Blackfish

There has been a lot of buzz on social media in the last month regarding the documentary Blackfish, written by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. If you have not seen it, I thoroughly recommend it. To say this film is powerful does not do it justice.

Orcas are some of the most beautiful and intelligent animals on the planet. Blackfish discusses the issues of keeping such incredible animals in captivity. At the forefront of this film is Tilikum, a performing killer whale at Sea World in Orlando, Florida, who is responsible for the deaths of at least three people since the early 1990's.

I'll be honest, I'd never really thought much about animals in captivity. This could be due in large part to the fact that I've only ever been to aquariums, not to Sea World. When I saw this film for the first time, I was not only shocked, but also outraged and heartbroken. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt; not only because of the unnecessary loss of human life, but because of the animals' lives as well. Mostly because I know that even if Tilikum were freed, he'd still be alone. Orcas are family animals; the young stay with their mothers throughout their entire lives. He never had that luxury. He was stolen from his family at two years old. Sadly enough, the human capacity for cruelty no longer surprises me.

When discussing this issue I was asked the question,"why should I care about a fish?" (Ignoring the fact that an orca is not a fish) This, in my opinion, is what is wrong with this world. Why should you care about a shark, or an orca, or a grouper? You should care because all life is precious, not just human life. Animals were not just placed here for human amusement; they serve a purpose too. One cannot simply exploit the oceans without consequence. To quote Sylvia Earle, "No blue, no green."

I've included the trailer for Blackfish. Please watch, and encourage others to do the same. Thank you.