Blackfish

Sarah Lagna

MGT 375

9/2/2015

Blackfish

        Blackfish brought a lot of emotions out of me. I knew of the documentary before class but had seen neither the trailer nor the film itself. During Blackfish I completely lost track of time and even had to remind myself that I was in class in order to keep my emotions under control. I had to look away during some of the more graphic footage, but those clips combined with the interviews made the documentary that much more raw, intriguing and eye opening.

        After the movie ended and I left class I could not stop talking about Blackfish to everyone I saw. I asked all my friends if they had seen the film and told them how intense of an experience it was for the first day of class. If they had not seen the movie, which most people I spoke with had not, I passionately explained it to the best of my ability. I got into some deep discussions of the ethics behind holding killer whales in captivity and the danger the trainers are placed in during the shows at SeaWorld.

        I have never been to SeaWorld and truly did not know how close the interactions are between the killer whales and their trainers. While it is spectacular when the trainers surf on the whales and preform dives off of them, one must keep the size and power of the killer whale in mind. It is shocking that no changes have been made in SeaWorld or other parks to keep the trainers safe especially with the amount of deaths and injuries over the years. I agree with OSHA that if killer whales are to be held in captivity, trainers must stay out of the water and have a barrier between them and the killer whales at all times as preventative measures to ensure human safety.

        After watching Blackfish I whole-heartedly believe that the only true barrier needed between humans and killer whales is the ocean. Killer whales are such large animals that the only environment they will thrive in is the ocean. In the past I felt it was okay to hold wild animals in captivity, as growing up it seemed to be the norm with zoos and aquariums all over the place. Now that I am older and more aware of what captivity is like for wild animals, I believe wild animals should not be held in captivity. The captivity of wild animals is only acceptable in certain situations, such as trying to save an endangered species or when nursing a sick animal back to health.