The first time I vacationed in Orlando, my parents decided to give me the full Orlando experience. So, we went to all the major theme parks in the area: Disney, Universal, and Sea World. Unfortunately, a tornado had hit the same day we went to Sea World, so we couldn't do much of anything. We went there again a few years later, but didn't do much more since my brothers could barely sit through a show.
I always told myself I would one day go back to Sea World. I loved it because I love the ocean and ocean mammals (and Journey to Atlantis is an awesome ride). I have always been incredibly fascinated with dolphins, whales, turtles, seals, etc., so much so that I won't eat fish. And I loved being able to see them up close at a place like Sea World.
I was naive when I was young; I didn't realize that maybe something was inhumane about it. I should have- there were a lot of clues. The tanks weren't huge at all. The dolphin nursery in the middle of the park looked as big as a fountain in the middle of a mall in the 80's. These animals were being used as a circus act.I remember reading about the trainer death at Sea World in 2010. I didn't necessarily believe that the trainer should have been blamed (which Sea World did) but I didn't like that the media seemed to focus the blame on the whale, Tilikum. I didn't want this poor animal to be just tossed aside. There obviously was a reason that he had acted out so many times before. I really just wasn't seeing the entire picture. I wanted to believe Sea World was good because they had helped so many ocean animals and fish beforehand.
That all changed this week though. My friend, Stephanie, told me about how horrible Sea World is. It's hard to just take one person's words and completely change your opinion though. But, I was opened to listening. The points she made were interesting: how did these whales get to Sea World and become stars? Obviously they were captured somehow. And honestly, how humane is it to have an animal as entertainment?
So, when CNN decided to present "Blackfish," the critically-acclaimed documentary last night, I knew I needed to watch. And what I saw completely 180'd my opinion of Sea World and marine parks.
I watched men capture young whales in the waters, separating them from their families. I saw how horribly Tilikum was treated because he was a male. I saw the incidents that involved trainers' deaths first hand. I heard many former Sea World employees talk about how they knew it was inhumane but they were afraid to leave their animals to Sea World's care. I watched how Sea World willingly separated a baby whale born in its park from its mom and hear the mom cry out for her baby. It was heartbreaking.
Tilikum has been involved in 3 deaths: One at his old home at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific and 2 in Sea World Orlando. The first in Sea World was a homeless man believed to have entered the park after hours to swim with the whales and the second was a senior trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who was pulled in after a show. The documentary was a response to the major fallout after Dawn's death. Sea World initially stated her death was an accidental drowning, but the story was proven false from eye-witnesses. Sea World then blamed it on "trainer error," something those same eye-witness reports have refuted.
The fallout has led to a court case which resulted in the ban of trainers getting into the water with sea life. Sea World has since appealed the ruling. The fallout has also led to some major PR problems for Sea World, which have not gotten better because of the movie, "Blackfish."
In the past, I had defended Sea World in some way (although I never agreed with letting a whale with a known violent history perform in the parks). But, after seeing this movie, I can't do that anymore. Seeing how Sea World had captured whales, separated them from their families time after time, exploited these animals and had them living in horrid conditions has gripped me.
I'm not here to say all zoos are bad. I think some of them are great. Research is always useful so we can better learn how to live with animals. And I think Sea World has learned a lot from this incident to better themselves. I think it's important for young people to be able to learn from these animals and zoos help with that. But, I think this country and the world needs to better its system for taking care of animals in zoos. Sure, they have access to medical care, but are they really better off? Granted, are they really better off being released into the wild now after being held captive for many years?
One thought did cross my mind while watching this movie. Remember the movie, "Free Willy?" The orca who played Willy, Keiko, was actually in captivity; though the movie chronicles the whale's captivity and eventual release back into the wild. Keiko was suffering in captivity due to the climate and size of the tank. But, the whale eventually died of pneumonia while attempting to go back into the wild. It's sad and ironic. Sure, he died after going back into the wild but if he wasn't in captivity to begin with, he probably would have lived longer.
There's a lot of questions for me and the public after seeing this movie. I don't see me taking my future children to Sea World; not necessarily because I don't think they're a good park, but I don't know if there will even be a Sea World. I think that, yes, Sea World will be able to survive little by little but that can only go for so long. Sea World's PR after the Dawn Brancheau death took a huge toll on the company (considering they knowingly lied to the public). Also, they refused to cooperate and comment on the movie "Blackfish" until after it was released.
Here is Sea World's statement after its theatrical release, courtesy of Wikipedia:
"Blackfish is billed as a documentary, but instead of a fair and balanced treatment of a complex subject, the film is inaccurate and misleading and, regrettably, exploits a tragedy that remains a source of deep pain for Dawn Brancheau's family, friends and colleagues. To promote its bias that killer whales should not be maintained in a zoological setting, the film paints a distorted picture that withholds from viewers key facts about SeaWorld -- among them, that SeaWorld is one of the world's most respected zoological institutions, that SeaWorld rescues, rehabilitates and returns to the wild hundreds of wild animals every year, and that SeaWorld commits millions of dollars annually to conservation and scientific research. Perhaps most important, the film fails to mention SeaWorld's commitment to the safety of its team members and guests and to the care and welfare of its animals, as demonstrated by the company's continual refinement and improvement to its killer whale facilities, equipment and procedures both before and after the death of Dawn Brancheau."Although certain facts that this statement presents are true, they could have cooperated with filmmakers. Instead, Sea World refused. Should Sea World have cooperated? Maybe- the company's refusal looks like they are hiding something and worried about how they will be portrayed. But, if they did comment during this story, it could have been "twisted" by the filmmakers and spun in a negative light. That's the tough aspect of public relations- words can be twisted.
Sea World needs to go on a huge PR campaign for its company if they have any hope of keeping the spirit of Sea World alive. Click on any single tweet Sea World has sent and see the replies. Here's an example of some of those tweets:
Sea World has again, defended themselves after last night's network television airing of "Blackfish." You can read their statement here.
So- what's my official opinion on "Blackfish" and Sea World? The movie: definitely see it. Is it one-sided? Yes, but that is Sea World's own fault for refusing to comment on it. As mad as they are for the lack of positive facts about Sea World, the company had a chance and blew it. It's a good study on the history of whale captivity and is an eye-opener.
As for Sea World? I won't be spending my money to visit the park (even if it is only 10 minutes or so away). I don't know if I can support the park anymore after seeing this movie. Should you go? That's up to you- I wouldn't judge you if you decided to go and had a fun time.
If this movie "Blackfish" has taught the public anything, it's that we as humans still have a long way to go in wildlife conservation. And, maybe the next chapter in how to go further will be highlighted by this movie.
