Blackfish is a critically acclaimed 2013 documentary by Gabriela Cowperthwait, a film that follows the controversial topic surrounding orca captivity and its dangers to both humans and whales . The film centers on a killer whale, Tilikum, who attacked multiple people during his years of captivity. This issue not only affects people related to SeaWorld, but is also an ever-growing concern in several countries due to the continued use of animals as tourist bait, performances for crowds, and for their "owners" to earn money. In this essay I will discuss how Blackfish elicits suggestions about how morally correct it is for humanity to capture wild animals for the sole purpose of public entertainment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Aquariums and marine mammal theme parks like SeaWorld, Orca Ocean in Loro Parque, and Marineland in Canada are part of a billion-dollar industry built on the suffering of intelligent, social beings who are denied everything they it is natural and important to them. The issue of captivity of wild animals for public entertainment not only calls into question the values and standards established by marine parks, but also challenges the continued mistreatment of animals in Asian countries such as Indonesia, the cruel entertainment known as Dancing monkeys or topeng monyet (meaning masked monkey, referring to the doll-headed masks they are often forced to wear) was not long ago a common sight in Jakarta. Wearing chains around their necks and learning to play silly pranks, they often entertained young children who laughed at their antics. The monkeys are chained, preventing them from exploring the wilderness as they should, not unlike orcas in marine parks, forced to swim endlessly in their tanks. The animals, if not bred in captivity, are captured from the ocean by the aquarium industry. Animals are cruelly taken from their families and friends to endure a terrifying and stressful journey before ending up in a tank. This causes animals in captivity to be psychologically damaged and extremely aggressive towards trainers and their peers. Tilikum, the orca that lashed out and killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau and two other people, has remained in a cramped tank for more than 30 years since she was taken from her Icelandic family. Lolita, taken from her family when she was just a child, has resided in the same tank at the Miami Seaquarium for nearly half a century. Lolita is the only survivor of a terrifying capture in 1970 (more than 90 orcas were persecuted and lured into a net, 7 were sold to marine parks) and has spent almost her entire life in the smallest and oldest orca tank in the United States States, one that doesn't even meet the outdated and inadequate minimum size requirements of the federal Animal Welfare Act and that fails to provide her with any shelter from the scorching Miami sun. Orcas in the wild spend 90 percent of their time underwater and dive to depths of 1,000 feet, but the tank that confines Lolita is just 20 feet at its deepest point, the same length as her body. He has not had the company of any member of his species since 1980, when his tankmate, Hugo, died after repeatedly hitting his head against the tank wall. Not only is Lolita deprived of her rights, but she also suffers direct and indirect abuse. Many of these orcas would swim thousands of kilometers a day and have senses that guide them through their.
tags