Portrayal Of Animal Mistreatment And Abuse In Blackfish

“If you were in a bathtub for 25 years, don’t you think you would get a little irritated, aggravated, maybe a little psychotic?” (Blackfish, 2013) Orca whales have been mistreated for years now as they are confined to small tanks, forced to be with creatures they’re not used to, and put on display to perform for large audiences. The documentary, Blackfish, brings to light the various issues that exist with confining these highly intelligent and enormously emotional mammals to aquariums, further reinforcing why orca whales should be left in the wild. By analyzing the inhumane treatment endured by these mammals, the limited space in which they are confined, the artificial environment they live in, and each of these factors impacts on their wellbeing, we are able to better understand why orca wales should not be kept in captivity. The documentary Blackfish is a highly effective expository documentary created by Gabriela Cowperthwaite that to draw awareness to the mistreatment of orcas at SeaWorld, and the immorality behind trapping and encaging such large and marvellous marine mammals in small and confined areas, where they cannot embrace their true nature.

This documentary illuminates the fabricated stories created by SeaWorld, the behaviours of orcas when they are placed into smaller bodies of water, and the detrimental living conditions that caused many orca whales to lash out violently toward their trainers. The injuries and deaths of many trainers were researched, leading to some very uncomfortable evidence about the mistreatment of orca whales at SeaWorld. The documentary began with chilling music and a gloomy setting, as multiple calls were made to the Orlando police department about a trainer being killed by an orca whale at SeaWorld. This opening immediately engaged the audience, presenting one of the major events that led to the controversies that arose soon after, regarding the confinement of orca whales in aquariums. The producers of the documentary employed a unique approach in engaging the viewers, especially with the remarkable use of animations. 

Throughout the documentary, the viewer was shown animated drawings of scenarios that were being narrated, including the way orcas tried to escape from being caught in the Ocean, and court case proceedings. The footage presented about the relationship between trainers and orcas, along with the heartbreaking way in which baby orcas were stripped from their mothers allowed for a deep emotional bond to be forged between the viewer and the orca whales. On the hand, to other viewers this documentary may portray a biased view, as only particular footage was selected, to further enhance the documentary’s purpose and the perspective of the producer. However, the documentary still effectively portrayed its message regarding the mistreatment of orca whales, as it displayed both the true intentions of trainers, which often was not to cause any harm, but rather foster a relationship with the whales, along with showing the impact of captivity on the orca whales, providing viewers with both perspectives, but intensifying reasons why orca whales should be left in their natural environment, the ocean. A boldly obvious, but often forgotten reason for why orca whales, or any other animal, should not kept in aquariums, is the inhumane act of to snatching these creatures from their homes and families. 

The documentary exposes how orca whales are forced away from families and specifically captured at a young age, so that they may be possessed for a longer period of time and higher shipping costs associated with fully grown whales can be avoided. Tilikum – the orca focused upon in the Blackfish documentary – was taken captive from his family at the youthful age of two. To appropriately comprehend the frightening and traumatizing experience that this baby endured, one can compare this to taking a young human child away from his mother and father. Many individuals would deem this as cold-hearted and unacceptable, causing them to be frowned upon by society, but when it is done to a baby orca, many individuals do not see the harm that it can cause. These calves, are not able to fully develop, learn how to behave and survive, or mature without the presence of its family or natural environment. Once these orcas are captured, they are held until they can be transported to a final destination. Usually, the captured holding conditions that orcas are forced to live in, are very unpleasant and may consist of only a small wet sling boat, a small sea pen, or a temporary tank lacking a proper filtration system. 

Capturing whales for our sole benefit should be against human morals, as it fails to treat animals with the respect they deserve, and it violates the animal's right to live in freedom. While these orcas were held at SeaWorld, inhumane tactics such as food deprivation were exercised to punish whales if they did not obey what the staff desired of them. While being interviewed in the documentary, a trainer illuminated “it was completely inhumane and most probably led to the psychosis that [Tilikum] was on a hair trigger. He’d kill” (2013). Depriving a whale or any such animal or human, of such basic needs on a day-to-day basis is very dangerous not only for their physical health and well-being, but moreover for their psychological and mental well-being. It would be difficult for anyone to imagine suddenly being captured and thrown into a small concrete enclosure for the remainder of their life, when they should have grown up freely, roaming the environment as per their desire. Unfortunately, orca whales are a prime example of this atrocious and heartless circumstance. They are stripped of this ability to be free when they are held captive in pools, which are theoretically speaking, the size of bathtubs to them. 

The way in which these majestic marine animals are held at night will make one’s stomach curl up in horror. In order to maintain safety precautions and to prevent other individuals from cutting the orcas out of their nets, they are detained in small tanks. Although this may seem beneficial to their safety, it actually places the orcas in even worse circumstances than before. To put it into perspective, when fully grown a male orca whale averages 21.7 ft (SeaWorld, 2019). and they are forced into tanks that are just 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide, which is unreasonably and unjustly small considering their previous home – the ocean which ranges up to millions of square feet. What makes it far more cruel, is the fact that they have to live in there for two-thirds of their lives. During the winter months, orcas are kept in these tight confined spaces from 5pm to 7am with the lights shut off, in pure darkness, leading to no stimulation in their tanks. Many times, when trainers open the gates in the morning to let the whales out, they discover an absurd amount of blood, and that some of the whales would actually have broken teeth as they would try to relentlessly bite the gate and fight to get out of their prison. Many adult male orca whales, who have been held in captivity over a long period of time, develop collapsed dorsal fins, due to having limited space to swim freely, whereas in the wild this is rarely the case and signifies an injured or unhealthy orca. 

Once again, Blackfish manages to provide another valid reason for why these animals should be left in their natural environment, where they are able to live with their families and in a space large enough to suffice their needs. Lastly, and most importantly these orcas are forced to live in an artificial environment, where they are not exposed to other marine species, natural ocean water, nor do they interact with predators and prey they would have, had they lived in their natural environment. When whales are captured and first thrown in with other whales that they haven’t grown up with, lots of tension is created, which leads to hyper aggression, violence, and a lot of killing in captivity that never would have been witnessed in the wild. In 1988, a female whale was put into captivity with another whale unknown to her, so she attempted to assert her dominance on that whale by hitting her into the wall of the tank, which fractured her jaw and cut an artery in her head causing her to bleed out and eventually pass away. When held in captivity, orca whales are unable to develop the same abilities to fend for themselves as they would if they were left in the wild because instead of defending themselves in the ocean, they are trained to obey trainers and perform stunts and tricks for large crowds. By removing their ability to gain basic life skills, companies like SeaWorld eradicate any chance the orca may have to return to the wild once again, as they would not be able to provide for themselves or protect themselves from predators. Just because companies want to generate more revenue all whales in captivity suffer a ruthless life. “They're all psychologically traumatized. So they are ticking time bombs” (Blackfish, 2013).

Blackfish provided viewers with insight into the cruel lives whales suffer while being held in captivity, offering evidence of inhumane treatment, brutal living conditions, and the impact these have on the survival of this majestic animal. Gabriela Cowperthwaite effectively and respectfully encourages viewers to empathize with these creatures and support in helping them gain the freedom they deserve by presenting different situations that have occurred at SeaWorld and providing a different perspective to the shows, which many audiences go to enjoy in Orlando. Viewers are able to gain an understanding of the conditions these whales have to endure and the things they experience in order to put on a show for audiences every day. Orca whales should be able to enjoy their lives, live with their family, and roam freely through the ocean, just as humans deserve the security to not be snatched from their parents or confined to a small bathtub, as described in the documentary. They are a beautiful and surprisingly gentle creature, that have often been mis portrayed in the media and showcased as a selling point for companies, but it is time that they are set free and able to live without fear of being taken away from their homes.