BLACKFISH

[919Florida]

What is the point of keep bringing this up? Really? And when was it not global. Its been International before it even was released in America so its nothing new. Its time to get over it and move on. Your not bringing anything new to the table.

 

[BuddyThomas]

What is the point of keep bringing this up? Really? And when was it not global. Its been International before it even was released in America so its nothing new. Its time to get over it and move on. Your not bringing anything new to the table.

Excuse you. The thread is called Blackfish. If you don't care to discuss it, don't read it.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

The world is bigger than America. In fact, this is British found forum. Blackfish is going to be shown by auntie Beeb (that's BBC) for a British and European audience. It is a matter of courtesy that I mention its show time to the readers of this thread, who, by the very fact they are reading it, are likely not uninterested in seeing the documentary themselves.

 

[919Florida]

Excuse you. The thread is called Blackfish. If you don't care to discuss it, don't read it.

No need to get nasty. I thought you were leaving this thread any way.

 

[unkadug]

No need to get nasty. I thought you were leaving this thread any way.

He did...He came back.

 

[919Florida]

The world is bigger than America. In fact, this is British found forum. Blackfish is going to be shown by auntie Beeb (that's BBC) for a British and European audience. It is a matter of courtesy that I mention its show time to the readers of this thread, who, by the very fact they are reading it, are likely not uninterested in seeing the documentary themselves.

I know the world is bigger then America and I know what the BBC is I am not stupid. Did you not see where i said the movie was released oversees in theaters before we even got it. Just saying.

 

[BuddyThomas]

No need to get nasty. I thought you were leaving this thread any way.

I want to leave, but you guys keep dragging me back! LOL.

Seriously, it's one thread discussing a legitimate concern to some on here. There are a zillion happy, happy Sea World threads, and the mods have chosen to leave this one open.

So, if those of us interested in the film, the distribution, the impact, etc, want to discuss it, then why can't we discuss it in a thread called Blackfish without being accused of being bleeding heart PETA members, or basically being told to shut up.

 

[AndyS2992]

Just finished watching this, and am disgusted by SeaWorld's attitude and ignorance.

I have only visited SeaWorld once in 2008 and didn't like the park then so will definitely not be visiting ever again on principle.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Just finished watching this, and am disgusted by SeaWorld's attitude and ignorance.

I have only visited SeaWorld once in 2008 and didn't like the park then so will definitely not be visiting ever again on principle.

It's a powerful documentary, isn't it?

I watched it again yesterday, with two other people. I didn't even ask to put it on, my company did! The reaction was of one horror, 'I didn't know it was this bad'.

~~+~~<<o0o>>~~+~~​

​

Blackfish is available to watch online for free at the BBC on iPlayer this week. There is a repeat broadcast Monday night at 22:30, BBC4.

Showtime and interview with the director on the BBC webite:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03j49l6

What made you first want to explore the subject?
I was confused as to why a top trainer would have been killed by a killer whale at SeaWorld. I am a documentarian and I try not to take anything at face value. I dig and dig until I find an answer. I am also a mother who took her kids to SeaWorld. I do not come from animal activism and thought I was exploring our complex relationships with animals. What I soon found out was that nothing at that park is what it seems. I was shocked by what I learned.​

 

[danpam1024]

Just heard Barenaked Ladies pulled out of an upcoming performance at SW after watching Blackfish. Good for them. Maybe others will follow.

 

[JPatton]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/27/showbiz/bare-naked-ladies-seaworld-blackfish/

Yes, the band Barenaked Ladies have cancelled a concert at SeaWorld Orlando after viewing the BLACKFISH film.

(We should all follow their example and cancel our trips to SeaWorld after watching BLACKFISH.)

peace

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I'm going to pipe-in to say, while I also saw Blackfish, I would in NO WAY stop supporting SeaWorld and their efforts. Is it entertainment? Of course it is. Is your local zoo? Same thing. Instead of protesting the park, I'd suggest not changing your plans to go at all. But ask questions. Discuss things with your kids, explain to them that you are seeing animals similar as in a zoo, and that "performing animals" are often controversial. But I would no more protest SeaWorld than I would a Broadway production of Annie -- that uses live dogs too. Granted, the dogs walk around the green room and aren't locked into a tank....Still...I don't understand the "boycot" movement mentality for pretty much anything, from SeaWorld to imported grapes.

What you see in Blackfish is a slanted one-sided view of the park. You get interviews with people who quit or have been fired (mostly the latter) some not even having worked more than a few months. There are some emotionally raw stories dug up (like the death of the husband in Spain) which are then edited to within an inch of their death with closeups, tears, emotional pleas from family members. Yikes. Keep in mind that all of this is staged for this film. The only thing real is the found film footage that they use (none of it supplied by SeaWorld by the way)

SeaWorld was smart to not comment on the film, nor to wash their own dirty laundry afterwards. It remains one of the worlds premier live-animal parks, and they contribute back to the community with money, research, and rehabilitation for other animals.

Should orcas be in theme parks?? Of course not, but there they are. You also can't release them back into the wild -- they'll die within weeks. Just look up "Free Willy"s story -- that poor orca died within months of being released.

Make up your own mind and either go, or don't go. I will continue to visit SeaWorld when I want to. I go to zoos and other animal parks when I want to.

 

[AndyS2992]

I'm going to pipe-in to say, while I also saw Blackfish, I would in NO WAY stop supporting SeaWorld and their efforts. Is it entertainment? Of course it is. Is your local zoo? Same thing. Instead of protesting the park, I'd suggest not changing your plans to go at all. But ask questions. Discuss things with your kids, explain to them that you are seeing animals similar as in a zoo, and that "performing animals" are often controversial. But I would no more protest SeaWorld than I would a Broadway production of Annie -- that uses live dogs too. Granted, the dogs walk around the green room and aren't locked into a tank....Still...I don't understand the "boycot" movement mentality for pretty much anything, from SeaWorld to imported grapes.

What you see in Blackfish is a slanted one-sided view of the park. You get interviews with people who quit or have been fired (mostly the latter) some not even having worked more than a few months. There are some emotionally raw stories dug up (like the death of the husband in Spain) which are then edited to within an inch of their death with closeups, tears, emotional pleas from family members. Yikes. Keep in mind that all of this is staged for this film. The only thing real is the found film footage that they use (none of it supplied by SeaWorld by the way)

SeaWorld was smart to not comment on the film, nor to wash their own dirty laundry afterwards. It remains one of the worlds premier live-animal parks, and they contribute back to the community with money, research, and rehabilitation for other animals.

Should orcas be in theme parks?? Of course not, but there they are. You also can't release them back into the wild -- they'll die within weeks. Just look up "Free Willy"s story -- that poor orca died within months of being released.

Make up your own mind and either go, or don't go. I will continue to visit SeaWorld when I want to. I go to zoos and other animal parks when I want to.

Yes captivity for entertainment is wrong but we (or at least Me) are also angered by the fact that these whales have attacked and injured as well as killed SeaWorld trainers/performers and every time SeaWorld has falsely placed the blame on the trainers and not the whales, which is wrong and disgusting. This happens all the time yet SeaWorld is stupid enough to believe these Whales are actually safe and want their performers in the water with them when without a doubt, a whale will attack again.

Also, SeaWorld did comment:
"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."

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Oh, I agree that trainers shouldn't be in the water with them -- but things like the "barriers" that have been demanded by OSHA are beyond the norm. That's where education comes in.

 

[Walt would be]

This is a typical 'hot button' issue. Most people refuse to even try to see both sides but seeing both sides is necessary.

Would I prefer Orca's not be in captivity? Certainly. But these that are left are nearly all captive bred and simply cannot be released. Further, with only 50+/- Orca's in captivity in the ENTIRE WORLD, this is really a small story. Far, far greater animal abuses exist and demand our attention and action in the world (the annual whale slaughter, poaching, big game hunting, caged big game hunting here in the US, etc). Yet these issues remain ongoing with little hue and cry. IMO, the biggest issue to mull here with regard to SW is should they and others be allowed to breed Orca's.

The outrage over the Orca seems to center around their perceived intelligence but where is the outrage for the gorilla or elephants? Both intelligent and social. Why is it OK to train dogs but not Orca's? The Orca's at SW don't "seem" sad but these so called experts tell us they must be. Are trained dogs sad too? Do we care or are they just too dumb to care about?
Where is the line drawn?

I totally and unequivocally condem the past tactics SW used to capture these animals but that was long ago and many owners ago and capturing wild Orca's IS NOW ILLEGAL, a move I applaud!

SW does a lot of good for the animal world even while being a rich, for profit company. Their initiatives and aid of manatee's is probably one of the main reasons we still have these lovely, gentle creatures.

With regard to zoo's in general, I am all for as natural environment as possible but the fact is without zoo's we will NEVER see many extinct and soon to be extinct species (the black rhino has now been listed extinct in the wild). Is keeping these animals alive in preserves and zoos really worse than outright extinction?

Blackfish was stark, unsettling and terribly sad but not very even handed. SW, a big for profit corporation with many skeleton's in their closet is hard to feel compassion for despite their offsetting high marks in other animal care areas. So they were an easy target but I would have preferred the filmaker's time, efforts and money aimed at bigger fish, so to speak.

 

[unkadug]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/27/showbiz/bare-naked-ladies-seaworld-blackfish/

Yes, the band Barenaked Ladies have cancelled a concert at SeaWorld Orlando after viewing the BLACKFISH film.

(We should all follow their example and cancel our trips to SeaWorld after watching BLACKFISH.)

peace

People shouldn't be so quick to jump on this bandwagon without first doing more research than watching a one-sided film.

This ploy of BNL just screams of commercialism and I for one will NOT follow their lead, nor should anyone else that can think for themselves.

 

[JPatton]

I find it interesting that the same people who praise SeaWorld for their rescue/aid/release program sometimes fall deaf, mute, and blind when the subject turns to captive killer whales.

Their enthusiasm knows no bounds when a manatee gets patched up and pushed back into the wild.

But the biggest….most powerful….most intelligent….most social, family-oriented creatures in the park must live behind steel gates in concrete enclosures. For life.

It’s the 21st century already.

Change is coming to SeaWorld.

If they can put a man on the moon and ship live whales and dolphins around the globe like UPS packages----they can figure out a way to safely give captive orcas a better life in sea pens and ocean sanctuaries---and still make money doing it.

 

[Walt would be]

I find it interesting that some people can only belittle other people when they simply disagree.

Look, there are very few Orca's in captivity that were ever in the wild and after 30 years of captivity I seriously doubt they would be able to fend for themselves. Note: this is my opinion and I am no expert. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please share.

The majority of Orca's are captive bred and have been trained to stay that way, this point IS a legitimate issue that I already touched upon (the breeding of Orca's in captivity) that SW should (IMO) address. But simply advocating for unprepared, captive bred animals to be released into the wild seems to be a greatly flawed idea.

Manatees are rescued with the sole purpose of returning them to the wild if they're able. When they're injured to a certain degree they are cared for and not returned. SW has done this very well and at great expense. While good deeds don't excuse bad deeds, the full picture should still be shown.

 

[JPatton]

But simply advocating for unprepared, captive bred animals to be released into the wild seems to be a greatly flawed idea.

I agree. It's a terrible idea. I'm not advocating that at all. Imagine something in between.

 

[919Florida]

This is a typical 'hot button' issue. Most people refuse to even try to see both sides but seeing both sides is necessary.

Would I prefer Orca's not be in captivity? Certainly. But these that are left are nearly all captive bred and simply cannot be released. Further, with only 50+/- Orca's in captivity in the ENTIRE WORLD, this is really a small story. Far, far greater animal abuses exist and demand our attention and action in the world (the annual whale slaughter, poaching, big game hunting, caged big game hunting here in the US, etc). Yet these issues remain ongoing with little hue and cry. IMO, the biggest issue to mull here with regard to SW is should they and others be allowed to breed Orca's.

The outrage over the Orca seems to center around their perceived intelligence but where is the outrage for the gorilla or elephants? Both intelligent and social. Why is it OK to train dogs but not Orca's? The Orca's at SW don't "seem" sad but these so called experts tell us they must be. Are trained dogs sad too? Do we care or are they just too dumb to care about?
Where is the line drawn?

I totally and unequivocally condem the past tactics SW used to capture these animals but that was long ago and many owners ago and capturing wild Orca's IS NOW ILLEGAL, a move I applaud!

SW does a lot of good for the animal world even while being a rich, for profit company. Their initiatives and aid of manatee's is probably one of the main reasons we still have these lovely, gentle creatures.

With regard to zoo's in general, I am all for as natural environment as possible but the fact is without zoo's we will NEVER see many extinct and soon to be extinct species (the black rhino has now been listed extinct in the wild). Is keeping these animals alive in preserves and zoos really worse than outright extinction?

Blackfish was stark, unsettling and terribly sad but not very even handed. SW, a big for profit corporation with many skeleton's in their closet is hard to feel compassion for despite their offsetting high marks in other animal care areas. So they were an easy target but I would have preferred the filmaker's time, efforts and money aimed at bigger fish, so to speak.

You said this so well. I agree with everything you said

I find it interesting that some people can only belittle other people when they simply disagree.

Look, there are very few Orca's in captivity that were ever in the wild and after 30 years of captivity I seriously doubt they would be able to fend for themselves. Note: this is my opinion and I am no expert. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please share.

The majority of Orca's are captive bred and have been trained to stay that way, this point IS a legitimate issue that I already touched upon (the breeding of Orca's in captivity) that SW should (IMO) address. But simply advocating for unprepared, captive bred animals to be released into the wild seems to be a greatly flawed idea.

Manatees are rescued with the sole purpose of returning them to the wild if they're able. When they're injured to a certain degree they are cared for and not returned. SW has done this very well and at great expense. While good deeds don't excuse bad deeds, the full picture should still be shown.

Another great post here. Very few Orca's are from the ocean now. Almost all have been born in the parks. They don't know what life in the wild is like and they don't need to be. They are taken well care of contrary to what others say. The care they receive is top notch and I see it nearly every day.

These animals at SeaWorld who remain in the park are animal ambassadors to their ancestors in the ocean. Guest's everyday who see these animals will change their life and behaviors because when they leave they want to do everything they can do to help. Countless people leave SeaWorld every day with a new understanding of these animals.

Nearly 30,000 animals rescued and released to the wild is a huge number. Over 10 million dollars donated to research and conservation. This is all huge steps and makes a difference. SeaWorld makes a difference and our oceans and marine animals are better off because of places like SeaWorld.