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Sabrina De Belen
Lorie Hamalian
English 115
28 October 2014
Blackfish: Behind the Lies
Many people are drawn to animals because the beauty they possess and the nature they
bring. Why do you think so many people have dogs or cats as pets? It is because we love
nurturing these creatures and treating them like they are humans. But others dont feel the same
way. Many mammals are killed and shot down in use of their fur. Other animals such as orca
whales have been captured and separated from its natural environment for commercial use as we
see in the documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. This ultimately destroys
these animals because they do not belong in the environment that they are put in. Thus, the orca
whales and all animals in general, will tend to act differently because they dont know how else
to act in the new environment they are forcibly assimilated to. Although this documentary may
seem bias due to the fact that it seems as if only one side of the story is being told, this
documentary has the potential to affect change by the use of terrifying visual displays that
portray the extremities an animal acts upon when separated with its natural habitat as well as the
revelation of Sea Worlds lies to make the audience feel that it is necessary to help these orca
whales become free and return to where they truly belong.
A particular scene that illustrated Sea Worlds lies in the documentary, Blackfish, was
where it showed the testimony of
SeaWorld against Loro Parque. The
attorney of SeaWorld had questioned

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head trainer, Kelly Clark, if Loro Parque was affiliated to the knowledge with SeaWorld training
and Clark responded with no. Although it may be that they didnt have a recorded video of the
happenings in court, the scene presented as an animation rather than showing real humans, made
an impact of how SeaWorld lied. The use of the typewriter effect as the dialogue of the people
rather than voices, made it somewhat suspenseful for the audience to read. The fact that there
were no voices but silence with slight
music really makes a strong statement of
how SeaWorld doesnt want to lose their
pride and speak the truth about what has
been going on with Loro Parque and in
their own parks. Having to read the lies of
what was said by SeaWorlds head trainer contributed to the overall purpose of the film which is
to make the audience realize how SeaWorld is not what it seems. The audience consisting of
little children and fans of orcas, are deceived to believe that these animals are okay being locked
up and away from their natural habitat. This scene is very important because the SeaWorld we
know whom is supposed to be loving and caring continuously prove otherwise by how they dont
want to take responsibility for their actions. They dont want to get rid of their pride just for the
reputations sake.
In addition, this scene may portray a different understanding to people who witness this
court case. The attorney of SeaWorld had questioned head trainer, Kelly Clark, if Loro Parque
was affiliated to the knowledge with SeaWorld training and Clark responded with no. Sea
World may seem trustworthy to the jury or to the overall population. People would think to
believe them, that Sea World wouldnt lie to them, and that they cant lie because they made an

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oath to only tell the truth in court so the people would suppose they arent lying. As the audience
watches the actions of trainer Alex work with the orca whale, it may make them believe at first
that it probably was just the trainers mistake and he should have known better than to stay in the
pool if the Orca seemed to be irritated. But this image here below, illustrates that Sea World is
really lying to everyone. They had stated that Loro Parque was not affiliated with knowledge of
Sea World and this proves otherwise. This image shows that the trainer from Loro Parque was
practicing Sea World techniques to take back with him to Loro Parque as evidenced by his suit
and the caption of the scene. The caption says Alex is training at SeaWorld 12 months before
his death. The fact that the words are not noticeable symbolizes what Sea World is trying to
hide. They are deceiving their audience,
lying to them about everything they say
regarding their affiliations with Loro
Parque and their orca whales. Potentially,
this would make the audience feel
betrayed because this would now be the second account of evidence that would show how Sea
World says one thing but in the end were all just lies. The purpose of the counter scene is to
show the audience Sea World has a really bad reputation of being a pathological liar.
Ultimately, orca whales or animals for that matter, should not be kept captive because
they will change their behavior if they are not comfortable in the new environment they are
forced to get used to. Although some animals dont show signs of problems with being locked up
in a small space in contrast to their vast space of natural habitat environment, other animals will
show significant behavior of their dislike of being captivated. It is said in the article, Should
orcas be kept in captivity?, that enclosed habitats like oceanarium tanks can be distressing to

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wild animals, and make them act in unpredictable--even harmfulways (Should Orcas Be Kept
In Captivity?). If someone was to take another person and lock the up in a closet for a very long
time, they may just act similar to those of orcas who are held captive. If orcas tend to kill
because they are aggravated for being locked up for so long, what makes people think that
humans dont have the same capability as these animals do? If one was held captive, to be able to
free themselves, they will try to kill those who captured and confined them. Humans and animals
possess the same behavior and necessities, therefore, treat others the way you want to be
treated, because I dont think humans would want to be held captive and only serve a purpose to
entertain and then be locked up again when their deed is done. Thus, humans actions to
capturing orca whales and locking them up should be put to an end.
In conclusion, although this documentary may seem bias due to the fact that it seems as if
only one side of the story is being told, this documentary has the potential to affect change by the
use of terrifying visual displays that portray the extremities an animal acts upon when separated
with its natural habitat as well as the revelation of Sea Worlds lies to make the audience feel that
it is necessary to help these orca whales become free and return to where they truly belong.
Because Tilikum was captured and taken away from his home at 2 years of age, any attempts to
release Tilikum would have to include efforts to build his muscle tone and cardiovascular
strength and for him to learn life skills he would need to survive in the ocean since he is now 30
years of age (Experts Weigh Putting Tilikum Back In Wild). It may seem like a challenging
task to do and it is, but its for the better. Not only will it be better for us to be free of casualties
from orca whale killings but also better for the orca whales to enjoy their life in their natural
habitat.

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Works Cited
Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Perf. Tilikum and Interviewers. 2013.
Colarossi, A. (2010, Feb 27). Experts Weigh Putting Tilikum Back in Wild. Orlando
Sentinel Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/284302705?accountid=7285
"Should Orcas Be Kept in Captivity?" Junior Scholastic 12 Apr. 2010: 6. General OneFile. Web.
30 Oct. 2014.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A226808488&v=2.1&u=csunorthridge&it
=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=809f797375c4ff10ee2e3ed2d17704c9>.