Director, writer, and producer, Gabriella Cowperthwaite, in her documentary, Blackfish, describes the shameless hunting and treatment of killer whales. Cowperthwaite’s purpose is to persuade us into opening our eyes to the reality of what we are doing to killer whales by confining them in captivity. She invents an emotionally wrenching tone in order to transmit to the adult viewers that living in captivity may not be acceptable life for the whales. The film effectively showed that the whales should not be kept in captivity by giving the audience examples of their signs of aggression and displays of emotion. Cowperthwaite begins her documentary by showing how killer whales can become barbaric when held captive.
Joshua T. Brooks Professor Patty Chaffin English 111 8 February 2023 Blackfish Blackfish is a documentary filmed in 2013 directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. This film was produced following the lawsuit against SeaWorld where people have died while training with killer whales. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ruled that it was dangerous for humans to be in the same water as Killer Wahles in captivity because the only deaths by whales have come from them being in captivity, there have been no reported deaths by whales that live in the wild. This shows that you do not know how animals will react when you get them into the wild. Gabriela Cowperthwaite shows all of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in the film.
In Blackfish, one of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of 2013, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite asserts that the inhumane practice of keeping killer whales in captivity is not the right thing to do. They are animals and they like to be open and free. Keeping killer whales in captivity is dangerous to the animals themselves, it makes them more aggressive, and also has the potential to harm and even kill the humans who work with them. Orcas are simply not meant for confinement. They are very calm and happy when they are in the ocean.
The documentary “Blackfish” focused on killer whales in captivity, specifically Tilikum; a wild orca who was caught and exposed to captivity and its environment which eventually lead him to violently turn on his trainers at SeaWorld and even took some of their lives. This documentary examines how the difference from living in sea life to captivity can cause these whales and orcas to live up to their names. Blackfish discusses and argues how life in captivity for these whales is cruel and dangerous, not only for the whales but for their trainers as well. The information throughout this documentary was all painful to watch in my view, but it also had a positive approach.
Imagine, a 22.5 feet long killer whale that weighs 12,000 pounds, slammed and dragged a person in the water who only weighed 125 pounds. The image is gruesome but that’s what happened to SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau. A respected 40 year old who fought hard to stay alive against the largest orca in captivity. Accordingly to witnesses Tili (short for Tilikium), the Orca went wild during the Dine with Shamu Show, then attacked and killed Dawn. The event shocked everyone because Orcas are usually very friendly but Dawn Brancheau was the third victim of Tilikium.
The invertebrates that form the gray whales primary prey are restricted to shallow water environments, but global sea-level changes during the Pleistocene eliminated or reduced this critical habitat multiple times. Because the fossil record of gray whales is coincident with the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation, gray whales survived these massive changes by adapting their feeding habits. When continental glaciers locked up vast quantities of the earth 's water, ocean levels dropped up to 400 feet. This transformed what is now the sea bottom into wind-scoured steppes. At the height of the ice age, most of the modern gray whale food source would have been high and dry, and yet, the whales survived.
In conclusion Blackfish is gives audiences a shocking, aggressive and deeply compelling look into cruel practices of marine parks for decades that will change the way you look at captive/trained killer whales and other animals. In watching this documentary has significantly opened my eyes regarding the brutal treatment and methods of capturing wild animals giving me a greater sympathy for orcas in parks such as SeaWorld. This startling documentary will surprise audiences as Cowperthwaite is unrelenting in showing the fatal consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity while also critiquing of the cruel and immoral practises of
Since these marine mammal trainers are expected to train the killer whales in the water it can be very dangerous. From the film, “We don’t speak whale. We don’t speak tiger. We don’t speak monkey.” This informs the audience that wild animals such as these whales are unpredictable.
A killer whale named Tilikum was placed in Sealand and he was expected to perform tricks that he had never done, and if he performed them incorrectly all of the whales were withheld food. “This annoyed the others, so they would rake him with their teeth, causing him to bleed” (Lewis). In the wild, when a dominant orca begins showing aggression the other orca has thousands of miles to swim away and flee the scene. However, these animals are in pools where they do not have that option. Living in these tanks are essentially giving killer whales the image of being monsters.
This film about these extremely diverse mammals shows true footage of the whales and what they are capable of in captivity. It also talks about a lot of wrongs that are done to the whales in captivity by people who were there and done it or witnessed it themselves. The film gives out a lot of good information and statistics that have been proven by others as well. Because this source focuses on captivity and the poor treatment of whales, as will my paper, It will come to great use when the time comes to use
Furthermore, this can be the cause of all the incidence including to what happened to Dawn Brancheau who was completely mutilated by a whale. Despite the interview with a former trainer, from a document which was published after the release of Blackfish by SeaWorld to object
The article, “Estimation of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Population’s Diet Using Sequencing Analysis of DNA from Feces” by Michael J. Ford analyzes the sensitive predator pry connection. When there is an understanding of predators and prey, there is an understanding of ecosystem function. Because the killer whale is subdivided into discrete populations, based on diet and non- visible characteristics, there may be a tie between declines in prey that leads to decreases in that prey specialized individual. This kind of relationship is hard to directly observe that is why DNA sequencing of fecal samples will help estimate the diet composition of the southern killer whale (Ford 3). Michael Ford and his assistant were able to use scent detection
However, lack of information on past populations makes it difficult to compare the current recovery in this species, to that of pre-exploitation abundance. Estimates based on genetic diversity suggest they are still only a fraction of their pre-whaling numbers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the humpback whale’s role in the oceans, their populations, and the need for it’s conservation and the manor in which to do
It is a common misconception of natural instinct and imaginative onlookers; these whales are not people they are wild marine life. It is no secret that killer whales have a bad reputation, however what earned the reputation was sheer unintentional killings. Orinus Orcas are wild marine life that should not be prosecuted like human beings, and the name “Killer Whales” is the result of false
The separation of non-endangered species will not deter whalers from hunting any whale in sight. These activities are widely documented and filmed for the world to see. Further, “people hunted whales for their oil to fuel lamps and candles, to lubricate machinery and to make margarine, lipsticks and other products.
