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Annotated Bibliography

Does SeaWorld need to be shut down?

Shelby Chester
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
October 27, 2015

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Annotated Bibliography
Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Perf. Tillikum, Dave Duffus and Samantha Berg. 2013.
Film. This source focuses on the story of Tillikum, a four ton orca that took the lives of
many people during his time performing at SeaWorld. Orcas are known for their majestic
performances of flying out of the water while in sync with their trainers. These orcas also
coined the name killer whales for a reason. These animals have a capacity to kill
viciously when they need to, and Tillikum is known for having a temper. The film goes
over the death of Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer that was killed by the orca during
a training session. The film then proceeds to talk about the various reasons behind the
attack and that these reasons are all justified. When researched, it is known that orcas are
very intelligent and very emotionally complex. These animals have the capacity to feel
emotions just like humans do which can be observed by the way they interact within a
pod of orcas. This source is can be defined as both academic and popular. The producer
of the film was out on a mission to expose SeaWorld and the way that they treat their
animals. Cowperthwaite has worked on a variety of documentaries that have won her
many Sundance film awards. There is limited information about her that comes up online,
so she is not an extremely well known director and producer. This tells me that she may
not be very credible, but the people she uses in the film to back up her main point have
credibility that overrides her lack of popularity. The film uses a lot of scientific research
to back up the main point, which makes this source one that is reliable and useful for my
project.

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"The Fate of Captive Orcas." WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. WDC, Whale and Dolphin
Conservation, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2015. This source covers the many statistics of orcas held in
captivity. The website is run by an organization dedicated to the scientific research of whales and
dolphins around the world. The organization is currently involved in finding safe places in the
ocean for whales to live in, speaking out against the fishing of whales and how this hurts the eco
systems they live in, and the rights of whales and dolphins around the world. It is not clear who
the author of this webpage is, so it is hard to pinpoint the authors credibility. However, looking
around at the website shows that this organization is extremely dedicated to the research and
information they provide. The charts and infographics shown on the page are come from data
obtained by the research that is funded by the organization, so the information provided could be
extremely biased. Although the organization funds many resources around the world, this does
not mean that the information could be completely accurate or that it has not been tainted with in
order to prove a point. This source is academic since the entire website is laid out to provide
information to anyone who may come across it. Overall, the intended target audience is everyone
in the world. This organization wants everyone to know about the science behind whales and
dolphins. This particular piece of the website is intended for those who know nothing about orcas
in captivity. After looking closer at the source, the intended audience is those who are for animal
rights. This webpage is extremely useful in helping with the project, so I think that I will
continue to not only use this article, but try to find some more information on the webpage to
support my case.
Mosbergen, Dominique. "SeaWorld Orca Mom Too Depressed to Nurse Her Calf." Huffpost Science.
Huffington Post, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. This article shows a sad video of a mother
orca, Kasatka, and her calf swimming in the tank at SeaWorld in California. The calf is seen

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trying to nurse from the belly of Kasatka, but she continues to ignore the calfs request. The
video comes from Superpod, an upcoming documentary about the wild orca of the Northwest
Pacific. In the video, the mother is showing signs of depression. When the calf wants to nurse,
the calf will bump its head into the underside of the mothers belly, and they nursing will begin.
Kastaka is seen ignoring the babys request and a bruise can be seen on her underside from all
the bumping from her two-year old calf Makani. Several marine biologists and orca researchers
have claimed in the article that this behavior is extremely abnormal. They also stated that the
calfs health is affected because it is not getting the necessary nutrients needed for proper
growth. The people mentioned in the article are extremely well-accredited scientists that have
done years-worth of research on orcas and their natural well-being. Naomi Rose, a marine animal
scientist, has dedicated her life to researching orcas and other marine animals. She shows up in a
lot of articles and databases about the effects of orcas held in captivity and the way they their
health is affected. She received a doctorate in Marine Biology at the University of California
Santa Cruz and is the go to person for inquiries about orcas held in captivity. It is safe to say that
her statements are accurate and can be used to help me in showing that SeaWorld needs to be
shut down.
Ridgway, Sam H. "Reported Causes of Death of Captive Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca)." Journal of
Wildlife Diseases, 15 (1979): 99-104. BioOne. Web. 19 Oct. 2015. Although dated, this source
provided data about the deaths of several orcas in captivity. The source is a report-style scientific
journal that summarizes information about the deaths of the orcas from six organizations since
1965. The journal was published in 1979, so the data that is provided is data collected from a
short period of time, rather than more recent studies that cover the course of the past forty to fifty
years. The Journal of Wildlife Diseases publishes reports of wildlife research investigations,

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research papers, research notes, case articles and epizootic reports. The journal only publishes
results of researches done that deal with the parasitic, toxic, nutritional, physiologic,
developmental and neoplastic diseases, environmental contamination, and other factors
impinging on the health and survival of free-living or occasionally captive populations of wild
animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This journal reviews all of
the manuscripts that are sent to it before publishing and all of the manuscripts must meet a strict
set of requirements. The journal is published by the Wildlife Disease Association, an
organization that seeks out to preserve endangered species around the world. The scientists
involved in the organization are people that come from all over to planet with various
background. The article is a reliable source because of all of the scientific research that goes into
the publications and the careful analysis of these publications. I will continue to use this source
because of its credibility and the information it provides.