The Misconceptions of Blackfish
About two months ago, CNN ran the documentary 'Blackfish' about a dozen times - the project ignited an explosion of responses, both thoughtful and emotionally charged. If you haven't seen it, here is the trailer (and I do recommend it; CNN will be airing in again beginning this month):
In the time since, Sea World has retorted with a video series depicting how deeply they care for their animals, ex-trainers have spoken out against both Blackfish and Sea World, musicians have cancelled performances, and people across the world have blown-up social media with a vast array of comments that have ranged from profound to downright enraged.
So I decided to dive-head first into the discussion that has catapulted the killer whales of the world into the spotlight. I am no Blackfish or Sea World expert, but I have spent the majority of my life studying killer whales; and while I have a undergraduate degree in animal science and behavior, I also, more importantly, have a basic understanding of corporate bureaucracy as well as a decent level of common sense. Thus, I present the (CORRECTED) misconceptions of Blackfish...
(1) The documentary is not solely about Sea World, or it's trainers. Was the documentary centered around the events that took place at a Sea World park to a Sea World trainer? Yes. Does the documentary spend a significant amount of time portraying Sea World? Yes. Nonetheless, the documentary is making a point that far supersedes Sea World alone. It is important to remember that Sea World is largest conglomerate of marine mammal parks with killer whales, with the longest history. They also have been locked in a huge legal battle with OSHA for the last three years which has allowed exorbitant amounts of documented history and video footage to be made public record. But, they are not the only aquarium that houses captive killer whales; there are nine additional parks: two in Japan, two in Europe, one in Canada, one in Miami, one in South America, and a new one in Russia. And, undoubtedly, there are several parks that make Sea World's pools look like luxury retreats.
The Miami Sea-Aquarium has been home to Lotila the entire three plus decades she has been in captivity; the pool is not much deeper than a standard swimming pool and she has never been able to suspend herself vertically upright.
Mundo Marino and Marineland of Canada have made many improvements over the last decade, but for most of the 80's and 90's had the worst aquatic environments aside from Miami Sea Aquarium (MAS); and much like MAS, each houses a lone killer whale with several bottlenose dolphins for companionship.
(2) The documentary does include skewed and subjective information (which can be seen as inaccurate). There's no arguing this point; this is the reality of almost all media trying to send or sell any message. There are moments in the film that provide images that don't necessarily align with what actually happened or an eye-witness account that isn't completely accurate based on conflicting information...but these complaints are much like stating a sprinkled donut is not really a donut because it's not plain. The fact remains that killers whales have injured and killed trainers; there is no skewing this truth.
Yes, the trainer with the bloodied face may have been injured by running into a screen not by a killer whale...but this 10-second scene isn't going to confuse people into believing that killer whales are capable of injuring a trainer, rather, the numerous other videos of trainers being attacked and Dawn's death are evidence enough of that.
Yes, the women who were witnesses to Tillikim's first attack at SeaLand of the Pacific were inaccurate in stating that they knew it was 'Tilli because it was the one with the big flopped over fin.' In actuality, all three of the whales living at SeaLand of the Pacific had flopped over dorsal fins (to varying degrees) -- as can be seen in the photo above of Tilli's two pool-mates: Nootka-4 and Haida-2; nonetheless, a witness' somewhat confused reasoning doesn't change the fact that it was clearly documented that all three of the whales were active participants in Keltie's drowning.
(3) The documentary is designed to make you feel and think. So many people have criticized Blackfish for being too emotionally charged and not intellectual enough. Isn't that what most [video] documentaries do? They provide us with the same information we can go out and find ourselves if we took the time and initiative to do so, and present it is a way that stirs up some level of response in its viewers. It is meant to tell a story and catalyze connection. Documentaries educate and inspire. When we are inspired, we are typically moved on some emotional level. So yeah, Blackfish is designed to make or illicit an emotional response, but that doesn't ultimately mean that it isn't delivering founded information.
(4) The documentary is presents completely founded information. As I mentioned before, I won't argue that the documentary skews some the points it is making but there is nothing in the film that is not factually based.
Trainers have died at Sea World of Florida, Loro Parque, and SeaLand of the Pacific. Trainers have been injured and attacked at all Sea World parks, Loro Parque, Marineland of the Antibes, and Marineland Canada. We can all try to explain why these things happened, but it doesn't change the fact that they did.
Sea World does separate killer whale families. They can make statements that they 'don't separate calves from their mothers' and post videos of mothers with their calves, but it doesn't change the fact that many of the whales are separated from their mothers and siblings at some point in their lives - which typically does not happen in the wild.
Sea World viciously plucked killer whales from the Pacific Northwest and Iceland for close to two decades. They can make statements that they have a superior breeding program (they do) and haven't taken a killer whale out of captivity since the '70's (they haven't), but that doesn't change the fact that they have never publically acknowledged, owned up, or apologized for the mistakes of their past.
(5) The documentary is not necessarily advocating for the release of all captive orcas. I don't think this point is ever pitched in the film or in any interview with Gabriela Cowperthwaite . Rather, I think the hope has been to spark a desire to question, discuss, and really think about what is best for the whales. Maybe it is not releasing them, but maybe it's not continuing to be the star performer for a multi-billion dollar corporation.
I really do love Sea World. I think they have made huge strides in research and conservation. I believe that the trainers love the whales deeply, and would never want to do something that is not in the best interest of the animals. But sometimes our love for something or someone allows us to begin to rationalize or justify that which we know is wrong on some level. Or just doesn't feel right. Sometimes our love fills us with such joy that we actually begin to believe the truths we tell ourselves rather than searching for the truth is fully -- outside of ourselves.
At the end of the day we have to question our own selves...has our yearning to want connect with, experience, and learn from wild animals been clouded by our own selfish desires to have and make profit off that which is not ours. We can spout and tout about all the marvels of captivity, but at the end of the day you are merely being sold a feel-good fantasy. I have bought into it. But it's not reality. A killer whale swimming around a concrete pool with pretend rocks and mechanical gates while being throw dead fish with special vitamins is really cool...but it's also really fabricated. It will make you smile. It will make you feel happy inside. But if you want breathtaking, inspirational, blood-pumping action, you've got to see and experience and look for that which is real:
For there is no second to that which is free (from performance, from limits, from dependence on man). As final food for thought, I will leave you with the wise words I learned as a child from Free Willy..."we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
What legacy will you leave?
In the time since, Sea World has retorted with a video series depicting how deeply they care for their animals, ex-trainers have spoken out against both Blackfish and Sea World, musicians have cancelled performances, and people across the world have blown-up social media with a vast array of comments that have ranged from profound to downright enraged.
So I decided to dive-head first into the discussion that has catapulted the killer whales of the world into the spotlight. I am no Blackfish or Sea World expert, but I have spent the majority of my life studying killer whales; and while I have a undergraduate degree in animal science and behavior, I also, more importantly, have a basic understanding of corporate bureaucracy as well as a decent level of common sense. Thus, I present the (CORRECTED) misconceptions of Blackfish...
(1) The documentary is not solely about Sea World, or it's trainers. Was the documentary centered around the events that took place at a Sea World park to a Sea World trainer? Yes. Does the documentary spend a significant amount of time portraying Sea World? Yes. Nonetheless, the documentary is making a point that far supersedes Sea World alone. It is important to remember that Sea World is largest conglomerate of marine mammal parks with killer whales, with the longest history. They also have been locked in a huge legal battle with OSHA for the last three years which has allowed exorbitant amounts of documented history and video footage to be made public record. But, they are not the only aquarium that houses captive killer whales; there are nine additional parks: two in Japan, two in Europe, one in Canada, one in Miami, one in South America, and a new one in Russia. And, undoubtedly, there are several parks that make Sea World's pools look like luxury retreats.
(2) The documentary does include skewed and subjective information (which can be seen as inaccurate). There's no arguing this point; this is the reality of almost all media trying to send or sell any message. There are moments in the film that provide images that don't necessarily align with what actually happened or an eye-witness account that isn't completely accurate based on conflicting information...but these complaints are much like stating a sprinkled donut is not really a donut because it's not plain. The fact remains that killers whales have injured and killed trainers; there is no skewing this truth.
(3) The documentary is designed to make you feel and think. So many people have criticized Blackfish for being too emotionally charged and not intellectual enough. Isn't that what most [video] documentaries do? They provide us with the same information we can go out and find ourselves if we took the time and initiative to do so, and present it is a way that stirs up some level of response in its viewers. It is meant to tell a story and catalyze connection. Documentaries educate and inspire. When we are inspired, we are typically moved on some emotional level. So yeah, Blackfish is designed to make or illicit an emotional response, but that doesn't ultimately mean that it isn't delivering founded information.
(4) The documentary is presents completely founded information. As I mentioned before, I won't argue that the documentary skews some the points it is making but there is nothing in the film that is not factually based.
Trainers have died at Sea World of Florida, Loro Parque, and SeaLand of the Pacific. Trainers have been injured and attacked at all Sea World parks, Loro Parque, Marineland of the Antibes, and Marineland Canada. We can all try to explain why these things happened, but it doesn't change the fact that they did.
Sea World does separate killer whale families. They can make statements that they 'don't separate calves from their mothers' and post videos of mothers with their calves, but it doesn't change the fact that many of the whales are separated from their mothers and siblings at some point in their lives - which typically does not happen in the wild.
Sea World viciously plucked killer whales from the Pacific Northwest and Iceland for close to two decades. They can make statements that they have a superior breeding program (they do) and haven't taken a killer whale out of captivity since the '70's (they haven't), but that doesn't change the fact that they have never publically acknowledged, owned up, or apologized for the mistakes of their past.
(5) The documentary is not necessarily advocating for the release of all captive orcas. I don't think this point is ever pitched in the film or in any interview with Gabriela Cowperthwaite . Rather, I think the hope has been to spark a desire to question, discuss, and really think about what is best for the whales. Maybe it is not releasing them, but maybe it's not continuing to be the star performer for a multi-billion dollar corporation.
I really do love Sea World. I think they have made huge strides in research and conservation. I believe that the trainers love the whales deeply, and would never want to do something that is not in the best interest of the animals. But sometimes our love for something or someone allows us to begin to rationalize or justify that which we know is wrong on some level. Or just doesn't feel right. Sometimes our love fills us with such joy that we actually begin to believe the truths we tell ourselves rather than searching for the truth is fully -- outside of ourselves.
At the end of the day we have to question our own selves...has our yearning to want connect with, experience, and learn from wild animals been clouded by our own selfish desires to have and make profit off that which is not ours. We can spout and tout about all the marvels of captivity, but at the end of the day you are merely being sold a feel-good fantasy. I have bought into it. But it's not reality. A killer whale swimming around a concrete pool with pretend rocks and mechanical gates while being throw dead fish with special vitamins is really cool...but it's also really fabricated. It will make you smile. It will make you feel happy inside. But if you want breathtaking, inspirational, blood-pumping action, you've got to see and experience and look for that which is real:
For there is no second to that which is free (from performance, from limits, from dependence on man). As final food for thought, I will leave you with the wise words I learned as a child from Free Willy..."we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
What legacy will you leave?
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