Laura Mooney
Arts Editor

D eath and mistreatment are

not the first words that come
to mind when one thinks of the
oceanic playground SeaWorld,
however with the release of the
growingly popular documentary
entitled Blackfish, things have been
changing for the famous water
park. Blackfish investigates what
daily life is like for the captive orcas
at SeaWorld once the glamour
vanishes, the doors have closed,
and the public leaves for the day,
and exactly what it is that goes

on behind those doors is leaving
viewers of the film speechless and
outraged.

The film follows the life of one
specific orca named Tilikum, a male
who is currently living in captivity
in SeaWorld Orlando. While
Tilikum at first was thought of to
be one the most intelligent, well-
trained and cooperative creatures
to ever be brought to SeaWorld,
the film showcases the now
famous incidents where Tilikum
finally snapped and it resulted

in the deaths of two capable orca
trainers, and one SeaWorld visitor.
While SeaWorld tried to pass off

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Blackfish Makes Waves

the incidents as mere mistakes,
Blackfish is making sure that

the public is aware of each and
every detail that led to Tilikum’s
outbursts. From his heartbreaking
kidnap from his pod at only

two years old, to his 29 years in
captivity, the story of Tilikum’s
life is a hard one to watch, but

it is a tale that director Gabriela
Cowperthwaite knew had to be
told. While she had originally set
out to make a film exploring how
humans relate to large predators,
once she read the stories about
the deaths occurring at SeaWorld,
Cowperthwaite knew she had
something interesting. Through
interviews with past SeaWorld
trainers and animal behaviourists,
Cowperthwaite explored the
mistreatment that Tilikum and the
other orcas all experienced at the
hands of the trainers who merely
thought they were “doing their
jobs.”

The film was released at the
Sundance film festivalin January of
2013, and was immediately picked
up for a more wide spread release.
While director Cowperthwaite
knew her controversial
documentary would attract
attention, it seems to be rapidly

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approachinga fame thateven she
did not dream of. Thanks to its wide
spread release in US theatres and
its current availability on Netflix,
Blackfish has developed a strong and
dedicated following determined to
spread the word of the film, and
make SeaWorld accountable for its
indiscretions, and it seems to be
working quite well.

Since the film’s release, SeaWorld
has seen a massive drop in
attendance, and a mass cancellation
of bands, including The Barenaked
Ladies, and Heart, who were
supposed to play at the park later
this year. The park owners are
denying that these events are in
correlation with the release of

the film, but SeaWorld stock has
dropped nearly 25 percent, and
one of the directors of SeaWorld,
David D’ Alessandro, sold off nearly
$1.3 million of his own personal
stock in the company, as though he
knew the company was in trouble.
There has also been an increase

in protestors that have taken up
residence outside of the SeaWorld
gates, armed with signs informing
the public of what was shown to
them in the film.

While the forces against SeaWorld

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seem to have the upper hand at the
moment, the CEOs at SeaWorld are
by no means taking the battle lying
down. In interviews with CNN and
multiple news sources, executives
at SeaWorld have called Blackfish’s
accounts of their treatment of the
orcas inaccurate propaganda. They
go on to state that the deaths were
nothing more than miscalculations
on the behalf of the trainers, but
they have yet to release a comment
about the death of the visitor.
Despite their attempts however,
only time will tell how much the
public believes their defence, or if
the company will be able to recover
from this serious blow.

Although the film is a tough one

to sit through, and some of the
images will stay with you for the
rest of your life, Blackfish is clearly
an important example of the power
that a small independent film can
have when the subject matter is
presented in the right way, and the
motivation for change is present.
While the film may not have
convinced everyone, the fact that
it has opened up the once closed
doors to a respected company is an
achievement all on its own, and its
success will hopefully continue to

grow.
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