BLACKFISH

Blackfish is a documentary on captive Orcas.

As a kid I remember NAMU the killer whale, one of the first Killer Whales to be captured. I remember the procession going right in front of the cabin, the killer whale in a pen slowly being towed to Seattle.

Later some acquaintances and old Clara Tarte were to play roles in the movie "NAMU", filmed about 2 miles from the cabin (Dad flew low over the film site, we think he may have interrupted the filming).

As kids we also visited Sea World and watched the whales perform. Years ago, Lexy, the daughter of a friend, sat on one during a Sea World performance. Thrilling stuff. But as the movie points out, there’s a back story. An unpleasant, disturbing back story.

The movie highlights the death of Dawn Brancheau, a Sea World trainer, when she was killed and partially consumed by the ‘trained’ Orca Tillicum. A whale implicated in other trainer deaths.

During the movie, several former trainers were interviewed and it was apparent there have been scores of documented whale/trainer mishaps but trainers were generally told they were 'trainer error'. When films of some of these accidents were replayed it was clear that some were not trainer error. 

They were the logical outcome of being with a powerful wild animal weighing several tons in a confined space.

The movie went on to chronicle a number of biologists and ex trainers noting the disturbing behavior and health of trained whales. As well as the disinformation Sea World is providing (example: Sea World claims that captive Orcas live longer than wild Orcas, which is, charitably speaking, a falsehood. In the wild they live far longer).

The filmed also showed a couple of examples of baby Orca’s being separated from their Mothers, and their mother’s reaction. The mothers were clearly traumatized.

While Sea World has done some good in other areas, clearly the issue of Orcas puts a business model in direct conflict with the welfare of the animal. There are two sides to a business model and it’s our choice whether to contribute to it or not. 

Two quick snippets: First, what I didn’t know as a kid was that when NAMU was being moved, he ‘screamed’ (my words), or ‘vocalized’ (more neutral wording) and soon there were, by one count, 150 whales surrounding the entourage. According to witnesses, they charged the pen he was being moved in but would veer away before striking it. After a while, only 3 whales remained. Biologists surmise they were Namu’s mother and siblings. They followed the procession for the next 150 miles.

The other snippet had to with a south sound sailing trip. Ralph Munro, then an assistant to Governor Dan Evans, was sailing with his wife in 1976 around Olympia. Quite by happenstance they witnessed one of Sea World’s Killer Whale round ups – involving speed boats, under water explosions, and air planes. What they witnessed was brutal.

Upon returning to his office he informed his boss. Both were outraged and in a position to act. Munro, Governor Evans and then Attorney General Slade Gorton, (Republicans all!) successfully sued Sea World to never again capture Killer Whales in Washington state.

The hunt Munro witnessed was the last one in Washington State (Sea World now captures them over in Finland and other countries). But by then, much of the damage was done. 68 Southern and Northern Resident Orcas had been killed or captured.

After watching the movie and researching on line, it’s clear that Sea World’s business model goals trumps concerns about the whales, and more disturbingly, trumps concerns about trainer safety. OSHA had to sue (which they did so successfully) to prevent trainers from being in the water with the Whales (Sea World fought that vigorously).

I am not an animal rights activist. I eat meat and while think cows and pigs should be treated humanely, but that includes meeting their demise (as humanely as possible) – so long as I can get my beef and bacon. I don’t have a problem with my position in the food chain (I give the Orca and Grizzlies a wide berth. I haven’t seen a cougar in the wild). I don’t think we should keep large mammals, and that includes both the Orca and Elephants, in captivity.

There are plenty of other ways to bring kids to an outdoor experience or bring the outdoor experience to a kid. In order (my order), they are:

1. Watching Orca’s from shore
2. Watching Orcas from a boat
3. Watching whales on a high def TV – any number of National Geographic films
4. Going on a whale watching excursion (which is my bottom choice as it’s only one step removed from harassment and funds an industry that is ever present around the whales).

I would not visit one in captivity. There, I’ve stated my position. Watch ‘Blackfish’.