Future Oceans Call to Freedom Orcas in captivity should be in the past, not the future BYJEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU Jean-Michel Cousteau up
close with Keiko of Free Willy movie fame in his Iceland pen
seeks to explain events leading up to the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. Dawn was the third fatality caused by – a matter of dispute – or directly involving Tilikum. The fi lm chooses not to focus solely on Tilikum, but
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instead touches upon the incidents that have taken place over the years behind the scenes at SeaWorld and other marine amusement parks between whales, their trainers, and the industry as a whole. Through interviews with previous SeaWorld trainers, Blackfi sh off ers a unique and unseen view of the lives of the animals that have captivated our attention for years, as we have held them captive in marine parks. While the legitimacy of the evidence and reasons
behind Tilikum’s aggressive attacks on people are debated throughout the fi lm, one point remains clearly agreed upon: whales are not meant to be captive for human entertainment. Some orcas can travel up to 100 miles (160km) a day searching for food, a
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ground-breaking and thrilling documentary, Blackfi sh, has been making its way around international fi lm festivals and receiving rave reviews for its frank and revealing portrayal of the little-known details of a huge industry: whale captivity at marine amusement parks. The fi lm chronicles the story of Tilikum, a 32 year-old orca taken from the wild in 1983, and it
natural behavior that simply can’t be emulated in the confi nement of a marine park. This roaming species depends on acoustic capabilities to hunt and travel. The bare, baby blue confi nes of an aquarium tank are no match for a wild and open ocean. Declining health has been documented in whales held captive for entertainment. Among conditions observed are collapsed dorsal fi ns (which do not occur commonly in the wild); sores from rubbing their heads against the sides of enclosures; and even worn down teeth from gnawing concrete results from nervous and agitated behavior.
I am encouraged by the much-
needed conversation about the ethics of keeping whales in captivity that the Blackfi sh documentary has sparked. Although the fi lm does not off er a ‘silver bullet’ solution to ending the
imprisonment of these impressive marine mammals, it does spotlight the plight of several individual orcas, and hopefully will draw attention to the hundreds of other whales in captivity.
Photo: Ocean Futures Society
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