Blackfish documentary

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 2:49pm

So did anybody check it out in theaters or on CNN? Do you think it will have an impact on Seaworld and their practices?

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/us/cnn-films-blackfish/index.html

Updated On: 10/27/13 at 02:49 PM

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 3:10pm

I saw it. I don't know how anyone could go to Sea World again after watching it.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 4:21pm

I decided to avoid SeaWorld and parks like it long before this documentary, but I hope it shows the masses what goes on. I love how they blamed the trainer for the accident. Perhaps she made a mistake. They use Applied Behavior Analysis to train the animals. Anyone can make a mistake. The animals should never be contained and cannot (and should not) be controlled.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 4:33pm

I missed it. Anyone know if CNN has any plans to re-air it?

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 5:27pm

It was the highest rated documentary they have ever aired. I am betting they will.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 5:29pm

I saw the documentary in theaters an re-watched it on CNN Thursday evening.

I find Sea World's defense deplorable, because they fail to actually address any of the accusations the film brings up. Instead they try to draw attention to the rescue and conservation they work do. And don't get me wrong, Sea World does outstanding work when it comes those areas. However, that is NOT what the film is about. The film acknowledges the good work Sea World does. But the film is about keeping orcas in captivity and the inherent problems with that.

Sea World, to date, hasn't responded to any of the pointed accusations the film makes: that orcas require vast amounts of space, as they have a habitat in the wild that stretches for miles, that orcas live in tight family units and separating them is psychologically harmful, that their current head trainer (Kelly Clark) blatantly lied on the witness stand in the OSHA investigation, claiming Sea World had nothing to do with Loro Parque (yet their trainers trained the Loro Parque trainers), that they never informed their trainers about Tilikum's aggressive past (when he arrived here in Orlando, he had already been responsible for the deaths of two trainers), or that Tilikum is currently living out a miserable existence, mostly isolated from the other orcas, only occasionally being brought into shows.

I can tell you, here in Orlando, people in the theme park industry (which I work in) are definitely talking. I think even more eyes will be opened when the film inevitably wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The Anderson Cooper special that aired after Blackfish is worth watching, too, if for no other reason than it showed what a fool "Jungle Jack Hannah" is, as he got his *ss handed to him by some marine biologists for trying to argue that most animals "don't even know" they're in captivity.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 10/28/13 at 12:37am

It reaires tonight, so I am sure it will again. Keep checking listings.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/28/13 at 1:24am

Re-aired on CNN 3 times tonight. I'm sure they will air it again. I want to see the Anderson Cooper special -- I hope they re-air that.

I went to SeaWorld 4-5 years ago and enjoyed it immensely. I think I even saw a show that aired 2-3 minute videos that acted as segments in between acts. These videos showed behind-the-scenes glimpses of how much care and study the park does on their animals.

I didn't think for a second as to how they obtained these creatures. I assumed they would have all been "rescues."

I hope BLACKFISH exposes SeaWorld and similar theme parks and brings media attention to them.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 10/28/13 at 10:55am

I enjoyed Blackfish - very compelling. The number of commercials was disturbing.

Great documentary. I have not and will never visit one of those fish shows.

Blaming Dawn for her death made my stomach turn!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/28/13 at 7:04pm

Great documentary! And it accomplished this much: I won't spend a dime at Sea World ever again, no matter how badly the grandkids want to go.

***

What was particularly ridiculous about the panel discussion that followed was Jack Hanna's insistence that without animal theme parks, people won't empathize with animals and support their conservation.

Watching one of the Shamus circumnavigate a tank, splashing the crowd, does not inspire empathy in me. On the contrary, orcas are far more interesting (and moving--in both senses of the word) when FILMED in the wild.



Updated On: 10/30/13 at 07:04 PM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 10/29/13 at 8:20pm

November 2nd, 9 PM EST on CNN.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 10/30/13 at 11:58am

According to my programming guide, 11/2 at 9:00 PM EST on CNN is an Anderson Cooper Special Report of the Trayvon Martin case. I am hoping that is incorrect. I really would like to see Blackfish. I just watched the trailer on the movie website.

Updated On: 10/30/13 at 11:58 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/30/13 at 1:59pm

My partner and I watched Blackfish this past Sunday evening and loved it. It was a real eye opener. I actually felt for Tilikum. He has had a rough life, but he keeps on "performing" anyway. No wonder he has lashed out a few times in his life. It is like a cry for help. He just wants to be free. These poor animals! I honestly had no idea something like this was going on behind the scenes.

I hope the word spreads about this documentary...it deserves to be seen by the masses.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/30/13 at 2:34pm

So, if I go as Blackfish for Halloween tomorrow, is that racist?

[Tag]

Posted: 10/30/13 at 9:30pm

Something seemed off towards the end of the film. I'm not quite sure what it was but I felt like things were wrapped up too quickly. They kind of glossed over the fact that Seaworld blamed Dawn Brancheau for her own death, while the former trainers disputed that but clearly mentioned everything she had done wrong during the final session with Tilikum. Was she a contributing factor? What did the court case find? (And just because I am questioning this, doesn't mean I think she deserved what happened, so relax) And I had a hard time feeling sympathy for the former trainers (especially the one guy who said he'd never take his 3 year old daughter to a park) when they were clearly involved with the tremendous success of these parks.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 11/2/13 at 10:48pm

I read recently that "Finding Dory" the sequel to "Finding Nemo" was set to take place in an SeaWorld type park. Once Ellen DeGeneres saw "Blackfish" she demanded script rewrites or said she'd walk.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 11/3/13 at 8:25am

The former trainers were young when they became trainers and had really bonded with the animals. The fact that they had the guts to stand up and tell the truth about an industry that they used to be a big part of is very brave.

As for the trainer that was killed, they use basic Applied Behavior Analysis when training the animals. She was using positive reinforcement at the time of the attack. The reward is his entire motivation. The animal may not have been above water when she indicated that he could stop the "trick" and come for his reward. As such, he continued to do the trick, going longer than usual. To her, that was a mistake, so there was no reward. To him, he did more than usual, so it should have been rewarded. It's a horribly flawed system, since it's difficult to tell when the animal can or does hear. Whether she made a mistake is irrelevant. Humans are flawed and the 12,000 pound whale is unpredictable. You can't ever put yourself in a position where you can't overpower something or someone that's unpredictable. When working with violent individuals with little cognitive ability, this is the rule. The behavior modification methods are the same. SeaWorld is responsible for creating this environment, telling the trainers that it's safe and hiding the truth from employees and the public.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 11/3/13 at 12:29pm

CNN is really screwing up their programming guide. I checked my DVR and noticed 5 new episodes of Anthony Bourdain's hour long show got recorded. I found that strange that there may have been a recent marathon. Turns out that 4 of those episodes were in actuality 2 separate showings of Blackfish. Seems like a major disservice for both people who are trying to find Blackfish on their TV schedule and those who expecting a global travelogue show.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 11/3/13 at 7:23pm

Check out HLN as well. They are a subsidiary as CNN and I rewatched the doc yesterday afternoon on HLN. (Very little else could have torn me away from college football.)_

I found a second viewing very informative (there's a lot of info in the doc in the attempt to give all sides a say (this is not a criticism)) and even more disturbing.