tobin explains the attack and mentions that Dawn was scalped and that her arm was missing. The director incorporates actual footage from the attack with eye witness testimonies to give the audience a sense of what actually happened. Although Tilikum was responsible for the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, another whale at the Canadian park, Sealand of the Pacific was responsible for the tragic death of trainer and competitive swimmer, Keltie Byrne. Keltie Byrne was performing with the whales as she normally did when she suddenly slipped into the pool, as she was trying to pull herself out of the pool, the whale zoomed towards her and grabbed her by her boot. She proceeded to plead for help every chance she was brought back to the surface, but no one could help in time. These two incidents serve as examples that whales shouldn’t be taken out of their natural habitat because it’s unsafe for their mental health and it’s unsafe for the physical health of the
SeaWorld also claims that the whales being kept there are treated humanely and are in no way unhappy. Although Cowperthwaite’s film clearly explains that that is a far cry from the truth with many trainers saying that the whales were often bullied by others which left them with painful rake marks that are created by teeth scraping against the whales skin. If whales did not perform a trick properly they would not be given food which left the whales hungry and extremely agitated. Behind the scenes footages shows whales being attacked by others with one whale even breaking its own jaw which led to an artery becoming severed and the bled out and died shortly after.
Do you think the people of Sea Land and Sea World mentally injured the whales by taking them from their natural habitat? There were men sent on large sea boats and men in helicopters with some device that scans the water to locate the whales. Then once they track the whales they use the boats to separate the females and young ones from the males to try to abduct the youngest whales. People who cares about
John Crowe, one of the hunters, is interviewed and tells the story of “the worst thing he’s ever done”. He appeals to the appalled emotions of the audience by admitting to the inhumane way they captured the baby whales. He uses an analogy when discussing the capturing, claiming it was like “kidnapping a kid from its mother”, which pulls at the heartstrings of any parent watching the film, establishing a sense of relatability. The film uses juxtaposition by examining how Crowe, a tough looking man, can be brought to tears by this horrific act. Blackfish then moves to discussing the reason behind Tilikum’s outburst by running a montage of news reports ambushing SeaWorld on the inhumane treatment of whales. The use of the rhetorical question “If you were in a bathtub for 25 years don’t you think you’d get a little irritated, aggravated, maybe a little psychotic?”, grabs the audience’s attention by creating a scenario they can understand. These events create an accusing tone that convinces the audience that SeaWorld is the antagonist of the film. Along with accusations from reporters, SeaWorld has fought many lawsuits against OSHA- the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, due to the way SeaWorld treats their animals. A court hearing is held regarding Tilikum’s behaviour due to pulled video footage of Tilikum lunging towards one of the trainers
They succeed in catching Tilikum, a large male orca, along with two other females, and almost immediately, an important question is raised in the viewer’s mind: What gives humanity the right to incarcerate and separate these animals from their natural environment and their families? As the documentary progresses, Tilikum begins to exhibit frustration and aggressive behavior at the amusement park due to the fact that he is being kept in a small underwater storage container when not on display. Eventually, this treatment leads Tilikum to kill his trainer by dragging her to the bottom of the performance tank and forcing her to drown. At this point, another question is presented: Is Tilikum’s aggressive behavior a product of nature, and the nature of orcas as a species, or is it due to his coerced captivity? Over the course of the documentary, a number of killer whales are caught and brought to different aquatic parks where the viewer gets a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to these animals and their families upon imprisonment.
And even a six year old wasn’t blind to that fact. The issue of keeping Orcas in captivity and under the care of man has been a controversial practice ever since the first dolphins and whales were taken into aquariums for the amusement of humans. In more recent times, the documentary Blackfish (which has been recently broadcast on popular TV stations such as CNN) that focuses on Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld, has brought to light the controversy over captive killer whales. Orcas are majestic, beautiful, and intelligent creatures that should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment because of the harm they cause. SeaWorld, a leader in the captivity and use of killer whales for entertainment, has counterattacked the points made by the documentary Blackfish, which brought many points to light.
“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in captivity. Killer whales have no record of ever harming a human being in the wild. In captivity, there have been many incidents of killer whales harming or even killing their trainers. What would cause them to do this in captivity, but not in the wild? They have been known to resort to aggression toward themselves and each other, in what scientist believe to be a stress induced behavior. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Evidence against having these wild animals in captivity is increasing and we need reevaluate the value of capturing and holding killer whales for our educational purposes, enjoyment, and profit.
Kirby, David. Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012. Print.
To this day there is no record of any whale doing harm to a human in the wild. Whales have extremely advanced brains even similar to humans. They can process emotions and feelings so they are very aware of what is happening to them. By nature whales are not aggressive or harmful to humans but when pushed they will react in a very dangerous way. Particulary in Tilicums case he was abused by the female whales, they would rub their teeth on him and many times there was blood. Because of this Sea World would put him by himself away from the other animals, this no doubt contributed to his behavior. There was no where for him to go, he was extremely large and where he was kept was not a conducive environment. Before Tilicum killed one of Sea Worlds trainers there was an incident where he jumped out and tried to pull a trainer, Sea World was now aware of how Tilicum acted and...
Even though Tilikum had must of the aggression all the other whales were bulling and hurt Tilikum. The ocras were lunging at the trainers when the trainer was in the water, some of the whale were literally putting a limb of their trainer and taking them under and hold them there.
To present this defense, the narrative concentrates on Tilikum, a 32-year-old male orca. Tilikum was caught in the northern Atlantic Sea in 1983 and taken to Sealand of the Pacific, a now-covered stop close Victoria, English Columbia. Previous Sealand coaches met in "Blackfish" say the recreation center's female Orcas would forcefully pick on Tilikum, especially when they were kept in a 20-foot-by-30-foot pool overnight. In February 1991, Tilikum and two different orcas assaulted
A documentaries intention is to educate and inform their audience on a certain topic or social change. Blackfish (2014) directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite scrutinizes the treatment of killer whales in captivity and highlights SeaWorld cruel treatment of them. It has a focus on portraying how killer whales are highly intelligent, social and emotional animals that should be kept in the wild. The Cove (2009), directed by Louie Psihoyos, explores the town of Taiji which from the outside looks like a Japanese town with a love of dolphins but showcases the horrible truth of the slaughter of thousands of dolphins yearly which they are trying to hide. The Cove main agenda is to demonstrate that dolphins are highly intelligent, social and emotional
animals, orcas in specific, should not be held captive, as it causes them psychological Orcas, better known as killer whales, have an average lifespan of fifty years. This is only if they are not in captivity. Orcas in captivity have an average lifespan of twenty years. This is an enormous difference! After the release of the controversial film “Blackfish” in 2013, Democratic State Assemblyman Richard Bloom, in the news article, “New California Bill Aims To Stop SeaWorld From Making Orcas Perform” (2014), argues that orcas should not be held captive for “entertainment purposes”. Bloom supports his argument by introducing a bill that will end orca performances, prohibit import and exports of killer whales, and ban captive breeding. The authors
SeaWorld is a deterrent to the whale’s natural development. Truthfully, the whales’ longevity is shorter in captivity, they are affected psychologically and are...