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 well-known film about how whales were kept in captivity while being mistreated. This film explained the situation in more of a sequential order stating each event one after another from occurrence. This film was made to inform people of all the cruel and monstrous things that Sea Land and Sea World were doing to the whales.
Since whales are normally peaceful in the wild and they only seem to attack while in captivity, the argument is that captivity is wrong and dangerous for killer whales. This argument is supported by detailed facts about how the whales are tortured and agitated by other whales with no outlet. Both female and male whales are confined to a swimming pool where they are in a way being forced to try and mate. The female whales tend to abuse the male whales, which leads the whales to become mentally and physically unhealthy resulting in attacks on trainer. In the interviews with Corinne Cowell and Nadine Kallen, they mentioned that when they visited Sealand of the Pacific that three whales were confined to a “dingy pool”. Another appeal to pathos is when a neurologist that has studied killer whales mentions how the animals are very intelligent and are well-aware of what is going on around them. (SeaWorld) Killer whales have similar brains to humans, but have a bigger part of their brain where emotions are processed. With this, whales are more aware of their emotions and the bonds they make with humans and other animals. (SeaWorld) With the huge amount of raw footage, first-hand accounts, and true information, the film is able to grasp the attention of the viewers with the amount of emotion that is shown from the former trainers and the whales themselves. With these tactics, the film effectively appeals to the
Blackfish is a 2013 documentary attempting to elevate public awareness regarding the orca that are being kept in maritime amusement parks, specifically SeaWorld, and the inherent danger of their captivity. The film is effective because it raises a set of important ethical questions for the viewer while presenting with a necessary fact-based style of documentation that does not evoke gratuitous scenes of abuse in order to inspire sympathy, unlike some of the other films that are intended to raise awareness about animal abuse. The film focuses on one orca, commonly referred to as a killer whale, in particular by the name of Tilikum. The documentary begins as a group of contract fishermen hunt a family of killer whales off the coast of Iceland.
David Kirby’s book describes the complex issues of whales in captivity. The death of a SeaWorld trainer brought up many objective reasons of the training practices of this business were not effective at keeping trainers safe in the water. Currently this debate is still being tested in a court of law. OSHA claims that even with the precautions that SeaWorld tries to use, it still cannot guarantee the safety of trainers in the water. This cultural topic has been gaining ground, and recently prompted a movie based off this book titled, Blackfish. The audience of this book includes animal activists, followers of David Kirby, and people that are interested in the topic of killer whales in captivity. Rob Grom was contracted to create a book jacket that would visually depict the context of the David Kirby’s book. The photographer uses his work to persuade people to look into the claims of the book and see another side of the animal park. Grom’s Photograph image uses the picture, the words of the title, and the subtitle to create a twist of the logos, and uses David Kirby’s ethos to create an appeal to the book.
Captivity is a term that has a range of definitions. The least restrictive would be an enclosed area that attempts to meet the physical social, physical, and medical needs of these animals. The most restrictive provide limited area for movement, social interaction, and does not provide needed regular medical attention. When referring to dialect in killer whales we are talking abo...
...ment posed by the film is that keeping Tilikum locked up in pools throughout most of his life drove him more than a little crazy and led to the deaths of the three people he has killed so far. From the evidence presented by the film, it is reasonable to believe that the cause of Tilikum killing Daniel Dukes (the man found on top of Tilikum), Byrne, and Brancheau, is not out of malice towards others, but because he was so deprived of social stimulus that when he saw someone he could play with, he was so excited that he got carried away and unfortunately ended up killing them. The message that is conveyed by the Blackfish documentary is that SeaWorld has built such an empire with the “Shamu” moniker and the killer whales’ “celebrity-ism” that it has gotten to the point where the park is simply exploiting the intelligent creatures in order to make millions of dollars.
Director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite of Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, An Orca at Sea world used for performance shows that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, Mr. Cowperthwaite shows emotional, shocking footage and interviews to explore the whales pulled out of nature and the inhuman treatments that orcas where getting in captivity. Some of the trainers that are alive and the ones that were lost was put under pressure brought this sea-park industry billions of dollars.
It’s a very common practice in todays society for people to go to Sea World and see the famous shamu show while on vacation or out for a day of fun. Many people don’t fully understand how these animals feel while in captivity. Light has been shed on having these killer whales in captivity when a trainer was killed at Sea World recently. At one of the early parks called Sea Land one of the male killer whales Tilicum killed one of his trainers. After this incident Sea Land closed its doors. This meant that Tilicum was up for sale, Sea World jumped at the chance to buy him at a good price. Sea World was not fully aware that Tilicum was the actual cause of his trainers death. This was a death sentence for one of Sea Worlds female trainers. Sea World and companies like it are only in it to make money, these large animals should not be kept in captivity by any means.
This contention clashes with the film's general claim about imprisonment activating animosity in whales. Be that as it may, "Blackfish" additionally recommends forcefulness can be passed on to a whale's posterity.
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
This appeals to surprised and saddened emotions of the audience by stating “whales are stored for 2/3 of their life in a small dark area”. The trainers “would deprive them food to make them go into the box” and this resulted in “whales covered in rakes and blood”. The music slows to a wistful tune as the former trainers discuss how “it didn’t feel right to store them there” in order to draw the audience in to empathize with them. The use of these heartbreaking scenes exhibits a sympathetic tone that proves to the audience that whales should not be kept in captivity. Blackfish uses reasoning to explain that an orca is a very intelligent creature and aware of its environment and interactions. “Whales have a part in their brain humans don’t have, they can process emotions. They live emotional lives”. The film uses this claim in order to emphasize that orcas in captivity suffer mentally. Blackfish confirms this statement by explaining that orcas have a limbic system that is more complex compared to humans. It then displays a scene reviewing an MRI that proves that researchers found a development in the brain of an orca that cannot be fully explained. By examining the brain first hand it is proof for the audience that allows them to understand this concept. The film states that mental stress and irritation can occur when
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
In the world today, we know that whales are majestic creatures with amazing lifestyles that we don’t completely understand. We also know that however large they are, they are in danger because they have been over hunted and over used by human beings. Today through Commercial Whaling, the whales of the oceans have been put at risk and their population continues to decrease. Countries such as Japan, Iceland, and Norway defy the rules set by The International Whaling Commission under the pretense that they’re whaling for scientific reasons, when in reality they are whaling for commercial reasons of profit. Commercial whaling is a problem in countries around the world, most prominent are the Japanese, and other countries are Iceland and Norway. Over time the status of the whale population has declined because of the increase of technology in whale hunting.
Kirby, David. Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012. Print.
SeaWorld is a deterrent to the whale’s natural development. Truthfully, the whales’ longevity is shorter in captivity, they are affected psychologically and are...