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On 7th February 2017 VegSoc hosted its very first event of Hilary Term 2018 by screening the documentary Blackfish: thank you again to everyone who came along!
Reviews of Blackfish. Photo credits: seaworldplege.com
The making of Blackfish was prompted by the death of the orca trainer Dawn Brancheau in February 2010, whilst she was working at the marine park Sea World. Intrigued by the ‘explanation’ given by Sea World on the death of the trainer, the journalist and film-maker Gabriela Cowperthwaite decided to investigate the conditions of orcas kept in captivity. What she discovered was a deeply and cleverly-hidden truth about the risks posed by marine mammals held captive in entertainment facilities.
Dawn Brancheau with an orca in December 2005. Photo credits: outsideonline.com
Released in 2013, Blackfish was first broadcasted by CNN and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. The movie sparked public outrage about the conditions of orcas and led to the Free Tilly campaign, referring to the orca which attacked Dawn.
Protesters demonstrate to put Tilikum back in the wild. Photo credits: Orlandosentinel.com
From the wild capture of orcas to their transport to marine parks, Blackfish unveils how these majestic creatures end up in confined tanks, which sometimes leads to aggressive behaviours both towards other animals and humans. Blackfish indeed reports a series of attacks by killer whales that have been covered up by various marine parks. Interestingly, the documentary does not so much address the question of captive marine mammals living in captivity through an animal welfare lens, but rather by highlighting the risks that such animals posed to humans.
How can we still today require orcas to perform ‘tricks’, knowing how dangerous these ‘shows’ are both for trainers and for orcas’ physical and mental well-being? Are trainers at Sea World aware of the risks of keeping wild animals in captivity? Or is Blackfish simply exaggerating such risks? Sea World waved off (pun intended) Blackfish’s critique by creating a full website dedicated to the documentary. Among all these questions, one thing is certain: Blackfish doesn’t let the viewer indifferent.
Orca killer whales during a show at SeaWorld in San Diego. Photo credits: New York Times.
Our screening prompted a lively discussion among the students who joined us to watch the documentary. While some recognised that they had not thought of what is going on behind the stage of these orca shows, others thought that the documentary portrays killer whales as too dangerous, which hence might reduce the willingness of the viewer to protect them. This variety of opinions demonstrates that it is crucial to have debates around the issue of captive wild animals within society at large.
Poster for Blackfish. Photo credit: Blackfishmovie.com
The consequences of the documentary extend well beyond the public’s reaction. In fact, Blackfish spurred decision-makers to focus more on marine mammals in captivity. In March 2014, California passed Bills effectively banning keeping orcas in captivity. The most striking impact of the documentary is that Sea World announced it would end its orca breeding programme and begin to phase out all performances using orcas. The most recent legislative development is a Bill debated in the Florida Parliament last month to forbid orca breeding at the state level. This Bill was eventually dropped after being fiercely opposed by Sea World.
All in all, Blackfish and the powerful example of Tilikum urge us to reflect on the use of wildlife for entertainment purposes. Such dolphinaria and marine parks are present all around the world and the issues associated with breeding and trading captive marine mammals are very much topical, seeing the recent decision of the French Council of State (highest administrative Court) to repeal the prohibition of killer whale and dolphin breeding on procedural grounds. As zoos and marine parks are increasingly justified for alleged conservation and education purposes, Blackfish interestingly demonstrates that such parks pose risks to animal carers. The documentary puts into images the sensitive question that’s on everyone’s lips: is this right?
Children get a close-up view of an orca killer whale during a visit to SeaWorld in San Diego, California on 19 March 2014. Photo credits: The Guardian.