Download Blackfish Paper - Alexis Schlueter

Schlueter 1
Alexis Schlueter
Advanced Composition
Mrs. Brenda Ryan
25 October 2014
Propaganda in Blackfish
I.
Jacques- Yves Cousteau once said “No aquarium, no tank in a marine land, however
spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea.” The captivity of wild
animals has long been a debated topic. Some facilities in particular have come into discussion
about how their animals are cared for and housed. CNN’s Blackfish changed the way a majority
of the world viewed SeaWorld, calling into question their captivity tactics. This topic is
especially interesting to me not only as an animal lover, but as a marine biology major.
My first dream that I can remember was to train marine mammals at SeaWorld. I went
there as a child and had a moment of clarity when I saw the “Believe” show. However, as I grew
to young adulthood, I had a change of heart about the fate of marine mammals in captivity. If
you have ever seen dolphins or whales in the wild, you can appreciate the beauty of these
animals that are meant to be in their natural environment. While I did not believe that marine
mammals should be in captivity, I was not aware of the horrors the orca whales go through until
Blackfish.
II.
Tragedy struck the Orlando SeaWorld in 2010. Senior trainer Dawn Brancheau was
killed by a killer whale. She was pulled into the tank by the whale even though news articles
said she was drug in by her ponytail, placing the blame on Dawn. Among hundreds of other
Schlueter 2
injuries, the trainer was scalped and her arm was swallowed (Cowperthwaite). The whale
responsible for this horrific event is named Tilikum. The 12,000 pound orca, was captured off
the coast of Iceland in 1983. For many years, Tilikum was a promising whale in the performing
business. Trainers at SeaWorld Orlando described him as “willing to please”, and said he
“seemed excited to see the trainers” (Cowperthwaite). People around the world became horrified
after Dawn’s death, saying it was unsafe to be in such close proximity to these large animals.
The scary addition to this already horrific tale, was that this had happened before.
SeaWorld is not the only facility to have Tilikum as a performer. The whale’s first home was
Sealand of the Pacific, a marine park in British Columbia, Canada. Punishment was used here as
negative reinforcement, causing the more experienced whales to rake Tilikum when he did not
do the expected behavior correctly. Raking is when a whale scrapes its teeth against another
whale’s skin, causing bleeding and possible skin infections. Once night fell at Sealand, the
whales were kept in a module that was only 20 feet across and 30 feet deep (Cowperthwaite).The
module was kept completely dark at night prohibiting visual stimulation. The trainers however
struggled to get the whales to swim into these modules. To combat this, the trainers starved the
animals until they would eventually go into the module where they would receive food.
The first person Tilikum killed was at this British Columbia Park. Keltie Lee Byrne was a
worker at Sealand of the Pacific, and was said to be an excellent swimmer. On the morning of
February 20, 1991, Keltie tripped over her boot and fell into the pool with the whales. As she
attempted to get out, Tilikum swam over, grabbed Keltie and pulled her under (Cowperthwaite).
Corinne Cowell and Nadine Kallen were visiting the park that day, and witnessed the death. The
sisters recall a moment where Keltie screamed “I don’t want to die.” That image will be
engrained in their memories forever. Sealand of the Pacific closed soon afterwards
Schlueter 3
(Cowperthwaite). Argument soon arose when Keltie was said to have accidently drown on that
fateful day, instead of being killed by Tilikum. Why was Sealand trying to cover up the attack?
After Sealand closed, the whales became up for sale. SeaWorld Orlando purchased Tilikum,
to be used as a breeder. Tilikum was however used in shows in what was called “The Big
Splash”. The trainers at SeaWorld claim that management kept from them the fact that Tilikum
was responsible for the death at Sealand of the Pacific. If the trainers would have known, Dawn’s
death could have been prevented (Cowperthwaite).
Once Tilikum arrived at SeaWorld Orlando, the female whales he was housed with began
attacking him viciously. To keep him safe, Tilikum was kept in isolation for most of the time.
Orcas are not solitary animals. In the wild, they spend all of their time with their pod which plays
the role of their family (Cowperthwaite). He started to become even more aggressive, no doubt
because of all the time spent alone. Incidents between whale and trainer started occurring
because of his aggression. SeaWorld began covering up these incidents, including a time he
lunged at a trainer. Jeff Venture, a trainer at the Orlando Park at the time, caught this event on
tape and was instructed by management to destroy it.
Tilikum lunging at a trainer was not the only thing that SeaWorld began lying about. In
1989, a baby was born to a killer whale in the park. Her name was Kalena. Kalena began to
become disruptive with her mother and the staff decided that the mother and daughter should be
separated (Cowperthwaite). Kalena would be moved to another park. Since killer whales have
strong family bonds, Katina, the mother, stayed in the corner of the pool shaking and screeching
for her lost daughter. Orcas send out vocalizations to communicate with their pods in the wild. It
was discovered by research scientists, that the long screeching Katina was sending out, was
screeches calling for her baby (Cowperthwaite).
Schlueter 4
Another lie told by SeaWorld to park visitors was the life span of killer whales. The tour
guides, trainers, and management staff would tell park guests that the average life expectancy for
whales in the wild was 25- 35 years, and that they lived much longer in captivity. In reality,
killer whales live to the equivalent of a human life span and much less in captivity
(Cowperthwaite).
Have you ever noticed the floppy dorsal fins of killer whales? SeaWorld will tell you that 25
% of wild whales will have a dorsal fin that will turn over from old age. This is false. Less than 1
% of wild killer whales actually have dorsal fins that bend, but 100 % of captive males have the
bent dorsal fin. In addition to these lies, there have been over 70 killer whale and trainer
incidents since 1960. The trainers at SeaWorld Orlando testify that management informed them
about none of them, putting their safety at risk (Cowperthwaite).
III.
The public became aware of all this hidden knowledge, and propaganda arose when Blackfish
was released on July 19, 2013. Testimonial propaganda was used most often as a way to
persuade the viewer of the inhumane captivity and training tactics of SeaWorld. Not only did
many SeaWorld trainers make direct statements against the park in the documentary, but there
were also orca research scientists testifying about killer whale’s natural habitat. While the facts
in Blackfish are correct, CNN is guilty of card stacking in their documentary. Even though they
presented the facts of the horrid conditions that the whales are kept in, they did not include any
information about SeaWorld’s highly respected rehabilitation program. While I truly believe that
Blackfish is a documentary for the greater good of marine mammals, the information could have
been misleading about the positive roles SeaWorld plays.
Schlueter 5
I think CNN anchor Jane Velez- Mitchell captured the essence of Blackfish when she said “If
you were in a bathtub for 25 years, don’t you think you’d get a little psychotic?”
(Cowperthwaite). Blackfish calls into question everything we know about marine mammal
captivity. Since the documentary was released, SeaWorld’s attendance has significantly
decreased. Many activists are joining the cause, making the argument that SeaWorld should use
open sea pens to house their animals if they are too dependent to be released back to the wild.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also sued SeaWorld, claiming
SeaWorld was aware that Tilikum was aggressive at times, but continued to violate trainer safety
regulations. The propaganda of this documentary crazed America, and raises the questions of
what do we do to fix this inhumane treatment of marine mammals, and how do we prevent this
nightmare from happening again? “I think that in 50 years, we’ll look back and go ‘My God,
what a barbaric time (Cowperthwaite).”
Schlueter 6
Works Cited
Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. CNN. 2013. DVD.